Aruba recommendations

Aruba's weather is consistently good. They are far enough south that even hurricane season doesn't hit them directly.

I have been to Aruba 4 or 5 times and always have good weather. We usually travel in April and November. Going there those months again this year.

Sorry i can't help with hotels, we are Marriott Vacation Club owners.

wysiwyg wrote: ↑ Palm beach is where the action is. It’s also known as the high rise area. Some hotels can be very expensive and not all are all inclusive, but restaurants are fairly cheap, especially if you go for their early bird specials (before 7). Many bars, including those on the beach, are open to everyone (via the large boardwalk) and offer happy hour specials in the late afternoon. So doing AI is not a necessity. I stayed at the Riu Antillas last time and it was amazing. Great food (especially in the buffet).

You can also get or rent a timeshare where you get a full kitchen to cook. Lots of supermarkets on this friendly and very safe island.

Getting a rental car is nice, especially if in a timeshare, but public transit is very safe and convenient on the island. They run regularly and can take you downtown or to palm beach for a few dollars. Cabs are also very safe there and all operate on the set price model. No meters and they never try to overcharge you. Many times we never asked for the rate and was still charged the same. (Beware that it’s more expensive on Sundays.

Been to Aruba 5 times and loved it each time. It’s more expensive than places like DR, but there’s no comparaison.

+1

I have been 3 times myself.... I don't like Palm anymore.. too busy and since I don't do AI anymore doesn't appeal to me.

Eagle beach to me is nicer... big wide white sand.. .not as crowded. Lots of condos to rent.

Last time we rented a house near Arashi beach.. Great if you like clear water and enjoy snorkeling Plus much quieter.

Depends what you like:)

speeeeee wrote: ↑ +1

I have been 3 times myself.... I don't like Palm anymore.. too busy and since I don't do AI anymore doesn't appeal to me.

Eagle beach to me is nicer... big wide white sand.. .not as crowded. Lots of condos to rent.

Last time we rented a house near Arashi beach.. Great if you like clear water and enjoy snorkeling Plus much quieter.

Depends what you like:)

spot on.

I agree Eagle Beach is far better than Palm Beach.

Arashi is a good spot for snorkeling.

We rent a car just to be able to beach hop

From what i have read is it true rooms at riu are dated with a musky mold smell?
Where is arashi and can you just snorkel from the beach?
Also has anyone been to the flamingo beach/ private island for the renaissance?
What about excursion?

We went to Aruba on our honeymoon a few years back.

As far as excursions go 2 of the more memorable excursions that I have did there were these ones.

http://www.depalmtours.com/sea-trek


The 2nd you can do anywhere but it was memorable because it was by far the best swim with the stingray excursion we have done and we have done it in about 5-6 different countries. If you've done it before you may want to pass but even if you have done it before it's still worth a visit just because of how fun it was compared to other stingray excursions in other countries.

They take you in a boat about 45 minutes and miles from shore to some sort of natural forming land mass in the middle of the ocean where the water is about 5 feet deep and then suddenly plummets hundreds of feet in every direction. Every inch of the land mass is just covered with stingrays, with some very big ones and they let you jump onto the land mass from the boat and then your sitting there surrounded by stingrays while the ocean waves are pushing you around. There is no barrier preventing you from walking off the land mass either, So you could hypothetically walk right off of it but they have guys in speedboats patrolling the edges so you don't walk off.

Forget the hotel we stayed at but it was nothing special

Thanks.
We're still figuring out of we want to do AI or jist rent and explore. Leaning towards the explore side if plane tickets are the right price. Have you done or looked into airbnb there before?

If its windy it would mean that the waters are rougher? We want to just snorkel off the beach like we did in riveria maya.

Any reataurants you would recommended looking at? Also night time what is there to do? Not really interested in clubs.
Another thing is water wise is not like other places where you can only drink bottle water right?

ifixcars wrote: ↑ Thanks.
We're still figuring out of we want to do AI or jist rent and explore. Leaning towards the explore side if plane tickets are the right price. Have you done or looked into airbnb there before?

If its windy it would mean that the waters are rougher? We want to just snorkel off the beach like we did in riveria maya.

Any reataurants you would recommended looking at? Also night time what is there to do? Not really interested in clubs.
Another thing is water wise is not like other places where you can only drink bottle water right?

the tap water in Aruba is excellent and safe to drink

Lots of great restaurants but they aren't cheap.

Papiamento, Windows on Aruba, Flying Fishbone, Simply Fish, Screaming Eagle are all excellent

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurants- ... Aruba.html

Yea i checked on tripadvisor but so many choices.
Anything like dinner in the beach or something different like that?

Anyone do any water activities? Jet ski are available?
What about tips when going out to eat? Similar to here? 15 to 20 percent ?

Also has anyone been to the flamingo beach/ private island for the renaissance?

I stayed at the Renaissance so we did the private island/flamingos every day. We really enjoyed it. It had shore snorkeling (on the adult/flamingo beach), could feed the flamingos (vending machine to give them some special food pellets), lots of lounge chairs with shade. Thought the restaurant on the beach was good, and food service right to the lounge chair. That said, I think it's pretty expensive for someone not staying there. It'd be top of our list to stay at again, but if we ended up at a different resort I don't think 200 USD for the two of us would be worth the day trip.

Yea i thino we are going to skip the flamingo beach this time around. And go explore the island!
Which car rental companies are best bang for the price. We're only renting a compact and maybe do the excursion for the natural pool.
Anything helps!

Hey everyone,

Looking to see if anyone has recommendations for Aruba with regards to activities and restaurants. I've watched a bunch of youtube videos from the Official Aruba channel and there's some interesting stuff but given the size as well as depth of activities I'd love to see if anyone has any recommendations?

Definitely take a day and rent an ATV to tour the island. You can circle the entire island comfortably with multiple stops in 8-10 hours and see things you'd never see from a vehicle. The natural pools are a must. Depending in the time of year and day your there it can be dead or packed. We got lucky and had the entire place to ourselves for a good half hour in the middle of the day. The national park also has many caves that are fun to explore.

I would also suggest scuba diving/snorkeling. Plenty of tour operators and the waters around the island are teeming with life including sea turtles, which were a highlight for us.

There are too many restaurants to list. Most of the fancier ones in the resort area are very good, but my top two are Yemanja in Oranjestad, for the best seafood you'll find on the island, and The Old Cunucu House in Noord, for local Aruban cuisine (they have an off menu iguana soup that's worth a taste). Also search out Eduardo's Beach Shack on Palm Beach. You'll thank me later.

I have been multiple times, and agree with the above. Rent an ATV and explore the island, check out the natural pool it is an awesome trek through the desert to get there. Be prepared to spend money if you hit the strip whether eating or shopping it can add up quick.

Aruba is a great place for people watching. Unfortunately you missed this lady.

[url=www.si.com/swimsuit/model/genie-bouchard/2018/photos[/url]

Fixed

Bumping this thread to see if there are any family friendly resorts that anyone would recommend. Kids range from 1-11. This will be just a sit back and relax vacation so looking for AI ideally.

Can anyone who's been share any experience at the following resorts. These are the ones that come up when searching for Aruba AIs

Riu Palace
Barcelo Aruba
Tamarjin
Any of the Divi properties
Holiday Inn

So far it's looking like the Riu or Barcelo properties might be our best options.