By Hey y’all! Before the year ends, we HAVE to tell you about our trip to the beautiful island of Aruba. Fun fact: did you know Aruba is 1 of 4 countries in The Kingdom of the Netherlands? Most of the locals we met spoke four languages: English, Spanish, Dutch and Papiamento. And they were all so nice! Keep reading for our tips on where to stay, what to do and where to eat. And for our fellow American travelers, be sure to read all the way to the end for an important tip!
Where to Stay in Aruba
To be honest, you really can’t go wrong in Aruba. Every area offers something to enjoy. Some of the most popular places travelers stay are:
- Oranjestad: This is the capital and also houses Aruba’s downtown area. Cruise ships dock here.
- Eagle Beach: Dubbed one of the best beaches in the world, Eagle Beach has beautiful white sand and is home to many low-rise resorts.
- Palm Beach: This is another beautiful beach that houses a lot of Aruba’s restaurants as well as high-rise hotels.
We chose to stay at an Airbnb in Eagle Beach. We had direct access to the beach and gorgeous views. What we had to sacrifice? It wasn’t as close to dining options as Palm Beach or Oranjestad. But that’s not a problem because taxis run between these areas all day, and it’s a flat rate – not metered. Literally takes 10 minutes from each of the areas above to the next.
Now we had plans to leave after three nights in our Airbnb, but Hurricane Helene was headed to Florida the day we were supposed to leave Aruba (and that’s where our connecting flight home was going), so we found a cute boutique hotel to stay for one night. And we do mean cute!
What to Do in Aruba
Aruba has so much to offer – from shopping to tours to food! Obviously, we didn’t get to do everything, but we did get to do quite a bit. Here are the things we enjoyed during our visit!
Donkey Sanctuary
This is definitely a must-do when in Aruba. Run solely by volunteers and donations, the Aruba Donkey Sanctuary cares for 130 donkeys. Some of the donkeys are rescued from the streets where they have been injured. Others are rescued from intentional harm. We visited the sanctuary early in the day before it got too crowded – because it does get quite crowded. For just $1, you can buy food to feed the donkeys. They were really sweet animals. The sanctuary also has a souvenir shop. And donations are welcome!
Oh yeah, they also have several cats living on the property.
Aruba Sign
Did you really go to Aruba if you didn’t take a picture in front of the I Love Aruba sign? This location was right next to the cruise port. We went right before sundown. There was a line, but it went pretty quickly. And people will usually offer to take your picture in exchange for you taking theirs!
Eagle Beach
Of course, we went to the beach. And since our Airbnb was just a few steps from Eagle Beach, we went early and laid out for a bit. The sand was soft and the waves were calm!
Sunset Cruise
We booked a sunset cruise, so that we could see more of the island and get a nice shot of the Aruban sunset. This particular cruise took us through Palm Beach. We opted for a small vessel so there were fewer people and more food and drinks for us! lol The cruise was about 2 hours, and we highly recommend it. The views were spectacular!
Honorable Mention: The Butterfly Farm
We didn’t get time to visit the Butterfly Farm in Aruba, but we hear it’s a nice attraction! You learn a little bit and get to take some amazing photos. We’ll definitely have to knock it off our to-do list on our next visit!
What to Eat in Aruba
Look, there’s no shortage of food on the island. We had everything from burgers to lobster. But out of all the places we ate, our No. 1 recommendation is Driftwood. It’s a seafood restaurant in Oranjestad. The staff is friendly and attentive and the food and drinks were amazing. We went back for dinner two nights in a row! Check out some of what we ate and drank in Aruba!
Must-Read Tip for U.S. Travelers
So glad you’re still here! This is very important to know if you’re traveling back to the U.S. from Aruba. Thankfully, we read about this ahead of our trip, so we knew what to expect.
You are going to want to get to the airport about 4 hours before your flight is scheduled to depart. Yes, you read that right. 4 hours! Here’s why: U.S. customs is done in Aruba. So, instead of going through customs when your flight returns to the U.S., you go through both Aruba and U.S. customs at the Aruba airport. This takes some time. You’ll drop your bags off twice and be led through several lines and checkpoints. And at times, there will be just a few agents. We read that many people missed their flights home because they didn’t get to the airport in enough time to go through all the checkpoints. Honestly, the lines moved fairly quickly for us. So, just be patient and get there early! The good news is that when you get back to the U.S., you won’t have to go through customs again. You can just get your bags and head home.
That’s a wrap for our Aruba recap. Sorry it took so long to tell you about it! (We went in September – lol)
We hope you had a wonderful 2024 and are preparing for an even greater 2025…we’re currently deciding on our next destination. Stay Tuned!!
2girlswhotravel 