Best Beaches Aruba

What are the best beaches Aruba has to offer? TripAdvisor claims Eagle Beach in Aruba to be the 3rd best beach in the world, making it Aruba’s #1 beach, and the second best beach in the Caribbean. I’m a bit of a beach snob though, and would encourage you not to miss out on the other beaches on the island so you can make the decision for yourself. Take a look at all of the beaches I visited in Aruba to see  which one wins my vote. Sometimes you have to get off the beaten path to find the true gems. I’ll list the beaches I visited in alphabetical order to avoid influencing a ranking system. And please not I was only there six days, I didn’t quite make it to ALL of the beaches in Aruba. There were definitely a couple of good ones that missed this list.

Best Beaches Aruba

Arashi Beach

We visited Arashi Beach at the end of our half day Explore Aruba Tour with El Tours Aruba. With fine white sand and turquoise water, it was a lovely place to spend the afternoon swimming. The tour also provided snorkel gear so we could explore the reef off the coast of Arashi Beach. We didn’t see too many fish here though, so we gave up to go play on the swimming side of the beach. There is a snack hut located on the beach and restrooms and showers are available for use for a $1 fee.

Baby Beach

Baby Beach is located in the second largest city in Aruba, San Nicholas. It is about 1 hour away from the high-rise hotels, and many tourists never make it to this isolated beach on the southern tip of Aruba. From Baby Beach, you can see the coast of Venezuela on a clear day. Baby Beach also offers calm waters and a great spot to snorkel. The reef here was excellent and I saw a ton of really big and beautiful fish. Due to the high salinity in the water here, floating is very easy, making it a great place for beginning snorkelers. After about 20 minutes of snorkeling we splashed around in the swimming area before drying off.

Once again, you can purchase affordable refreshments from the Baby Beach Shack and access restrooms for $1. I didn’t notice any showers here. I grabbed an ice cream for $3 while friends sipped on cocktails before the long trek home. Even though Baby Beach is pretty far off the beaten path, I highly recommend making an effort to get out there during your stay on the island.

Eagle Beach

World famous Eagle Beach. Little by little I am experiencing the world’s best beaches. Eagle Beach is located on the west coast of Aruba in front of a series of hotels. Tourists from the hotels simply walk across the street to this stunning beach, leading to large crowds. We visited this beach twice during our stay, once in the afternoon through sunset and once just after sunrise until about 10am. The early morning trip was much more enjoyable. Smaller crowds, gorgeous sunlight shining down on the water, no water sports just yet. And our beautiful fofoti trees were empty, so we were able to grab several gorgeous photos on them. IN addition to water sports, you will find a proper restaurant and mini drink stands on the beach. You can rent two beach chairs and an umbrella for $40.

 

Palm Beach

We spent a very short time on Palm Beach. It was very crowded with hotel guests, water sports activities, and more.  It’s a greta place to go if you are looking to rent a jetski, take a snorkeling trip, parasail, or participate in other water activities. You can sign up and take off for most activities right from this beach.

Renaissance Beach

Renaissance Beach is a tiny beach located in front of the Renaissance Hotel Villas. it has a lovely footpath, which is the perfect place for watching the sunset. It is located in the Downtown Area of Oranjestad, so the perfect spot to catch sunset before dinner, or to visit after an afternoon of walking through the old town and shopping. You can also see a variety of fish right off the coast!

Surfside’s Beach (Also referred to as Nikki Beach by some locals)

If you are staying in downtown Oranjestad, Surfer’s Beach is the perfect place to spend an afternoon. It is located right by the airport so you can see planes landing and taking off all afternoon. The water here is also extremely still. We were here at sunset, and the wind was actually blowing the water back out to sea, reverse waves! We spend a long time playing in the warm clear water off the coast. There are also beach shacks and restaurants in this area, so you can grab a quick bite to eat while hanging on the beach. And if you’re up for a challenge, the inflatable water park is located in this area of Aruba as well! We visited this beach on carnaval Sunday, so I believe the attraction was closed that do to allow everyone to enjoy the festivities.

What do you think of the Best Beaches Aruba has to offer?