Aruba Holidays

Where is Aruba?
The island of Aruba lies in the southern Caribbean Sea, about 18 miles from the north coast of Venezuela. Curacao and Bonaire, the other members of the ABC Islands as they’re known, lie to the east. This far-flung part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is just 20 miles long and six miles wide, and well-maintained roads make it easy to explore by hire car, taxi, bicycle or even public transport. The international airport just outside the capital Oranjestad has regular services from the UK (with a short pause in Antigua), as well as from North and South America and the nearby islands.

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Oranjestad
Aruba’s vibrant waterfront capital is brimming with high-end restaurants, designer shops and sleek malls, but its scenic palm-edged streets also provide an intriguing insight into this compact harbour city’s past. Walk down streets lined with fabulously gabled colonial-era houses that could have come straight from the Netherlands – apart from the colourful shades they’ve been painted. Stop off at Fort Zoutman, the island’s oldest surviving building; explore the next-door historical museum; and head further back in time at the fascinating National Archaeological Museum. For a dash of popular culture, you can haggle for everything from Aruban cigars to local crafts at one of the two bustling flea markets, the busier of which overlooks the harbour.

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Beaches
The island’s most popular beaches are concentrated towards the north on the sunset-facing side. At the northernmost of these, Arashi, the gentle swell and powder-soft sand attract local and visiting families, and there’s excellent snorkelling right offshore. To the south, Hadicurari is a magnet for wind and kite surfers, with several schools where you can take a lesson. Nearby Palm Beach, backed by glossy resorts and equally glossy boutiques and restaurants, has almost two miles of pristine sand, calm water and watersports galore; neighbouring Eagle Beach is a little quieter, gloriously photogenic and a nesting site for several species of sea turtle. Escape the crowds on Baby Beach, at the southernmost point of Aruba, a half-moon stretch of sand sheltered by an almost circular bay.

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Arikok National Park
Covering around a fifth of the island, Arikok National Park protects some of Aruba’s most extraordinary landscapes. Venture through rugged hills studded with candelabra cactus, past mysterious rocky outcrops, to the windswept coast where the waves have carved out spectacular cave systems and deep sand-edged bays from the coral limestone. Its most celebrated attraction is Conchi, a natural coastal pool only reachable by 4x4, on foot or on horseback. Other sites, such as Fontein Cave – decorated with pictographs by previous Arawak inhabitants – offer a dash of history with the geology. The park’s varied habitats and microclimates provide a haven for a surprising range of flora and fauna, some found nowhere else. Look out for Aruban burrowing owls, colourful indigenous iguanas and the wonderfully named Hummelinck’s vesper mouse.

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Eating & drinking
From its traditional cuisine’s melting pot of influences from Holland, South America and the Caribbean to the international delights brought by more recent visitors, Aruba is a food lover’s dream. There are an estimated 250 places to eat crammed into its 69 square miles, ranging from fine-dining restaurants in restored historic houses to relaxed waterfront cafés and rustic shacks where street-food favourites are served up in brown paper bags. Thanks to the kaleidoscope of global options, you could start the day with breakfast tacos or Dutch pancakes, graze on sushi at lunchtime and round it off with sublime southern Italian creations. Be sure to try local specialities such as the richly flavoured stoba stews, hearty fish chowder and fudge-like cocada made with coconut and lime.

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