r/Aruba

Only been to Aruba once but the beers always seemed to be bottles, (which we don’t mind at all the buckets of chill go down a treat) just curious if there’s anywhere that does happy hour or reasonable Draught beer?

We had Draught at one of the bars on Palm beach beach front but honestly that’s the only one I can remember!

Any suggestions appreciated, also just any other happy hours you’d recommend would be lovely ☺️

My wife and I flew out on Saturday. We ate at the Panda Express in the airport at around 4 or 5pm. I ordered the orange chicken with fried rice. She ordered a different type of chicken with lo mein. Afterwards, my stomach was pretty unhappy, but I was able to use the bathroom before the flight and felt relatively okay. During the flight home, I felt like I had to burp pretty frequently and increasingly felt some discomfort in my stomach.

We managed to get to our house around midnight, I fell asleep around 1am. At 4am, I woke up and the discomfort was increasingly becoming a very sharp abdominal pain, which was not relieved by going to the bathroom or vomiting (or Tums). By 6am, I was planning to go to Urgent Care when it opened at 8am. After sitting in the Urgent Care waiting room, the pain became worse (I've had kidney stones before and it was on that level) and decided the ER was my eventual destination anyway, so drove myself there.

It was initially diagnosed as a partially obstructed bowel, but they amended it to a bad case of food poisoning. I spent two days in the hospital (mostly just because they wanted to rule out the possibility of anything worse, and because everything moves slow in the hospital). My wife, thankfully, seems to be just fine.

I'm just curious if there's anyone else who went through the same experience. In terms of the timing of everything, the docs suspect it was the rice, as cooked rice can lead to food poisoning if left out and not properly stored.

We're doing a rental car for the week and were wondering how parking is there in Aruba if it's free, metered, or have lots that we're able to pay for a certain duration. One day we plan on renting a Jeep to explore Arikok and the car rental place only has two drop off/pickup locations so we'd likely have to leave our week long rental in a parking lot somewhere that hopefully won't get towed or break the bank if parking isn't free. What's your favorite car rental or Jeep rental place or ones to avoid on the island?

Hi all. We will be headed to Aruba mid september and I was curious what everyone's favorite hiking trails are? We are staying at the tip of Noord so anything walking distance from there is good, but we will also have a car and are willing to drive anywhere. I am a horticulturalist so would love to do some botanizing so anything with exceptional native flora is a bonus. Thanks!

I'm looking for the best, cheapest place to buy beer. Is it at one of the supermarkets, or the convenience stores? Should I head to a particular place?

I had a look at the superfood website and it seemed like a 12 pack of Balashi was going to set me back about $40 CAD, so I was wondering if that was the going rate or if it was cheaper elsewhere?

Hi everyone!

My brother and his new wife are coming to Aruba for their honeymoon/newlywed trip, and I’d love to surprise them with either a really nice restaurant gift card or a special excursion/experience while they’re there. Flexible on budget.

They’ll be staying:
4 nights at the Marriott Stellaris
4 nights at the Marriott Ocean Club

What would you recommend for a newlywed couple? I’m thinking gift card to Atardi?

If you live in Aruba or have visited recently, what would be the one experience you’d give a newlywed couple? And if you recommend a restaurant, which one would you choose?

Thanks all!

Hello!

Visiting Aruba soon and staying at a AI so won’t need a car rental for our whole trip. However, we want to spend at least one day exploring the island on our own time. Preferably in a jeep but if that’s not realistic or offered it’s no mind to us.

Any recommendations or tips would be appreciated! Like do we need to book in advance? Can we book same day whenever we choose the day we want? Are jeeps available? Price points?

Thanks in advance!

We want to go snorkeling and heard how you don’t necessarily need a boat. However, we also heard mixed things about the safety of the waters, even though they can be calm, they may still be able to take you out or get you caught in the drift.

Would it be safe for a non-swimmer with a life vest to be in? If so, any recommended spots? We want to avoid crowds, but understand it may not be possible with these constraints.

Hello 👋

We aren’t new to Aruba, but I am new to this sub. We are big seafood people and it is probably the only thing we eat here. We have been coming to Aruba for 10 years. A lot has changed. We usually visit Red Fish, zeerover, Fish House, Anker Fish and Fisherman. Any better suggestions than the ones I listed? We are here for few more days. Thank you.

Hi all, looking for some recommendations me and wife are going to Aruba October 24-31 7 nights. Should we split it up into two different hotels or just stay at one? We like to drink and party but we’d also like to chill by pool and beach and relax. Doesn’t have to be super party vibe but I don’t want it to be boring. We were looking at Ritz and Hilton Westerly. We are definitely doing one day at the flamingo island for the cabana.

Hi! Next month I’m traveling to Aruba and I’d like to rent a car for the 9 days of my stay for 4 people. I was recommended Mitoo Car Rental. What do you think of this company? Are you familiar with it? Would you recommend it?
I was told that their rental hours are from 9 AM to 5 PM. Is this the case with all car rental companies?

We’re considering renting a jeep for a day to navigate Arikok National Park on our own and I’ve been seeing conflicting opinions on how difficult it is to make it through the terrain to get to Conchi and through the park in its entirety if you’re not a “skilled” off roading driver. I’ve been around ATVs/Dirt Bikes my entire life so I’m curious what “skill level” is needed or what’s “difficult” about getting through the park. Also if you have any jeep rental recommendations those would be great too! Thank you!

We are returning to Aruba for our first anniversary in October after having an unbelievable honeymoon experience. Instead of the usual restaurant recommendation post, does anybody have any interesting or unusual menu item suggestions that are unique to a particular restaurant? Something an average American wouldn’t normally have back home? Or maybe a more typical menu item but a certain restaurant just puts an out of this world twist on it? Or a specific cuisine staple that only certain restaurants will do? For example, I noticed Akira Back has A5 wagyu and a few menus featured sweetbreads and conch.

Last year we tried escargot and bone marrow at L’Avenue. And we had Keshi Yena and Cabrito Stoba at Old Cunucu House (I realize this is traditional Aruban food but didn’t see these items many places).

My wife and I had a wonderful time in Aruba. Our hotel (in Eagle Beach) has a check out time of noon. Our flight is at 5, and my understanding is that we can't start the departure process at the airport until 2pm (3 hours beforhand).

Any suggestions for a way to kill time for 2 hours near the airport? We have one checked bag (on wheels) and two carry on bags.

My gf and I just got back from a 5 night stay in Aruba, it was both of our first times visiting "One Happy Island." Here is a review of where we stayed, what we did and some overall recommendations to enjoy your stay! Overall we had an AMAZING time and will definitely be going back!

1. We stayed on Palm Beach, at the Hilton Aruba. We stayed at their newest tower of the resort that just opened several months ago called The Westerly and WOW, the hotel and resort are absolutely gorgeous. Everything is very clean, all staff are incredibly friendly and attentive and our room was beautiful (we did an "ocean view King bed" room). The Hilton is right on Palm Beach so regardless of which tower you stay in, you're right there. The Hilton also has 2 pools on the resort itself that are very nice as well. They have beachside cabanas (called "palapas") available for rent every day either for a half day or full day (there are about 5 rows of 30-35 palapas along the beach, the ones closer to the water are more expensive). We rented one which was 2 rows from the front for $60 for the whole day and there are staff on the beach which take drink and food orders from the resort bar. The resort also has a small casino which is fun and relatively cheap (good blackjack and table games). The Hilton is right by De Palm Pier, which is where most of the excursions we did (sunset cruise, snorkeling tour, etc.) left from which is very convenient. There's also an awesome bar in the pier called Bugaloe with great drinks and food that aren't that expensive.

2. Transportation: there is no Uber in Aruba. Options for transport are taxis (which are readily available almost anywhere), public transport or you can rent a car. Most people recommended renting a car to see a majority of the island however we didn't do that this time as there was plenty of things to see on Palm Beach and the surrounding area. The last day we were there we did a bus tour that took us to all the major stops anyway (Aloe Vera factory, California Lighthouse, Casibari Rock Formation, etc.) that people could all travel to as well if they have rented a car. We did not opt for the hotel transport from the airport as it was about double the price as just getting a taxi at the airport (there is a line of taxis waiting outside so no issues at all hopping right into a car.) The taxi prices are set by the government to from the airport to the hotel (about 15-20 min drive) was $40. We tipped $5 also. WARNING: if you do rent a car, driving is a bit crazy in Aruba, as there are NO traffic lights anywhere on the island, only traffic circles/roundabouts.

3. Activities: there is SO much to do, but we wanted to hit the highlights for our first time. We did a sunset cruise through Palm Tours (staying at the Hilton gets you a 15% discount on Palm Tour events), the cruise on the catamaran was beautiful and had an open bar and light snacks. HIGHLY recommend. We also used Palm Tours for our snorkeling adventure the next day and this was the highlight of the trip for me personally. You go to the very North end of the island to see the SS Antilla shipwreck (and old German cargo ship intentionally sunk by its captain in 1940 at the start of the war), Malmok Beach to see sea turtles and Boca Catalina for beautiful, crystal clear teal water and marine life. 10/10 would highly recommend.

4. Dining: if you stay in the Palm Beach area, there are limitless food options. We tried a little of everything, but the last night we were there we went to Gianni's Italian Restaurant (right across from the Hilton) and it was fantastic. There's also a place close called Lola with EXCELLENT fish tacos (the best I've ever had and we're from Florida.) I would encourage you to explore and try new things, as there are so many different options and everywhere we ate was fantastic without breaking the bank.

5. General considerations: it is WINDY in Aruba. All day, every day lol. Consistently 15-20 mph winds with gusts up to 30-35. It rained very little while we were there (only around 10-15 minutes a few times.) Otherwise you pretty much know what the weather is going to be year-round: high around 85, mostly sunny, and windy so you can plan accordingly. We also felt VERY safe on the island, the Hilton had security at the front of the resort every night even late into the night and all the locals on the island are extremely friendly. A little surprising but we did not see ANY homeless population the entire time we were there. It's not called "One Happy Island" for nothing!

6. Overall review: we LOVED Aruba, there is a reason it's a place that people come back to year after year after year. We did not get to check out any of Eagle Beach or the San Nicolas area while we were there (which we heard Eagle Beach was a more relaxed, chill vibe with low rise hotels compared to the slightly busier, more crowded Eagle Beach with the high rise hotels). However, there is so much to do on the North end of the island you can easily spend a week there. We will DEFINITELY be going back and can't wait for our next visit!

Hope this helps answer some questions anyone may have.

Hi everyone! We’re traveling to Aruba in September and there will be 5 adults, all with large suitcases. We’ll be staying in Noord and we’re looking to rent a car that can comfortably fit all five of us plus our luggage.
Our flight is scheduled to arrive in Aruba at around 9:00 PM, so considering immigration and baggage claim, we’ll probably only be ready to pick up the car later in the evening.
Can anyone recommend a reliable car rental company that offers late-night pick-up, preferably at the airport or one that can deliver the car to the airport?
I’d also appreciate recommendations on what type/model of car would be best for 5 adults with quite a bit of luggage.
If you’ve arrived around this time and rented a car, I’d love to hear which company you used and what your experience was like. Thank you! 😊