Aruba sits about 25 kilometres off the Venezuelan coast, roughly 12 degrees north, which puts it below the main Atlantic hurricane belt. Storms have passed close and the island is not immune, but in a region where the season from June to November shapes every booking decision, Aruba's position is a genuine and unusual advantage.
The second fact about the island is the wind. The trade winds blow across it almost constantly, which is why the divi-divi trees on the leeward beaches all lean southwest at the same angle, permanently bent by air that never stops. It is also why Aruba is comfortable at 31 degrees in a way that other Caribbean islands at the same temperature are not.
Which beach, and it is not a close call
Aruba is a desert island — cactus, aloe, 500 millimetres of rain a year — and its two great beaches are on the leeward west coast.
Palm Beach is the high-rise strip: the large resorts, the casinos, the restaurants and the water sports, with a wide beach and everything within a walk. It is busy and it is where most people stay.
Eagle Beach is the low-rise strip immediately south, with a wider beach, fewer buildings, no towers and the divi-divi trees that appear in every photograph of the island. It is quieter and it is generally the better sand.
The windward east coast is spectacular and unswimmable: cliffs, blowholes, the natural bridge and Arikok national park across a fifth of the island. Go and look.
The eleven below are grouped by which strip.
Eagle Beach and the low-rise strip
Wider sand, no towers and a quieter tone.
Eagle Aruba Resort occupies a stretch of Eagle Beach as an adults-only property with a long-running sustainability programme, no televisions in some categories and a policy against loud music on the sand. It is consistently rated among the best beach hotels in the Caribbean and it is the most restful place on the island.
Eagle Aruba Resort
Palm Beach · 4★ · $$$
Adults-only all-inclusive with several pools
Check availabilityManchebo Beach Resort and Spa sits on the same beach with a spa, a yoga programme and a low-rise layout. It is the quieter alternative and it has a strong kitchen.
Manchebo Beach Resort and Spa
Eagle Beach · 4★ · $$$
Low-rise with a yoga programme and a strong kitchen
Check availabilityAmsterdam Manor Beach Resort occupies a Dutch colonial-style building on Eagle Beach with a pool, apartments with kitchens and a family operation.
Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort
Eagle Beach · 4★ · $$$
Dutch colonial building with apartment kitchens
Check availabilityBoardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba - Adults Only sits a short walk back from Eagle Beach with a rooftop pool, contemporary rooms and the best value on this stretch.
Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba - Adults Only
Behind Eagle Beach · 4★ · $$
Best value near the low-rise strip
Check availabilityPalm Beach and the high-rise strip
The resorts, the casinos and the restaurants, all within a walk.
The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba occupies the northern end of Palm Beach with the largest spa on the island, a casino and the most polished service in Aruba.
The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba
North Palm Beach · 5★ · $$$$
Largest spa on the island with the most polished service
Check availabilityHyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino sits on Palm Beach with a multi-level pool complex, a good beach and full family facilities.
Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino
Palm Beach · 4★ · $$$
Multi-level pool complex and full family facilities
Check availabilityAruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino occupies a long stretch of the strip with a casino, several restaurants and one of the better pool decks.
Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino
Palm Beach · 4★ · $$$
Long strip frontage with a good pool deck
Check availabilityHilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino sits at the southern end of Palm Beach with mature gardens, a large pool and a quieter position than its neighbours.
Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino
South Palm Beach · 4★ · $$$
Mature gardens and a quieter position on the strip
Check availabilityEagle Aruba Resort occupies a position on the strip as an adults-only all-inclusive with several pools and a considerable amount of included food and drink.
Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort sits at the southern end with a two-tower layout, a large pool and reliable rooms at a lower rate.
Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort
South Palm Beach · 4★ · $$
Reliable rooms at a lower strip rate
Check availabilityOranjestad
The capital, ten minutes south, with the cruise dock and the shopping.
Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort occupies a downtown position with its own private island a short boat ride offshore, where the beach and the flamingos are. It is the only hotel in Aruba with that arrangement and it is a genuine point of difference.
Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort
Oranjestad · 4★ · $$$
Its own private island with flamingos on the beach
Check availabilityWhat we have left off
The timeshare and condominium resorts along both strips are excluded. Between them they hold a very large share of Aruba's beds and they are apartments with a rental desk rather than hotels.
What to do
Swim, which is the point, and take the wind seriously if you are on an inflatable.
Windsurf or kitesurf. Aruba is one of the most reliable wind destinations in the world and Fisherman's Huts at the north end of Palm Beach is where it happens.
Drive or take a jeep tour into Arikok national park on the windward side for the desert landscape, the cliffs and the natural pool, which is a sheltered rock basin in the surf.
Snorkel the Antilla wreck, a German freighter scuttled in 1940 and one of the largest accessible wrecks in the Caribbean.
Eat in Oranjestad and at the beach shacks, and try keshi yena, which is the island's Dutch-Caribbean signature.
Practical notes
Queen Beatrix airport is ten minutes from Oranjestad and twenty from the resorts, with heavy direct traffic from North America and the Netherlands.
The weather barely varies: hot, dry and windy all year, at around 28 to 32 degrees. September and October are marginally the least windy. The high season runs December to April with the highest rates; May, June and September are much better value.
Aruba uses the florin and the US dollar interchangeably, and Dutch and Papiamento are the local languages.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Aruba Hotels
Questions people actually ask
Is Aruba really outside the hurricane belt?
It sits below the main track and is far less exposed than the islands to the north, though not immune. It is one of the safest Caribbean bets for the autumn.
Eagle Beach or Palm Beach?
Eagle for the wider sand, low-rise buildings and quiet. Palm for the restaurants, the casinos and everything on foot.
Does the wind ever stop?
Not really. It is what makes the heat comfortable and it is why the island is a wind-sports destination.
How many nights?
Six. Five on the beach and a day in Arikok.