Aruba Luxury Vacation Guide & Information Center
Plan Your Luxury Vacation On Aruba

Luxury Vacations Information

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Aruba is a tropical island of two surreal extremes, like no other Caribbean island. The turquoise blue Caribbean waters and coastline of fine white coral sand, dotted with palm trees and lush vegetation, surround an arid, yet dramatic, island interior inhabited by tall cacti and boulders as big as houses. There can be no doubt that Aruba is a spectacular and wonderful island, and like many other return visitors from around the world - You could become addicted to it for life! Could a luxury vacation on Aruba be the ideal fit for You?

Surrounded by azure tropical waters, white coral beaches, and continually drenched in sunshine, Aruba is a true island paradise for the water-sports enthusiast. Ashore, You'll find sports, cultural activities, an incredible choice of restaurants, nightclubs and casinos.

With something for everyone, Aruba is the ideal location for a family vacation, and for the romantically motivated, Aruba is the first Caribbean nation to offer an online bridal registry, for couples who wish to register their honeymoon in Aruba.

Find out more and decide if Aruba is the right place for Your luxury vacation:

Aruba is a Dutch independent territory. One of the 'Netherlands Antilles', in the 'Lesser Antilles' island chain, located in the 'West Indies' section of the SE Caribbean Sea, about 18 miles north of Venezuela.

Aruba's Queen Beatrix Airport is served by several daily flights to and from hub airports in the USA and South America, along with direct flights to Amsterdam, connecting to the rest of Europe. Oranjestad, Aruba's capital, is also a popular port of call for large cruise ships's due to its impressive harbor and proximity to safe shipping lanes.

Aruba's weather is tropical, with consistent strong sunshine and temperature around 82 degrees (Fahrenheit). The balmy Trade Winds blow steadily from the east, keeping you comfortable all day - but don't forget to use sunscreen. Aruba is dry - rainfall averages only about 18 inches a year, mostly falling in short bursts from October to January.

Being so close to the S. American land mass, Aruba lies south of the main hurricane tracks so that it rarely experiences the full force of the regions tropical weather systems.

Aruba's native language is Papiamento, originally derived from the romance languages, it has evolved a vocabulary including English, computer jargon and slang words from around the world. You should have no problem being understood in English in most hotels and restaurants on Aruba.

Aruba's currency is the Aruban florin (denoted by Awg or Afl). $US currency is accepted everywhere on Aruba, and most establishments accept all major credit cards. Banks can also exchange other foreign currency. Traveler's checks are widely accepted in hotels, restaurants and stores, but personal checks are less welcome.

Aruba has earned a worthy reputation for culinary excellence offering international epicurean and eclectic cuisines: American, Argentinian, Aruban, Caribbean, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Indonesian, Japanese, Mexican, Spanish,... including Seafood, Steakhouse & Vegetarian food. But be warned, eating out can be expensive because the island interior is arid, so most edibles, with the exception of seafood, must be imported. Fresh fruits and vegetables come from from nearby Venezuela and far-off Europe. Beef is flown in from Argentina and the USA.

High-end places to eat include (in alphabetical order) Chez Mathilde (French), L'Escale (International), Pago Pago (Seafood), & Sunset Grille (Steakhouse).

Inside Advice - Arubas' fine restaurants offer a fantastic experience if you can afford it, but you can also find great food for a few less Aruban Florins.

For example, the following places have a reputation for great food and good value in Oranjestad: Cuba's Cookin' (Caribbean), Le Petit Café (Seafood), Rumba Bar & Grill (International), Salt & Pepper (Spanish/Portuguese), and The Paddock (International).

Aruba offers you a wide choice of hotels, resorts, and guesthouses. You'll also find a large number of vacation apartments and timeshares.

Inside Advice - Just as on the other popular Caribbean islands the hotels on Aruba tend to be relatively expensive. Guesthouses and self-catering rental apartments and villas are generally less expensive. In fact, you can even rent a beachfront luxury villa with your own private pool, and still save money!

Aruba's Beaches & Waters

Aruba is a long and thin island, creating an endless tropical shoreline of white coral beaches. All of Arubas' beaches are public, some are entirely unoccupied, others have beach bars, restaurants and hotels.

Arubas' spectacular waters and breezy trade winds make it a watersports paradise for anyone, novice or expert, interested in: deep sea fishing, parasailing, sailing/boating, snorkeling & scuba diving, windsurfing... You can swim, snorkel or fish at the beach or take a boat trip to scuba-dive on pristine reefs and wrecks in deeper waters.

Charter a sail boat or powerboat and visit one of Arubas' reefs, or go island-hopping. Charter a fishing boat and learn how to catch large gamefish such as Marlin, Swordfish, Tuna, Wahoo, & Yellowfin. Then, when the light is fading, there are romantic sunset dinner cruises, moonlight cruises, and party cruises.

Ashore On Aruba

You'd expect to find fabulous restaurants, shopping, sightseeing, churches, museums, spas, casinos, nightclubs... But how about visiting Aruba Ostrich Farm, the Butterfly Farm, or renting a Harley Davidson motorcycle?

Similarly, Aruba offers an excellent array of sports for you to take part in, including bowling, golf, horseback riding, tennis... And if you consider yourself a tourist, you can always take a Mountainbike Tour, Archaeological & Geological Tour, Nature Tour, Birdwatching Tour, Jeep Safari Tour, Quad Racer Tour, or even an Underwater Tour.

Come ashore on Aruba and experience it all.

To explore Aruba, there is an excellent public transport system or you can take a taxi, rent a car, or rent a motorcycle. Car rentals are available at the airport.

As in the USA and Canada, mains electricity on Aruba is 110V alternating at 60Hz.

Aruba is about 19 miles long and 5 miles across at its' widest point, covering about 75 square miles in area.

Arubas' is home to about 72,000 happy and welcoming people. For Aruba population demographics click here

Although tourism is the by far largest industry on Aruba, the Aruban economy is also fueled by offshore banking activities.