One Happy Island! I have been there, and I can absolutely attest to that fact! When choosing a Caribbean destination to vacation in \u2013 it\u2019s hard to beat the all the positive attributes Aruba offers. From accumulating less than twenty inches of rainfall per year \u2013 earning it the name the Sunniest Destination in the Caribbean – to being one of only three islands located on the outer fringes of the hurricane belt – thus eliminating the worry about summer and fall tropical storms \u2013 to its natural beauty, abundance of things to do and see \u2013 and its fabulous cuisine \u2013 it\u2019s no wonder its such a happy little place!<\/p>\n
I recently sat down with my area rep for Aruba –\u00a0Kim Riddle from Aruba Tourism\u00a0–\u00a0who\u00a0has been with them for an amazing 22 years \u2013 to dish on all things Aruba. Below is a great synopsis of what the island offers and why it should definitely be on your list of places to travel in 2021!<\/p>\n
So,\u00a0grab a hammock\u00a0and\u00a0a cold drink, put on your sunglasses and let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n
**************************************************<\/strong><\/p>\n Getting There:\u00a0Due to where\u00a0Aruba is situated (just\u00a0fifteen\u00a0miles off the coast of South America) \u2013 the flight times to get there are pretty short. For instance \u2013 from the New York airports (with\u00a0JFK \u2013 offering plenty of direct flights, LGA and EWR), Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and Houston (IAH and\u00a0HOU) it\u00a0is only a\u00a0four-and-a-half-hour\u00a0flight. Even from Dallas it is just five hours.\u00a0 Baltimore and DC clock in at just four hours, with Atlanta at three and half and Charlotte at three hours and fifteen minutes.\u00a0And\u00a0of course,\u00a0Florida departures are the quickest at two and half hours out of Miami or Fort Lauderdale.\u00a0So short flight times and plenty of air lift abound!<\/p>\n Climate:\u00a0Hey\u00a0I\u00a0already told you it\u2019s the sunniest destination in the Caribbean \u2013 what more could you ask for?\u00a0You want more? Ok! The\u00a0temperatures in Aruba\u00a0are in the mid 80\u2019s year-round with very little humidity.\u00a0And due to that very limited rainfall they get,\u00a0it\u2019s a fabulous destination to ensure\u00a0that\u00a0you will be able to soak up the sun outdoors and enjoy the fresh air after being cooped up so long in 2020. No worries of a rained-out vacation here!<\/p>\n Language and Currency:\u00a0In Aruba it is very easy to communicate and interact with locals as they speak four different languages \u2013 all taught in school \u2013 including English, Spanish, Dutch and Papiamento (which is the local language of the island and is actually a mixture of six different languages). As for currency \u2013 they take US dollars throughout the island and even price everything in US dollars.<\/p>\n Sightseeing and Activities:\u00a0There\u00a0are many, many things to see, do and\u00a0experience\u00a0here. And this is how it\u00a0differs\u00a0from other\u00a0beach\u00a0destinations\u00a0as\u00a0it\u2019s a place\u00a0you can really\u00a0explore\u00a0\u2013\u00a0especially with all that\u00a0pent-up\u00a0energy\u00a0a lot of us have \u2013 this place will make you want to get out and move! And there are so many ways to do that!<\/p>\n Water activities abound \u2013 scuba,\u00a0windsurfing,\u00a0kiteboarding,\u00a0jet skis,\u00a0snorkeling\u00a0cruises \u2013 you name it!\u00a0\u00a0And Kim also made a great point about snorkeling \u2013 there are many places\u00a0where\u00a0you\u00a0can\u00a0easily\u00a0just walk in and out of the ocean from the beach \u2013 instead of taking a boat trip\u00a0where you have to get in and out of the vessel –\u00a0which makes it ideal for\u00a0snorkeling for\u00a0children or even older adults\u00a0right from shore.<\/p>\n As for land activities they are plentiful as well! You can rent a car\u00a0and\u00a0head out to\u00a0explore\u00a0this gorgeous island\u00a0on your own. And getting around Aruba is easy \u2013 the island is small \u2013 measuring at seventy square miles \u2013 which to put it in perspective is smaller than Manhattan! Or if you prefer you can take an escorted tour \u2013 which I would be more than happy to book for you prior to your departure. You\u00a0can also\u00a0explore the island via a UTV tour which will allow you to go off road where the tour buses can\u2019t go,\u00a0take advantage of the\u00a0hiking\u00a0and\u00a0mountain biking\u00a0trails\u00a0that are found in Arikok National Park or you\u00a0can opt to go horseback riding\u00a0in the park\u00a0or\u00a0along the\u00a0beach.<\/p>\n Topography and\u00a0Hidden Gems:\u00a0The diversification of\u00a0topography\u00a0on the island of Aruba is\u00a0incredibly unique\u00a0and you are encouraged to go off property and explore it. Where the hotels are located on the western side of the island the beaches\u00a0boast of very\u00a0calm waters. And thanks to a reef further out that protects it there is\u00a0no worry of undertows\u00a0or\u00a0rough waters. One of the most popular local beaches \u2013 Baby Beach which is actually on the southern part of the\u00a0island\u00a0 in San Nicolas is known as the best family beach in Aruba by the locals as you can actually wade out pretty far distances from shore and still only be knee deep in the water. Should you travel to the northeastern side of the island you will encounter\u00a0a vastly different\u00a0shoreline. It is raw, rugged and wild with thundering waves smashing against a coral shoreline.\u00a0And then there is the\u00a0interior of the island\u00a0which is a desert terrain and\u00a0is filled with cactus and rock formation due to low rainfall amounts.<\/p>\n Another hidden gem \u2013 that can also be filed under gastronomy is found in a town in between Oranjestad and San Nicolas call\u00a0Savaneta. Here\u00a0there is a restaurant called\u00a0Zeerovers\u00a0(which means pirate in\u00a0Papiamento) where you order your fish or shrimp by the pound at a little window\u00a0\u2013\u00a0note:\u00a0everything is fried\u00a0\u2013 and it will be served to you on wax paper with some fried plantain on the side\u00a0–\u00a0and\u00a0\u00a0–\u00a0as per Kim it\u00a0is yummy,\u00a0delicious,\u00a0goodness! The best part?\u00a0From\u00a0where you\u00a0sit eating on the dock you\u00a0can actually watch the fishermen bringing their catch to the restaurant and cleaning\u00a0it! So, you know where your\u00a0food came from and you know it is super fresh! Instead of farm to table \u2013 I call this boat to table!<\/p>\n Culture:\u00a0Close\u00a0to the hotel district\u00a0\u2013 as well as having the distinction of being the\u00a0capital of Aruba\u00a0–\u00a0Oranjestad\u00a0is alive with Dutch architecture\u00a0and worth a visit\u00a0to stroll around and take in\u00a0its\u00a0ambiance! Gastronomy:\u00a0Kim has declared\u00a0Aruba\u00a0as a\u00a0foodie\u2019s\u00a0paradise\u00a0and I heartily agree! With around\u00a0250 different restaurants on\u00a0the\u00a0island\u00a0–\u00a0featuring\u00a0pricing\u00a0–\u00a0and flavor\u00a0–\u00a0for everyone\u2019s needs\u00a0–\u00a0you must check out the cuisine while you are\u00a0there!<\/p>\n Since we\u00a0just spoke about San Nicolas \u2013 I must say that among the beautiful artwork,\u00a0there are\u00a0many\u00a0great restaurants mixed in. And these dining spots\u00a0are not to be missed as they\u00a0offer\u00a0authentic Caribbean food at local pricing \u2013 not resort pricing!<\/p>\n Then there are the\u00a0culinary tours\u00a0\u2013 and quite a few to choose from at that!\u00a0\u00a0There\u2019s\u00a0Wine on\u00a0Down the\u00a0Road\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Kim\u2019s personal favorite that runs on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Included in this tour are stops at four\u00a0different fine dining restaurants. At each stop you will\u00a0get\u00a0a\u00a0sample signature dish and a glass of wine\u00a0to go with it!\u00a0\u00a0And of course, you will have a sommelier\u00a0with you to talk to you about food prep and wine\u00a0pairings.\u00a0Another popular tour is\u00a0Beer\u00a0Flights and\u00a0Bites\u00a0which takes you to local, open air cafes where you will hang out with the\u00a0locals\u00a0and enjoy\u00a0local fare\u00a0with them.<\/p>\n There is also what they call\u00a0Toes in\u00a0Sand\u00a0Dining\u00a0–\u00a0which\u00a0is exactly what you might think it is \u2013 dining on the beach with your feet on the sand! There are actually twenty-two\u00a0venues where you can do\u00a0this and\u00a0it\u00a0makes a very romantic \u2013 and zen\u00a0setting –\u00a0for\u00a0anniversaries, honeymoons and even\u00a0proposals!<\/p>\n Finally I have to mention the\u00a0Dine\u00a0Around\u00a0Card\u00a0because I truly believe that\u00a0you should do an EP\u00a0plan as opposed to an all-inclusive so that you\u00a0so you can get\u00a0a true\u00a0cultural immersion by going out on the island and experiencing\u00a0all\u00a0the food\u00a0it has to offer. The Dine Around Card\u00a0is valid\u00a0at several different fine dining restaurants on\u00a0the\u00a0island\u00a0and is\u00a0good for\u00a0a\u00a0three-course\u00a0meal\u00a0at them – which\u00a0includes appetizer, entree, desert,\u00a0coffee and tea and tax and gratuities. This is a\u00a0great way to pre-pay for some of your\u00a0meals if\u00a0you choose\u00a0not\u00a0to stay at an\u00a0all-inclusive\u00a0\u2013 and of course I would be happy to set this up for you!<\/p>\n Wellness:\u00a0So,\u00a0by this point I am sure\u00a0fairly sure\u00a0you get the idea that Aruba practically screams wellness. From the varied\u00a0shades of blue\u00a0and green\u00a0waters\u00a0to\u00a0the soft\u00a0white sand\u00a0beaches\u00a0to\u00a0the warm\u00a0ocean breezes\u00a0–\u00a0it is a great place for mind, body and spirit.<\/p>\n Type of Traveler:\u00a0It would be an awesome destination for a family reunion or get together after the year so many of as had!\u00a0Also,\u00a0a great place for work offsites since it is easily\u00a0accessible. And of course, couples as it can be a very romantic destination. And since it is a\u00a0destination where you can be as laid back\u00a0as you want\u00a0or as active as you want\u00a0\u2013 its great for adventurers and beach bums as well!<\/p>\n Safety:\u00a0In Aruba you can absolutely go off property and explore as it is a very safe destination. And it is a relaxing and stress free experience as you will not find street (or beach) vendors asking you to buy things or offering to braid your hair \u2013 which is a major frustration with visitors to some of the other Caribbean islands.\u00a0And even though the island is small it\u2019s easy to social distance\u00a0thanks to its secluded and hidden coves and beaches allowing you to find a remote area to take it all in away from everyone.<\/p>\n Updated\u00a0COVID-19\u00a0Information:\u00a0As of this writing\u00a0all visitors will be required to complete the\u00a0online Embarkation\/Disembarkation card process and be approved in order to be permitted entry to Aruba. This will require visitors to provide truthful, accurate answers to questions regarding their health. These questions will likely include: Have you (or the person for whom you completed this form) been suspected of or diagnosed with pneumonia or the COVID-19 infection within the past 14 days?\u00a0(Among other questions.)\u00a0All visitors, 15 years and older, traveling to Aruba must take a Molecular COVID-19 test.\u00a0Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Aruba must ensure that all visitors are properly insured. The Aruba Visitors Insurance is a mandatory insurance that helps protect visitors against incurred medical and non-medical expenses if testing positive for COVID-19 during their stay in Aruba.<\/p>\n For the CDC\u2019s most up to date information on COVID-19\u00a0click\u00a0here<\/a>. And for the most up to date entry requirements\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n **************************************************<\/strong><\/p>\n All that being said \u2013 it\u2019s\u00a0highly likely\u00a0that once you go to Aruba you\u00a0will\u00a0get hooked\u00a0\u2013 I know I did!\u00a0Of course,\u00a0this is not anywhere near a complete list of the information that I can provide you with on\u00a0Aruba\u00a0\u2013 it\u2019s simply intended to highlight some of its key features. For more details on things to see and do, where to stay, it\u2019s price\u00a0points\u00a0and more – contact your Travel Guru! Oh, and if you need a payment plan to fund your travel adventure \u2013 we got those too!<\/p>\n Namaste!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One Happy Island! When choosing a Caribbean destination to vacation in \u2013 it\u2019s hard to beat the all the positive attributes Aruba offers. From accumulating less than\u00a0twenty\u00a0inches of rainfall per year \u2013 \u00a0to being one of only three islands located on the outer fringes of the hurricane belt\u00a0\u2013 to its natural beauty, abundance of things to do and see \u2013 it\u2019s no wonder it’s such a happy little place!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2533,"template":"","categories":[15],"tags":[152,40],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nFurther South you\u2019ll find\u00a0San Nicolas\u00a0which\u00a0Forbes\u00a0named the\u00a0\u201cStreet\u00a0Art\u00a0Capital of the Caribbean\u201d\u00a0due to the fact that\u00a0for the\u00a0last\u00a0four\u00a0years\u00a0they have hosted\u00a0street art festivals. Down here you will find both local and international\u00a0artisans\u2019\u00a0paintings\u00a0and as of now they have thirty\u00a0different murals. Now my friends \u2013 I have been here, and I have seen these murals and they are spectacular! They\u00a0feel very life like\u00a0and made me feel alive as I studied them \u2013 a must see for artists or just fans of art!<\/p>\n