A boat is out in the ocean on a sunny day

Aruba · North America · Beaches

#40

Aruba

Eagle Beach, a dry wind, and water that stays calm on purpose.

Aruba sits outside the hurricane belt and acts like it. Eagle Beach and Palm Beach are the long west-coast sands, the wind is a constant, and the water on that shore is the easy Caribbean people book in summer without flinching.

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Location

12.55° N, 70.06° WOpen in OpenStreetMap

Best time to visit

April–August for fewer crowds; the sea is kind most of the year

Trip planner

A Aruba itinerary

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Field guide

Stay on the west coast. The windward side is for looking. The leeward side is for swimming.

When to go

Rain is brief all year. Summer is an excellent time to be here precisely because other islands are watching the weather. Winter is busier and still breezy.

The beach

Eagle Beach is the wide, photographic one. Palm Beach is the hotel row with calmer swimming and more jet skis. The public accesses are straightforward. Chairs are a rental, not a requirement.

In the water

The west coast is sheltered. Visibility is often good a few kicks from shore. A wreck snorkel is the standard half-day. The north coast is not a swimming plan.

Pack this in your notes

  • A car helps for a day. The beach strip does not need one.
  • The tap water is desalinated and safe. It tastes like it.
  • Wind is the climate. A hat with a string is not a costume.
  • Oranjestad is an hour, not a day.
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Traveler reviews

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Elena V.

10/10

The water is the itinerary in Aruba

A north-coast lookout on a windy afternoon. One sunset that is not viewed from a dinner show. In Aruba the color of the water does more work than any hotel list. Eagle Beach, a dry wind, and water that stays calm on purpose.

Sep 6, 2025

Amelia K.

8/10

Aruba in April–August for fewer crowds; the sea is kind most of the year

Palm Beach if you want the busier strip. Best window from where I sat: April–August for fewer crowds; the sea is kind most of the year. I would not trade this coast for a busier island.

Aug 5, 2025

Freya N.

10/10

The water is the itinerary in Aruba

Eagle Beach and the divi trees. Palm Beach if you want the busier strip. In Aruba the color of the water does more work than any hotel list. Eagle Beach, a dry wind, and water that stays calm on purpose.

Jul 4, 2025