Endowed with an all year round warm, hurricane-free weather with average temperature in the 80s, any time of the year is always a perfect time to visit Aruba and laze around its stunning beaches. The island, which is one of the three Dutch Caribbean islands together with Curacao and Bonaire, has a tagline “One Happy Island“. Yes, everywhere you go you can feel the happy vibe in one of the most celebrated tropical islands in the world.
However, its geographical location positions it far from the U.S. mainland. Compared with Bermuda, for example, which we frequently visit because it is just less than two hours flight from New York’s JFK and Boston’s Logan airports, Aruba is almost a five-hour flight from those two airports. Still we decided to visit Aruba for the first time as we would be using our timeshare points and the airfares going there from Boston were at an all-time low ($110 or 11,000 miles plus tax, one-way on Delta Airlines). Coming back to the U.S. from Aruba, the fare is always ridiculously higher.
At Aruba’s tiny airport our arrival experience was indeed a very happy one: short immigration lines and efficient officers. The line to get pass through customs was a bit long though but was fast moving. Just across the street from the arrival area were the rental car companies where we got our car and drove away to our resort.
Baby Beach, Aruba’s Gem
Before we get drowned in the many happy details of our Aruba experience, I will start with our best experience in Aruba, the remote Baby Beach in a little town called San Nicolas, a 30-minute drive south from Aruba’s capital city of Oranjestad.
After passing by the pastel-colored houses of San Nicolas……
….and an eerie, large swath of land filled with cactus,…..
….we finally reached the entrance to the stunning Baby Beach.
It was still mid-morning so the beach was almost empty and the views were gorgeous and relaxing.
There were only less than five people in and around the beach excluding workers of the only establishment there.
The early morning drive was worth the effort to reach a beach that was almost to ourselves.
Before we dipped in the shallow and calm turquoise waters, we took some time to have family snapshots.
Our best Aruba experience: the secluded and beautiful Baby Beach.
Shown here is the One Happy Island sign on the beach right next to the only restaurant in the area that also houses locker rooms and bathrooms.
Then it was time to spend some moments in the immaculate beach.
This is the northern view taken from the center of the beach.
This is the southern side of the beach that leads to one end of the rocky wall protecting the shore from the big waves of the Caribbean Sea.
The stretch of a wall or rocks is the main reason why the beach is so calm and the waves almost non-existing that makes the place perfect for toddlers and babies, thus the name Baby Beach.
This is certainly one of the best beaches we have been to.
Wildlife abounds in the beach area too.
And I could not wait to lie down on the beach too!
As we were leaving the area, covered beach chairs (the colored ones above) have started to be setup along the shore. Since the beach shore faces west, it is also an excellent place to watch sunset if driving back to Oranjestad in the evening is not an issue.
Holiday Inn Resort in Palm Beach
For most of our days in Aruba we based ourselves in the massive Holiday Inn Resort in Palm Beach area. It is one of the resorts in Aruba where we could utilize our timeshare points. There is always quite a long check-in line anytime of the day in this resort but because of our status with the Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) we were able to use a priority lane, thank God! We were given a room with partial sea view as shown above.
A few steps from the resort lobby is the beach dotted with hundreds of palm trees, thus the name Palm Beach.
Again, our IHG status gave us the benefit to reserve a beach hut solely for our own use during our entire stay that nobody else could use. So we chose one that was directly in front of the beach.
It is an advantage to be at the beach early in the morning between 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. as the beach is not very crowded yet.
Some are still doing the morning beach walk.
Early in the morning kids can already start enjoying the beach’s calm and clear waters…..
….and the white powdery sand on the beach.
One can also do the early morning dip.
It is truly rewarding to be at the beach early.
It is also a perfect time to just sit back and relax on the beach enjoying the views and the morning breeze……
….and spend some time with family.
Retreating from the beachfront and venturing farther to the middle of the resort we found a beautiful scenery.
The resort’s main pool area with the swaying palm trees rising high up to the blue, spotless sky!
This is the center of Palm Beach!
My daughters enjoyed the kids’ pool.
Sunset in Palm Beach
With our dedicated beach front hut we were always ensured of stunning sunsets as long as we’re staying in the resort.
Sunsets in Palm Beach are to die for.
With the resort beach directly facing west, we have the sun setting in front of us as we lounged on the resort’s beach chairs or be simply on the beach.
My wife and two daughters at sunset.
Just a random couple on the beach during sunset.
Here are some of the few sunset shots I took.
There are some tours offering sunset cruises.
The sun vanishing halfway through the horizon.
And another happy day has just ended in Aruba.
The resort turned on its magical evening spell as the sun set on the horizon.
Around Palm Beach Area
The Palm Beach area is the most touristy of all the Aruba beach areas.
It has lots of shopping malls…..
…and souvenir shops…..
….restaurants, convenience stores and many more. Knowing the area, we tried to avoid it unless necessary to refrain from paying prices higher than anywhere else. We just drove 5-10 mins away from the area if we wanted cheaper groceries and other stuff.
Arashi Beach
Arashi Beach is also another great place to watch the sunset. We drove around 10 minutes from Palm Beach to Arashi Beach.
Arashi Beach is actually a public beach mostly frequented by locals. Beach huts and chairs are available for use on a first come, first serve basis.
It is only a short stretch of beach but it gets pretty crowded especially in the afternoon going into sunset.
Before sunset, one can actually visit the California Lighthouse a few minutes drive up a hill near Arashi Beach. One can also watch sunset from the lighthouse area. We ran out of time and we decided to stay on the beach for the sunset.
Divi Village Golf & Beach Resort
On our last days in Aruba we moved to Divi Village Golf and Beach Resort, one of the few resorts where we can use our timeshare points at very shockingly low rates. We vowed to be back at any Divi Resorts using our timeshare points after the experience.
I booked a studio unit.
It has one queen size bed and another queen size pull-out sofa just enough for my wife and me and our two daughters.
It was a very nice place for a few days stay near the beach.
The resort offered unlimited punch rum as welcome drinks redeemable everywhere there is a bar or a restaurant.
The best thing for us was the fully-equipped kitchen that we heavily utilized during our stay as the package I took was not an all-inclusive one as I wanted to cook our own food.
The resort is actually huge and shown above is just one of the pool areas near our unit which was also walking distance from the resort lobby.
Sunset at Divi Beach
Just a few minutes walk from the resort across the street is Divi Beach (and farther to the right is Eagle Beach).
The sunsets there were amazing too but still the ones we experienced in Palm Beach were the best for us.
The area is not crowded during sunset.
Nevertheless, it is still a beautiful and relaxing place for the family to watch sunset.
My daughters loved the place too!
Indeed all of Aruba’s stretch of white sand beaches are all facing west so whatever beach you are in you’ll surely experience a unique sunset.
Our Food Experience in Aruba
The food experience in Aruba is not something we begged for more but the best thing that got my discriminating palate’s attention was the Aruba-made ginger extra hot sauce we had inside Super Food.
Speaking of Super Food, it is a huge supermarket in Oranjestad just a few minutes drive from Divi Village.
Since we decided to cook our food on our last days when we were in Divi Village, we came here to buy something we could cook.
One of them is the marinated pork belly that tasted so good.
On one occasion when we were not munching on KFC or McDonald’s we tried a restaurant inside Holiday Inn Resort called Sea Breeze.
They were offering a reasonably-priced steak + lobster combo for dinner that sounded so irresistible.
We also had the fried fish topped with fried plantains.
The best Aruban-Caribbean bouillabaisse experience we ever had was probably this magnificent broth chock-full with fresh seafood in Sea Breeze.
Conclusion
Aruba’s beaches rank among the best in the world, no doubt about that. The place has tropical weather all year round with no dangers of hurricanes. Its people, fluent in English, Spanish and Dutch, are very friendly and exude a lot of happiness. There is no reason why one cannot fall in love with Aruba.
Aruba’s capital city of Oranjestad is also an attraction. However, traffic is not the best in the city center especially on those one-lane areas. Parking is a big headache too if you are not familiar with the city’s layout. We even had difficulty finding a parking area to take the above shot at the Ike Cohen Monument, dedicated to all those who contributed to the development of the tourism and hospitality industry in the island. We parked farther from the monument and my wife and I alternated going to the site as our daughters slept in the car.
Despite the cons I have listed above, we vowed to visit the place at least once every two years. Aruba is one of the more interesting islands in the whole of the Caribbean.
winairtravel 
Aruba sounds amazing! We are planning to visit this lovely Caribbean island next year. Cannot wait!