Aruba in April of 2021

This is an overview of my trip to Aruba in April of 2021, as the world seemed to be starting to win the battle against the pandemic.

Beaches and Resorts

Holiday Inn

I stayed for five nights in this resort by a public beach called Palm beach. The resort has everything you'd expect from a Caribbean resort - pools, restaurants, bars. There were even jewelry, liquor, and souvenir stores onsite. The location was perfect as it's a relatively short drive from the airport and it is steps away from J.E. Irausquin Blvd where one can find even more restaurants and shops.

De Palm Island resort

I had a day trip to De Palm Island, which is a resort accessible by a ferry from the main island. To get there, you will need to purchase a pass giving you an all-inclusive experience with unlimited free food, drinks, palapas, and beach chairs on the island. The island is also good for snorkeling and has a group of flamingos.

Palm Beach

This is a public beach, and all facilities like paddleboard rentals and towel service close by 7 pm to comply with the local curfew (as of April 2021). This beach is great for swimming as the waves are very low due to the wind blowing against the waves from the shore.

Baby Beach

A beautiful beach located in a bay. Great for snorkeling and swimming. Palapas are available for rental.

Mangel Halto

This is a beach with mangroves which is away from resorts. Snorkeling is good here but beware of sea urchins in shallow waters.

Boca Catalina Beach

Good for snorkeling and swimming. Many catamarans stop here, bringing large groups of snorkelers with them.

Geography and climate

Aruba island is mostly a flat semi-desert with lots of cacti, thorny shrubs, and low trees. It has a very stable temperature, around 27-29 C, and is very dry.

Activities

Snorkeling

There are numerous snorkeling spots in Aruba waters. Baby Beach, Mangel Halto, and other spots mentioned have plenty of sea life. I saw some Parrotfish, Spotted trunkfish, and many other kinds of reef fish.

Parasailing

I used Frank's Place Watersports located at Palm Beach for my parasailing experience. I boarded a boat that then took me to a different ship further in the sea. The crew provided me with a life vest, helped me to wear a harness, and attached me to the parasail wing. I was then lifted up into the air, and before I knew it, I could barely see the ship down below and was flying above the Aruban sea. I spent about 15 min in the air and successfully descended right onto the boat's landing platform.

Standup Paddle-boarding

I rented paddleboards from Frank's Place Watersports, where I parasailed earlier for a short paddle-boarding session near the shore. The experience cost $16 USD per person for 30 min.

Arikok National Park

This park, which comprises almost 20% of the island, is mostly a desert with cacti, shrubs, and sand dunes. At the visitor center, I was advised to visit several locations accessible by my car, like Dos Playa beach and the Vader Piet wind farm. Driving on the rugged terrain in the park without a 4-wheeler was a very challenging adventure.

Food and Restaurants

Here are some of the restaurants I dined at that are worth mentioning: Moomba is a restaurant and bar by the beach with a live music performance in the evening. Bavaria is a family-run German restaurant with a great selection of German beer. Rotisserie La Braise Aruba is a French rotisserie that also serves delicious seafood.

Cost

Car rentals from Budget were about $35 per day for a mid-size car. Holiday Inn was about $250 per night in April of 2021. Food prices are comparable to USA prices. Paddle-boarding was $16 per person for a 30-min rental; parasailing was about $60 per person.