Aruba is a former dutch colony in the south central Caribbean sea. The now independent island nation sits just thirty kilometers off the shores of Venezuela, so it's close to South America. There is the perfect mix of European, American and Local vibes which makes this place our favourite Caribbean island so far -and if you follow us, you know we've been to a good number of places.
In terms of attractions and for people who love exploring there isn't much to see on Aruba. You've got a California style lighthouse on one end of the island and a large anchor on the other. 180 square kilometers of island and about 110,000 people live in between these points of interest.
Dozens of miles of near perfect beaches make up the southern coast of Aruba, while the north coast is mostly rocky. You have some areas that feel like Miami with high rise hotel developments you can see off in the distance and other areas like Eagle Beach pictured above and below that has more low to medium style developments.
The temperature is always hot and the water is just perfect. For a beach vacation, Aruba is always ideal. It also avoids almost all the hurricanes and isn't too crowded but has enough development to make it just right.
In a recent post I wrote about Aruba's neighbour, Curacao. They call these islands the ABC's for Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. The other two islands are still Dutch.
You can take a little prop plane between the islands for a reasonable price so if you do visit, try and visit two or maybe even all three. We mixed things up staying at a hotel on Curacao and in a Condominium on Aruba.
Like most Caribbean islands you can rent a car at the airport or deal with relatively poor public transportation. The roads are great and there are busses but you're going to be spending a lot of time out in the sweltering heat and they will only take you to a few beaches. Aruba has some excellent grocery stores so living here for a week or a year is not going to be a huge culture shock.
There's a cute little downtown area near the cruise terminal in Oranjestad but it's mostly for tourists. North West of here is the hotel and airbnb condo zone for more temporary residents. The downtown area houses mostly locals and so are most of the other parts of the island except for Noord where a lot of Europeans and Americans live.
There's a cute tram connecting the cruise terminal to the shopping area. It's not really for transportation as walking would be faster, it's more for the type of people who don't like walking around or taking a taxi to the beach and for an island tour. It seems like a gimmick to get people to spend money in the downtown shops instead of heading off to one of the amazing beaches for the day.
Here's another view of the lighthouse, Aruba is flat and while there are some hills and forests, it's mostly an arid island. You can see the cacti and very few trees except palms people planted.
While there are some trees, maybe 5% forest cover, Aruba is mostly bushes and shrubs. In the above photo, taken by the anchor one can see the prison. This is one of the only car accessible beaches on the northern side (NE) of the island, it's excellent for kite surfing as the water is rougher here.
Not a whole lot was happening on Aruba in terms of economic activity until they built some massive oil refineries. The island is small and while there are some minerals, the only notable agriculture is an aloe plantation. Oil Refining and tourism are the main industries here.
This indoor mall near the ferry terminal and downtown casino has a dock for a water taxi that goes inside during high tide. Aruba is so hot, you would not enjoy a coffee on an outdoor patio during the daytime.
We were told this Mangel Halto lagoon has the best snorkelling and came by here a few times however the ocean seemed a little rough on this side of Aruba. The south west is much more preferable and easier to get into the water. Aruba is an ideal spot to visit if you like chilling, swimming and the heat. It's an ideal escape from the winter.
Thanks for reading and enjoy the long weekend!
All photos taken with an s22 or iPhone 15 pro and are unfiltered
The big questions is Aruba or the Rocky Mountains, which is your favourite destination? Pick one:)
Nothing beats Summer in the Rockies, we can see them from our house and go there all the time. As I edit all the photos we took last summer to slowly post them it brings back such amazing memories. Aruba is an ideal beach vacation but truthfully there are lots of other beaches in the Caribbean that are pretty much the same thing. The lack of trees and flatness is lame, but it's safe and no one is harassing you there. The Rockies are one of a kind and Banff has some of the most beautiful, unspoiled and relatively accessible scenery on the planet.
It is indeed one of the beautiful places to visit. I love the angles you've captured on every pictures. It gives me nice accurate details. Hoping that I would visit that place soon. 😊
Thanks, hopefully you get a chance!
Yeah, you're welcome. 😊
My friend went all the way to Aruba from the UK for her honeymoon last year when she saw the pink flamingos on the internet. She even got to swim around with them. Did you see any?
We saw some in Curacao living naturally in the lagoons there, it's free to see them. Unless you want to wade a few hundred meters into the lagoon (please don't they will probably freak out), you wouldn't get close to them. In Aruba they were brought to a private island and some of the hotels and it's a touristy day trip experience one pays quite a bit for,.
If you want to experience flamingos up close the best place we went was in Nassau, Bahamas where there is also a small private garden you can walk around together with flamingos. It was called something like Astrada gardens, very reasonably priced and there are parrots and nice plants there too.
That beach is truly a paradise. It seems that the weather is very mild beyond the clouds that could worry more than one. It would be nice to have a few days of rest there.
It looks a very peaceful place and the pictures show a lot of it.
If you can't see this awesome banner, open this post InLeo
It would be nice to live down there for the winters :D
Aruba is one of the most beautiful places on earth, it's normal for places on the coast to feel hot, but enjoying a glass of fresh cold drink while enjoying the beauty of the beach is really very enjoyable
absolutely
Aruba seems like a very beautiful place from what I see, hope to see it someday. Your shots are very beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome and I hope you do get to go there
Wow really amazing place, photo shots are all excellent. And it feels like I'm on that place with your blog. You really deserve the prize, keep it up!
Thanks, and what prize do I deserve?
Your welcome, what I mean a support from curators and witnesses.
Excellent photographs.
I haven't traveled by plane in my life yet and now the effort is to go inside the country of my choice and see its beauty with my own eyes. This place is really impressive.
Nice pictures.