Aruba - One happy Island
Not many people have heard of Aruba. Well none of my friends anyway. Handy tips to know for those you want to make envy your holiday plans
1) Aruba is the ‘A’ in the ‘ABC’ islands, with its neighbour’s ‘B’ for Bonaire and ‘C’ is for Curacao. They form the Dutch Antilies. 2) The island is off the hurricane belt and has an average temperature 29 degrees. Suitable for all year-round travel. 3)Aruba is 15 miles away from the coast of Venezuela and is visible from the south east coast 4) The island has 70 square miles of happiness 5) The Divi tree is only found on Aruba always points in a southwest direction with the wind. Locals say you will never get lost as you can follow the direction of the tree.
This was my experience:
Dreaming of white pristine beaches and tropical seas? Look no further than Aruba. Hands down Aruba has the softest sandy beaches with the most beautiful crystal-clear waters that I have ever seen!
My husband Charlie and I stayed at the Tamarijn Aruba resort. I chose this all-inclusive resort as the hotel was a low rise and beachfront. Our room was ground floor and was literally 5 steps to the sand. My husband likes to sleep in (all morning), and I like to be up sunbathing as soon as the sun cracks through the curtains in the morning. It was perfect as Charlie didn’t need to come looking for me, I was right in front of our room reading my book.
The hotel shares the facilities with the Divi Hotel, so this gave us 10 restaurants in total to dine in. The food was lovely and there was something there to suit anyone and everyone. The location on Durif beach also means only a short bus or taxi ride into Oranjestad, the capital. Or if you’re like us you can hire cycles from the hotel and get on your bike! TOP TIP for the evening is to grab a cocktail and a sun lounger on the beach and sit and wait for the most beautiful sunset you will ever see. It’s a sunset made for Instagram.
We decided to visit the Arikok National park on a jeep safari. The park takes up 20% of the island and is spectacular. Its covered in Cactus and amazing rock formations. I 100% recommend visiting. If you wanted to hire a car and do it yourself, you would need to get a ‘off roading’ vehicle as the terrain is very bumpy and rocky. I wish we had done this and went off on a hike with a picnic and watched the crashing waves on the rocks. The national park is so different to the rest of the island’s pretty beaches. It is dark and mysterious and a MUST SEE.
We also went on a catamaran and visited the sunken war ship ‘The Anthelia’. The first part of the trip was just what you’d expect from a Caribbean catamaran. We boarded off the shores of powder white sandy beach and the sea was as clear as your bath - truly beautiful. After sailing along the coast visiting the landmarks of Aruba (Including the Californian light house) we went out into deep ocean. Once we reached the shipwreck the sea had turned from crystal clear into deep turquoise blue ocean. I am not a great swimmer so held onto the steps of the catamaran when snorkelling. Oh, My Goodness…. It was like watching something straight from a David Attenborough documentary, the sea life was incredible around the wreck. I was mesmerised and it was an experience I will never forget.
Becky’s top things to do whilst in Aruba. 1) Visit the National park and pack a picnic. Go on your own and have an adventure. 2) Visit San Nicolas the second city of the island and visit all the street art. 3) See if you can get a day pass to Flamingo island. Its owned by the Renaissance hotel but they sometimes do day passes. Try and reserve the day before leaving the UK. 4) Head over to the Tivoli Club in Oranjestad for the ultimate Caribbean carnival night out. 5) Snorkelling around the Anthelia shipwreck