Welcome to our guide on the 10 essential tips you need to know before visiting Aruba! We are Alison & Tyler Hulsey, aka @alisonandtylertravels. We are born and raised “Seattleites” from Washington State, USA.
We started dating in 2011 while in high school. We spent half our teen years together, and went to college at Washington State University together (Go Cougs)! Then, moving into our adult years, we both worked in the tech space in Seattle for five years before our travel adventure began.
But how did we decide to quit our jobs, break our apartment lease and pack up our bags to travel the world?? Well, let us explain! Tyler has always had a passion for exploring the world, aka the “travel bug”. He did mission trips when he was young with his family to Honduras and Nicaragua, vacationed in Costa Rica and took a campervan through Australia.
I myself (Alison) grew up going to a popular lake near Seattle, went to Mexico a couple of times and did a couple of cruises with my family. However, I didn’t quite know about the rest of the world. After college, Tyler went on a backpacking trip through Southeast Asia with a couple of his friends. And together, we took vacations to Belize and the Philippines.
This is what finally opened my eyes to the world of travel. If I am being honest, it was the Philippines that did it. It was the most magical place I had ever been to. I knew there had to be more out there like it.
Fast forward to 2019, Tyler had a random crazy idea while sitting at his corporate job – to quit our jobs and travel the world (see screenshot below from Tyler). I played it cool but also thought it was a crazy idea. We had never met anyone do this before, ever. But Tyler believed in this dream.
So, of course, the pandemic hit and pushed out our dreams a bit. But come May 2022, we did it! We broke our lease, put all of our belongings in storage and quit our jobs! It was time for our one-way ticket to travel the world. Originally, we planned to go for six months but then six months quickly turned into two years (and to this day, we have been to 41 countries since we quit)! It was absolutely the best decision we have ever made.
Our Experience Visiting Aruba
After spending a month in Brazil, we felt that we had conquered our bucket-list countries in South America: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. So, it was time to head to Central America. However, we noticed there were direct flights to Aruba from Manaus (in the Amazon) which is where we ended our time in Brazil.
So, with our Chase Sapphire Card, we were able to use travel points to fly from Brazil to Aruba! It was essentially a free flight to Aruba! We decided to spend one week in Aruba before heading to Panama. So it’s safe to say that visiting Aruba was a last-minute spontaneous decision!
Though Aruba was a very expensive island for backpackers, it was a beautiful experience. It lived up to our expectations in terms of weather, beaches and marine life. However, it was touristy, expensive and had a lack of culture (in our opinion). We were hoping to see a bit more local vibes.
However, on our last night, we went to the main city of Oranjestad which had more of a local atmosphere that we enjoyed – compared to the more touristy area of Palm Beach, where we spent the majority of our week.
Favorite Place in Aruba: Eagle Beach
We loved the atmosphere of the Eagle Beach area because the beach had chill vibes and a stunning sunset. Palm Beach was lovely too but it was more about the high rises and resorts. You won’t find that at Eagle Beach. It also was easy to hop on the bus at Palm Beach and take it to Eagle Beach, or there is a nice boardwalk where you could rent an e-scooter or bike! Below are some more tips for Aruba to help you have a memorable trip.
10 Tips for Visiting Aruba
1. Utilize Your Travel Points If You Can
Use travel points to get to Aruba, like we did with our Chase Sapphire Card. Our flight was all points! This made budgeting for an expensive place like Aruba easier and meant we had more spending money.
2. Budget for an Expensive Destination
There’s no getting around the fact that Aruba is an expensive place to visit, so make sure you budget accordingly. Things like accommodation, food, tours, etc. are pricey on the island. This is the most important of the Aruba tips to keep in mind. But also, don’t let that put you off coming!
3. Take Advantage of the Buses/Shuttles
In Aruba, Uber services are unavailable, but you can rely on the island’s efficient bus and shuttle system for transportation – costing just $2.50 per person, offering an affordable and convenient way to get around.
4. Book an Airbnb for Aruba
Next on our list of tips for Aruba is around accommodations. Booking Airbnbs are a much better option than resorts in our opinion. Our Airbnb near Palm Beach included a full kitchen, bathroom, patio, etc. And it was only $70 per night. The host also provided beach chairs and a cooler for the beach. When we moved to the city, we stayed at Kamerlingh Villa ($60 per night) and it had a beautiful pool that we enjoyed using. It was also a nice walking distance to the main town.
5. Pack a Reusable Water Bottle
Aruba has some of the best water in the world. Bring a reusable water bottle. There are refill stations everywhere: beaches, restaurants and basically any sink you can find. It was so incredible, especially coming from South America for many months where the tap water was not drinkable.
6. Buy Groceries to Cook Meals
Buy groceries, rather than eating out. We made breakfast every single day (eggs, bagels, fruit, etc). And we even made lunch many times as well. For dinner, we tried our best to find cheaper restaurant options.
7. Purchase Beer or Wine at the Store
We enjoyed bringing a couple cans of beer to the beach during sunset or having a glass of wine before walking to dinner, rather than paying for expensive drinks while we were out! This is another great money saver.
8. Book Tours Through GetYourGuide
For your experiences, be sure to book your tours through GetYourGuide instead of booking through the beach operators. It can oftentimes be cheaper. We booked a fun Aruba Sailing Trip and Scuba Diving.
9. Bring Your Own Beach Chairs and Cooler
When visiting the beaches of Aruba, one of the best tips is to bring your own beach chairs and a cooler for the day. We were lucky that our Airbnb host provided this for us which was cheaper than renting chairs.
10. Go Diving and/or Snorkeling in Aruba
Do not miss out on the chance to see the marine life. The water visibility was beautiful, and we saw so many sea turtles and beautiful fish during our diving experience. Diving is one of the best things to do in Aruba.
Best Areas to Stay at in Aruba
Try to book near Eagle Beach. It was completely booked around the area (for our budget) when we checked, so we couldn’t stay there. Another nice option is staying in Palm Beach. We stayed in an Airbnb 10-15 minutes from the beach. We also stayed in Oranjestad for our last night to be closer to the airport. We wish we had a couple more nights in the city. So, all in all, I would split your time between Eagle Beach or Palm Beach and Oranjestad.
Restaurant/Bar Recommendations
- Rum Reef Cocktail Bar & Grill: They have a free infinity pool to use if you buy a drink or some food! It’s located right by Baby Beach.
- Che Bar: Cheap empanadas and drinks are the offerings at Che Bar. It would have to be one of the cheapest places to eat in Palm Beach.
- Silla Bar: Authentic Caribbean food for a good price such as plantains.
Final Thoughts on Aruba
Looking back on our trip to Aruba, there were definitely a few moments that stood out. Firstly, at Tres Trapi where we saw the clearest blue waters on Earth! Baby Beach was another highlight, boasting a stunning beach to hangout at. Then there was the scuba diving and sailing trip. Seeing sea turtles was amazing! Thanks for reading our travel tips on Aruba!
