Aruba Things to Do

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

DePalm Natural Pool Jeep Adventure

by Dabs

We briefly thought about renting a jeep to go exploring but decided to let someone else do the driving and booked an afternoon trip with DePalm. The price is the same no matter where you book it, $72 per person, we found a $10 coupon per couple in one of the Aruba guides at the hotel.They pick you up at your hotel, take you to the main depot where you decide who wants to drive the jeep and who wants to be tossed around in the back. There was only one of the passengers in our jeep that wanted to drive, a crazy Brazilian who did a good job of keeping the jeep on the road.The tour takes you around the northside of the island, stopping at the California Lighthouse and Alta Vista Chapel along the bumpy unfinished roads on the north coast then onto the Natural Bridge, or should I say the remains of the Natural Bridge, and finally to the Natural Pool where the road got really interesting.I...

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Alto Vista Chapel

by Dabs

The Alto Vista Chapel is another popular tour spot, located along the northern coast. It was built in 1750, abandoned in the 1800s and rebuilt 200 years later. The road we took there from the California Lighthouse was rather rough but when we left we saw how the cars had made it up there, a paved road that led back to the hotel area. The white crosses along the road symbolize the stations of the cross.

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California Lighthouse

by Dabs

The California Lighthouse, located at the northern tip of Aruba, is a stop on many tours. It's named after a US ship named California that wrecked off the coast here in 1891, before the lighthouse was completed in 1916. You can't go up to the top of it anymore, not since someone committed suicide from jumping from it but there is a nice view from where it stands.

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Beaches

by Dabs

The beaches in Aruba are really the main reason to visit, the Caribbean is a stunning turquoise blue, warm as bath water, the white sand is soft beneath your feet and never hot and very rarely do you come across shells or anything that would stop you from walking barefoot.Palm Beach is where the high rise hotels are located, the beaches have beautiful sand but are the most populated and crowded, you'll find the resort's palapas (beach umbrellas) scattered along the beach, a couple of pier for boat trips, restaurants and lots of people. Eagle Beach and Manchebo Beach are south of Palm Beach, across the street in most places from the low rise resorts, you can find some palapas here but not as many as Palm Beach and not as close to the water. Manchebo is supposed to be top optional but I didn't see anyone sunbathing without their top.Druif Beach is the last stretch of beach before hitting...

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Visiting Oranjestad

by Dabs

Oranjestad is the capital and largest city of Aruba and I suspect it's the only city in Aruba that has anything going on for visitors. We visited Oranjestad three times, twice we walked from Palm Beach, an almost 2 hour walk along Eagle, Manchebo and Druif beaches and the 3rd time we took the bus from outside the Radisson.We walked along Main Street with it's tourist oriented gift shops, high end stores and stores that the locals would shop in for clothes and other goods, ate at two different restaurants and visited the grocery stores.The architecture here looks like brightly frosted gingerbread, with bright pink, blue, green frosting, the Dutch colonial style buildings are mostly not original but built to look like they date from the colonial era.

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Natural Bridge

by Dabs

Ummm, make that the former Natural Bridge! Even though the Natural Bridge collapsed on September 2, 2005, tour companies still take you here. You can see the bridge that collapsed, the "baby" natural bridge that sits right next to the rubble, use the bathrooms for 50 cents or shop in the gift shop and get a snack.Our guide told us that the bridge collasped in the wee hours of the morning so fortunately no one was standing on it at the time. I did find it rather amusing that the horde of tourists that were standing on the "baby" bridge after hearing how the other bridge collapsed...

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DePalm Snorkeling trip

by Dabs

Snorkeling trips are offered in the morning and the afternoon, the afternoon trips are less expensive because they are slightly shorter and don't include lunch. You can book at your hotel or the tour offices along the beach, the price was the same.We went on a morning trip with DePalm Tours that left from the pier near the Radisson, the price was $69 per person but we found a $10 discount per couple coupon in one of the Aruba guides so it was $64 per person + tax. The afternoon trips ranged from $33-$49.DePalm was the tour outfit that everyone seemed to recommend, but I didn't find the staff to be overly friendly and all of the boats were stopping at the exact same three stops, there were always 3-4 boats anchored in addition to ours so I think you can book with anyone and have the same experience. The person we booked with said the catamarans are a nicer, smoother way to travel though...

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Aruba Aloe Factory

by rw-bigfoot

We vistied here it's right off the main road (1A-1B)north of town. If you get to the windmeill you went too far. easy to get to and if you buy something from their web site you will get a free tour of the factory in aruba the tour cost 8.00 for a 5 minute tour way too much for not much to see and you aren't aloud to take pictures of the inside of the factory so don't go on the tour. if you visit the prices on their web site are higher than in the store. the lip balm is great with SPF15 in it and it was 2.00 and the face cream in the jar burned my face and it was 42.00 whew and the body lotion was 22.00 and it was soothing to my face and arms that was nice on a sunburned face.Nice products but they had like at least 6 people in this little store with nothing to do all dress in their best clothes just watching the visitors look at the products no one was buying. I would have bought some...

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Oranjestad

by BROOKS

Visiting the capitol city of Aruba-Oranjestad.Aruba's charming capital is best explored on foot. Its palm-lined central thoroughfare runs between old and new pastel-painted buildings of typical Dutch design (Spanish influence is also evident in some of the architecture). The town is named after the Dutch royal house of Oranje, and has been the island's capital since 1797. Oranjestad attracts more shoppers than sightseers. There are many malls with boutiques and shops in Oranjestad; downtown and Seaport Village are the major shopping areas. Every morning the wharf teems with activity as merchants sell produce and fresh fish - often right off their boats. You can also buy Aruban handicrafts and T-shirts at this dockside bazaar, where bargaining is expected and dollars or florins are accepted. Island schooners and houseboats anchored near the fishing boats add to the port's ambience....

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Carnaval

by xristinaki

we arrived in aruba one day after the carnaval...everyone said it was amazing. However we did manage to see a 'mini' carnaval. there were floats and hundreds of people dancing and drinking on the streets. Everyone had a lot of fun watching and joining hte party.

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Fun things to do in Aruba

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Questions and Answers

Marcel73 profile photo

Q:  i need some help to choose a hotel in aruba.it should be a romantic place ,close to the sea. thanks M 

GlobeTrekr profile photo

A: Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino is the only Aruba hotel with honeymoon suites, I would say thats romantic. Other places would be: Bucuti Beach Resort - for... 

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