aruba: one happy island

Jeff and I just returned from nine days in pure paradise: The country of Aruba. This is a tropical place where the car license plates are a proud illustration of what really is the local attitude: "One Happy Island". Never before have I been to a place that is so safe, and where people are so incredibly friendly to visitors. You simply must go.

Eagle Beach

The wonderful reminder on all vehicles

Below you will find a snapshot of our adventure - maybe you will find yourself there someday? Here are my hits, misses, dos and don'ts of visiting the teeny tiny country of Aruba...

Do visit as many beaches as possible, and swim in the warm ocean! We rented a car for four days, and were so glad we did. It's a bummer to think that many tourists visit this island, stay at a big resort and never explore the beaches and snorkeling spots. The entire island is only about 15 miles long! Aruba's beaches were some of the most beautiful I have ever seen - glassy white sand and turquoise water. Our favorite beaches: Arashi Beach (at the Northernmost tip) and Baby Beach (named so because you can wade out hundreds of feet and still only be waist-deep in water). The great beaches are all on the western coast of the country. The eastern side of Aruba is relatively untouched - the waves are rough and the water very deep, making it a place where no tourists go. When I asked islanders about sharks in Aruba, I was told they are all over on that side. It is true though - the water on the western coast is so extremely shallow and calm, you will hardly even see waves.

Arashi Beach, our daily spot

Baby Beach

Palm Beach

Don't let a day go by without watching the incredible sunset (around 6:30 pm). This was one of the highlights of our day, and often accompanied by "happy hour", which is 2x1 drinks (sometimes made by Jeff, and sometimes made by a local bartender :). *Note: most bars and restaurants do happy hour between 4-6, which is a great way to get cheaper drinks before dinn dinn. We cherished our sunset and happy hour time!

Walking along Palm Beach

Enjoying champagne from our hotel balcony

This was a normal sight on evening walks!

Surfside Beach, in front of our hotel room

Do snorkel on this island! It took me a bit to get over my fear of sharks (I was finally reassured by the islanders that they are never seen in Aruba) but once I did, I was so pleased with myself. We would definitely recommend taking a snorkel cruise/tour, as well as snorkeling on your own at many of the fabulous beaches/reefs. Colorful fish are everywhere...schools of them so packed together that it looks like a solid wall.

Aboard the Pelican II for our catamaran cruise

The end of our snorkel adventure

For our snorkel cruise, we chose to go with Pelican Adventures, a much smaller company that doesn't pack the people onto the boat like sardines (I think there maybe were 25-30 of us?). Open bar, music, great staff. The highlight was snorkeling above a 400-foot German freighter shipwreck, the Antilla, that was sunk after WWII.

These pictures were taken from Google, but pretty much describe what we saw. I have to admit the sunken ship was an eerie sight...I was quickly back out of the water after only a few minutes, but Jeff took more time to explore all 400 feet (might I add, we were dumped out in nearly 50-foot deep water). The ship lies just below the surface so it can be seen very clearly from above.

Do research restaurants before your trip. Find the hidden gems. Food is very expensive on the island, as most everything is imported (a 6-pack of Corona at the store was $20). However, with a little research you can always find great restaurants where the food is amazing and the place is not jammed with tourists. We tried to eat on the water every night, because the nightly temperature is still in the 80s - perfectly pleasant, and no sweater needed!

Dinner at Pincho's, the restaurant at our first hotel

Amazing Italian dinner at Azzurro, our last night

Do eat as much fish as possible. In Aruba, the grouper, snapper, mahi mahi, and tuna are fresher than fresh. Food is by no means cheap here, but fish is often the least expensive on the menu, and definitely the freshest (think: didn't see any cows or chickens in Aruba...).

Grouper fillet sandwich from a food cart at Baby Beach - amazing!

Don't even worry about weather ruining your vacation in Aruba. The island almost never gets any rain. In fact, it's a desert climate (that is also humid), and it took me a while to get used to the cactus and dry landscape. The locals told us they are lucky to get one day of rain a month. Clouds always burn off by 11 am, and when you do see them you are only relieved because they are an escape from the hot sun. When we were there, the average temperature was 92 degrees. Another bonus, is that this island is 99% outside of the hurricane belt, making it a year-round vacation destination (I say 99% because we were told at very rare times they will see light symptoms of nearby Caribbean hurricanes).

View from the lookout point on Aruba's northwestern coast

Do bring a TON of sunscreen. The island is very close to the equator, making the sun extremely intense. I got so tired of seeing lazy Americans walking around like cherry tomatoes - it's called cancer, people!!!! Mom, you'd be so proud - we were like a walking Neutrogena commercial - SPF 70 on at all times and reapplied throughout the day. :)

Do hit up a local food cart if you can find one. A friend just told me she was surprised I liked this type of dining, but YES-SIREE we scout these carts out!! Here is a way to find the most authentic and satisfying food of the trip (not to mention cheap). The locals were swarming around this one like bees, which is always a great sign. So we visited. TWICE.

This was a hoppin' lunch spot with the locals, and we found out why

Don't even bother switching out your US Dollars. Everywhere in Aruba lists the prices in Dollars as well as in Florins (the local currency), and many places only take Dollars.

Do drink the water in Aruba! It's amazing. Seriously, just like Oregon water. You wouldn't be able to tell a difference. Unlike some other islands (or even the east coast of the US - haha), the water in Aruba is safe and delicious. The country runs the world's 2nd largest desalinization plant, which converts sea water to crystal clear drinking water. So save yourself some money and know that it's great to drink right out of the faucet - and don't be shocked when a waiter at the restaurant pours it in your glass.

Don't be surprised at how windy it is on the island. Aruba has a very hot climate but the constant wind off the ocean keeps it bearable - you will appreciate it! (However, I did get rather tired of my hair sticking to my sunscreened face while reading a book).

Don't spend too much time in the high-rise resort area. The island is divided up into low-rise hotels, high-rise hotels, and the marina/downtown area. The first four nights we stayed at a small hotel on Surfside Beach, Aruba Surfside Resort, which was closer to downtown. The last four nights we spent at the Westin, which has my favorite Heavenly Bed and is in the high-rise hotel area. The difference between the two was drastic - in fact, we kept saying we felt like we had two different vacations. Our first hotel cost at least half as much, with an ocean-FRONT room. Smack dab, on the beach. At the Westin, we were on the 10th floor, with an amazing ocean view, but definitely not what we had experienced before. At the first hotel, we were given a huge breakfast each morning, delivered to our balcony. We did enjoy switching over to the Westin, though; after four days of exploring it was nice to finally settle down and relax at the hotel pool and beach. However, the high-rise hotel area is full of chain restaurants and tourists. Bla. Don't eat in this area!

View from our balcony at the Aruba Surfside Resort

Aruba Surfside Resort

View from our balcony at the Westin, 10th floor

Do adopt the laid-back island attitude (yes, even I do it when on vacation, folks). How can you not? Life is much simpler here, and follows a much slower pace. Take, for example, the airport controller staff (which we heard stories about prior to arriving)...hmm he appears to be taking a nap as our plane departs?


Lastly, do visit Aruba if you and your significant other love a tropical vacation every now and then. We absolutely loved how safe the island was, the spectacular weather, and the beauty of the beaches.