Aruba is considered to be one of the three ABC islands in the southern Caribbean. Bonaire and Curaçao are the other two. Aruba is the most developed island of the three, and we noticed some similar vibes between it and Miami. For instance, the restaurants and shops in the downtown area are one block away from the beach, with hotels and resorts making up the beach fronts. I also noticed that many visitors were retired couples and families from the United States. Many of them held time shares and frequently travel to Aruba during the holidays and summer breaks. I was invited to visit Aruba with two girlfriend's for a birthday trip and it ended up being a relaxing getaway. Unlike Miami, this is not the place to go to if you are trying to go out to party at clubs and day parties. Don't get me wrong, there is a nightlife in Aruba, but it is not comparable to some other islands. The next time I go to Aruba will most likely be for another relaxing girls trip, family trip, or romantic getaway.
Currency:
There is no need to exchange your currency if you are bringing USD. Prices also similarly reflect US prices.
"The official local currency is the Aruban Guilder (AWG), fixed to the US dollar at approximately 1.80 AWG to 1 US dollar. US dollars and credit/debit cards are commonly accepted throughout the Island. Local currency and US dollar ATM machines (Maestro/Cirrus) are situated all over the islands."
Location:
We stayed in an Airbnb villa located in Eagle Beach. Our villa, Casa Luna, was managed by Aruba Happy Rentals. We honestly had such a great experience with this management company and would highly recommend renting one of their properties. We booked during the busy holiday season and were limited in our options by the time we booked. For three girls, however, we had the entire villa with a pool to ourselves and only paid about $380 USD/person for 5 days. The villa had welcome drinks and cookies upon our arrival. The management company was very flexible and allowed us to check in early as well as check-out late due to our flight schedules. We were greeted by someone from the company and she helped provide us with any additional information needed. We felt even safer with the The villa's easy to use security system. The villa was located within a 5 minute walk to the supermarket where you can purchase alcohol as well. We were located about 13 minutes from the airport and within 3 to 10 minutes away from everything else that we needed (downtown, the beach, restaurants, boat docks, etc.)
If staying at a resort is more of your style, the following options are known to be very popular among tourists:
Renaissance Aruba Resort- includes free, unlimited access to Renaissance Island
The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba- all inclusive option available
Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa
Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort
Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa
Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort- all inclusive option available
Barcelo Aruba- all inclusive option available
Aruba Marriott Resort
Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort
Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort
Hotel Riu Palace Aruba- all inclusive option available
Marriott's Aruba Ocean Club- beach club on site
Getting Around:
Rent a car or call a taxi. We could have rented a car but we were not sure about the parking situations and we also wanted to drink responsibly throughout the day. We later discovered that you can park the car at any available spot on the street. They are not strict regarding parking, and street parking is typically free.
Aruba does not utilize Uber or Lyft. Calling a taxi/ cab is really simple and can be done via a phone call or simply by hailing a cab on a busier street or in front of a business.
Tip: T-mobile is one of the best phone services to have if you are a frequent traveler. International calls/ texts/ and data is included in my regular plan so there are no surprises on my monthly phone bill. Most taxi companies utilize whatsapp and will arrive to pick you up within minutes of making a call. Our villa was located in a development and away from busy streets. I had really good experiences using the taxi radio dispatch service called TAS (Taxi Address Service) through whatsapp whenever we needed to call a cab. The number for this service is +297-594-1998.
Aruba is a small island so everything is going to be located within 3 to 15 minutes of you, including the airport. Aruba is also very safe for solo travelers and the Taxi dispatch service is very reliable. It's not really possible for a taxi/cab to rip you off because they all follow the same rules and fixed rates. Generally, cabs run anywhere between $7 USD to $13 USD.
Good Eats:
I traveled for a friends birthday, so naturally we wanted to experience some upscale restaurants with good food for our dinners. For lunch, we ate at beach clubs or during one of our excursions. We made our own breakfast most days. For the actual day of my friend's birthday, we hired a private chef to cook us brunch through our airbnb host.
Private chef: about $58/ person plus tip for the following family-Style brunch: Choice of homemade pancakes/waffles/french toast with scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon or pork sausage, assorted fruit platter, assorted bread, assorted pastries, assorted teas, and jams/spreads.
We loved our chef, and he can be contacted directly via IG @chefvincentpellegrini. He arrived a little late, but only because our villa can be difficult to find sometimes. He came with his wife, who assisted him in the cooking, and brought everything that was needed.They even waited for us to finish to clean up after us and put away our dishes.Breakfast/ Brunch:
Mimosa Bar & Restaurant Aruba- popular, affordable location
YOLO cocktails & Tapas- bottomless mimosas every Sunday
Craft- bottomless mimosas & bellini's every Sunday
Linda's pancakes
Lunch:
Moomba Beach Bar & Restaurant- located on the beach & great for sunset views
Atardi- located on the beach
O'Niel Caribbean Kitchen- local cuisine
The Old Cunucu House- local cuisine
Bugaloe's on the pier- great for sunset views
Any beach restaurant at a well-known resort
Dinner:
Bohemian- a beautiful location for dinner. We came here one night and the service was extraordinary. The host seated us in an egg-like table that was great for privacy as well as taking photos. Most seating offers seclusion and privacy. The setting is also romantic and gives me similar boho-chic vibes as Tulum. Our server personally introduced the bartender. He greeted us at our table and he made us each personalized, (and my favorite part- FREE) cocktails. The prices are also very reasonable and comparable to what you would spend at a common restaurant for dinner in the United States. We didn't wait very long for our food to arrive, but it would have been worth the wait if we did. We ordered calamari and chorizo for an appetizer, and we split 3 entrees (duck, paella, and lamb shank.) Each dish was delicious, but I think we each agreed that the paella was our favorite.
Brutto- this urban-chic restaurant is new to Aruba and has two other locations in El Salvador and Panama. This restaurant serves sushi in addition to their traditional menu. Personally, it was my favorite restaurant regarding drinks. I think that the prices were pretty steep in comparison to other restaurants. This restaurant had a DJ and they played pretty great music. The service was mediocre here, but the food was very good. We each ordered our own sushi role and tried the steak, lobster roll, and dumplings. We were all pleased with our experience.
El Gaucho- good Argentinian steaks
Oak- very popular among tourists
Lima Bistro- small and trendy Peruvian restaurant
Que Pasa- mexican cuisine
Excursions:
Luxury Lagoon Cruise- We did the snorkeling cruise through the Monforte cruise company. It was not exactly what we expected. It was more like a pirate ship than an actual catamaran cruise. Despite this, however, there were many good things about this cruise. The lunch was great and the drinks were also pretty good. The staff on the cruise ship were friendly and the snorkeling experience was also good. We liked that it wasn't at all crowded on the ship. I would recommend going through Viator to find some other cruises and read through the reviews if you are looking for a catamaran experience.
Flamingo Beach on Renaissance Island- "The place you want to see the famous flamingos is the Renaissance Island, a privately owned island by Renaissance Aruba Resort in Oranjestad. Guests of the Renaissance Aruba Resort have free access to the island, but you can buy a day pass and visit the island as a non-guest. The total cost for a day pass to visit Flamingo Beach on Renaissance Island Aruba is $125 per person, and this price includes one lunch and one cocktail at Papagayo Bar & Grill or Mangrove Beach Bar. Beach towels and water sports are free and available on the island. You also have access to sunbeds for free, and cabanas are available at an extra cost. The island is accessible from 7 AM to 6:45 PM. A 10 minute ride via a boat taxi takes you from Renaissance Aruba Resort to the island and back. The passes have an open window online and you'll want to book one week prior to your arrival. They also have a separate adults-only side from the family & children side. For more photos and information, follow our Instagram page @thephilemons .
Palm Island- This is similar to Flamingo Beach, but it has more activities to do on the island. It is also highly recommended by tourists and you get a lot more for the price you pay ($115 USD). The booking is an all-inclusive experience. The following inclusions are listed below directly from their website:
All-inclusive food and beverages
Snorkel gear
Free snorkeling tours
Relaxation
Unlimited banana boat rides
New kids water parks
Exciting body drop slides
Elegant FlamingosNightlife:
South Beach- Outdoor. very similar vibes to any bar/club in Miami that plays hip hop/soca/r&b. I'd recommend this for anyone in their 20's & 30's.
Gusto- Indoor & outdoor. mixture of hip hop and house music.
Moomba- Outdoor beach bar. Locals said this is the place to go on Sundays.
Bugaloes- Outdoor on the pier. Outdated music but the views are good and they have decent happy hour specials.
Follow @thephilemons on Instagram for photos, videos, and more information :)
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