Top Five Aruba Tips!

Aruba!  So much to say about this beautiful piece of earth.  I’ve been to Aruba at least half a dozen times over the past 7 years and I’m still in love.  Here’s a short list of my Top 5 Tips you should know when planning/visiting your trip to Aruba.

1.        All Inclusive versus Non Inclusive.  I’m going to go with non-inclusive for several reasons. 

a.       Aruba is safe.  I’ve traveled there with friends and I’ve traveled there alone and ventured out by myself.  I’ve also taken the local bus as well.  At all times I felt completely safe.  We must understand that the last thing any of these islands (that depend on tourist money) want is negative press.  When a tourists gets sick or attacked, the immediate reaction is to cross the island off of your destination list which means a reduction in tourism money.  And we all know that a lot of these islands heavily depend on tourism to stay afloat. 

b.       Inclusive always limits you to the restaurants within the hotel vicinity.  They have some beautiful restaurants around Aruba that you should take full advantage of.  I’ll list a couple of my favorites in a bit. 

2.       Pack SPF and stay hydrated – Aruba is HOT.  Not just hot… it is HOT, HOT.  I almost passed out twice in Aruba due to lack of water.    Aruba is the closest island to the equator, regardless of the time of year expect 90+ degree temperatures and lots of SUN.  Most days you’ll want to head out early then return to shade during peak time (noon - 3pm). With this heat you’ll want to pack light cool clothing (all sleeveless and no denim). At night you might have a little breeze to switch it up, but the warm temperatures are pretty constant.

3.       My hotel recommendation… I always stay at the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino.  It’s an amazing hotel that has two parts (one hotel a block away for families) and an Adults only hotel (which is where I stay).  Honestly, as a non-parent, I don’t like to go away and be surrounded by children.  I try to find adult exclusive hotels when traveling to ensure I’m comfortable.  This Renaissance has an amazing lobby/restaurant that’s pretty popular with good prices, AND you receive free access to Flamingo Beach (a small boat ride from the lobby of the Renaissance Hotel).  If you stay at a different hotel and want to visit the beach, you’ll have to pay through an excursion.

4.       Restaurants!  My two favorite restaurants are Flying Fishbone (remember to make reservations in advance) and Sea Salt (closed on Sunday).  There are plenty others - please explore! Side note: Everyone takes U.S. money! No need to convert money at the airport.

5.       Lastly, most of the island is closed on Sunday.  A lot of restaurants, shopping stores, etc. shutdown on Sunday.  If you’re planning to save Sunday to buy your souvenirs or go shopping – you’ll miss out on everything.  Either leave on Sunday (which means a crowded trip to the airport), maybe look up some excursions (like a trip around the island), or plan to relax by the pool for most of the day because they’ll be limited things to do.

All in all I absolutely love Aruba and highly recommend it as a place to visit anytime of the year! Please let me know if you have any questions!

Thank you for reading!