Things to do in Palm Beach / Eagle Beach
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Palm Beach / Eagle Beach
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
High season: dry, breezy, priciest rooms; book early.
Warm and quieter; good value.
Hot, family peak; book restaurants and tours ahead.
Lowest rates, brief showers; Aruba sits below the hurricane belt.
What's on
- Aruba Carnival January to March
Parades and parties across the island.
- Aruba Soul Beach Music Festival May
Beach concerts with big-name R&B and soul acts.
- Aruba Hi-Winds May/June
Windsurfing and kitesurfing competition at Fisherman's Huts.
- Aruba Art Fair September
Murals and performances in San Nicolas; an easy day trip.
Best things to do in Palm Beach / Eagle Beach
Eagle Beach
Aruba's widest, calmest beach with the famous fofoti trees.
Palm Beach
The high-rise strip: piers, beach bars and every watersport.
Bubali Bird Sanctuary
Wetland behind the high-rises; morning is best for the birds.
Paseo Herencia
Open-air plaza with shops, restaurants and free nightly entertainment.
Stellaris Casino
The Marriott's big casino, open late with weekend entertainment.
Aruba Aloe Museum & Factory
Free tour of the working aloe factory; 30 minutes.
Tierra del Sol Golf Course
18-hole desert course with ocean views; the wind is the challenge.
Where to stay in Palm Beach / Eagle Beach
Palm Beach high-rise strip
Eagle Beach low-rise
Noord low-rise
Think twice about
- Hotels marketed as Palm Beach on the inland side of the highway
Some use the name without direct beach access; check the map for the highway crossing.
- A low room over the Palm Beach bar row
Bars run late; ask for a high floor facing the ocean if you sleep light.
- Eagle Beach without a dinner transport plan
The beach is perfect and the restaurants are thin; budget for taxis.
Best restaurants in Palm Beach / Eagle Beach
2 Fools and a Bull
Chef's-counter tasting menu; the island's best special-occasion dinner.
Azar Open Fire Cuisine
Open-fire steaks and seafood in a high-design room on the strip.
Atardi
Tables in the sand at sunset at the Marriott; book the early seating.
Bohemian Bar & Restaurant
Open-air French-Caribbean in gardens; the early-bird menu is good value.
Madame Janette
Long-running Caribbean restaurant with live music; closed Sundays.
Elements
Adults-only oceanfront dining at Bucuti & Tara; book sunset.
Papiamento Restaurant
Caribbean fine dining in a 100-year-old cunucu house with gardens.
Wacky Wahoo's
No-pretension seafood shack; the fish is the day's catch.
Outdoor things to do in Palm Beach / Eagle Beach
Arikok National Park
Desert trails, caves with Arawak drawings, rugged north coast.
Antilla Shipwreck
400-foot wreck off Malmok; the island's signature dive.
Boca Catalina
Easy shore snorkeling; go before 10am for the clearest water.
California Lighthouse
Northwest-tip lighthouse; the sunset viewpoint is the reason to come.
Baby Beach
Calm shallow lagoon at the southeast tip; go on a weekday morning.
Best hotels in Palm Beach / Eagle Beach
The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba
The strip's luxury flagship with excellent beach service.
Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino
Big resort with the casino and solid on-site restaurants.
Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino
Family-friendly high-rise with a great pool complex.
Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino
Classic high-rise; good value for the strip.
Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort
Adults-only boutique on Eagle Beach; the island's most awarded.
Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa
Quiet, wellness-focused resort on a great stretch of Eagle Beach.
Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort
Dutch-colonial style; good value on Eagle Beach.
Casa Del Mar Beach Resort
Timeshare-style rooms with kitchens across the sand.
Is Palm Beach / Eagle Beach expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | AWG 250 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | AWG 500 a person |
| Splurge | AWG 1,050 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Tierra del Sol Golf Course: a few days ahead
- Antilla Shipwreck: a few days ahead
- 2 Fools and a Bull: weeks ahead
- Azar Open Fire Cuisine: a few days ahead
- Atardi: a few days ahead
- Bohemian Bar & Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Madame Janette: a few days ahead
- Elements: a few days ahead
- 2 Fools and a Bull: book as far ahead as you can; use the waitlist.
- Papiamento: book ahead, small garden room.
- Elements and Atardi: book ahead and request sunset seating.
- Tierra del Sol tee times: book ahead in high season.
Is Palm Beach / Eagle Beach safe?
- The resort strip is well-patrolled and safe to walk at night; the crime is petty theft from beach bags and rental cars. Emergency: 911.
Palm Beach / Eagle Beach travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Timeshare pitches on the beach and at free-breakfast offers: a polite no and keep walking.
- Unmarked beach vendors for jet skis and palapas: agree price and time in writing first.
- A free sunset sail that is really a sales cruise: book through your hotel or a known operator.
Getting around Palm Beach / Eagle Beach: public transport and more
- The strip is walkable end to end; Eagle Beach to Palm Beach is a taxi ride.
- Taxis use fixed government fares between zones; confirm before getting in.
- Arubus buses run the coastal road between the beaches, Oranjestad and San Nicolas.
- Rent a car for Arikok, the lighthouse and Baby Beach; the park needs a 4x4 or a tour.
Who Palm Beach / Eagle Beach suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Palm Beach / Eagle Beach your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store