Aruba – the curated version

The luxury hotels along the popular Palm Beach of Aruba are beautifully maintained and sure to deliver fun in the sun.  Everything is expensive, convenient, and somewhat predictable, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

When considering Aruba here are a few things that definitely make it consistently hit shortlists.

1. Easy Arrivals/Departures: Aruba is easy to get in and out of, they have a dedicated departure terminal for flights to the U.S. and you go through Customs in Aruba which makes it easy when arriving back in the states.
2. No language barriers: Everyone in Aruba speaks English, as well as many other languages, so you have no issues with communicating.  And everyone accepts U.S. dollars so you don’t need to worry about currency exchange.
3. Near perfect weather: The weather is nearly always perfect and they are not in the hurricane alleys.
4. Lots of hotel choices: All of these things make it a great destination for an island getaway.

But here are my favorite things about spending a few days on Palm Beach?

Lots of good drinks and food is always at the top of my list.  Aruba does not disappoint.  I always try to go with the freshly caught fish, remember it’s an island so most everything is imported in, so, choosing things that are local will enhance your culinary experience.

When you really just want to relax, by the water, the pools, or on a balcony, Aruba is your place.  The sunsets are some of the best I’ve seen.  The sky is always and changing and I’m perfectly content to wile away the day watching it do just that.

But for those more adventurous types, every kind of water activity is mere steps away, from snorkeling to paddleboarding to sailing… you name it, it’s available on the beach.  I did paddleboard and I thought about taking a morning yoga class on the paddleboards, but after paddleboarding, I nixed that idea as it would have turned into a morning swim, which I could do for free.  How do people make it look so effortless?

There are so many day excursions as well, there are some excellent catamaran trips for snorkeling around shipwrecks, diving trips, fishing trips, booze cruises.  There will be one you enjoy if you want to get out on the water.

We did the jeep excursion to the desert which was very bumpy and a little more scary at times than I had anticipated, but worth it.  The one we did not fit in that I will do on my next visit is horseback riding on the beach at sunset.

Aruba has two lighthouses but the one at the end of Palm Beach is the one to visit at sunset, there is an interesting looking restaurant on the point by it that I will try on our next visit.

We spent the evening on a pub crawl of the local bars on the Kukoo Kunuku party bus.  Highly recommended and I’m not sure the Ritz has recovered from the party bus delivering us back to the hotel with the entire bus scream-singing “Don’t Stop Believing’ at the top of our lungs.  That Aruba Punch will get you every time – you’ve been warned!

It is very, very easy to enjoy a few days in Aruba where you are always Bon Bini (welcome).