The Caribbean is like a paradise with warm temperatures, turquoise waters and white beaches. The island of Aruba also offers excellent cuisine, luxurious spa hotels and a diverse landscape with nature reserves and impressive rock formations.
White sandy beaches and turquoise waters: the Caribbean island of Aruba is a natural paradise. 10 good reasons for a vacation on the “Happy Island”.
Discovered by Spanish sailors in 1499, Aruba off the coast of Venezuela is now known as “One Happy Island”. The approximately 108,000 inhabitants from more than 90 different nations are extremely relaxed and cheerful. On the streets and on the beaches, you can hear a cheerful mix of Spanish, English, Dutch and the local language Papiamento – it is spoken exclusively on the ABC islands, which include Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire.
The warmth and hospitality of the inhabitants of Aruba make the island a safe destination, even for women traveling alone, as the crime rate is extremely low. As recently as February 2024, Aruba was named the safest country in the Caribbean.
The island, which is around 180 square kilometers in size, has warm average temperatures of 27 degrees all year round. There are also paradisiacal white sandy beaches and turquoise blue water. Aruba has more hours of sunshine than any other island in the Caribbean and rain showers are rare here. If at all, a few drops fall on up to nine days a month from October to January. The island is also located outside the so-called hurricane belt, which means it is spared from tropical storms.
Some of the most beautiful beaches in Aruba are Manchebo Beach, Eagle Beach and Baby Beach.
Aerial yoga (also known as antigravity yoga) is a special type of yoga in which you practise asanas in cloths hanging from the ceiling. On Aruba, this airy and elegant variation is offered by the Venzuelan-Italian trainer Maria.
She has lived on the island for over 20 years and gives private aerial yoga classes in her garden and in selected hotels. An unforgettable experience in the open air, with clouds drifting overhead and palm trees swaying gently in the wind. Namaste!
The empathetic trainer Shanti offers guided meditations every Wednesday morning in the middle of a butterfly farm in the northwest of Aruba. While you search for your inner center, you listen to the chirping of parrots and the sound of the wind. When you open your eyes, you see all the colorful, magnificent butterflies around you – unique!
If you want to do more than just swim in the heavenly blue waters of the Caribbean, book a kayak tour including a snorkeling break with local provider Aruba Outdoor Adventures. You can glide through picturesque bays such as Spanish Bay, admire the bright turquoise of the sea and finally land on a floating platform on a reef where you can snorkel. Owner RJ provides refreshments, photos and good entertainment during the three-hour excursion with his easy-going and funny manner.
And divers also get their money’s worth in Aruba. In addition to the colorful reefs, it is mainly the umbrella wrecks that provide very special underwater experiences. A must-see: the SS Antilla near Malmok Beach, an impressive German cargo ship that was sunk by its own crew during the Second World War.
When the dark gray automatic door of the “Ever” restaurant slides open silently, many guests hold their breath for a moment. They are so excited to see what awaits them in the small fine dining restaurant on the harbor of the capital Oranjestad. Head chef Ever de Peña from Venezuela and his team present their culinary skills at a chef’s table that only has room for up to 14 people. Charming: every guest is addressed by name at “Ever”. The plates feature creative, modern dishes such as cooked leek with parmesan foam, tuna with watermelon or homemade cannelloni with almond crunch.
At “Ever”, art is not only found on the plate, but also on the wall. Both the entrance hallway and the restaurant itself are adorned with works by local artists, some of which can also be purchased on site. The menu at “Ever” changes every six to eight weeks, and under restaurant manager Joraine Lopez you will always experience impeccable service and a good atmosphere. Coupled with the unbelievably great food, the restaurant is sure to stay in your memory – forever!
Restaurant Ever – ever-restaurantaruba.com
With its skin-friendly juice, the green aloe vera plant is a beauty booster par excellence. It helps heal wounds and moisturizes the skin, which is why it is a particularly important ingredient in after sun products.
At the “Royal Aruba Aloe Farm” near Aruba’s capital Oranjestad, visitors can learn all about the cultivation and effects of the medicinal plant. In the museum on the upper floor, you can even take a look inside the glassed-in production halls and find display boards with further information about the precious aloe vera. If you like, you can also buy the nourishing products that are manufactured there and shipped to over 30 countries – or make them yourself as part of a half-hour course. What a wonderful souvenir!
Aruba Aloe – arubaaloe.com
Aruba has more to offer than just beautiful sandy beaches and turquoise waters. In the north of the island, rough seas, rugged cliff formations and masses of cacti are waiting to be discovered – either by hiking or surfing.
You should definitely visit Blackstone Beach and the rock formation Ayo Rock. The Bubali Bird Sanctuary in the north of the island is also worth a visit, as is the 3,200-hectare Arikok National Park with its limestone cliffs rounded by the trade winds and water and the Fontein Caves (well cave).
Arikok National Park – www.aruba.com/…/arikok-national-park
The pink flamingos on the private island of the Hotel Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort & Casino, www.marriott.com, also make for a beautiful photo opportunity. The 16-hectare island can be reached from the lobby in just under ten minutes by the hotel’s own water cab. External visitors must make a reservation and book a ticket.
Although the animals are not native and were once imported for marketing purposes, this does not detract from the beautiful sight of their pinkish-pink plumage. As well as taking photos of the long-legged flamingos, visitors to Renaissance Island can also have a drink at the Papagayo Bar or enjoy a relaxing treatment at Spa Cove. Tip: If you don’t want to leave the private island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, book a cabana for the night including an intimate dinner on the beach and wake up with a view of the white sand and glistening water. That’s pure Caribbean feeling!
Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort – www.marriott.com/…/windcreek
The luxurious “Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort” with 104 rooms and suites is considered one of the best addresses in Aruba – especially for couples. Not only is it located directly on Eagle Beach (a beach that has won several awards as the most beautiful in the Caribbean!), it also offers the exclusive service of the hotel’s own romantic concierge. The concierge organizes special togetherness events on request, such as a picnic on the beach, a couple’s massage or a sunset dinner in a private beach cabana. The list of unforgettable moments at the adults-only resort also includes open-air cinema evenings and sailing tours on the resort’s own ship, the “Monforte III”.
The luxury resort was founded at the end of the 1980s by Austrian-born Ewald Biemans. The hotelier is also a passionate environmentalist, so it is not surprising that the “Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort” was declared the first CO2-neutral hotel in the Caribbean in 2018. The family-run hotel with a solar system on the roof, locally produced care products in the bathrooms and an electric car on the doorstep – which guests can use free of charge! – is also a pioneer when it comes to sustainable tourism. In 2020, it was even named the most environmentally friendly resort in the world!
A wonderful bonus for guests with an affinity for animals is watching protected sea turtles hatch directly on the beach at the Bucuti Resort! Every year, the hotel publishes a special calendar for this purpose, which shows the various nests on the beach as well as estimated hatching periods – truly impressive!
Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort Aruba – www.bucuti.com/
