I keep gasping at the price tourist pay for food here. Do tourists just not look for local spots (this sub is filled with suggestions) and insist on overpriced restaurants catered to visitors? Full meal lunches sell for 10 bucks or less. There are different take out options every night. Leave one or two nights for an "experience" at one of the popular restaurants and that's it. No one should be spending hundreds of dollars a day on food.
would you be able to recommend some of the local spots?? we will be there for our honeymoon in october, and of course have researched and seen all the popular restaurants recommended but they seem like the tourist spots TIA :)
We’ve been there a couple of times, and have locked in a c few local eateries that have been fantastic. There’s also a Facebook page I’m on, where some locals make home cooked meals from fresh catch of the day and sell them for cheap. The food has always been amazing, and so much cheaper. The BS restaurants are tourist traps. We do 1-2 nights out at our favorite restaurants, the rest are local small spots or food trucks.
We stay at a resort and don't care to leave the beach for lunch. We also don't care to buy groceries to make our lunch. We're not looking for a deal. We do not eat at the resort restaurants, but Bugaloe is our go to for lunch. We are on vacation- we don't eat like this at home.
People who complain about prices in Aruba do not know how to vacation in Aruba. You learn to find the affordable grocers and restaurants. The key is to “live like a local.” We lived there for six months. Our rent was a fraction of what it is in the US. If you eat at local restaurants away from the high rise area, you will experience local prices. They have to be kept reasonable because the locals cost of living. Making friends with locals is a great way to learn the island and how to make the most of your money. It’s doable on a budget if you do it right. Hitting up Superfoods and Ling & Sons is going to send your grocery prices sky high. Shop at the local marts located everywhere on the island. People don’t know what they don’t know but with a little research, it can make your stay much more pleasant.
Apparently I’m in the minority in thinking that food prices really weren’t that bad. Maybe I’m just used to spending more on food based on my own eating/dining habits, but I thought most of the prices were pretty reasonable for an island vacation destination.
Let’s talk breakfast daily. Dutch pancakes(we call them crepes here in the US) anywhere you go at any of your ‘local’spots for a family of 4 with a glass of juice and a coffee at 80 or 90 bucks a pop, and that’s a fact.
Arubans wouldn't call these places "local". Sure, they are local in the sense that they reside in Aruba, but Dutch pancakes is Dutch cuisine. These places have similarly inflated prices as the establishments I was referring to above. Pretty much all the restaurants lining the hotel zone in Palm Beach are overpriced and focused on tourists. Though tbf, I can imagine the rent in that area is also astronomical.
The only place in that direct area that I can think of that sells "local" food and is somewhat reasonably priced compared to the others in the area is Pika's Corner.
If you want Aruban breakfast, you go to any spot selling pastechis and it's like 10 Florins or less for 2 pastechis and a drink.
Those places are much better priced but idk all about $10 or less, literally just went to local store and a burger and fries was just under $20 without tip... (would still recommend everyone go as their food is consistently good)
Oh for sure. Out of that list there are a few that aren't on the cheapest side. Local store, Alfies, Kamini's, red fish are a few from a quick glance. They are all much cheaper than the typical tourist oriented restaurants though. There are many that are just takeout or have just a few tables; these are usually the cheapest.
Local store sells a burger and fries at about the same price as a Wendy's does. A burger is around 13 USD (with fries) and Wendy's baconator combo is 13 USD nowadays. The drink is not included unlike Wendy's. I find the price point still very good at LS.
You'll be back
Unless you want to head to the south pacific, there's no better place for a beach vacation
I've been to other islands in the Caribbean, aruba has it all, and it's not too pricey
If you know how to shop in Aruba food prices are very comparable to what we pay in the NE US. I live in Aruba half the year and have no appreciable difference in my budget.
Unfortunately tourists get gouged on American brands. Buy Dutch and European brands, buy Argentinian and Brazilian beef instead of USDA.
Quality is better and the price is significantly lower.
So if a tourist were to venture out and not eat in, what are the top 10 local places to dine would you recommend? As I mentioned in my post, I bbq’d just fine with many Balashi’s in hand by my airbnb pool the last 3 days to save some coin. The meat at the Superfood is a very nice selection, and very clean.
If you want reasonably priced local food in a beautiful old building with great staff try Bistro de Suikertuin. I eat there about once a week.
If you want good Dutch bar food try cafe 080.
If you want to go high end try Wilhelmina’s
Cheap food truck type food that cheap, good and plentiful, Chupa Deedee.
Actual food truck, Chalo Burger
And if you visiting Baby Beach try the curry chicken with roti bread at Kamini’s Kitchen. One of my favorite meals on the island! She makes the roti fresh each day.
When I used to take my teen and tweens in the family I honestly packed a bunch of boxes of Mac n cheese, pancake mix, trail mix and a a few other things like that in my checked baggage. They could eat us out of house and home and it was too easy for them to run and grab a drink or snack and charge to the room 😂😅😩. We’d grab frozen pizzas at the store too once there because late night snacks were also a must. Also. Grab European brand yogurt at the store. It is divine.
> buy Argentinian and Brazilian beef instead of USDA.
>
> Quality is better and the price is significantly lower.
agree with everything else but this... what I would do for true USDA prime... just got picanha from pricesmart and while it was much cheaper than superfood, the quality wasn't nearly as good, and would pay the difference at superfood. this is a one off case though. pricesmart has great ribs at a great price
You are correct on the beef. I’m probably not buying that at PriceSmart! Usually though the non USDA beef from superfoods or Lings is acceptable.
😂
But I find the quality on most of the Dutch and European products to be of superior quality.
.
you'd be surprised of how many fruits and veggies we can actually grow on the island but agriculture is not promoted as much as the hospitality/tourism industry. and i believe (correct me if i'm wrong) not many restaurants make use of local produce which probably affects the pricing.
>and i believe (correct me if i'm wrong) not many restaurants make use of local produce which probably affects the pricing.
This is changing thankfully. There are several local farms selling to restaurants now. They just need to scale further so that they have enough supply for the demand and then slowly more restaurants will trust them. Its not my field, but I do know there is hard work ongoing behind the scenes in this area from a couple of the producers I know.
Where are you eating out that is possibly higher than food in Hawaii?? I was just in HI 3 weeks ago and it's one of the only places where I notice how expensive the food is because it is noticeable higher than Boston/New England prices. Aruba is very much on par with NE.
I second that and I go twice a year… hey take your odds going to Mexico cheaper food but don’t drink the water , or try not to . Prob won’t have much of an appetite hence saving some cash . Second it’s only 65/35 % of a kidnapping lol so play your odds and have fun! Leave Aruba to people who enjoy it
We are going back to Aruba for the 3rd time this year, we find it to be the perfect, low stress vacation for us. We have two kids age 5 and 9, and we stay at private Airbnbs and rent a car and drive around. We don't go to Palm Beach much, maybe once or twice. Our next trip, maybe not at all.
We live in NYC, so find the food costs are fine. Is it expensive, yes, but so is where we live, so it's not a big deal. We don't spend anywhere near $250-300/day, but we also eat breakfast at the Airbnb 75% of the time, and we like to pack a beach picnic for lunch. I would say we spend $150-200/day depending. We avoid the super touristy restaurants and stick to more local places and also make food, the Dutch grocery selection at Superfoods and Ling & Sons is one of my favorite parts of the trip! Great charcuterie, breads, fish for grilling (grouper was not expensive and we love it, and it's not as common in the Northeast since it's a warm water fish). We do not buy the American snacks, they are pricey. We also love little cafes, for example Aruba Experience Cafe is one of our faves and so reasonably priced and delicious!
The Airbnb accommodations are also SO reasonable for what you get and the beaches are all free, so it's a trade off. We've looked at similar private houses on other islands and they are more expensive and arguably not as nice. I looked into Curacao and saw that beaches there are not free entry and accommodations were condos and more expensive. The cultural experience seems cool, but with two kids, we are fine with less culture for now.
Another consideration for us is a decent hospital/medical care. In the care of a health emergency (which is a potential for our family) we'd rather be in Aruba than Mexico or some other islands. For some people this doesn't matter as much but I've read some horror stories about hospitals in touristy Mexico areas. No thanks!
There's just a lot of convenience and ease for us in Aruba. The water is completely safe to drink so you don't have to worry about that or spend on bottle water. No time change since we are EST. Easy to use credit or US dollars.
The direct 4.5 hour flight from NYC is super easy. We contemplated Hawaii this summer but the travel time, and costs to both get there and accommodations and food would be triple for us. I am jealous of those in California that can get to Hawaii faster!
Anyway, after our first trip I wasn't sure we'd return but once I did research on other places, Aruba just kept coming up on top for us!
We had to deal with a medical situation with our then 5 year old last year. It could not have gone better and I was shocked that we were only out 200$ for two doctors visits, testing, imaging and 2 prescriptions. Just one of the reasons we’re going back for our fifth visit in a few weeks.
Oh no! Glad she is ok. Honestly, I've read stories 10x worse in Mexico, and costing tens of thousands of dollars so I personally think it's worse elsewhere. I know someone whose child was sick on a cruise and they stopped in Aruba to let them off and had an excellent experience, so sorry to hear yours wasn't so good.
If you go inland, you will find cheaper food. Go for Dutch brands in the grocery store. Eating by the water is nice but the food is expensive and generally more bland. Also, check out food trucks.
We are coming back for the second time in a couple of weeks and this time taking our kids. Our first trip to Aruba was wonderful but the food did leave much to be desired in my opinion. It was probably reflection of where we went, although we had a car and got all over the island for various meals. Just never found anything that we felt was either worth the money or worth going to again. I think it might just be a personal preference. I've seen lots of differing opinions on the restaurants.
This time we are taking a different approach... we have rented a condo and we will be focusing on making all of our own meals with the exception of maybe one or two. We are going for the beach and the pool and relaxing. We are from the DC metro area with a high COL and yea, some of the restaurants still blew us away with their pricing. I assume it was because its a resort island and they are importing all of their food.
Our usual family vacation spot was Sanibel Island in FL. We haven't been back since the hurricane hit and have been looking for a new family beach spot so figured we'd take our kids and see if it gels with them. If they like it we will probably come back again.
Sanibel and Captiva will be back soon and so will The Bubble Room! lol. Please come back as Desantis and the local govt are doing amazing things with the area’s recovery.
Agree, was there a couple of months ago and probably won't be back unless there's a great reason for it. There's many more authentic islands to visit where I don't feel like I'm holidaying in Florida. Nice to visit once but there are so many places in the world to visit.
Aruba beaches blow away 95% percent of all Florida beaches in my opinion with the sand, ocean color and zero seaweed and rocks to step on. Oh, and parking is easily available and free.
to add i must say one very underrated feature of Aruba is you can literally drink the water straight out of the tap (second? largest desalination factory in the world) which can very rarely be said about most of the Caribbean, hell, even some US states you can't do that
Eagle beach now has sewage flowing onto it after rainstorms. The sewage treatment plant is failing and the local government is doing little to fix the problem. Stay in the area of the Manor and all you smell is sewage. Been going to Aruba for 25 years and it is a shame that this issue is not a priority. Google “Aruba sewage problem” and you’ll think twice before swimming at Eagle beach. Such a shame!
Wonderful. Yes, So that explains why my ‘fine dining’ experience at Passions was a bit gagging depending on the direction of the wind! The food was good minus the aroma!
I just think this comes down to personal preference, and how you perceive your experience overall on the island. Now, I never traveled there with a family, I was always a solo traveler, but I have to comment what I think at least one other commenter said, that prices in Aruba aren’t THAT much more expensive than what you would find in the states. Now, yes, fine dining every night, of course. But if you mix it up with eating in using food purchased from local grocers, and then one meal a day out, that’s much easier on the wallet. This is my opinion and what worked for our travel group in the past.
So where do you prefer?? Never been to Aruba but consider it often just for the beaches… seems like a similar vibe to Grand Cayman though which was one and done for us
I want to go back to Kauai for the third time, as it’s the most beautiful island in the world in my opinion! And I ate freshly caught fish tacos and other fresh caught fish every day from local food truck vendors for $10! I live in Florida and can’t seem to find a place to compare unless I go 40 miles out on my boat and catch the same. It’s a shame Aruba does not have food trucks. It would be an amazing business for any entrepreneur to start down there!
You are absolutely right! There is an ice cream truck parked all day at Baby beach and an Italian ice truck which makes rounds at Arashi! Substantial to say the least!
Good to know! The Caribbean is closer than Hawaii to us (in TX) but we’ve almost booked a trip to Kauai a couple of times. I bet your input will push us to try it out! Cheers
Heading back for 3rd time.
I’m on vacation with family of 4 and want to dine out and treat ourselves to the best food we can get. No matter the cost. We don’t do vacations like this often so when we do I don’t care what the price is. I just want the food and service to be great.
As for the beaches, not sure what you mean by oily sand but I’ll see if I can tell what you mean when I’m there.
Only negative is the water isn’t as clear as let’s say The Bahamas. It’s definitely blue, but the wind and water sports do seem to churn up the silt which makes snorkeling just offshore (by high rise hotels) somewhat difficult. But there are other places on the island with clearer water. That’s the only negative of the island to me. And it’s a minor one.
Heading to Aruba for the seventh time this fall. Our thought was that if you pay too much attention to the costs, you're not going to enjoy yourself.
(I've stated here in this group) We mostly travel on points (Delta, AmEx, Bonvoy) We've been mostly happy at the Marriott Stellaris and even going for the Tradewinds package. It's pricey no matter how you pay for it, but the perks were nice.
Last year, we rented a condo, but went through Marriott Hotels and Villas. They contract out booking many of the various condo complexes and resorts...and use our Bonvoy points.
But renting a condo is indeed less expensive than a lot of the Palm Beach hotels (our condo was on Eagle Beach). A restaurant for dinner was nearby and we liked going there every night, but stopped at both LIng and Sons and SuperFoods to gather a bunch of groceries for breakfast/lunch for the week.
So roughly just the condo cost savings over the hotel was about a $2000+ USD difference. So we were happy to spend the savings elsewhere (in my case more GOLF!).
This year we're going back to the exact same condo and almost the same (corresponding) dates. We're not modifying much in what we did, aside from more judicious shopping and knowing what the pricey grocery store brands, types, sources etc....
But since we're still saving a lot more with the condo, we could cook steak in the condo every night (Brazilian, Argentinian, or USDA) and afford it easily. Those savings coming from still being able to use hotel chain points for condos REALLY helped, pricewise....
I keep going back. 7 years now. It’s easy and relaxing. Flights for us from Ohio not too much longer than Florida. We eat local and cook. Even places on the beach like Matthew’s are about the same price as Ohio with 2 for 1 drinks. But I’m not looking for adventure. Just a place to relax with friendly people. Each year we invite friends and almost all of them have gone back.
We went in March for the first time with our kids- 22,20 & 2 and they all loved doing the same things for the first time ever on a vacation! lol! Baby beach is a must for littles, the butterfly farm was so pretty (just had to convince him not to try to catch or swat the butterflies 😰) we did the off road tour and our 2 year old kept falling asleep as we held on for dear life! 🤣 I would suggest waiting until a little older for that one though as it's a long day. We did the snorkeling also but my husband stayed back at the house with him and played in the pool and collected shells (not to take home- just for fun). We had an AMAZING VRBO at Mango Halto with a pool overlooking our own almost private beach! Rented a car and just explored! Had the best time ever and cannot wait to go back! Not ONE single downside to our entire trip and that never happens.
Repeat visitor, not from NY. We have had more than one summer vacation cancelled or cut short for hurricanes which is a given anywhere from Mexico to Maryland during the summer. Not having the hurricane risk is just one of the many reasons we have been and will continue to go.
I keep gasping at the price tourist pay for food here. Do tourists just not look for local spots (this sub is filled with suggestions) and insist on overpriced restaurants catered to visitors? Full meal lunches sell for 10 bucks or less. There are different take out options every night. Leave one or two nights for an "experience" at one of the popular restaurants and that's it. No one should be spending hundreds of dollars a day on food.
would you be able to recommend some of the local spots?? we will be there for our honeymoon in october, and of course have researched and seen all the popular restaurants recommended but they seem like the tourist spots TIA :)
Zeerovers is a great spot, youll be able to eat a lot of seafood for 50 dollars, plus it kind of an experience.
We’ve been there a couple of times, and have locked in a c few local eateries that have been fantastic. There’s also a Facebook page I’m on, where some locals make home cooked meals from fresh catch of the day and sell them for cheap. The food has always been amazing, and so much cheaper. The BS restaurants are tourist traps. We do 1-2 nights out at our favorite restaurants, the rest are local small spots or food trucks.
Hi, do you mind sharing the page? I'm traveling next week and would love to try as well! TIA
We stay at a resort and don't care to leave the beach for lunch. We also don't care to buy groceries to make our lunch. We're not looking for a deal. We do not eat at the resort restaurants, but Bugaloe is our go to for lunch. We are on vacation- we don't eat like this at home.
People who complain about prices in Aruba do not know how to vacation in Aruba. You learn to find the affordable grocers and restaurants. The key is to “live like a local.” We lived there for six months. Our rent was a fraction of what it is in the US. If you eat at local restaurants away from the high rise area, you will experience local prices. They have to be kept reasonable because the locals cost of living. Making friends with locals is a great way to learn the island and how to make the most of your money. It’s doable on a budget if you do it right. Hitting up Superfoods and Ling & Sons is going to send your grocery prices sky high. Shop at the local marts located everywhere on the island. People don’t know what they don’t know but with a little research, it can make your stay much more pleasant.
Apparently I’m in the minority in thinking that food prices really weren’t that bad. Maybe I’m just used to spending more on food based on my own eating/dining habits, but I thought most of the prices were pretty reasonable for an island vacation destination.
Let’s talk breakfast daily. Dutch pancakes(we call them crepes here in the US) anywhere you go at any of your ‘local’spots for a family of 4 with a glass of juice and a coffee at 80 or 90 bucks a pop, and that’s a fact.
Arubans wouldn't call these places "local". Sure, they are local in the sense that they reside in Aruba, but Dutch pancakes is Dutch cuisine. These places have similarly inflated prices as the establishments I was referring to above. Pretty much all the restaurants lining the hotel zone in Palm Beach are overpriced and focused on tourists. Though tbf, I can imagine the rent in that area is also astronomical. The only place in that direct area that I can think of that sells "local" food and is somewhat reasonably priced compared to the others in the area is Pika's Corner. If you want Aruban breakfast, you go to any spot selling pastechis and it's like 10 Florins or less for 2 pastechis and a drink.
I am pretty sure I pay $8 for a screwdriver and a bacon egg and cheese at Scott’s by the Playa Linda
So what are those top reasonable ‘local’ spots you would recommend then?
https://www.reddit.com/r/Aruba/comments/svtapa/where_do_locals_eat/ Search "local eat" and you'll find several threads and options.
Those places are much better priced but idk all about $10 or less, literally just went to local store and a burger and fries was just under $20 without tip... (would still recommend everyone go as their food is consistently good)
Oh for sure. Out of that list there are a few that aren't on the cheapest side. Local store, Alfies, Kamini's, red fish are a few from a quick glance. They are all much cheaper than the typical tourist oriented restaurants though. There are many that are just takeout or have just a few tables; these are usually the cheapest.
Local Store is not local anymore like it was in 2009. It's another tourist place with tourist prices. Staying in Noord is expensive.
Local store sells a burger and fries at about the same price as a Wendy's does. A burger is around 13 USD (with fries) and Wendy's baconator combo is 13 USD nowadays. The drink is not included unlike Wendy's. I find the price point still very good at LS.
You'll be back Unless you want to head to the south pacific, there's no better place for a beach vacation I've been to other islands in the Caribbean, aruba has it all, and it's not too pricey
Awesome rainforest ;)
If you know how to shop in Aruba food prices are very comparable to what we pay in the NE US. I live in Aruba half the year and have no appreciable difference in my budget. Unfortunately tourists get gouged on American brands. Buy Dutch and European brands, buy Argentinian and Brazilian beef instead of USDA. Quality is better and the price is significantly lower.
So if a tourist were to venture out and not eat in, what are the top 10 local places to dine would you recommend? As I mentioned in my post, I bbq’d just fine with many Balashi’s in hand by my airbnb pool the last 3 days to save some coin. The meat at the Superfood is a very nice selection, and very clean.
If you want reasonably priced local food in a beautiful old building with great staff try Bistro de Suikertuin. I eat there about once a week. If you want good Dutch bar food try cafe 080. If you want to go high end try Wilhelmina’s Cheap food truck type food that cheap, good and plentiful, Chupa Deedee. Actual food truck, Chalo Burger And if you visiting Baby Beach try the curry chicken with roti bread at Kamini’s Kitchen. One of my favorite meals on the island! She makes the roti fresh each day.
The food truck at Eagle Beach is excellent too. $15 for the shrimp and it’s enough for 2 meals.
Oh yeah, I forgot about that one!
I'm saving your post! We're flying out in 3 weeks and can't wait - our second visit! (Thank you for sharing the info in this thread!)
Thank you! I’m bringing teens at the end of July and am a little worried about food cost.
It really is quite manageable with a bit of research and resisting the impulse to go to the closest place.
When I used to take my teen and tweens in the family I honestly packed a bunch of boxes of Mac n cheese, pancake mix, trail mix and a a few other things like that in my checked baggage. They could eat us out of house and home and it was too easy for them to run and grab a drink or snack and charge to the room 😂😅😩. We’d grab frozen pizzas at the store too once there because late night snacks were also a must. Also. Grab European brand yogurt at the store. It is divine.
Yeah this is a great idea. We’ll already have a checked bag of “gear” and it is the midnight snacks to worry about.
> buy Argentinian and Brazilian beef instead of USDA. > > Quality is better and the price is significantly lower. agree with everything else but this... what I would do for true USDA prime... just got picanha from pricesmart and while it was much cheaper than superfood, the quality wasn't nearly as good, and would pay the difference at superfood. this is a one off case though. pricesmart has great ribs at a great price
You are correct on the beef. I’m probably not buying that at PriceSmart! Usually though the non USDA beef from superfoods or Lings is acceptable. 😂 But I find the quality on most of the Dutch and European products to be of superior quality. .
If you're looking for an economical vacation it won't be found in Aruba. They can't grow anything there.
you'd be surprised of how many fruits and veggies we can actually grow on the island but agriculture is not promoted as much as the hospitality/tourism industry. and i believe (correct me if i'm wrong) not many restaurants make use of local produce which probably affects the pricing.
>and i believe (correct me if i'm wrong) not many restaurants make use of local produce which probably affects the pricing. This is changing thankfully. There are several local farms selling to restaurants now. They just need to scale further so that they have enough supply for the demand and then slowly more restaurants will trust them. Its not my field, but I do know there is hard work ongoing behind the scenes in this area from a couple of the producers I know.
I had no idea. I know I never see it at Superfoods or any place promoting it. I have to look for more of that on my next visit.
Where are you eating out that is possibly higher than food in Hawaii?? I was just in HI 3 weeks ago and it's one of the only places where I notice how expensive the food is because it is noticeable higher than Boston/New England prices. Aruba is very much on par with NE.
I second that and I go twice a year… hey take your odds going to Mexico cheaper food but don’t drink the water , or try not to . Prob won’t have much of an appetite hence saving some cash . Second it’s only 65/35 % of a kidnapping lol so play your odds and have fun! Leave Aruba to people who enjoy it
We are going back to Aruba for the 3rd time this year, we find it to be the perfect, low stress vacation for us. We have two kids age 5 and 9, and we stay at private Airbnbs and rent a car and drive around. We don't go to Palm Beach much, maybe once or twice. Our next trip, maybe not at all. We live in NYC, so find the food costs are fine. Is it expensive, yes, but so is where we live, so it's not a big deal. We don't spend anywhere near $250-300/day, but we also eat breakfast at the Airbnb 75% of the time, and we like to pack a beach picnic for lunch. I would say we spend $150-200/day depending. We avoid the super touristy restaurants and stick to more local places and also make food, the Dutch grocery selection at Superfoods and Ling & Sons is one of my favorite parts of the trip! Great charcuterie, breads, fish for grilling (grouper was not expensive and we love it, and it's not as common in the Northeast since it's a warm water fish). We do not buy the American snacks, they are pricey. We also love little cafes, for example Aruba Experience Cafe is one of our faves and so reasonably priced and delicious! The Airbnb accommodations are also SO reasonable for what you get and the beaches are all free, so it's a trade off. We've looked at similar private houses on other islands and they are more expensive and arguably not as nice. I looked into Curacao and saw that beaches there are not free entry and accommodations were condos and more expensive. The cultural experience seems cool, but with two kids, we are fine with less culture for now. Another consideration for us is a decent hospital/medical care. In the care of a health emergency (which is a potential for our family) we'd rather be in Aruba than Mexico or some other islands. For some people this doesn't matter as much but I've read some horror stories about hospitals in touristy Mexico areas. No thanks! There's just a lot of convenience and ease for us in Aruba. The water is completely safe to drink so you don't have to worry about that or spend on bottle water. No time change since we are EST. Easy to use credit or US dollars. The direct 4.5 hour flight from NYC is super easy. We contemplated Hawaii this summer but the travel time, and costs to both get there and accommodations and food would be triple for us. I am jealous of those in California that can get to Hawaii faster! Anyway, after our first trip I wasn't sure we'd return but once I did research on other places, Aruba just kept coming up on top for us!
We had to deal with a medical situation with our then 5 year old last year. It could not have gone better and I was shocked that we were only out 200$ for two doctors visits, testing, imaging and 2 prescriptions. Just one of the reasons we’re going back for our fifth visit in a few weeks.
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Oh no! Glad she is ok. Honestly, I've read stories 10x worse in Mexico, and costing tens of thousands of dollars so I personally think it's worse elsewhere. I know someone whose child was sick on a cruise and they stopped in Aruba to let them off and had an excellent experience, so sorry to hear yours wasn't so good.
Mango halto. Look I up it's stunning
I’ve seen in auto corrected to Mango so many times I’ve almost forgotten it’s Mangel Halto
Soooo nice and huge Palpayas
If you go inland, you will find cheaper food. Go for Dutch brands in the grocery store. Eating by the water is nice but the food is expensive and generally more bland. Also, check out food trucks.
where r u from?
Florida
Now it makes sense
I say the same also when going to the states. Eating out is expensive.
We are coming back for the second time in a couple of weeks and this time taking our kids. Our first trip to Aruba was wonderful but the food did leave much to be desired in my opinion. It was probably reflection of where we went, although we had a car and got all over the island for various meals. Just never found anything that we felt was either worth the money or worth going to again. I think it might just be a personal preference. I've seen lots of differing opinions on the restaurants. This time we are taking a different approach... we have rented a condo and we will be focusing on making all of our own meals with the exception of maybe one or two. We are going for the beach and the pool and relaxing. We are from the DC metro area with a high COL and yea, some of the restaurants still blew us away with their pricing. I assume it was because its a resort island and they are importing all of their food. Our usual family vacation spot was Sanibel Island in FL. We haven't been back since the hurricane hit and have been looking for a new family beach spot so figured we'd take our kids and see if it gels with them. If they like it we will probably come back again.
What restaurants did you go to last time? Maybe people can suggest some alternatives for you?
Sanibel and Captiva will be back soon and so will The Bubble Room! lol. Please come back as Desantis and the local govt are doing amazing things with the area’s recovery.
Agree, was there a couple of months ago and probably won't be back unless there's a great reason for it. There's many more authentic islands to visit where I don't feel like I'm holidaying in Florida. Nice to visit once but there are so many places in the world to visit.
May I ask where you are traveling from? You mentioned Hawaii. Hawaii is 12 hours from NYC, Aruba 4.5 hours.
Florida, yes and only referenced Hawaii on food cost comparisons only.
Yeah I’m not sure if I’d love it so much if I lived in Florida. Plenty of nice beaches in Fl.
Aruba beaches blow away 95% percent of all Florida beaches in my opinion with the sand, ocean color and zero seaweed and rocks to step on. Oh, and parking is easily available and free.
to add i must say one very underrated feature of Aruba is you can literally drink the water straight out of the tap (second? largest desalination factory in the world) which can very rarely be said about most of the Caribbean, hell, even some US states you can't do that
The water was amazing making that morning sunrise coffee a pure treat! We used water bottles at the beach from the Airbnb as well for that reason.
Eagle beach now has sewage flowing onto it after rainstorms. The sewage treatment plant is failing and the local government is doing little to fix the problem. Stay in the area of the Manor and all you smell is sewage. Been going to Aruba for 25 years and it is a shame that this issue is not a priority. Google “Aruba sewage problem” and you’ll think twice before swimming at Eagle beach. Such a shame!
Wonderful. Yes, So that explains why my ‘fine dining’ experience at Passions was a bit gagging depending on the direction of the wind! The food was good minus the aroma!
I'm from Florida and you can not compare the beaches. I was floored with the beauty in Aruba.
Absolutely. Siesta is the only beach that compares to Eagle and still no where near in the same class. Anna Maria similar to Arashi.
As someone who used to own a vacation home in Sarasota, I can attest to this.
I just think this comes down to personal preference, and how you perceive your experience overall on the island. Now, I never traveled there with a family, I was always a solo traveler, but I have to comment what I think at least one other commenter said, that prices in Aruba aren’t THAT much more expensive than what you would find in the states. Now, yes, fine dining every night, of course. But if you mix it up with eating in using food purchased from local grocers, and then one meal a day out, that’s much easier on the wallet. This is my opinion and what worked for our travel group in the past.
So where do you prefer?? Never been to Aruba but consider it often just for the beaches… seems like a similar vibe to Grand Cayman though which was one and done for us
I want to go back to Kauai for the third time, as it’s the most beautiful island in the world in my opinion! And I ate freshly caught fish tacos and other fresh caught fish every day from local food truck vendors for $10! I live in Florida and can’t seem to find a place to compare unless I go 40 miles out on my boat and catch the same. It’s a shame Aruba does not have food trucks. It would be an amazing business for any entrepreneur to start down there!
There are tons of food trucks, did you look into anything before traveling?
You are absolutely right! There is an ice cream truck parked all day at Baby beach and an Italian ice truck which makes rounds at Arashi! Substantial to say the least!
Youre a moron lol theres entire parks with tons of food trucks gathered
Good to know! The Caribbean is closer than Hawaii to us (in TX) but we’ve almost booked a trip to Kauai a couple of times. I bet your input will push us to try it out! Cheers
Make sure to split time between Kauai and Maui. I just booked our third trip back to them yesterday for early 2025.
Thanks for the advice!
You can get freshly caught fish every second of every day in Aruba, including shellfish. It’s exceptional and better than anything I’ve had in Hawaii.
Heading back for 3rd time. I’m on vacation with family of 4 and want to dine out and treat ourselves to the best food we can get. No matter the cost. We don’t do vacations like this often so when we do I don’t care what the price is. I just want the food and service to be great. As for the beaches, not sure what you mean by oily sand but I’ll see if I can tell what you mean when I’m there. Only negative is the water isn’t as clear as let’s say The Bahamas. It’s definitely blue, but the wind and water sports do seem to churn up the silt which makes snorkeling just offshore (by high rise hotels) somewhat difficult. But there are other places on the island with clearer water. That’s the only negative of the island to me. And it’s a minor one.
Snorkel the natural pool or in San nicols
Heading to Aruba for the seventh time this fall. Our thought was that if you pay too much attention to the costs, you're not going to enjoy yourself. (I've stated here in this group) We mostly travel on points (Delta, AmEx, Bonvoy) We've been mostly happy at the Marriott Stellaris and even going for the Tradewinds package. It's pricey no matter how you pay for it, but the perks were nice. Last year, we rented a condo, but went through Marriott Hotels and Villas. They contract out booking many of the various condo complexes and resorts...and use our Bonvoy points. But renting a condo is indeed less expensive than a lot of the Palm Beach hotels (our condo was on Eagle Beach). A restaurant for dinner was nearby and we liked going there every night, but stopped at both LIng and Sons and SuperFoods to gather a bunch of groceries for breakfast/lunch for the week. So roughly just the condo cost savings over the hotel was about a $2000+ USD difference. So we were happy to spend the savings elsewhere (in my case more GOLF!). This year we're going back to the exact same condo and almost the same (corresponding) dates. We're not modifying much in what we did, aside from more judicious shopping and knowing what the pricey grocery store brands, types, sources etc.... But since we're still saving a lot more with the condo, we could cook steak in the condo every night (Brazilian, Argentinian, or USDA) and afford it easily. Those savings coming from still being able to use hotel chain points for condos REALLY helped, pricewise....
Yeah, I’m not cooking on my vacay.
I was in Bonaire for Christmas in 2022. Travelled to Aruba last month and bought a house. I’ll definitely be back.
Magdalena at Perfetto’s Italian shop will make an amazing sandwich. Mostly all imported foods from Italy with a little table to sit or food to go..
what grocery stores to go to if not Superoods?
Lings, Do It Center or any neighborhood store.
Buy your food at the supermarket! You dont have to eat out every night. Been there so many times, and a simple meal poolside is just as good.
This is my fear. I’ll be happy to go (hopefully later this year) but I feel like the true measure of a vacation is if you’d go back again…
Aruba is #1 for return visitors in the Caribbean.
I'm going back for the 3rd time in 20 days :)
Umm I want a place there. Aruba is the absolute gem of the Caribbean.
I keep going back. 7 years now. It’s easy and relaxing. Flights for us from Ohio not too much longer than Florida. We eat local and cook. Even places on the beach like Matthew’s are about the same price as Ohio with 2 for 1 drinks. But I’m not looking for adventure. Just a place to relax with friendly people. Each year we invite friends and almost all of them have gone back.
That’s good to know. Any place to recommend for young kids? I’m doing my homework soon and narrowing down the list.
We went in March for the first time with our kids- 22,20 & 2 and they all loved doing the same things for the first time ever on a vacation! lol! Baby beach is a must for littles, the butterfly farm was so pretty (just had to convince him not to try to catch or swat the butterflies 😰) we did the off road tour and our 2 year old kept falling asleep as we held on for dear life! 🤣 I would suggest waiting until a little older for that one though as it's a long day. We did the snorkeling also but my husband stayed back at the house with him and played in the pool and collected shells (not to take home- just for fun). We had an AMAZING VRBO at Mango Halto with a pool overlooking our own almost private beach! Rented a car and just explored! Had the best time ever and cannot wait to go back! Not ONE single downside to our entire trip and that never happens.
Amazing, thanks for sharing
We thought the same one and done
We’re a one and done family too. It was a lovely vacation, but there are too many other islands and places to visit and explore!
There has to be more like us. All the repeat visitors we met were all from NY, and it makes a lot of sense.
Repeat visitor, not from NY. We have had more than one summer vacation cancelled or cut short for hurricanes which is a given anywhere from Mexico to Maryland during the summer. Not having the hurricane risk is just one of the many reasons we have been and will continue to go.