About

Our friends Krystal and Steve had a destination wedding in Aruba in 2021 and invited us. We love a destination wedding, and we love Krystal and Steve, so we said “Hell Yes!” packed our bags, and arrived a few days early to spend time with our friends Cynthia and Mike and to check out all that Oranjestad had to offer.

How to get there

Well, Aruba is an island, so you will need to fly. When we booked our trip, I thought we were going to a place like right off the coast of Florida. We were not, we were going to a place right off the coast of Venezuela. Look, look, it’s beautiful, honestly I don’t know that there is a better beach in the world. BUT I wasn’t expecting the flight duration. You’re looking at 5.5 hours if you fly direct, and closer to 10 if you do a layover. Worth it? Yes. I still wish I had known how long the flight was before I boarded the plane, lol.

Know before you go

The airport at Aruba is interesting, if you are traveling in and out of the US, they actually do your US customs IN ARUBA. What this means is when you get home, you skip customs. What this also means is when you are leaving Aruba, you should plan for like 6+ hours at the airport depending on the time of year to make sure you make your flight home. Think I am kidding? When you get down there, ask around. This is not a drill!

Eat

Coffee — Santos! It was so cute, and the service was so incredible. I spent every morning here!
Breakfast — Mauchi Smoothies were great, I always get a custom smoothie, but you can’t go wrong trying anything on the menu
Lunch — We did a lot of liquid lunches, but one memorable lunch was at Flamingo Beach, we had piña coladas and fish tacos with a view.
Dinner — Anyone that’s been to Aruba will tell you about Flying Fishbone where you literally dine with your feet not just in the sand, in the ocean! I was skeptical about this prospect, thinking it would be cold and my feet would get pruny… It was an awesome experience. We had such a blast, we even took shots! Not that it’s a take shots kind of place, but we’d had a great day of fishing, so it felt right. Pro tip: if you like deep sea fishing and you bring home dinner, take it to Flying Fishbone and they will cook it for you!
Drinks — Aruba seems to have a ton of nightlife, we didn’t get off the property a ton on this trip since we were there for a wedding, but we did have drinks a few nights at this place and the neighboring bars along the harbor, we definitely had our fair share at the Renaissance hotel bar, and at the Divi, I know there’s a night life in Aruba, but the only version of it we saw were in these places.

Stay

We stayed at the Divi on the north side of the Island. It was an all inclusive. The beach was unforgettable, the vibes were excellent, and it was the perfect location for the wedding party. We took over every bar and every restaurant. It was SO fun.
I mentioned that we got into town early so we could check things out, on the front half of our trip, we stayed at an Airbnb by the Renaissance in downtown Oranjestad. It was beautiful, with harbor views, and almost felt like a resort in-and-of-itself with a rooftop fitness center, and pool overlooking the harbor.

Workout

Go deep sea fishing and try to reel in 5 large fish while blowing the fish whistle. I didn’t find any boutique fitness spots in Aruba, but there is some good hiking on the north end of the island and the south end. Put on your walking shoes, bring a buddy, and find a trail and get after it. I did a reallllly long walk on Eagle Beach, and a little bit of a hike at West Punt.

Play

Charter a boat for deep sea fishing, Hats Off Charters was hands down one of the best charters we’ve ever had.
Do the Pirate Boat experience with 100 drunk friends, you won’t regret it and the memories will last a life time.
Rent a Jeep, ask them (or your hubs) to take the doors off and take it off-roading at the north end of the island by the Litehouse.
Go see, feed, and play with the Flamingos at Flamingo Beach, you’ll do this experience through the Renaissance Island. The team there makes it seamless! Getting picked up and dropped off from the downtown location is pretty cool, just wait and see!

A Dream Day

Wake up at the Divi and head to Santos for a coffee and some journaling, don’t forget to hydrate and put on sunscreen, you have a big day ahead of you. Make sure you wear your walking shoes! Grab a smoothie at Mauchi Smoothies and then head out for your walk at Eagle Beach. Walk to your heart’s content. When you get tired, turn around and head back. Shower off in your hotel room, or better yet, jump in the pool or ocean. Head to the Renaissance hotel bar for a spicy marg before getting picked up by boat to go to Renaissance Island have an early lunch here before heading back to the Harbor for your fishing charter with Hats Off, make sure to ask for the Fish Whistle experience and tell them Ronnie and Stef sent you. Once you’ve caught some big ones, head in for the day and grab some drinks at Eetcafe The Paddock, just don’t celebrate too hard or you’ll end up like me (video below). Then, head back to the Divi to change and get ready for dinner. Bring yourself, your loved ones, and your fresh caught fish to Flying Fishbone to sit with your toes in the water, ass in the sand, and take shots and eat your fresh caught fish. After, head home, lay your tired head on your pillow and know you had one hell of a day in Aruba.

Summary

In all honesty, I loveeeeed writing this one. We had one hell of a good time in Aruba. It’s far smaller, more beautiful and friendlier than I ever imagined. If you go, I hope you will take a few of these recommendations and have the time of your life!

Oranjestad, Aruba