Making Memories in Aruba
My sister’s family comes with my daughter, Ava, and myself a lot on vacations, and our trip to Aruba was no exception. This was the first time all three of our kids were out of the country. They were 8, 10, and 13 at the time. This was also the furthest any of us had ventured from our home.
We came here in November of 2022 during the first part of Thanksgiving break. We had originally wanted to come here the year before, but covid restrictions were still a concern, so we took our first big trip to San Diego instead. Because we didn’t want to miss our big Thanksgiving dinner on our mom’s side of the family, we limited our trip to 5 days including the arrival and departure days. Even though it was a little shorter than what we would’ve liked, it was enough time to enjoy the island and make some fun memories in Aruba!
Where We Stayed in Aruba
One great thing about Aruba is that the island is not that big, so you can easily stay in one location for the duration of your trip which is more relaxing. When I was researching hotels, there were some very fancy and incredible options, but they were more than what we were wanting to pay. Although, I was budget conscious, I still wanted a hotel right on the beach with a nice pool and within walking distance of other places.
I ended up booking Holiday Inn Resort Aruba-Beach Resort and Casino located in Noord, Aruba. It’s a 4-star hotel, but at least at the time, it was much cheaper than other 4-star hotels I looked at. If I ever go back to Aruba, I’d check prices here again because we had a great stay.
They have 5 on-site restaurants, but there are many other restaurants you can easily walk to from the hotel. The hotel does have an all-inclusive option, but we decided to not take advantage of it. Kids 11 and under do eat free off the kids’ menu with a paying adult, so we did take advantage of the restaurants during the day some and on a couple of nights. All the food we tried was also good especially the breakfast buffet though it was expensive.
This hotel also has a gorgeous pool area (actually 3 outdoor pools), 3 hot tubs, and a beautiful, calm beach right in their back yard! TripAdvisor rates the walkability of this place as a 100, so it really is located well if you want to be able to walk to restaurants, shopping, etc. They also offer free on-site parking though we did not rent a car for this trip.
Our Itinerary
Here is a map and a quick summary of the main activities we did each day throughout our trip. Below this, I go into detail for each day. I include information for cost, hours, etc., that is correct at the time of writing.
Day 1:
- Arrive
- Get settled at hotel
Day 2:
- Catamaran and Snorkel Tour
- The Vue Restaurant Reservations
- Palm Beach Plaza Mall
Day 3:
- UTV Private Island Tour
- Palm Beach Plaza Mall
Day 4:
- Delphi Water Sports
Day 5:
- Departure
Day 1: Arrival, Get Settled
We arrived in Aruba around 3:00 p.m., so we did not have anything scheduled for this day. We did not have a rental car for this trip, so we grabbed a taxi right outside of the arrival’s location at the airport. Do not accept any offers inside for taxis. Also, the taxis only accept cash, but all of Aruba’s taxi rates are fixed, so you can’t get ripped off.
Upon arrival, we were served delicious mocktails! I ordered these several more times throughout the rest of the trip. Once we unpacked and got settled, we decided to eat Ocean Side Bar and Grill, a restaurant at our hotel. This restaurant serves food until 5 or 6 in the evening and allowed us to just chill at the pool and beach on our first night in Aruba.
We had a great time at the pool and beach. My daughter even practiced snorkeling for our Catamaran trip the next day!
Day 2: Catamaran and Snorkeling Tour, The Vue Restaurant, Palm Beach Plaza Mall
Catamaran and Snorkeling Tour
We went on this 3-hour tour with Delphi Watersports Aruba on a 45-foot catamaran. They have many activities and tours available. Our tour had two snorkeling stops. The first stop was at the Antilla Shipwreck in deep water, so it was hard to see much far below, but we did see a turtle. The waves at this spot were also splashing us in the face some. If you’re a good swimmer, you can easily swim down some and check things out better than I could since I was busy keeping an eye on my daughter.
The second stop was at Boca Catalina and was much more shallow and calm. We were able to see more at this stop, but not nearly as much as a lot of other spots in the Caribbean, so if you are a big snorkeling enthusiast, temper your expectations somewhat.
The catamaran was also really nice. There was a slide and a rope swing that were both really memorable! These, along with this company’s ratings and close proximity to our hotel, were the main reasons I booked this tour. I knew the kids would stay entertained the whole time, and they did.
The tour came with a sandwich (we had two different options), fruit, and drinks including a really yummy fruity mocktail and an open bar. We each received an Aruba t-shirt as well, and it of course also came with disinfected snorkeling equipment.
| Cost: | 13+: $65, 5-12: $45, 4 and under: free |
| Hours: | 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
| Address: | On the beach in front of the Hyatt Regency (J.E. Irausquin Blvd 85, Noord, Aruba) |
| Parking: | There is a narrow street between Hyatt Regency and Barcelo Hotel with some parking, but it is limited. Easy walk from many hotels |
The Vue Restaurant
After our snorkeling tour, we went back to the hotel and hit up our pool and beach again until we needed to get ready for our dinner reservations.
The Vue Restaurant was a 1-minute walk from our hotel and had great reviews, so we made reservations ahead of time for around sunset. The food was expensive, but it’s a nice restaurant in Aruba, so it was expected. Although you can find good deals on food in Aruba, the food in general is more expensive here. Everything we ordered was very good, and the view was incredible.
Palm Beach Plaza Mall
This was also right by our hotel and across the street from the restaurant. At the time, we really enjoyed it here, but it appears that many reviews are now saying that almost all of the shops are closed, and it’s very vacant. This is unfortunate if it’s true because there was a definite vibe while we were there. If you are staying very close, it’s worth checking out, but I wouldn’t make a trip out unless things have turned back around.
By far the kids’ favorite thing here was Mimos Ice Cream Roll, and it appears to still be operating from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m each night. We came back here on the other nights just so the kids could get more rolled ice cream!
Day 3: UTV Private Island Tour, Palm Beach Plaza Mall
UTV Private Island Tour
There are many, many tours around the island of Aruba. After a lot of research, I booked with Offroad Evolution Aruba Rental and Tours. Their ratings were stellar, and they visited many places I thought looked memorable. The best part for me was the fact that they only did very small groups and were flexible on locations and time lengths. I took this a step further by booking a private tour, so that we had ultimate flexibility.
We were equipped with a 4 and 6-seater UTV. I actually chose to ride in the UTV with our tour guide, Ian. He is one of the owners of this business and runs all of the tours. I loved this because I got a one-on-one tour while riding around too. Ian was extremely personable and just plain awesome! The other 5 were in the back UTV. They had protection for their faces, but it wasn’t bad because there was only us in front, and they kept a little space.
We chose to visit all of the places recommended, but we stayed longer at some places. We visited California Lighthouse, Alto Vista Chapel, Wariruri, Gold Mine Ruins, New Natural Pool, Andicuri Beach & Blackstone Beach. Numerous views were postcard worthy!
We spent the most time at New Natural Pool where we got to swim, snorkel, and jump into the crystal-clear water from a small cliff. Being a small group and going early equated to it being blissfully uncrowded. The rocks were very rough and slippery though, so we had to be careful.
| Cost: | Small group – $125 per person Private – pricing is upon request; for us it wasn’t much more |
| Hours: | M-F: 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Sat. 9-5) Closed on Sundays |
| Address: | Bubali 67b, Noord, Aruba *Picked us up from resort |
| Parking: | Small lot |
Orales Bar and Grill and Palm Beach Plaza Mall
After our tour above, we went back and did the typical beach and pool things! After some time, we decided to go find some food close by. We ended up at Orale Mexican Food. They had a live musician and a great vibe that just sucked us in. The food was absolutely delicious. After dinner, we got more rolled ice cream and walked around again at the Palm Beach Plaza Mall.
Day 4: Delphi Water Sports, Palm Beach Plaza Mall
For our last full day in Aruba, we decided to mainly chill, but we did walk down to Delphi Water Sports again because we were interested in some of their other options.
We decided to do a banana boat ride and parasail. I knew the banana boat would be rough, but I could barely hang on – mainly because I was laughing. The laughing was made worse when we took a break for a minute, and my sister said she thought it was just going to be a slow, pleasant ride which made me laugh even harder on the way back. I obviously didn’t get any pictures of this one.
The parasailing is something I’ve always wanted to do, and this was the perfect opportunity to finally cross it off my bucket list. I loved parts of it, but it did make me feel a little seasick, so if I ever go again, I’ll definitely take some medicine. The kids all loved it, but it freaked my sister out a little bit.
The rest of the day, we enjoyed the beach and resort some more! The kids loved the smoothies we got from Kadushi Juice Bar. The dinner at The Sea Breeze Restaurant at our resort was also very tasty! Towards the end of the night, we also hit up the Plaza Mall one last rolled ice cream.
| Cost: | Banana boat: $25 each for 20 min. ride (up to 10) Parasail: $75 for single, $150 for tandem, $225 for triple (10 minutes of airtime) |
| Hours: | 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Address: | On the beach in front of the Hyatt Regency (J.E. Irausquin Blvd 85, Noord, Aruba) |
| Parking: | There is a narrow street between Hyatt Regency and Barcelo Hotel with some parking, but it is limited. Easy walk from many hotels |
Day 5: Departure
We had to be at the airport at about 3, so we had a good chunk of the day to have more fun at our resort, and that is mainly what we did! We did go walk around the Plaza one more time to get breakfast and get a few souvenirs, but most of the time was at the pool!
Additional Fun Activities to Make Memories in Aruba:
There were plenty of other things we could’ve done while we were in Aruba. We didn’t have a rental car, so we chose to stay near Noord, Aruba other than our island tour though we could’ve easily used the inexpensive bus system (routes L10A and L10B connect Noord with Oranjstad).
Instead, we were enjoying just relaxing and not filling our days with too much stuff this go around. If you have more time, have a rental car, or a desire to check out more of the island, check out the additional suggestions below!
Each picture is linked to their site for more information if you want it.
Please leave suggestions for cool activities or places to visit in Aruba that I missed so future readers and myself can learn from your knowledge and experience!
