Best beaches in Aruba: 10 Breathtaking beaches to explore in Aruba!

One of THE best things to do in Aruba is to visit the many beautiful beaches. Some of you may be lucky enough to stay in hotels such as the Hilton or Bucuti and Tara and be right on the beach, or just a stones throw away at the Boardwalk Boutique Hotel. However, make sure to venture further afield too, as Aruba has so many more beaches to offer than just the most famous – Palm Beach and Eagle Beach. Read on for the cheap and cheerful beaches, the ones where you can find turtles and the ones where it’s best to go with all the family. So many amazing things to do in Aruba! Grab your snorkel, suncream and a towel and you’re ready to go. At the end I’ll also suggest some places to stay so scroll down if you still need to book your accommodation. 

As always @boyanoo takes my photos and most drone shots you see here!

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Best beaches in Aruba: For relaxing

Aruba is THE place to relax. With so many perfect sandy beaches, you could sit all day and read a book, swim in the sea and eat lots of tasty food. However, there are also lots of other lovely beaches to see, so if you don’t mind a bit less luxury then read on after Eagle beach and Palm beach for some more secluded and good beaches for snorkelling.

Eagle Beach

This is possibly the most famous beach in Aruba because of the ‘Fofoti Trees’. These are the two low trees that you will see in a lot of photos of Aruba. They are beautiful and overlook the sea. Quite a popular photo spot so you might have to wait behind a few others to get your perfect photo. 

The insanely blue water and perfect white sand is of course another reason this beach is so popular and famous! As it is such a perfect beach, and has amazing views of the sunset, there are quite a lot of hotels along it. This means that if you want to rent a sun lounger and umbrella, this will come with a price. We went to a less popular beach and paid 25 dollars for two loungers and an umbrella, although it was supposed to be 30… we only had 25 on us! However, bear in mind that without an umbrella you will be roasting and there is not much shade on these beaches.

Palm Beach

This is the next beach further up towards the North of the island, also a popular beach with lots of big hotels and home to the Hilton Aruba which we stayed at. Palm beach is very similar to Eagle beach, but with the added bonus of being home to one of my favourite places to eat during our trip, Eduardo’s Beach Shack! This is the place to go for a delicious smoothie bowl or some avocado toast. Definitely one for the health conscious! Also very instagrammable…! Bring plenty of suncream, a towel and your snorkel and get ready to swim in some of the best waters.

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Arashi Beach 

This is a lovely beach with all the amenities – deck chairs and parasols but without the back drop of big hotels! There is a small cafe here too where you can get food and some great frozen margaritas! The price for two sun beds and an umbrella was 30 Dollars. If you have your own shade, you can go a bit further down the beach too and save some pennies! The water here is perfect for swimming in and it is a lovely peaceful beach to relax on. Also plenty of parking! 

Best place to see turtles in Aruba!

Tres Trapi

This TINY beach is on the northern side of the island. I say tiny as there is a large rocky area above, but once you climb down the few steps to the water, there really is a tiny sandy beach! This beach is perfect for snorkelling and if you’re lucky and patient enough you may even spot some turtles. It is a great place to swim but there is a limited amount of shade on the actual beach and I would recommend bringing some chairs to sit on. 

Tip: Swim towards the sea grass as this is where the turtles hang out. They are quite good at camouflaging so keep your eyes peeled and don’t give up too fast. We swam for about an hour one day and spotted 3 turtles, one even quite close to the shore in the sandy part! Remember to keep your distance, do not feed or touch the turtles! If they feel comfortable, this is when they will come up to the surface which is amazing to see. Just float around near them and admire these beautiful creatures. Oh and don’t forget your GoPro!

Best beaches in the South of Aruba

The South of Aruba has some great beaches! They are a bit further away if you are staying at one of the big hotels, but definitely worth the visit. At the weekend these beaches will be busier as they are popular with the locals. However, during the week these are some of the more secluded beaches. I think my favourite beach on the whole island was Rodgers Beach! Even on a Sunday we had it almost to ourselves all morning.

Baby Beach 

This is a beautiful beach set within a bay. The water is fairly shallow and great for families with children. There are also not any waves, so the water is nice and calm. Again, it is a nice spot to go snorkelling, you may not see as many fish as other places but the visibility is great. There are a few shady spots that you don’t have to pay for. Then at the weekend there were lots of little colourful beach chairs to sit on. 

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Rodgers Beach

My favourite beach! There are just a few little shady areas here, but no one jumping out of nowhere to make you pay. It is very chilled here, and you park almost right on the beach. To the right there is a bit of an unsightly view but you soon forget it, but just to warn you! Looks like a power plant of some sort. Well worth being away from the crowds and the water is perfect. Rodgers beach is also a great place to watch the sunset, the day we went we were the only people there. Probably because of the power plant but if you want a quiet place to watch the sun go down with some beers from the supermarket then this is your place.

Tip: Try the local beer ‘Chill’ or a ‘Mango Magic’ from Balashi brewery 

Best beach for kitesurfing!

Kitesurfing looks amazing! I haven’t actually tried it myself yet, but maybe the photos below will inspire you?!

Boca Grandi

This is definitely the beach with the most wind, so perfect conditions. Try a kite surfing school, or if you are a pro then just come down and join in! 

Other amazing beaches in Aruba

There really is no end to amazing beaches in Aruba, so here are a few extras. We stayed 2 weeks in Aruba and I’d say these beaches I’ve listed are possible to see in two weeks. Once you find your favourite you will for sure keep coming back, like us with Rodgers Beach. 

Mangel Halto

This is a small area with mangroves. Within the mangroves, you will find a small beach with a few umbrellas that are there all the time. Therefore first come first served. There is also a small deck with steps down into the water if you prefer not to be sandy. The water here is lovely to swim in and it is also a great spot to watch the sunset. 

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Manchebo Beach 

This beach is right in front of the Bucuti and Tara hotel and of course the Manchebo hotel. It really is the perfect spot to watch the sunset, we saw a few photoshoots taking place here. If you enter the beach from a small car park before you reach the hotels, you will find two very tall palm trees, the best photo spot! 

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Tip: Make sure to have a wide angle lens as the palm trees really are very tall!

Best beaches in Aruba: For the adventurous ones

Some of the beaches below are located in Arikok National Park. The best way to reach these beaches is to get a guide around the park, who will make sure to take you to the best spots. They maybe aren’t the best beaches for chilling on as there is no shade. However, because they are so out of the way, you will probably have them all to yourself.

Dos Playa

This is a lovely spot with two beaches in the middle of the Arikok National Park. If you are going to visit here, I would recommend starting a tour nice and early, then once you have been for a sweaty wander, the beach is perfect to dip your toes in the sea or even go for a swim. The waves are much bigger than other beaches on the island, so some places here you can’t swim at but Dos Playa is lovely for some photos.

Boca Prins (Just for a quick stop and a photo!)

This is another very small beach located in the National Park. Also lovely to see, but again bring your hat for a wander here as there is no shade. Unfortunately it is not recommended to swim here, but it is a lovely beach to see. The current is quite strong and there are some big waves. 

Where to stay in Aruba?

Below are the three very different places to stay at! Starting with a gorgeous boutique hotel, then a larger hotel right on the beach, followed by an amazing AirBnb! Something for every price range, whether you are in Aruba for a honeymoon, family holiday or a girls holiday! 

Boardwalk Boutique Hotel

This is a GORGEOUS boutique hotel. We stayed in a top floor Casita at the Boardwalk – 302 if you’d like the same one! The ceilings were super high and it was lovely and bright. Stunning decor and literally everything you could ever need. A stove, fridge freezer (stocked with some goodies too), bedroom, large wardrobes and a lovely modern shower room. It really is a home away from home. Not to mention the pools! The perfect place to spend happy hour… I can recommend the margaritas! They don’t have a restaurant as such, but a cute cafe called Eduardo’s for a delicious ice coffee and quick bites throughout the day. 

It is just a 5-10 minute walk to the beach, where they have their own sun loungers. 

Hilton Hotel 

A classic Hilton with a Caribbean twist! The Hilton Aruba is a big hotel, but comprised of a few different buildings so you really don’t get that big hotel feel. Huge amounts of palm trees make it feel more like walking through a jungle than a hotel! There are two lovely pools to choose from and most rooms are overlooking the sea. The beach has plenty of sun loungers and the sea is perfection there. 

Dushi Casita

These are 4 small ‘Casitas’ which are small houses with a communal pool. Each Casita has its own unique style, and all the amenities so again you feel at home. The owners are so so lovely and always happy to help. The best part… each casita comes with a car included in the price! Such a good deal but also such a great place to stay that Boyan has stayed there twice now and I will definitely be going back.

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I hope you enjoyed this blog post on the best beaches in Aruba! I’d love to see your photos and experiences so feel free to DM me @solarpoweredblonde. Definitely don’t miss Palm Beach, Eagle Beach, Rodger’s Beach, Baby Beach and Tres Trapi… oh and Mangel Halto. Aruba has some very unique spots, so Tres Trapi and Mangel Halto are great for something a bit different and of course if you have a drone then these will be the places to bring it. Of course a snorkel is priority number 1 and plenty of suncream. I have never actually used Factor 50 but this was the first place I did the sun really does hit different! 

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