Aruba has a growing number of fans, from honeymooners and sun worshippers to snorkelers, sailors, and weekend gamblers.
When you lie back along the 7-mile stretch of white-sand beach,
Renaissance Aruba
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you'll enjoy an average 82 daytime temperature, trade winds, and very low humidity. Moreover, you won't be harassed by peddlers on the beach, you'll find it relatively safe, and you won't feel racial tensions.
Don't come for local culture and history -- just for the good times, the gambling, and that fantastic sandy beach. The main resort area is a row of comfortable but familiar high-rise hotels along a gorgeous beach, like a beach strip out of Florida. The island's Palm Beach, one of the best beaches in the world, draws droves of tourists, as do its glittering casinos. Aruba is for vacationers who think that sun-drenched flesh is best complemented by a night out gambling, drinking, dining, or strolling along a moonlit beach. There are daily nonstop flights from the U.S.; you can leave New York in the morning and still get in some beach time before sunset.
The smallest of the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao), Aruba is 20 miles long and 6 miles wide, with a landmass of 115 square miles. Its coastline on the leeward side is smooth and serene, with white-sand beaches; but on the eastern coast, the windward Atlantic side, it looks rugged and wild. Dry and sunny almost year-round, Aruba has clean, exhilarating air, like in the desert of Palm Springs, California. Forget lush vegetation here. Aruba lies outside the hurricane belt and gets less rain than virtually any other popular island in the Caribbean.
Though it is still a Dutch protectorate, Aruba became a nation unto itself in 1986. With more than a dozen resort hotels populating its once-uninhabited beaches, it is now one of the Caribbean's most popular destinations. A recent moratorium on hotel construction, however, has halted the building of new resorts -- so for now, Aruba remains safe from rampant overdevelopment.
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Visitor Information
Before you leave home, contact the Aruba Tourism Authority at the following locations: 1000 Harbor Blvd., Weehawken, NJ ([tel] 201/330-0800; fax 201/330-8757; newjersey@toaruba.com); One Financial Plaza, Suite 136, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33394 ([tel] 954/767-6477; fax 954/767-0432; ata.florida@toaruba.com); 199 14th St., N.E., Suite 2008, Atlanta, GA 39309 ([tel] 404/892-7822; fax 404/873-2193; ata.atlanta@toaruba.com); 12707 North Freeway, Suite 138, Houston, TX 77060 ([tel] 713/872-7822; fax 713/872-7872; ata.houston@toaruba.com); and Suite 201, Business Centre 5875, Highway 7, Vaughan, Ontario, L4L 8Z7 ([tel] 905/264-3434).
Information is available on the Web at www.aruba.com.
Once on the island, for information you can go to the Aruba Tourism Authority at L. G. Smith Blvd. 172, Oranjestad ([tel] 297/8-23777).
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Getting Around
By rental car. It's easy to rent a car in Aruba. Excellent roads connect major tourist attractions, and all the major rental companies accept valid U.S. or Canadian driver's licenses. Major U.S. car-rental companies maintain offices on Aruba at the airport and at major hotels. No taxes are imposed on car rentals on Aruba, but insurance can be tricky. Even when you purchase a collision-damage waiver, you are still responsible for the first $300 to $500 worth of damage. (Avis doesn't even offer this waiver. In the event of an accident, you would be liable for up to the full value of damage to your car unless you have private insurance.) Rental rates range between $50 and $70 per day.
Try Budget Rent-a-Car, at Divi Aruba Beach Resort, L. G. Smith Blvd. 93 ([tel] 800/472-3325 in the U.S., or 297/8-21845 in Aruba; www.budgetrentacar.com); Hertz, L. G. Smith Blvd. 142 ([tel] 800/654-3001 in the U.S., or 297/8-24545 in Aruba; www.hertz.com), and Avis, Kolibristraat 14 ([tel] 800/331-1212 in the U.S., or 297/8-25496 in Aruba; www.avis.com). Car rentals are also available at Dollar Rent-a-Car ([tel] 800/800-4000 in the U.S.; www.dollarcar.com), whose two branches are at Grendeaweg 15 ([tel] 297/8-22783) and at the Queen Beatrix Airport ([tel] 297/8-25651). National ([tel] 800/CAR-RENT in the U.S.; www.nationalcar.com) has branches at Tanki Leendert 170 ([tel] 297/8-71967), and at the Queen Beatrix Airport ([tel] 297/8-25451).
By bus. Aruba has excellent bus service, with regular daily service from 6am to midnight. Round-trip fare between the beach hotels and Oranjestad is $2. Bus schedules are available at the Arubus Office at the central bus station on Zoutmanstraat. Your hotel reception desk will know when the buses pass by. Try to have the exact change. For bus schedules and information, call Arubus Co. ([tel] 297/8-27089).
By taxis. Taxis are unmetered but rates are fixed, so tell the driver your destination and ask the fare before you get in. The main office is on Sands Street between the bowling center and Taco Bell. A dispatch office is located at the Bosabao ([tel] 297/8-22116). A ride from the airport to most of the hotels, including those at Palm Beach, costs about $16 to $18 per car, with a four-passenger maximum. Some locals don't tip, but we suggest you do, especially if the driver has helped you with luggage. On some parts of the island, it's next to impossible to locate a taxi and you'll have to call. If you're going to a remote location, it's a good idea to ask the driver to return for you at a certain time.
The English-speaking drivers are usually willing tour guides. Most seem well informed and eager to share their knowledge with you. A 1-hour tour (you don't need much more than that) costs from $30 for a maximum of four passengers.
By motorcycle or moped. Because Aruba's roads are good, and the terrain is flat, many visitors like to rent mopeds and motorcycles. They're available at George's Scooter Rental, L. G. Smith Blvd. 136 D ([tel] 297/8-25975), and Nelson Motorcycle Rental, Gasparito 10A, Noord ([tel] 297/8-66801). Scooters rent for $30 per day and motorcycles for $45 to $100.
Melcor Cycle Rental, Bubali 106B ([tel] 297/8-75203), in front of Adventure Golf Club, rents scooters for $32 per day. You can also rent dirt bikes and street bikes, beginning at $45 per day. These are cash prices; a 4% handling charge is assessed if you use a credit or charge card. You can also find rentals at Semver Cycle Rental, Noord 22 ([tel] 297/8-66851), where bikes begin at $25 per day.
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Documents
To enter Aruba, U.S. and Canadian citizens and British subjects may submit a valid passport or a birth certificate along with photo ID. We always recommend carrying your passport whenever you visit a foreign country.
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Currency And Banks
The currency is the Aruba florin (AFl), which is divided into 100 cents. Silver coins are in denominations of 5, 10, 25, and 50 cents, and 1 and 2 1/2 florins. The 50-cent piece, the square yotin, is Aruba's best-known coin. The current exchange rate is 1.77 AFl to U.S.$1 (1 AFl is worth about U.S.56 cents). (Just before you leave home, you can check the current exchange rates on the Web at www.x-rates.com.) U.S. dollars, traveler's checks, and major credit and charge cards are widely accepted throughout the island.
Banks are open Monday to Friday from 8am to noon and 1:30 to 3:45pm. The most central bank is Aruba Bank at Caya Betico Croes 41 ([tel] 297/8-21550). It's not hard to find an ATM (including one at the airport).
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Language
The official language is Dutch, but nearly everybody speaks English. Spanish is also widely spoken, as is the local dialect, Papiamento.
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Time
Aruba is on Atlantic standard time year-round, so most of the year, Aruba is 1 hour ahead of eastern standard time (when it's 10am on Aruba, it's 9am in New York). When daylight saving time is in effect in the United States, clocks in New York and Aruba show the same time.
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Electricity
The electricity is 110-volt AC (60 cycles), the same as in the United States.
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Safety
Aruba is one of the Caribbean's safest destinations, in spite of its numerous hotels and casinos. Pickpockets and purse-snatchers are around, of course, but they're rare. Still, it's wise to guard your valuables. Never leave them unattended on the beach or even in a locked car.
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Copyright © 2002 by Wiley Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.
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