Aruba Things to Do

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Alto Vista Chapel

by SabrinaSummerville

In my opinion, the prettiest sight of all on Aruba is the Chapel of Our Lady of Alto Vista, sited as it is on a hill overlooking the whole island and right out to sea.It was built in the 1600's and has been renovated in recent times. Inside it's as pretty as outside and will seat perhaps 20 people. There's a lot more seating outside and I am told that regular services of worship are held here, and indeed many weddings.I cannot imagine a prettier place in the world to be married:-)

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The Saturday Flea Market

by SabrinaSummerville

No, they don't sell fleas here, but they do sell just about everything else.The market takes place every Saturday from around 10am 'till 6pm. It's on the main road from the low rise hotel area to Oranjestad. You can see the stalls being set up on Friday evening.We went along at about 11am, but we felt we were still a bit too early as some of the stalls were still setting up.It's a great place to go if you want to buy typical souvenirs at less than half the price of the shops. You can buy three t-shirts for $10, whereas one will cost you $17 in the shops.I liked the white cotton tops, skirts, and dresses that were on offer at very reasonable prices. There were also white cotton clothes for men. Ideal to wear in the blistering and humid heat.There are signs for a barbecue, though I didn't see it - maybe, again, we were too early.

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Let's Go Latin

by SabrinaSummerville

Let's Go Latin is the name of a spectacular show of Latin singing, dancing, and acrobatics. It runs from Monday to Saturday at the renaissance Hotel theatre and is a visual feast of colour.We went on a Monday and the theatre wasn't full. Seating is free-style so we had our choice of seats. We sat about five rows from the front. Where you site is important because it is said that if you sit in the front three rows you cannot see the dancer's feet as they perform. Also, I found that sitting in the fifth row (close to the front) I was chosen to sing and also to dance. Normally shy, this time I agreed to go ahead with it and it turned out to be a lot of fun. In fact, three days later when dining at Madame Janette's, some people came up to me and said "Oh you're the dancer from the Latin Show!"The show has a cast of around 40. There's a leading male and a leading female and they are comperes...

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Bird Watching

by SabrinaSummerville

I don't have any in depth knowledge of birds, but I was bewitched by those I spotted on Aruba and I have learned that it is a vurtual paradise for bird watchers.While driving through the National Park we spotted a falcon!There are brown penguins diving for fish off the beach ever day and they are addictive to watch.My favourite was the Scott's Oriole which I spotted twice. One day I was treated to the sight of a pair of them pecking at sugar packets on the deck of the hotel restaurant. I attach a picture to share with you. These migratory birds are said to be great singers - I loved them for their bright orange coloured breast.

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Bodyboarding/Surfing

by SabrinaSummerville

Because Aruba is a windy island it is perfect for sports such as bodyboarding or surfing.The currents to the North of the island are very strong and it is not advisable to partake of watersports there, but you will be sure to get great surf on Eagle Beach, which is consistently voted as one of the top beaches in the Caribbean.

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Palm Beach

by SabrinaSummerville

Aruba is blessed with a number of beautiful white sand beaches.Perhaps the most popular is Palm Beach, which is the beach in front of all the high rise hotels. In fact, the island clearly signposts high rise areas and low rise areas.In the Palm Beach area the sea is calm and the water is shallow. Perfect for kids and even for adult paddling.Here you will also find the jettys for the main tour companies such as De Palm Tours, many of which have their own bars which are open to the public. There is little nicer at sunset than sitting on one of these jettys sipping an exotic cocktail as the sun goes down.

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California Lighthouse

by windoweb

California LighthouseThe lighthouse was named after a ship called the Californian, which has the distinction of having been in proximity of, and having received distress signals from, the Titanic, as she went down in icy waters in 1912. The Californian's radio operator was off-duty and asleep at the time of the disaster, and this small piece of bad karma perhaps sealed the Californian's fate. She went down in rough seas off the Aruba coast a few years after the Titanic sank, and to this day the ship is a popular dive site. Around the lighthouse are acres of stoned-filled flat land, and a area called California White Sand Dunes is very popular with kids who go dune surfing. Don't ask; it involves sliding down the dunes in any way that seems comfortable. Just wear strong jeans or trousers.

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Be a Pirate

by MrRandMcnally

There are many boats that will give you rum drinks, Take you snorkeling and swimming, but why would you take a modern boat when you can go on one with sales. Complete with a rope swing the Pirate ships are a blast. While I'm not sure drinking and snorkeling is the wises thing to do it is fun and you can see a pretty good variaty of fish, especially at the ship werck. very cool

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Stack some rocks

by MrRandMcnally

Not quite sure the story behind this but the story is that if you create a pile of rocks at the old mine, you will have good luck, The bigger the stack, the more luck. So all over you will find a odd colection of rock piles, adding to the odd, desolate beauty of the place.

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Hop on a horse

by MrRandMcnally

I wish I knew the name of the horse riding place but we just went with the recomendation of our Hotel. We were picked up in a van and got on our horses for a ride accross the rugged desert side of the Island. It is beautiful in its desolation with Cactus and odd rock formations. The horses seemed underfed but in OK shape, they were well brushed and shod but very thin. Our guide blamed this on the low quality feed that made its way to the Island and said the stable's owner was working on importing better feed, who knows if this is true. The guide was knowledgable about both horses and the Island.

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Fun things to do in Aruba

Top 3 Hotels in Aruba

Bucuti Beach resort Oranjestad  Oranjestad

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Reviews and photos of Aruba attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Aruba sightseeing.

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Things to Do: Cities in Aruba
  1. Oranjestad Things to Do

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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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