How I Spent My 30th Birthday in Aruba

The Caribbean island of Aruba is located just north of Venezuela and is technically a desert. They receive less than 2 feet of rainfall per year, but when I visited at the end of January, we received island rains every day— enough rainwater to wet the ground, but evaporated by late morning. I was surprised to learn that because the island is a desert, no agriculture is performed there, and they import everything to the island — all fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, and grains come from abroad. Their only export is aloe vera.

While Aruba is in the Caribbean, it is out of the hurricane path, so it’s safe to visit in summer months.

There is Dutch, Caribbean, and Latin influence all throughout the island. Locals must be able to swim before leaving school as well as speak 4 languages: English, Spanish, Dutch, and Papiamento which is a local dialect among the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao).

Once I left the airport, across the street were the rental car companies, but the Panda Express and Cinnabon caught me off guard. In the taxi to my hotel, I saw a Taco Bell, a few Wendy’s, a few McDonald’s, an Olive Garden in a strip mall with a P.F. Chang’s and the IMAX, a Hooters, Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza with delivery cars, and even a Benihana. I was shocked that there were so many U.S. fast food chains. My shock didn’t stop there. I went to the airport ATM to get cash for the taxi, and it gave me a singular Aruban Floran 100 bill. That would be the last time I saw Aruban paper currency. My taxi driver handed me my change in USD, and I thought, “huh, maybe that’s all she had.” For the most part, what I observed was that every business in Aruba conducts transactions in USD. On menus, prices will be listed in USD, at souvenir shops vendors will have signs saying they accept USD and Euro, and you may see a currency conversion at the bottom of your receipt to pay in Florin. At one gift shop on an excursion at the Natural Bridge, I asked for change back in Florin, and I was given coins, not bills. Whenever I did ask for Florin, I was pretty much told that they didn’t have it, or it was too much of a hassle. So, fear not, it’s okay to bring and use your dollars to Aruba.

There are fixed taxi rates depending on your origin and destination neighborhood, so taxi drivers don’t use a meter and likely won’t negotiate prices with you. The price from the airport to high rise hotels in Palm Beach is $35 each way. De Palm Tours offers round-trip airport transportation for $21.50 in a coach bus. Upon exiting the airport, you’ll find car rentals and a line for taxi rides. There is no Uber or ride-sharing apps available on the island, so everything is done via taxi or car rental. Overall, hailing a taxi in Aruba is pretty easy if you’re in high-traffic areas such as Palm Beach and Oranjestad. Businesses will also call a taxi for you, and they come fairly quickly.

If you plan on doing excursions and staying on Palm Beach, you won’t need to rent a car. However, if you’re staying in an AirBnb, want to explore areas outside of the beaches, and are with a group, I recommend renting a car. If you plan to visit the east side of the island without a tour excursion, you’ll need to rent an all-terrain car that can handle the off-roads. The majority of restaurants, hotels, and shops offer free parking — I think I only saw one block of street meters on the island, and that was in downtown Oranjestad across the street from the designer shops at Renaissance Mall.

We stayed at Radisson Blu Aruba in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom suite. The property was amazing! There are 3 pools, one being a rooftop infinity pool and a shallow pool just for kids, 2 restaurants, a pool side bar, and even a garden on site. The staff were all amazing and so hospitable. Our suite was modern with TVs in each bedroom as well as in the living room, and there was a kitchen with a full-size refrigerator, microwave, and a full dinnerware set. Because Radisson Blu is not oceanfront, there’s a little shuttle that runs from 9 am - 5 pm daily to transport guests to and from the beach, however, the beach is at most a 10-minute walk away, and can be seen from the property. Below is the link to my hotel tour on Youtube.

Things to Do

On my birthday, we did a UTV tour with AroundAruba. They provide hotel pickup and dropoff, and the 4 hour half-day tour started off at Philips Animal Farm, feeding donkeys, deer, ostriches, and goats for 15 minutes. You can come to the animal farm on your own without going through any of AroundAruba’s excursions, but unless you have a high affinity for petting zoos, I would just do it through AroundAruba. All of the animals are fenced in, but there was one donkey who was deaf and blind and was able to roam around the grounds on her own.
AroundAruba has tours on ATV, UTV, jeep, and safari tours both guided and vehicle rentals. My two friends and I were in one UTV and took turns driving. The roads are very dusty, so sunglasses and tennis shoes are recommended. They provide bandanas so the dust doesn’t get in your hair and face, and water bottles are provided for the duration of the tour. We stopped at 7 stops and the guides gave us the history on each place we visited.

Before the trip, I did research and saw many travelers opting to take their rental cars to ride the same route in Arikok National Park to see these attractions. In the UTV, there was a rough ride for about 15 minutes from the Natural Bridge to the next beach where we drove through streams, really rugged terrain, and I even rode over a boulder and got stuck. Our guide had to ram our UTV and tried to manually pull the UTV off the rock. What would be great about renting a car is going at your own pace, but on our excursion, I feel like we had ample time to see and do everything, ask questions, and have other people take our pictures. With renting a car you are on your own out here, because if anything were to happen, you’d basically be at the mercy of waiting for others to pass by because we definitely did not have cell service along this northeastern stretch of the island. Also, you should make sure you have insurance coverage for off-roading on your rental car.

Our first stop was the Alto Vista Chapel. The original church was built in 1750 and used to convert native Arubans to Christianity, and was said to be the first church in Aruba. The new structure sits in the same location with the same dimensions as the original church. The chapel has a Virgin Mary statue in the alter along with candles that are lit and pews for guests to pray on.
Outside of the church is a vendor selling shaved ice, fresh fruit, and fruit juices.

After Alto Vista Chapel, the next stop was Wariruri Beach. The beach portion is a little rocky, and not really meant to lay out or swim on because the current is so strong. There is a baby cliff that you can climb for a great view of the Caribbean.

After the beach, we headed to Bushiribana Ruins, which are the reminants of the Aruban gold mill. This was another stop that was very rocky and unstable to climb, but the views were gorgeous. Unfortunately, there were no remnants of gold left behind.

We were told that some people bike the entire route that we rode our UTVs on, and kudos to them because it would be over an hour biking non-stop in direct sunlight.

One of the biggest attractions for adrenaline junkies is the Cave Pool. There is a makeshift ladder that brings you down, then you can walk amongst the rocks, and from the ledge jump into the basin. What’s cool about it is that it’s a natural pool and the rocks act as a barrier against the ocean. I was told the water wasn’t too deep, and was ideal for cliff jumping.

The Natural Bridge was formed from an ancient cave of coral limestone. Previously, people would be able to walk and stand on the bridge, but after a collapse, the bridge remains unsettled and is blocked off for foot traffic. Because it is a huge tourist attraction, there is a gift shop nearby to buy snacks and souvenirs with plenty of blue and white Dutch ceramics. From the Natural Bridge we headed to our last stop, Andicuri Beach. Andicuri had rough waves, but the sand was soft and you can actually get in the water with easy access. None of the beaches are where you would find tourists or locals laying out all day because the water is so choppy and rough compared to Palm and Eagle beaches. Also, it is such a journey to get here and it is pretty desolate.

The trip ended with our guide making everyone on the tour sing happy birthday to me and a few other guests and we headed back to Philips Animal Farm to board buses back to our hotels.

The following day, we went to De Palm Island. It was primarily to see the flamingos as it is only one of two places to see flamingos on the island. The other place to see flamingos in Aruba is at the Renaissance Hotel Island. Both destinations cost about the same price, but De Palm Island has more attractions, and I feel is more bang for your buck. For $115 all of the food is included with a hot buffet, salad and fruit bar, as well as a grill with burgers, fries, and chicken tenders. The alcoholic drinks were also unlimited with my favorite being the piña colada.

We booked same day through our hotel, so we missed the hotel pick up, and ended up taking a taxi from Palm Beach to De Palm Island for $35. We took a boat from the ticketing area to the island and the water was absolutely beautiful. The crystal blue water was the perfect vibe. The hosts quickly showed us around to what was available. Entry price includes all food and drink, snorkle, water slides, beach access, and banana boat rides. For additional costs, you can go on a snuba excursion and underwater sea trekking. De Palm is open from 10 am - 5pm, but things on the island begin to stop around 4pm so guests can get on the boat to go back to the main island. If you book transportation via De Palm you’ll arrive around 10am, but if you provide your own transportation you can arrive at any time you’d like, and then take De Palm’s buses back to your hotel.

Contrary to popular belief, flamingos are not native to Aruba — they’re just a tourist draw. The flamingos that we saw at De Palm Island are actually from Cuba. Towards the end of our time at De Palm, we were able to see the flamingos, but their handler was only allowing small groups of people in to the enclosure to see them. The flamingos had not been socialized with humans, so we werent allowed to get in the water or get close to them.

This day was a recovery day, so we laid out on the beach and I did a lot of snorkeling, which I found to be pretty easy here. The fish were so colorful, vibrant, and abundant. I didn’t have to venture too far out to see fish, and you can also ask for fish food to attract more to you for photo opps.

If you do stay in Palm Beach, make sure you take a trip to the capital city, Oranjestad. There are city buses that travel from the high rise hotels to Oranjestad, but I couldn’t figure out how they worked and was hardly ever carrying small bills to pay for the bus, so I ended up taking taxis for like $10 each way. Oranjestad houses the cruise ships, luxury shopping, casinos, and a ton of souvenir shops. The souvenir shops line the main street, and will open in droves when a cruise is in port. There is a free trolley that travels around downtown Oranjestad. I thought that I was going to see something and make moves on this thing, but the start of the route is at the cruise ship terminal, and it ends behind the Renaissance shopping plaza — which is a block away from the beginning of the route. The ride lasts for almost 10 minutes, but it leaves the terminals every 20 - 30 minutes. There was a ton of shopping to do in downtown Oranjestad — from fine jewelry and diamond experts to Prada, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Zara. VAT is included in your purchases, but none of the retailers provided tax refund, and they did not offer it at the airport; so, I would price check domestically with taxes to see if anything you wanted to splurge on in Aruba would actually cost less.
Because pretty much everything is imported into Aruba, I wanted something special to bring back home with me because it was a milestone birthday. I ended up getting a fragrance from Louis Vuitton, one that I’d been smelling for months as a birthday gift. They offer free engraving on full-size fragrance bottles, so I got 30 engraved on it. It was a great birthday gift and souvenir that I will always remember Aruba, my friends, and my birthday by.

What better way to end a trip than by a boat ride! On my last full day in Aruba, I did a half-day snorkel tour with Delphi Watersports. Their prices are pretty comparable with others, but what sets Delphi apart is that they have free I ❤️ Aruba t-shirts with bookings, so that made it an easy sell for me. They labeled this tour as a dolphin encounter, but most reviews did not mention seeing dolphins, so I had no expectations of seeing any, and we didn’t. Most snorkel encounters have an open bar and light bites, I wasn’t phased by the light bites so it wasn’t a major deterrent for me if the food was terrible. The staff did serve fresh fruit cups and chicken or tuna wraps after the last snorkel stop.
Delphi is easy to find as it is located on the beach of the Hyatt Regency. They have a pretty large stand where the employees can keep your shoes and travel bag. A small speed boat will take you to the catamaran and you’ll sail off into the Caribbean for 4 hours. The first stop was a shipwrecked boat, then we stopped at a shallow reef ,
The unofficial national drink is the Aruba Ariba and my entire time in Aruba I hadn’t tried it. Luckily the boat’s bar served it. The ingredients may vary depending on who’s making it, but it should contain vodka, white rum, creme de banana, pineapple juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, and grenadine. Now, at my seasoned age, I should know my limit with vodka and fruit punch drinks on a boat…
This boat has a slide and swing and after the last stop, the boat is anchored for a while and turns into a party.

Places to Eat

I hadn’t had a bad meal in Aruba, and I think it’s pretty hard to find a bad restaurant.
After we all landed in Aruba, and got settled, we went to Elements Restaurant for drinks and dinner. We didn’t make reservations, and there was a little bit of a wait, so we went to the bar for appetizers and drinks. I started off with the avocado and shrimp salad, and it’s not a vacation if a piña colada isn’t involved, right? Elements is known for their buffet, but for dinner I didn’t see a buffet nor did the staff mention anything about it.
Our tables were ready so we had our entrees and ordered salmon pasta which was very delicious and filling and a friend ordered the gnocchi. We ordered another round of drinks and the cocktails were delicious.

After dinner, we went to Gusto nightclub, opposite Hilton Resort & Casino. When we went, the music nor the crowd was our vibe so luckily there was a Fat Tuesday in the courtyard that played better music and had daiquiris. We did hookah, got jello shots, and just had a vibe at Fat Tuesday.
Besides Fat Tuesday, another late night option is South Beach. We went on a weeknight, and the DJ played the best music! Hip Hop and R&B from the past 30 years and the transitions were so good. South Beach has a full bar with bottle service, hookah, and cigar service but they do not sell food. Because they are outdoors, they allow you to bring food in from other restaurants. Because we were there on a weeknight, the crowd was thin. But they close at 1am during the week and 3am on weekends.

The following day we went to The Dutch Pancake House in Oranjestad on my birthday for breakfast. Our taxi driver told us that all Dutch pancake houses are pretty much the same, you just go to different ones for location and different experiences, and he was correct.
Most restaurants serving pancakes will offer a local Dutch syrup that has no flavor or sugar as well as Aunt Jemina. My friends got savory pancakes, one with veggies and another with ham and cheese on the inside while I opted for the poffertjes (mini silver dollar pancakes).

Later on in the trip I had a traditional Dutch pancake from Yolo Pancake Factory, and it was good! It wasn’t as thin as a crepe, but obviously not as fluffy and thick like an American pancake. There was crispness to it that I enjoyed, and it held the syrup well.

For dinner that night, we went to Gianni’s Italian Restaurant for the famous tableside spaghetti. I would 100% recommend making reservations. Service was great here, and the food was of course delicious. They brought out a chocolate cake slice for my birthday, but the star of the show was the spaghetti preparation tableside with whiskey flambé.

The following morning to start the day off on the right foot, I thought it would be a good idea to get an açai bowl on the beach from Eduardo’s Beach Shack after I’d heard so many good things about it. I think I ordered the wrong thing because I got a banana base bowl and I had to wait a while for the base to melt to become edible because the banana was frozen solid. I would give them another try and order something else off the menu. They serve smoothies, açai bowls, raw vegan protein balls, kombucha, and fresh pressed aloe vera juice on certain days.

Craft Cafe x Lola kept popping up on social media and vlogs when I was searching restaurants in Aruba. I was stuck between tacos or a burger to cure a hangover, and surprisingly my waitress recommended the burger over the tacos here, so that’s what I went with.
They have happy hour until nighttime during the week, weekend brunch with bottomless mimosas for $20 and $1 tacos on Tuesday.

For seafood, I went to Pelican Nest for a fish sandwich. The restaurant is extended from the beach on a pier so you have unobstructed views of the water. The restaurant is on the same pier as Pelican Adventures, another catamaran, snorkel, and tour company. So, if you have a booking with Pelican Adventure, it’s great to come to Pelican Nest afterwards.

One of our first taxi drivers said Red Fish had the best seafood in all of Aruba, so I had to try it. I had a mix of the fried fish and shrimp, and it was served with white rice, fries, fried plantains, and funchi which is like a corn fritter, but not corn mealy like a hush puppy. It comes with a garlic sauce which was so good, and a red sauce that reminded me of etouffee. It was fine, but I wouldn’t say it is Aruba’s best seafood.

Stroopwafels are a Dutch dessert, 2 thin soft waffle cookies sandwiched together by a caramel filling. Willem’s Dutch Pancakes makes stoopwafels outside and you can see the chef meticulously slice the thin waffle apart to slather caramel in between the slices. They’re served warm fresh off the waffle iron, and the traditional Dutch way to eat them is by placing them on top of a hot cup of coffee or tea to get the steam to melt the caramel.

Gelatissmo is a cute shop serving gelato out of a double decker bus in Palm Beach.
I had Black Hawaii and caramel on a waffle cone, and it was so good, I wish I would have had their ice cream everyday!

All in all, I stayed in Aruba for 5 days and there was still so much more to explore and experience on the tiny island! Next time in Aruba, I would love to island hop to Curaçao, spend more time in the water, and try more restaurants.
Have you gone to Aruba? What is one thing that you’d like to experience on the island?