Aruba Travel Guide

Aruba Travel Guide

Aruba is my favorite Caribbean island I’ve visited. The beaches, sunsets and weather were unbelievable! My entire family loved this place, not all of them love to travel as much as me, but we all agreed we didn’t want to come home after our trip. Keep reading below for my recommendations on where to stay, what to do and when to visit

Jump To:

• *Backpacks & Bubbly – Top Pick for Drinks With A View*
• Where to stay in Aruba
• What to do in Aruba
• When to visit Aruba

Disclaimer: This article contains some links where I earn commission through booking. There is no extra cost to you, and I only recommend things I’ve used and love or places I’ve stayed and enjoyed!

Where to Stay in Aruba

I should preface this by saying I’m a huge all-inclusive person! I think paying for almost all of your vacation ahead of time and not worrying at all about how much dinners are going to be or if you can try all the frozen drinks at the hotel bar to see which ones are your favorites makes for the ultimate vacation. So my top hotel recommendation for my Aruba Travel Guide is the Divi Aruba All-Inlcusive

Location:

Located on Divi Beach on the West Side of Aruba. The resort is close to the airport & the downtown area where cruise ships dock. This area has a lot of shops and restaurants, as well as the I Love Aruba sign (if you need to get your picture) We were told by one of our tour guides who grew up in Aruba that Divi beach is known for having the best sunsets in Aruba, and I can confirm they were incredible.

The Divi is a bit south from Noord, where you’ll find a lot of the larger resorts, as well as another downtown area with a bunch of restaurants and bars. Getting around Aruba is easy, whether you rent a car or take taxis, it’s a small and accessible island. Plus, the best part of staying at an all-inclusive is you really have no need to leave the resort unless you want to!

Food & Drink:

There are tons of food options included in your stay. Staying at the Divi also gives you full access to their sister resort, the Tamarijn restaurants (a 15ish walk down the beach, or get there via hotel run shuttle) There are buffet options for casual dining, as well as bar pizzas (trust me, these are amazing) and sandwiches/bugers/etc at several of the bars.

There are also a variety of sit down restaurants! You can make reservations for these with the front desk starting two days in advance. Some of our favorites were the Red Parrot for seafood and steak, Pure Lime for Mexican fare, Paparazzi for Italian favorites, and Ginger for Asian cuisine! We liked almost everything we tried during out trip.

Drinks are also included in your stay! There are tons of frozen cocktails to try (our favorites were the Coco Loco and the Aruba Ariba) as well as a full service bar. The bartenders were super attentive and friendly & we never waited long to get a drink!

Amenities:

We were here for relaxing and the beach, so to us, the top amenity was absolutely the gorgeous beach literally steps from your room. But we did also take advantage of the freshwater pools, the fitness center (it’s easier to workout with that ocean view) + we played some shuffleboard & tennis. There are also upgrade options for golf & the spa!

If All-Inclusive’s aren’t your thing, or you really want to be closer to a bunch of restaurants and bars off your resort I recommend Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club

When to Go to Aruba

In terms of the weather, there is essentially no bad time of year to go to Aruba. There is very little rain, it’s always warm, and it isn’t impacted by hurricane season. Your choice really comes down to how much you want to pay, as the seasonality impacts hotel room prices.

Winter – Hotel prices peak during this time (I mean who doesn’t love a tropical winter getaway) but you’ll pay for the perfect temps at this time of year

Spring/Summer – Hotels prices will sink during this time, as it is the off season for most hotels, and the weather might be a bit hotter than the winter, but it’s a great time to find deals on hotels you might not normally be able to afford!

Fall – Fall is another great time to visit Aruba, although you’ll see hotel prices start to creep back up again as you get deeper into the fall and peak tourist season arrives again!