Exploring the BEST Beaches in Aruba

Aruba is one of the most visited, up-and-coming islands in the Caribbean!  

From Arikok National Park covering 20% of the island to the lighthouse on the opposite end of the island, Aruba has something for every kind of vacationer. 

The island is continuously being built up to lend itself more to tourism. In turn, this means more crowds! Read along to find out some tips for avoiding crowds and enjoying the beauty of the beaches in this island!

When Kenny and I travel somewhere, we love exploring the ins and outs of the destination. We enjoy veering from the normal, crowded touristy spots to see what the place is really all about. Don't get me wrong... we still enjoy the touristy parts, but we also like to see how the locals live in each specific place. 

Aruba is the perfect place for this kind of exploring. It is rated as one of the safest islands to visit and can be thoroughly explored from one end to the other in about one week. For reference, it is a 90 minute drive from one side to the other. 

Of course, the island always has more to offer each time you visit, but I feel like I got a great experience on the island in the five days Kenny and I stayed there with some friends! 

Here are some Tips for Exploring the Beaches in Aruba: 

(Read to the end to see what our favorite beach of the trip was, unanimously!)

1. Eagle Beach: The most famous beach in Aruba is called "Eagle Beach". This area is very built up with tons of resorts, shopping, restaurants, water sports, and people! It is still definitely worth checking out while you are there. This beach is known for its crystal clear blue water and white airy sands. You can find conch shells and famous Aruban trees called "Divi Divi" along the beach. We recommend grabbing a drink from the adorable tiki hut called “Oasis” (located in front of La Cabana Beach Resort & Casino) while you relax in the ocean. They have happy hour every day with BOGO drinks. We also recommend taking a jet ski out on the beautiful ocean here. Kenny and I searched the beach up and down for the most affordable place to rent a jet ski. We found a place called “Jetski Waverunners by Futs Watersports” (which was towards the left of the tiki hut if you are facing the ocean). Pro Tip: I recommend planning this later in the afternoon before you shower for your dinner plans because you will feel salty and sticky after. It is also beautiful with the sun setting later in the day. We opted to do a double rider jet ski to basically cut the price in half for each of us. The rental we purchased was $80 for a half-hour ride, so this was perfect for us to split $40 each. We were both still able to drive the jet ski by switching halfway, and we really had a blast experiencing it together. Honestly, some of our favorite memories together have come from the thrills of jumping the waves on a jet ski! Last thing I want to mention is Eagle Beach also has lounge chairs and umbrellas for rent all over, but we were staying at "Eagle Beach Resort" which gave us complimentary services.

2. Palm Beach: The second most popular beach in Aruba is called "Palm Beach". This is another built-up area with tons to do. I absolutely loved the vibes of the palm trees and volleyball courts on the sand with the docked boats in the ocean. If you go to Palm Beach, do yourself a favor and eat at Pelican’s Nest during sunset. It is magical! They serve authentic, fresh Aruban food in a casual sit-down open setting.  You are right on the water, and it is just so stunning. This became Kenny and I’s favorite meal of the trip. Side note: After your meal, go night swimming in the ocean while the sky grows dark to end your perfect beach day.

Although these two touristy beaches are beautiful and worth visiting, we loved seeing some of the hidden gem beaches like Baby Beach and Rodgers Beach. 

3. Rodgers Beach: You can pass Rodgers Beach on your way to Baby Beach. Rodgers is perfect for a photoshoot and exploring some untouched coastal land. The vegetation along this drive is overwhelmingly green, and the cacti you’ll see add to the fun. 

When you come up to this beach you will see a big red anchor statue. If you are facing that statue and turn right, you will find a local produce stand selling fresh coconuts. Take some time here to drink your coconut and take in this stunning sight. If you go to the left of the anchor, look for the famous Rodger's Beach staircase for the perfect photo op.

4. Now, continue along to Baby Beach where you can spend a full beach day with full facilities. Baby beach is a circular inlet with the calmest, bluest waters you will see on the island. This is perfect for snorkeling out in the ocean or relaxing in the bay. Here is our Amazon Affiliate link to an affordable snorkel set. There are bathrooms and a restaurant here if you choose to stay for a while. We enjoyed exploring this beach and walking along the rocks to finds creatures like crabs and fish. Bring waterproof sandals if you would like to go exploring because the rocks can cut up your feet! I personally love to use the white rubber Birkenstocks for beach exploring.

5. Now, as I promised, our favorite adventure on the island of Aruba: visiting Renaissance Island. Renaissance Island is a small island off the coast of Aruba that you must take a boat to get to. The cost for a day trip to the island is $125 - KEEP READING THOUGH... At first, my boyfriend and I were skeptical we will admit. We weren’t sure if $125 for admittance to another beach made sense. However, it was totally worth it! We would actually spend most of our days there next time we visit Aruba. The island has two main beaches: Flamingo Beach and Iguana Beach. And yes, there are actually flamingos and iguanas on both. You can feed the flamingos with food located in dispensers on the beach.  (Make sure to bring a quarter with you to dispense the food) This was such a fun experience, and we couldn’t get over the pictures we got! The $125 also included a full meal for lunch and a frozen cocktail on the beach as well as watersports like paddle boarding, kayaking, and snorkeling. All the facilities of the island were free for us to use and the whole island was ours to explore including the island walking trail through the mangroves. That being said... I will tell you that the tickets for this excursion were difficult to come by so be sure to read further in my blog post called "Everything you Need to Know About Renaissance Island, Aruba"

We had only heard great things about this island, and it really lived up to the hype for us. Our travel style and desire to explore every inch of a new place really worked well for us in the beautiful island of Aruba. We hope that you try some of the things mentioned in this blog post and that it helped you in some way!

Thanks for reading along! Contact us for any questions you may have!