RULES

Photographer needed in Aruba! Any recs?

Welcome to the r/Aruba weekly Discussion / Q&A thread.

This thread is a hub for general discussion and questions about Aruba, that don't need threads of their own.

You have a question regarding Aruba? This is the place for you. Ever wondered which sunscreen the locals use? Or when is the best time to go to Zeerovers? Or what is the best spicy sauce on the island? Ask any question you might have here, and the community will answer.

Also, you might may want to check the Wiki/FAQ to see if the information you're looking for is already available.

I may be moving to Aruba early 2025 for a duration of 4-6 months. Not exactly a “long-term” stay, but long enough that I’ll want to rent a place (ideally a house) outside of AirBnb to keep costs down.

My family of 4 will be going, which consists of 2 adults + 2 kids (5yr & 9yr).

Any recommendations of good/legit websites to browse available rental options (ideally not ones targeting wealthy tourists)?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

If i went on a sunday, will everything be closed? Or are things open like the rest of the week?

Anyone had any success filly fishing from the shores of Aruba? I’ve heard there’s the occasional bonefish and snook around. Anything else worth targeting? Hoping to do a little fishing mid June while I’m down there. Any suggestions on fly patterns and spots would be great. Thanks.

Do I need to pack some claritin?

Hi! I'm planning a trip to Aruba in early July and I'm hoping to book an Airbnb or vrbo (or cheaper, local site, if recommended!) and rent a car to explore the island. We have 2 kids, 9&11, who are used to traveling.

We would love to stay somewhere with a beach and town in walking distance. Don't mind a little touristy, but off the beaten path is nice too. Without sounding too cheesy, we like to see what an area is like when we visit and explore.

Please recommend an area I should target, and any activities/sites I should plan to include! Thank you. 😊

I can’t swim but was hoping to see the sea turtles at Tres Trapi or North beach. Is it possible? Was going to head out early morning to get there by 630/645 am.

Hello - thank you Aruba Reddit contributors for all the help thus far! Tomorrow renting a car to drive and explore the island. Looking for recommendations on route - renting a sedan and currently rntly pregnant so can’t do much but would love to see the beauty of Aruba and beaches.

I’m travelling to Aruba at the end of June on a solo trip. I’m staying in the Caribbean Palm Village Resort and I have a car rental.

Does anyone have any recommendations? I love hiking, relaxing on the beach, an avid drinker and just exploring new and non tourist or tourist areas.

I’m interested in going to Arikok National Park but I’m not too sure how comfortable I am renting a jeep and going off road. Are there places in the park that I can use with my car?

Also looking at sky diving as it is a dream. Food and nightlife recommendations would be perfect as well!

Did Aruba rays close down? I went on their website and it says they’ll continue shows in July but there’s no where to purchase tickets or anyone on the calendar.

We are looking to scuba dive on our upcoming trip, can anyone recommend a good dive shop? Or must-dive sites? Thanks!

(and yes, we are all fully PADI certified)

Just got back from my vacation and let me tell you the anticipation and hype was well deserved.

We started our vacation at Aruba Ocean Villa for 3 days. We were blown away how nice every single employee was! The resort was so unique and truly special. The employees spent time talking and getting to know us. Every morning they would ask how my previous day plans were, and shockingly remember what the plans were. They made us feel welcomed!

The ocean in that area was underwhelming but their taxi service easily transported us to Baby Beach and that was amazing.( 10 min drive) I'm in love with Baby Beach and could have spent every day there. We swam closer to Rum Reef and wasn't as many people in that area. We easily got a palapa in the morning and just had a blast all day!

The second part of the vacation we went to Hyatt. The resort was lovely but being such a large scale resort that personal attention was gone but everyone was still friendly. We got a balcony room and watching the sunset from out there was a highlight of the vacation. Breathtaking views!

I thought all the boats took away the charm of the beach at Palm Beach. I feel like it even made the water a little cloudy. The Hyatt pools were amazing though, so we spent most of our time there. The waiters were excellent and had no issues with towels or seating.

The Food: The top experience was Yemenja, holy moly the food was delicious. Mouth watering delicious.

Worst experience was Flying Fish Bone. So many flies swarmed us when the food came. It really ruined the experience. We noticed other tables were having issues with flies. They really need to address this.

We also loved Eduardo Beach Shack. We had breakfast there a few times and lunch once. We tried something new every time and every bite was scrumptious.

We will definitely be going back but we might look in to all inclusive for drinks/ breakfast/lunch then going out to dinner.

Thank you for all the advice the subreddit gave me over the last few months. All your help made for a great vacation.

Also I really enjoyed the National Archeological Museum, it was nice learning about the history of the island.

Going to Aruba for the first time this July. Will be there 6 days. Staying at the Hyatt Regency on Palm Beach. Trying to plan out a food/beverage budget and would love to get an idea of what a cocktail might cost. I am a light drinker (maybe a pina colada or two a day by the pool), but my husband drinks a lot more than me. Worried about the potential of running up a crazy expensive alcohol bill.

Can anyone give me some insight on how much drinks at the resort tend to be? Same for restaurants off the resort. Trying to get a rough estimate.

Hello! Looking for gift suggestions that are specific to Aruba. My cousin is getting married next week and she got engaged in Aruba. I was thinking of getting them a nice blanket and getting it embroidered but am having a hard time finding stores in Aruba that I can order online from. Any store / gift suggestions would be super helpful! Thank you :)

I’m thinking about visiting in September on my own for a week. I really want to do all the outdoor activities and experience the culture of Aruba. I have a couple of questions:

• Can I get to a lot of places via public transit or taxis? I have driving anxiety

• Are there any nice hotels in Eagle Beach that aren’t all inclusives? Or should I just bite the bullet and stay in palm beach and walk to Eagle (if that’s possible?)

-Is staying 1 week too long?

TIA!

We are staying at the Holiday Inn soon (ocean view) and it seems like there was mention of a particular tower area that was more run down. Does anyone want to share details of a recent stay there? It’s not for another month and I’ve never been at that time of year either.

Would it be fine to leave the roof off a rental jeep during the day in terms of vandalism/theft? I would like to be able to leave it off instead of putting the top on every time I stop. It won’t be left off overnight.

I plan on renting a jeep to traverse the island. How safe would it be to leave the top off the jeep when parked in terms of vandalism/theft? I don't plan on leaving it like this overnight, just when I stop at various sites (in town, outlying tourist sites, etc). I want to be able to leave the top off instead of having to put it on every time I stop.

Hello!

I am doing a research project on the Caribbean diaspora. I am looking to see what would entice diasporans to return to the region, what would entice people to remain in the region, and what makes people stay in the region. There is a USD $25 cash prize in the form of a virtual gift card for four participants which will be chosen at random.

The survey takes approximately five to ten minutes to complete depending on how in depth your answers are.

Thank you for taking the time to do the survey!

Link to Survey

Edit: It was brought to my attention that “the Netherlands” was not listed as an option for place of birth. I apologize for that oversight and it has been fixed.

We are traveling next January to Aruba for a 30th birthday trip and will be renting a home in eagle beach . I would like to have a private chef and/or bartender for one evening if you are one or know one preferably with instagram or social media to see their style of cooking. It can be brunch or happy hour style tapas as well ideally 35-60$ per person if possible for dinner (or lunch or breakfast we are open to other meals)

Hello - made a mistake and forgot extra cash for taxi. Does anyone know of the service company that allows you to book and pay online? A driver told us it exists but wasn’t sure of the name of the company.

Also looking for a driver to show us Bali. We don’t want to rent a car and think it would be better to do a half day tour with a driver. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Has anyone ever joined the Kukoo Kunuku solo? I’m interested in knowing what that experience was like.

41m

Any particular spot popping on certain nights?

Solo Male Traveler May 17-23

Welcome to the r/Aruba weekly Discussion / Q&A thread.

This thread is a hub for general discussion and questions about Aruba, that don't need threads of their own.

You have a question regarding Aruba? This is the place for you. Ever wondered which sunscreen the locals use? Or when is the best time to go to Zeerovers? Or what is the best spicy sauce on the island? Ask any question you might have here, and the community will answer.

Also, you might may want to check the Wiki/FAQ to see if the information you're looking for is already available.

Does anyone know about the area near Aracari and Rooi Santo? Can we safely walk to beach from there. We don’t mind a mile walk if it’s safe. Any chance of sewage smell in that area? Or is that only near Eagle or palm beach ? Thanks for your help!

Bon dia! I’m looking into the possibility of working as a doctor on the island being trained from the UK, however I think I am coming across a few roadblocks. These being my inability to speak Dutch (and therefore) not being BIG registered and not having CCT/being a consultant. I wanted to know if anyone has familiarity with healthcare work on the island, if there are staff who speak mainly English as opposed to Dutch (alongside Papiamento/Spanish) and what is generally used. From my research, it seems that at HOH the language of instruction is Dutch. It doesn’t seem that I can find anyone who has done what I am trying to do, and I am wondering if this is for a reason. It also seems as though there aren’t training posts for doctors on the island and it seems as though doctors complete their CCT elsewhere and return to the island - is this assessment correct? I would’ve thought there are some junior doctors/residents on the island.

I appreciate any insight that can be offered with this 😁

Hi all! We'll be returning to Aruba for the 2nd time in July only this time with our 6 month old. Any recommendations on how to book a taxi for airport pick up with a car seat?