Americas · Dutch Caribbean
Aruba
One happy island: Palm Beach by name, a constant breeze and sunshine almost every day of the year.
Aruba is a small flat island off Venezuela with a west coast of long white beaches and an east coast of cactus, cliffs and crashing surf. It sits outside the hurricane belt, gets around 20 minutes of rain a day in the wet months and has an evening breeze that makes 31 degrees feel like 26. Palm Beach is the resort strip; Eagle Beach is the beauty; Arikok is the wild half.
The palm: Coconut palm
Aruba’s most famous tree is the wind-bent fofoti on Eagle Beach, which is not a palm at all. The palms belong to Palm Beach, the two kilometre strip of resorts north of it, planted with coconuts that lean into the trade wind. The name came before the trees, when fishermen called the bay after a few palms on the point.
When to go
Sights
Arikok National Park
A fifth of the island: caves, a natural pool in the rocks and cactus landscape by jeep.
California Lighthouse
The northern tip at sunset, with the dunes and the golf course below.
Oranjestad
Pastel Dutch colonial buildings, a tram, the Fort Zoutman museum and cruise-ship shops.
Flamingo Beach
Resident flamingos on a private island reached by a short boat ride from the capital.
Beaches
Eagle Beach
Wide, white, quiet and home to the fofoti trees and nesting turtles.
Palm Beach
The resort strip, calm water, water sports and every sunset bar you need.
Baby Beach
A shallow, half-moon lagoon at the southern tip, perfect for small children.
Events
- Feb
Aruba Carnival
Two months of parades ending with the Grand Parade in Oranjestad before Lent.
- May
Aruba Soul Beach Festival
Concerts and beach parties over the late May weekend.
- Jun
Dera Gai
The San Juan harvest festival with yellow and red costumes on 24 June.
For remote workers
A comfortable month: about €2,600
The One Happy Workation programme lets remote workers stay for 90 days, and the island’s fibre is among the fastest in the Caribbean. Costs are high, especially food, and the resort strip can feel like a mall by the sea. Rent an apartment in Noord or near Eagle Beach, and work with the trade wind through the window.
Compare as a baseFor families
Eagle Beach and Palm Beach have shallow, calm water for hundreds of metres, no waves and a breeze that keeps the heat off. Baby Beach in the south is a lagoon. The island is safe, English is universal and the hospital is good. Rent umbrellas: shade is limited.
Rank for your familyThree things to know
- April to August is the driest, cheapest stretch with the fewest visitors from the US.
- The trade wind is constant: bring a hat that stays on and expect sand in your lunch on the exposed beaches.
- Aruba uses the florin but takes US dollars everywhere; tap water is safe and excellent.
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