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