A traveler's guide to Aruba
Stay on the west coast. The windward side is for looking. The leeward side is for swimming.
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.
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.
If you only remember this
- 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.