Odds and Ends

One last note on some random items that have popped into my head that are, I believe, worth getting on the table.

In my opinion, Oranjestad (the main city on the island) isn't much to write home about. It has its charms but it mostly kitschy shops and pot dealers. Seriously, you guys, like, tons of pot dealers. I will tell you my favorite spots and let you explore from there. Conveniently, they all center very tightly around one parking lot.

This is the parking lot. You can park there and walk around the Royal Plaza Mall (which is where I worked while I was there. I wish my staff was still at the Del Sol, they would hook totally hook you up). Here's a picture of the mall.

And speaking of the Royal Plaza Mall... Two of my favorite nighttime haunts happen to be there. The first is Iguana Joe's. It open air and sits on the second story of the mall and looks out over the pier/ocean. We sort of made it a habit to eat there once a week or so if we pulled a late night at the shop. The menu has changed a little but 9 times out of 10 we were very happy with what we ordered there so you're likely safe with the stuff I don't recognize.

Directly opposite in the mall there used to be a bar called Mambo Jambo. Every Wednesday night they would have a live salsa band that was awesome. Check with them to see if 1.) They're still open, and 2.) If/when they do salsa night. It is 100% worth it to even just to go check it out for 30 minutes.

And just around the corner from the Royal Plaza Mall, there is Carlos'n Charlies. This is a night club that is full of loud music and crazy drunk people. We went a few times because it was just such an energetic spectacle and because it happens to be the last place Natalee Holloway was seen alive by her friends. If you don't want to go dance (and with a sales pitch like the one I just gave, who would blame you?) I would say you could wander over there during the day just to say you saw it. I mean, it's just so close and people will be so jealous when you tell them you saw it.

Right next to where I recommended you park your car, there's a little flea market. Worth a look if you're in to that sort of thing.

I used to love to walk down the street from the Royal Plaza Mall to the Renaissance Mall and the boat docks. We saw some of our best sunsets down there.

Oh, and if you love excellent European chocolate, you can score some in pretty much any grocery store for a few bucks a package. The more run down the store looks, the less you'll pay for the same chocolate you'll buy anywhere else.

And lastly, if you want to see a marginally interesting rock formation, there is a place called Casibari I can give you more information about.

And that's it! Enjoy getting sunburned while I am safely sheltered under a layer of protective smog and ice!

Introduction and General Info

So, Leah tells me you're going to Aruba in January. Am I jealous? No. Who cares if you guys get to go to some of the best beaches in the world while I struggle to breathe the dirty, frozen Utah air? Not me. I don't even like Aruba. It's stupid.

Despite my obvious and bitter jealousy (I lied above), Leah tricked me with her friendliness into making a list of my favorite places on the island to help in your planning. My friend and I worked as interns in Aruba for a few months in 2006 and we explored just about every corner of the place. I will list my absolute favorite island spots in priority order from 1 (best) to 6 (lowest priority). I decided to list them all in separate posts just for the sake of organization.

Aside from those recommendations, here is some overarching equipment/advice I suggest for Aruba travelers:

1. You must take snorkels especially considering that my top recommendation is a coral reef. I got one from Walmart because I didn't have $200 burning a hole in my pocket for one of the deluxe models and the Walmart unit was perfectly adequate. Whatever you do, find one with some type of splash guard to keep water from coming in the top of the snorkel itself. I also have a pair of flippers you are welcome to borrow if anybody in the group wears size ~12 in mens. I actually developed a habit of barefoot snorkeling because I enjoy it much more so you could ditch the flippers and never miss a beat.

2. Fish food. The tour groups take these toothpaste-looking tubes of fish food to attract tons of colorful fish while you are snorkeling. Of course they charge a ton of money for this crap but we once took small chunks of papaya snorkeling with us and the fish went just as crazy for it. I would say do some research and take some type of cheap fish food. There is nothing like swimming through hundreds of tropical fish that are eating little morsels right out of your hands.

3. I would get a jeep for a rental car. This is not an uncommon practice as there are a lot of off road adventures to be had and I don't think you will regret it. We visited everything on the island in a sedan or a light pickup truck but we would have been much, much happier when the asphalt ended if we would have had a jeep. We actually got stuck for a few hours at the Natural Pool because we couldn't get back up the road! A kind gentleman in a jeep helped us out or we may have spent the night.

4. Get ready for some combat driving. Unless the police have changed their tune, it is an absolute free for all when it comes to driving (in mostly good ways). If you are sitting at a red light and somebody honks at you, it is because nobody is coming and they want you to run the red light. It would definitely be worth your time to research the traffic signs before you go or you'll have a steep learning curve as they are totally different and written in Dutch (INHALEN VERBODEN). And be very liberal in your interpretation of what comprises a "parking spot." Don't be afraid to park in a crazy way if you see other cars doing the same thing. We were always shocked at where people parked and how relaxed the cops are about the whole thing. Again, this is to be taken with a grain of salt because it has been 7 years since I've been down there...

Now, on to the recommendations.

1. Mangel Halto

          We didn't find this place until a just few weeks before I left and despite that fact, I probably spent more time here than almost anywhere else. "Mangel Halto" takes its name from the tall (halto) mangrove (mangel) trees that grow at the water's edge. The beach itself isn't lush and sandy but it is incredibly picturesque. It is the surrounding scenery, the seclusion, and the snorkeling around the adjacent reef that make this place incredible.

          Here's the scenario: You drive through some of the less impressive parts of the island (near the airport, through houses and cruddy buildings in Savaneta; directions below) and come out on a rocky coast with vibrant blue Caribbean water, green Mangroves, and some barrier islands a few hundred yards out. Park near the wooden bridge shown here and below then cross it down into the mangroves.

          From there, little avenues of sand run through the trees into the water as shown here:

          As you can see, there are little shade huts and the view from there is postcard worthy:

          To get to the reef, exit the mangroves where the red circle is and proceed along the red dotted line. The water along the dotted line is shallow and perfect for wading.

          Once you get to the reef, it should look something like this. I remember a mild current on a few days we were there so just make sure you aren't drifting away from familiar territory.

          It can be trick to find so you need to really study the map to make sure you know your roads and landmarks. We missed the road at least 4 times until we forced ourselves to memorize the right one. Here is a link to the map; remember, you will be coming south from your hotel on that main yellow thoroughfare. You want to park in the exact location of that map marker. If you turn on satellite view, you can actually see the wooden bridge I have been talking about. You may want to combine this destination with the South Beaches entry because you will already have traveled down the island.

2. Manchebo Beach

          This, my friends, is Manchebo Beach. It is located roughly halfway between downtown Oranjestad and Palm Beach (which is where your hotel is). The sand here is soft and wonderful and white and the water is, as you can see, unbelievably green and amazing. I consider this to be the single best beach on the island which is why it made number 2 on the list.

The picture below is actually on the south end of Manchebo looking south to Druif Beach.

If I remember correctly, these two calendar-worthy palm trees are located right here.

          I always parked in one of the lots for the Divi Aruba, Manchebo Beach, Casa Del Mar, or Costa Linda. I'm not sure if they have clamped down on parking enforcement (you are going in the busy season...) but nobody ever bothered us back then. 

          If Manchebo is crowded, or even if it isn't, you can drive just barely north and find a stand of unimproved sandy-looking trees immediately north of the Costa Linda resort. These trees (shown in the photos below) mark the boundary between Manchebo Beach and Eagle Beach. You can park you car in the shade and throw a beach towel down on some pretty prime real estate that, when we were there, was almost always devoid of other tourists. Even if you don't spend a few hours, it's worth a quick photo-op.

3. Hadicurari/Malmok/Arashi

          Since you're likely staying on Palm Beach, I bumped these up to #3 just because they are so close and convenient.

          Hadicurari means "Fishermen's Huts" and, I have been told, it is one of the best wind/kite surfing beaches on the planet. There are also a bunch of picturesque local boats floating out in the shallows. This beach is terrible for sunbathing but is awesome for a mid-morning to early afternoon walk. It's a blast to watch the windsurfers and kite surfers going crazy out there and there are always sail boats cruising in the distance. We took some kite surfing lessons and it was a ton of fun.

          Malmok is the next beach to the north. In fact, Google earth says it's almost exactly one mile from the Fishermen's Huts. Because this was so close to our house in Bakval (immediately east of the Marriott), we spent countless hours swimming and snorkeling at Malmok. As you can see in the pictures below, it is comprised of a few little sandy coves nestled between craggy coral outcroppings. In fact, somebody poured concrete on one of the outcroppings so you can run and dive into the ocean (otherwise, the coral will shred your feet like a cheese grater). If you want a quick snorkel and you are staying on Palm Beach, this is the place. There is no "parking," just pick a place off the road in the trees/dirt. Like I mentioned in the introductory post, the ability to park almost anywhere in Aruba was one of my favorite things about the island.

          THEN... Go another half mile north and you will find the little neighborhood of Arashi along with Arashi Beach. This beach is also beautiful (SUNSETS) but we always found it to be crowded with locals. I'm not sure what the turtle nesting timeline is but this is where they nest/hatch so that may be worth checking into. 

          What I wanted to share about Arashi is the little entry point in the neighborhood for some more great snorkeling. A lot of snorkeling tour boats stop here (you can see a few of them just out from the shore on Google maps) and there are some cool formations and whatnot. If you are craving snorkeling, this is a great quick trip (~10 minutes) from Palm Beach hotels.

4. Natural Pool and Bushiribana Gold Smelter Ruins

          This one falls into the "natural wonder" category. Basically, the eastern side of the island consists of rugged cliffs/rocks, pounding surf, violent undertows, cacti, and wild donkeys:

          The natural pool is a sheltered little stand of water actually protected by aforementioned rugged rocks from the pounding surf and is a cool little place to take a dip, dive from some low rocks, and, as you may have guessed by now, explore with your trusty snorkel. If memory serves, we found some soggy cash whilst exploring that some tourist had likely lost while swimming there.

          The cool part is that while you swim, the ocean is pounding the rocks around you but you are perfectly sheltered in your little liquid fortress. A big wave will smash the rocks and just a little soft wave will trickle over the rocks into the pool, all bubbly from the churning surf. At one point, I climbed up on the rocks to look down into the surf and was completely freaked out by the nasty power of the waves on the sharp rocks. Please watch this video as a combination sales pitch and warning about this place. If you've ever wondered where Natalee Holloway ended up, the waves/rocks combination may help you form a pretty likely theory.

          When we went, we happened to time it just so that the sun was about to set and we ended up being the only two people there. I'm not sure if that trick will prove effective in the busy season but take it for what it's worth. It is located here and, like Mangel Halto, I will leave it up to you to study the map and figure out a route over there from your hotel. We used to spend a few minutes studying the map and jotting down key roads and turns and we always found our way pretty easily. If you do get lost, you can always stop and ask the locals.

          Which reminds me, as a brief aside, the languages of Aruba are English, Dutch, Spanish, and Papiamento. If you speak English, you will be fine 90% of the time. If you speak Spanish, you are 100% covered. If you speak a few Papiamento phrases, you will win the hearts of the locals. Here are a few sites full of Papiamento phrases: site, site, site.

          And, since you're already clear out in the middle of nowhere, you may as well see the Bushiribana gold smelter ruins too. According to Wikipedia, the smelter was built in 1825 to process gold mined nearby. It sits up on a prominence that overlooks Aruba's forsaken eastern shore and, as shown in this picture taken from the top of the ruins, you can climb all over around and inside of them:

          I don't know, I get a kick out of historical things so I really enjoyed this. You guys may not want to waste the time and gas to get over there. It is located a little ways north from the road to the Natural Pool. Also, between the ruins and the cliff, people have stacked hundreds of cairns with all the loose rock/coral laying around. I thought that was pretty cool too.

5. South Beaches

          Boca Grandi (big mouth) is for those who like a more rustic beach experience. By that I mean that the beach is totally unrefined like the resort beaches to the north.

          In addition, because Aruba's famous, persistent wind blows into the beach instead of away from it like it does on the west side of the island, and because there are rarely any tourists who venture down the island, this is a mecca for local kite surfers. They are a ton of fun to watch.

          Also, just around this point, there is more good snorkeling right here. I mean, you already have tons of other good places to snorkel but you know, just so you're aware.

          Locals always talked up Baby Beach which is also down there but it's nothing to write home about. Maybe it's because of the incredibly off-putting oil refinery that is directly adjacent to it...? Oh, and fun fact about that refinery: It's an old one and, up until not too many years ago, there were steel pipes with swastikas molded into them that were sold to the refinery by a certain Mr. Hitler. I forget his first name. The guy in a model train museum right here has at least one of the pipes you can see if you're interested.


          And here is a picture of a nice little red anchor that sits above Boca Grandi right here.