The best beaches in Aruba
The name Aruba is practically synonymous with tropical paradise, and nowhere is that more evident than in its beaches. The water is crystal-clear, the sand is white and oh-so-soft, there are swaying palm trees and sea turtles swimming. Seriously. It’s magical. 
I like to consider myself a bit of a beach connoisseur, or at the very least, a true enthusiast. So when we spent a few days in Aruba last month, I wasn’t content to just laze about on the beach attached to the resort where we were staying: I wanted to explore and see the best beaches that Aruba had to offer! And to that end, we rented a car for the day and went on a beach crawl. It was our favorite day on the island by far, and here are a few of our favorite finds.
Palm Beach
All of the “high-rise hotels” are concentrated along one stretch of beach, known as Palm Beach. It’s lined with cabanas, chaise lounges reserved for hotel guests, fancy restaurants that get fancier as the sun sets, and places to go parasailing or rent stand-up paddle boards. All of that said: it’s a little busy! There’s quite a lot of traffic in the water, whether it’s swimmers or boats. But as a go-to beach, it’s super convenient and still quite paradisiacal. Even if you go to Aruba and never leave your hotel, you can still have a lovely beach experience at Palm Beach. 
Baby Beach
From most of the resorts, you have to drive to the complete opposite side of the island to get to Baby Beach–but it is so worth it! It’s only about a 45-minute drive: the entire island is 19.6 miles long and 6 miles across, but it’s all one-way local roads. It’s past several local neighborhoods and a giant industrial plant, but once you arrive, you have this gorgeous little cove with immensely swimmable water. We were standing in the waist-deep water throwing a football around, and a sea turtle swam right past us! There’s a bar where you can rent chairs, umbrellas, coconuts and snorkel equipment, but we just laid some towels down under the trees and enjoyed the views. If you rent a car in Aruba, Baby Beach is a must-visit.
Eagle Beach
This is one of the more popular public beaches, and it’s only about a mile down the road (or along the water) from all the hotels at Palm Beach. It was actually recommended to us by our taxi driver as one of his favorite beaches! It’s similar to Palm Beach, in that there are plenty of places to rent snorkel equipment or get involved in activities–but it’s easier to rent a chair, even if you’re not a hotel guest. 
Boca Catalina Beach
If you drive the whole length of Aruba, you’ll end up at California Lighthouse: it is not as photogenic as it sounds, unfortunately. But the upside of the drive is that few quiet little beaches at this end of the island–and it’s home to some of the most amazing snorkeling. This was actually our favorite stop on the De Palm Snorkel Adventure: so many colorful fish! And it wasn’t that far of a swim from shore: it’d be easy to DIY a snorkel tour and just park here, and swim out with snorkel gear. Keep your eyes open for starfish! 
Bushiribana Ruins Cenote
This was the most wonderful discovery of the trip. One of the cool parts of Aruba being so small is that it’s pretty easy to drive around and not get too worried about directions. I thought we were lost and suggested we turn around, but my boyfriend suggested driving just a little bit further: we stumbled across this wide-open expanse of land with dramatic cliffs, and I popped out to take a photo (it reminded me of the Great Australian Bight) and noticed a ladder leaning across the rocks. We poked our head over the rocks and discovered a cenote, so we scrambled down and went for a swim. It was so crazy to swim in this little space with giant waves crashing just a few feet away. It was so cool!
What beach would you most like to visit in Aruba?
p.s. the best of Aruba and Aruba on video!
