The best of Aruba
Aruba! What a magical place. I basically spent the whole vacation singing Kokomo on repeat, because that’s exactly what we did: tropical drinks and moonlit nights and getting there fast and then taking it slow. It was the perfect place to turn 28: relaxing and rejuvenating, and I got a fabulous tan. 
The word Aruba just conjures up that Caribbean spirit, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it fulfills all of those pre-conceived notions: swaying palm trees, beautiful beaches, delicious rum cocktails, and super warm and friendly locals. And it was so easy to travel there! You can use American dollars, everyone speaks English (and Dutch and Spanish, in addition to the local language), there are direct flights from JFK and other cities on the East Coast, and the island is small and basically impossible to get lost on.
I’m still more loyal to JetBlue than perhaps any other brand, and it’s trips like this that reinforce that: it was direct, quick, on time and easy. Sidenote: I’m not sponsored by JetBlue, but I absolutely love flying them (especially to the Caribbean!).
We were a little early for check-in at the Aruba Marriott Resort, so I obviously posted up by the pool! There was free punch in the lobby and we picked up a bottle of rum at duty-free (my favorite Caribbean travel hack): enter a delicious rum punch cocktail to start the trip.
This is the view from the beach at the Aruba Marriott Resort: isn’t it gorgeous? I loved being able to walk right into this water from the hotel, and to stare out at this beach while eating breakfast. 
Not even staged: I couldn’t stop reading Life In Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina, Misty Copeland’s autobiography. Even if you’re not a dancer, it’s still amazing to learn more about her life story and what she overcame to become the first African-American principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre.
Even though it would have been super easy to stay at the resort the entire trip, we rented a car for a day (from the Hertz location that is conveniently located in the lobby!) to explore the island and we both agree it was 100% the best thing we did the entire trip. 
Fun surprising fact: the island of Aruba is full of roaming donkeys and enormous cacti! 
Our first stop was Baby Beach, on the entire other side of the island–but only a 45-minute drive (which gives you a good indication of just how big Aruba is). IT WAS AMAZING. I have gone to plenty of gorgeous beaches all over the world, and I honestly think this might be one of the most beautiful. 
Maybe the very best part: we were throwing around a football while standing in the waist-deep water, and a sea turtle swam right by us! It was so cool! 
The only thing you can’t tell in this photo is just how windy it is: the entire island is windy, but I felt like Baby Beach was especially blustery.
Fairly obsessed with my Solid and Striped x Poppy Delevingne suit. I usually stick to bandeau tops for very superficial tanning reasons, but this one was way more secure and easy to swim around in (and throw the football around in!). 
For lunch, we went to Zeerovers and it was just the most delicious (and also affordable) meal possible. It’s also a little off the beaten path, so it’s a good mix of locals and tourists. You order at the front counter by the pound and/or how many fish you want–and then they take it back and fry it right there! We went for a red snapper catch of the day, a bunch of shrimp, the best tartar sauce I’ve ever tasted, Aruban cornbread, pickled red onions and plantains (that I should have ordered a million more of. And it only cost around $30 for all of it, including a few local beers. You sit right out on the water, and it’s just all of your Aruban local restaurant dreams come true. 
After lunch, we went on a drive to the east side of the island and ended up getting a little lost–or at least, not ending up exactly where we thought we would be. I was about to turn back, but my boyfriend told me to keep going and we spotted a few cars off-road and right on the edge of a line of ocean-facing cliffs. We got out to see the view–and spotted a cenote! With a ladder leading down to it! It was absolutely incredible, especially after we experienced gorgeous but SO CROWDED cenotes in Mexico. These photos are a little blurry because a) I lost a toenail when I scraped my foot on the rocks and b) a huge wave crashed over the edge and hit me and my phone, and I had nothing dry to wipe it on! Either way, if you want to find it: it’s located just south of the Bushiribana Ruins. 
I absolutely loved the tropical Dutch architecture in the capital city of Oranjestad: it reminded me so much of the colorful buildings in Curacao. 
And then we drove all the way out to the north side of the island to the California Lighthouse. It wasn’t quite as fancy or photogenic as I was hoping, but it was still neat to think that we actually drove the entire country from tip to tip in a day! 
We popped back to the Marriott for an Aruba Ariba, a ridiculously potent cocktail of vodka, rum, creme de banana and a bunch of fruit juices. Delicious but oh so strong! 
Our last order of business while having a car: dinner at The West Deck! It was recommended by a friend, and we loved it: there was a man playing guitar and singing a mix of Bob Marley and the Beach Boys, and I had the absolute best coconut shrimp of my life. Bonus: they brought out mango passionfruit cheesecake with a sparkler in it and the Aruban birthday song playing over the speakers, and then the waitresses both told me congratulations and kissed my cheek! That’s been a really fun side effect of birthdays in different countries: you learn about some of the little cultural quirks. 
I spent most of the next day relaxing on the beach, but I did squeeze in a SUP Yoga class with Vela Aruba. It was a little more challenging than in Bermuda since there is a lot more ocean traffic near where you’re practicing: jetskis, boats, windsurfers, etc. But it was still such a cool and challenging core and balance workout! I absolutely love taking savasana with my hands in the water: it’s the opposite of feeling grounded, but it’s so lovely. 
And on the morning of our last day, we headed out for a snorkel adventure with DePalm Tours! I love snorkeling trips like this, where you go to a few different snorkel spots and you can hang out on the boat and then they serve you a big delicious lunch! Also: there is an open bar, which is both amazing and dangerous. I wasn’t super impressed by the first two snorkel spots, but the third one was INCREDIBLE. It was right over a shipwreck, and there were just so many fish and the water was so crystal clear. Perfect end to a perfect trip. 
And if you missed it: here is Aruba on video!
Special thanks to the Aruba Tourism Board, Marriott Resort, Aruba Vela and DePalm for their help sponsoring this adventure! A reminder that all of my opinions are my own.
