Aruba Travel Experience: Unique Beaches & Celebrating a 40th Birthday

I’ve always heard of Aruba and the phrase " One Happy Island" and heard about pristine beaches, Flamingos and have always thought that it was some far way and lavish destination.  So, I thought Aruba would be luxurious and super expensive; so it was never really crossed my mind as a future travel destination.  But when we decided to go somewhere for my wife’s 40^th birthday, which is in November, we had to think outside of the box since most Caribbean destinations are prone to hurricanes.  That is when I found out, being so far south, and just above Venezuela, Aruba is outside of the Hurricane Belt.  I got down to planning and realized that flights and hotels weren’t too expensive.  So, I attached my 3 personal days from work to the weekend and the Remembrance Day holiday, and we booked a trip to Aruba!

Aruba is tropical, has beautiful beaches and it’s outside of the Hurricane Belt, so that is a plus.  And to our pleasant surprise, when we got there, we learned that, unlike most tropical destinations, you can drink their water it’s safe and relatively affordable… perfect destination right?  In addition to that, it’s a small island and it is very easy to drive around there.  So, despite being a bit of a long flight, our  trip to Aruba was smooth and easy.

Things to Do

Like I said, Aruba is a small island, the roads are easy to navigate and the people are good drivers, so if you are up for it; you can rent a car and easily explore most of the island.  If you don’t want to rent a car there are lots of jeep tours of the island.  And if you’re feeling adventurous, ATV tours are common.  This looked like a lot of fun, but we have a baby girl so we elected to rent a car instead.  With currency conversion and insurance, to rent a car for 24 hours it cost us under $75 CAD and the gas was cheap in Aruba too.  But why are there so many ATV and jeep tours?  Because Aruba is a desert and barren landscape.  It’s mostly flat, rugged and has several rocky parts.  It’s kind of neat seeing desert landscapes and cactuses right next to pristine beaches.  There are also a ton of Iguanas, I have never seen so many in my life.  Just be careful with your food around them.

Whether you’re renting a car or on a tour there are many cool places to check out.  There is the Natural Bridge which is a natural rock formation and bridge above the rough Caribbean coast.  There are also many rocky hiking trails close to the natural bridge.  And on your way to the Natural Bridge, there is the Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins, which look like an old stone fortress perched above the rugged and rough coast.  We drove by but didn’t stop; it looked like a cool photo stop but we didn’t have enough time.   These two stops are on the northern coast, which are on the opposite side of the island from most of the beaches, but still a close drive because of the size of the island.  Also on the northern side of the island is the Natural Pool which is a sheltered swimming hole tucked into the rocky coastline.  This was formed by volcanic rock and is a popular tourist spot.  Apparently the rocks to get out there get quite slippery and the water/waves surrounding the Natural Pool is very rough, so we decided to skip this stop since we have a young child; but it seems like a worthwhile stop if you’re exploring the northern coast of Aruba and is one of the stops that most ATV tours visit.

Before I get to beaches, there are many other places to stop when going across the island.  And one place in the middle of the island is the Donkey Sanctuary.  The Donkey Sanctuary is a perfect stop if you are driving across the island.  It’s situated in the center of the island and pairs nicely with Mango Halto Beach, or a stop over in San Nicolas for a coffee and to check out some of the cool street art and murals.

The Donkey Sanctuary was an awesome experience, it was free to enter and is a cooler experience than it sounds.  We got there and there was no one else there.  It was a bit eerie because it was in the middle of the desert and is a farm with a lot of donkeys, chickens and peacocks roaming around.  We looked from afar, then realized we could enter the farm; with the gate saying, “enter at your own risk”.  A bit hesitantly we entered and walked amongst several donkeys, some which blocked the path.  To get to the visitor center we had to continue walking.  There at the visitor center, you could buy donkey feed for $1 (small) or $3 (large) and could feed the donkeys through the fence.  You don’t want to do it inside the farm (outside the fenced visitor center) because you’ll be swarmed.  And be careful to keep a closed palm while feeding because the donkey bit my finger (unintentionally).  We also bought some ice cream and enjoyed engaging with and feeding the donkeys. It is definitely an experience I’d recommend.  We also saw an Ostrich Farm while driving through the center of the island, we decided to skip this because of the emergence of Bird Flu.

There's the capital, Oranjestad, which isn't anything too special but it's worth checking out for some souvenir shopping, the colourful buildings and a sunset dinner.  Oranjestad has some amazing sunsets, and so does Eagle Beach, but there are also many companies offering sunset cruises which we did.  It was an all-inclusive drinks and snacks catamaran with a swimming stop and some beautiful sunset views.

Beaches

And of course, in addition to the donkey sanctuary and some of the natural rock formations, beaches are Aruba’s main attraction.  Some being themed like Flamingo Beach on Renaissance Island and there is even the water park at De Palm Island.  We decided to go to Renaissance Island, but the water park on De Palm Island looks cool and is something I wanted to visit.  If we go back to Aruba, De Palm Island is somewhere we will go next time, especially when our daughter is older.  When you go to Renaissance Island, you get towels, beach chairs and floaties, but it is a bit pricey.  Although it was a nice island with two restaurants and two beaches, Iguana Beach and Flamingo Beach.  Both beaches were nice and despite spending most of our day on Iguana Beach, we saw plenty of Flamingos and of course Iguanas too.

We stayed on Eagle Beach, so that’s where we spent a lot of time.  Eagle Beach has been widely considered a top beach in the world and has been rated in the top 10 by TripAdvisor.  Eagle Beach has super soft white powder sand, and is probably the best sand I’ve ever stepped foot on.  It is also home to the famous Fofoti Trees,  The beach is quiet and sometimes I wished there were more vendors, restaurants and bars, but there were enough places to eat and drink.  I’ll talk more about the beach in another blog, but the beach was excellent and so was our resort, mostly because of the location; we stayed in Eagle Aruba Resort which was in a great location, beside Eagle Beach, groceries and has a couple of nice pools.

Besides Eagle Beach and Renaissance Island, Aruba is home to many beautiful beaches.  And the best part?  Each beach is unique.  You have Flamingo Beach with the Flamingos and Eagle Beach, your typical beautiful tranquil beach, but lined with the famous Fofoti Trees and several other unique beaches.

Baby Beach was amazing and had the clearest water of all beaches we visited in Aruba.  The water is so clear because it’s protected by a reef and has super calm, clear and shallow water.  If you decide to visit Baby Beach, bring some snorkeling gear because you’ll see a ton of tropical fish.  The beach is great for swimming and great for swimming with children, hence the name.  There are also two beach restaurants serving classic Caribbean dishes. And next to Baby Beach is Rodgers Beach, a secluded, yet beautiful beach.

Arashi Beach, which like Eagle Beach, is known for calm water and beautiful sunsets.  Then one of the most unique beaches I’ve experienced was Mango Halto; a beach with several separate entrances through the Mangroves.  There are many spots to stay shaded under the mangrove forest, and several “separate” small beaches in between the forest.  There are also several tiki huts and benches to get some shade and have a picnic. 

While most of the other beaches are calm and laid back, Palm Beach is Aruba’s version of Miami’s South Beach.  There are several high rise luxury hotels and plenty pf restaurants and bars lining the beach.  And at night, a block from the beach the nightlife is lively with bars,  restaurants and cafes to explore.  This is also where you will catch most of the catamarans and where you will go if you’re interested in water sports like Jet Skis. 

There are also several beaches that we didn’t have time to visit but look unique like Tres Trapi, a hidden cove and rock beach with crystal clear water.  And then there is Boca Grandi, a wind struck, isolated beach perfect for kite surfers.  We stopped and took some pictures while looking at the famous Red Anchor, an iconic monument dedicated to seamen who lost their lives.  The beach is beautiful, but doesn’t look safe for swimming.  But with the wind, there were plenty of kite surfers catching the waves on this secluded beach.

Food

Depending on how your tastes, Aruba might be great for food or not so, depending on how risky of an eater you are.  Being a Dutch Colony and also having a lot of American tourists; the food has mostly an American and International.  Yes, there is typical island food and Caribbean dishes, but not as many as other Caribbean islands I’ve visited.  So, if you want some pasta, steaks, burgers, tacos, fancy salads and chicken wings; Aruba is great for you.

Personally, when travelling I want to experience and taste different cultures cuisines.  There were some Dutch dishes like Croquettes and Dutch Pancakes; but that isn’t very unique for westerners.  Also, Aruba is a dry barren land, so there isn’t a lot of farming.  Lots of the food is imported, including meat.  But Aruba is an island so there is plenty of seafood.  And this is the strength of their cuisine.  The seafood was excellent; especially for my wife’s 40^th birthday dinner at Pinchos Bar & Grill.  But when when we were at Baby Beach we ate at Big Mama Grill where we had excellent Caribbean flavored food, including one of the islands specialties, Ox Tail Strew which was excellent.  This was probably my favorite meal of the trip.

And because Eagle Aruba Resort has a kitchen and Super Foods, a large grocery store next door we did some grocery shopping while on the island.  The selection of groceries was excellent and there were plenty of good Dutch Cheeses and freshly baked pastries like Stroop Waffles which were delicious.

Ease of Travel

Like I said, the food is safe, and part of the reason is the water is clean and safe to drink.  Most tropical places and Caribbean islands don’t have good drinking water, but Aruba is an exception.  The water is treated, desalinated and completely safe to drink which was nice.  Especially because you can stay hydrated without having to constantly buy bottled water.

The food is safe, but what about the island as a whole?  Aruba is widely considered one of the safest Caribbean Islands.  While there, I could totally feel it.  I never encountered any dodgy characters, walking around at night felt completely safe and beach vendors or tour operators aren’t pushy and usually don’t even bother to approach you.  They are friendly but sit at their station and wait to see if you’re interested in purchasing a tour or any beach activities, drinks, etc.  It was quite nice, enjoying the beach in peace and walking around without having to turn down over aggressive vendors; but I wasn’t used to it, and it almost felt eerie, it was almost too quiet and calm for my liking, sometimes the hustle, bustle, action and adventure is right up my alley.  And like I said, the island is very tourist friendly and Americanized, so one thing I didn’t like (although others may not feel the same) was the music… like the food, they cater to Americans; when travelling to a Caribbean island; I’d prefer to hear a bit less American music.

The people are nice, friendly and the island is safe from crime, but driving is easy too.  I was worried at first, but drivers let you in, they aren’t overly aggressive, and they stop for pedestrians. Everyone drives at a reasonable speed with no one riding your ass.  There are no traffic lights so at first I was worried about the round-abouts, but it was actually easy to navigate the round-abouts, even on the highways during rush hour.  Driving was easy and in addition, all of the beaches had plenty of free parking spaces. It is truly easy, and convenient to travel around Aruba.

40^th Birthday Celebration

We love travelling to the Caribbean, so we don’t really need an excuse, but the reason for our trip was my wife’s 40^th birthday.  Aruba was an excellent place to celebrate her birthday; the weather was great, it was safe and there are plenty of fancy restaurants with a beautiful ocean view to celebrate a special occasion.  We ate at Pinchos Bar & Grill which is located on a dock in Oranjestad; the food and view was excellent.  We also had a birthday breakfast at Passions on the Beach, which was great too.  The Fofoti Trees and the beautiful Eagle Beach were excellent back drops for her birthday photos.  Her birthday was our last day there, and spending the morning on Eagle Beach for breakfast and photos was an excellent way to enjoy her birthday morning and cap off our trip in Aruba.