Palm Beach

Aruba's west coast beaches are known for their postcard-perfect turquoise waters, soft sand and incredible sunsets. The island is one of the best destinations in the Caribbean, with each day spent lounging in the sun by the sea. I lived here two months and rotated through every major stretch of sand, and found that each beach is unique. Below is the only guide you need to pick the right beach for your vibe — party, chill, snorkel, or sunset.

Pick Your Beach in 10 Seconds!

• 🌴 Lively + nightlife: Palm Beach
• ✈ Plane-spotting: Surfside
• 🏖 Soft sand + sunset cocktails: Arashi
• 🌅 Iconic Fofoti tree + calm water: Eagle Beach
• 👩‍👩‍👧 Family lagoon: Baby Beach
• 🐢 Turtles: Tres Trapi
• 🌿 Mangroves + snorkeling: Mangel Halto

Getting Around Aruba

There are no ride-share apps in Aruba, so you can either walk, rent an e-scooter/e-bike, take a bus, taxi, go on a guided tour, or rent a car. Some days we took tours and others we rented a car from All Drive Car Rental in Oranjestad, which is a company we definitely recommend - the cars were clean and pick-up/drop-off services were included. The central bus station is in downtown Oranjestad near the cruise port, and you can find the schedule here.

Taxis can be expensive in Aruba, so if you’re over 20 minutes from your destination, it might just be cheaper to rent a car for the day. Additionally, it's difficult to get a return taxi from remote beaches.

Taxi tip: Tell drivers you’re wet from the beach in advance — otherwise a $100 “salt-stain” fee is possible.

If you drive, all beaches have free parking lot options and/or street parking. My only experience seeing paid lots was along the main road in Palm Beach, but you can still find free lots/street parking instead. I recommend the lot behind MooMba Beach Bar & Restaurant or the street on the boulevard behind De Palm Pier (both free spots).

Top Beaches in Aruba

Palm Beach

The two-mile long stretch of sand that is Palm Beach is the most lively beach in Aruba. There's a huge abundance of establishments and activities; it's lined with high-rise resorts, beach clubs, restaurants, bars and shops. Located in a central & popular town (called Palm Beach), so much is going on at all hours of the day, so if you’re looking for the most bustling spot on the island, this is it.

There’s a concrete walking path along the beach lined on both sides with palm trees (it’s called ‘Palm’ Beach for a reason!) that continues for about 1 mile. It's perfect for morning jogs, afternoon exploration or evening strolls. The street behind the beach, called J.E. Irausquin Boulevard, makes up the iconic Palm Beach Strip. It runs parallel to the beach and consists of a few long blocks full of more restaurants & bars, excellent shopping, hotels, resorts, nightclubs, and casinos.

2. Surfside Beach

Surfside is located about a 20-25 minute walk (or 8-10 minute e-scooter ride) from downtown Oranjestad, connected via the Linear Park Trail - a scenic coastal promenade that runs over 4 miles from Aruba's airport to the cruise port downtown. There are a lot of e-scooter rentals around Oranjestad - we mostly used ‘Bird’ scooters - making it super easy to get to this beach from the town. You can download the app (‘Bird - Ride Electric’) and use it to locate the nearest available scooters, which was very convenient.

There is a nice restaurant directly on the sand and one on a pier, two beach clubs, and a string of bars & cafes near the 'Plaza Turismo' square behind the beach. There is a slower, relaxing feel here as it’s not too busy or touristy at any time of day.

The airport is just behind the beach, making it a perfect place to spot airplanes as they fly low overhead. You can actually use the app ‘Flightradar24’ to know the plane’s exact time of arrival as well as where it’s coming from, which is pretty fun! Watch a plane fly by once, then wade through the water so it's directly over you for awesome photos. Wear water shoes for this as the sand is mud-like and your feet can sink in it.

3. Arashi Beach

Arashi is one of my favorites to spend the day swimming and getting happy hour cocktails. Swimming here is amazing - the sand in the water is cloud-like (unlike Palm & Surfside beaches), and the sea is calm and clear. We even saw a stingray here once! There's plenty of space on the beach and a few lounge chairs under palapas for rent. Arashi has hardly any natural shade so be sure to bring an umbrella if you don't plan on trying to rent. There's not much around (e.g. shops, restaurants), but the beach does have one snack shack called Arashi Beach Shack.

It's on the farthest northwest point of the island about an 8 minute drive from Palm Beach, and is the second-to-last stop along this road before hitting desert (the last stop just being the lighthouse). This beach is only an 11-minute walk from the popular snorkeling spot at Tres Trapi, so I recommend snorkeling there in the afternoon and heading to Arashi for the happy hour & the sunset.

4. Eagle Beach

Similar to Arashi, I love swimming at Eagle Beach - the sand is very soft and comfortable, the water is calm, and there’s no seaweed, which is a huge priority for me (as you can probably tell by now!). It’s in a beautiful area with nice restaurants both on the beach and on the street behind it. There is a palm-tree lined promenade between the beach and street for pleasant strolls. Umbrella and lounge rentals are readily available while still leaving free space on the sand for your own gear, and jet ski rentals are offered.

Book a private sunset experience on Eagle Beach:

Eagle Beach is also home to the famous Fofoti tree located in the middle of the sand, appearing to reach towards the sea. In my opinion, it’s talked about (and even has Google reviews of 4.7 stars) as if it’s this huge extravagant thing - perhaps I expected it to be much bigger. I like trees, they’re cool, and it is cool, but I feel it's a bit overhyped. I googled it, and one person described it as an ‘icon of Eagle Beach’. I don’t know, maybe I’m like Ben from Parks and Rec when it came to understanding Lil’ Sebastian, but I just don’t really understand the hype there! Haha. Just my opinion.

The following 3 beaches all have excellent snorkeling. I'll be explaining the 'beach' aspect of the locations in this post, but if you want a full breakdown solely on snorkeling in Aruba, visit my blog post 'Snorkeling in Aruba: What You Need To Know Before You Go'. Stick around for what they have to offer other than snorkeling!

5. Baby Beach

In my opinion, Baby Beach is the best beach on the island. The clear waters are extremely calm - it's set up like a large, shallow swimming pool protected by a rock barrier. You can pretty much stand up throughout the whole ‘pool,’ making it the most family-friendly beach in Aruba. The sand is soft, lounge chair rentals are available, a few palapas are free for the taking if you get lucky, and there's lots of natural shade to set up under.

There are two restaurants/bars directly on the beach, and near the parking lot some food trucks pull up during lunch hours including my favorite snack-shack Eduardo's from Palm Beach - I highly recommend grabbing an açaí bowl or smoothie while they’re there!

Baby Beach is located on the farthest southern tip of the island & the surrounding towns aren’t popular with hotels or AirBnBs - it's mostly locals over here. You'll most likely be staying around Noord or Oranjestad, so it’d take ~45-55 minutes to drive there.

Your options are car rental, very expensive taxi, or public bus. The buses, however, only go as far as the downtown area of San Nicolas, so you'd have to catch a taxi the rest of the way (~11 minutes). It would also be very difficult to get a taxi to go back north. Because of this, your best bet is to drive or go via a tour such as this one:

Aruba has the best sunsets, but it’s not great to watch it from Baby Beach - it faces south so you won’t have a good view of it. Out of all the top beaches in Aruba, this is the only one where I wouldn’t suggest watching the sunset from.

6. Tres Trapi

Tres Trapi is an amazing place to swim and see sea turtles, but there is no sand! It only offers rocks to sit on, which isn’t very comfortable for relaxing, even if you bring chairs. There isn’t much to it, just a pristine little swimming spot along the coastline with the bluest waters you’ve ever seen, and it’s perfect just the way it is. There is a little stairway carved into the rocks that lead to the water.

Similar to Arashi & Baby Beach, there isn’t anything but beautiful beach houses and desert behind it - the closest town is Palm Beach at a 7-minute drive away, and the closest restaurant/bar is the one on Arashi Beach. As I mentioned in my Arashi section, these beaches are very close together, and it’s nice to split your day between the two.

7. Mangel Halto

Mangel Halto is my second favorite beach in Aruba. It's its own diverse paradise - cacti, mangroves, a mix of sand & rocks, and great swimming (to name a few). It's split into three sections, each with its own charm; the northern desert-like section that encompasses Pos Chiquito Beach Park and has painted wooden stairs leading to the sea, the shady middle section surrounded by mangroves and other forestry, and the southern section with sand, pebbles, and reefs.

There is plenty of natural shade in the mangrove-surrounded section, as well as some free palapas and lounge chairs spread throughout. It never gets crowded and has a very relaxed-local vibe.

Aruba can get pretty windy, and if it is, the sea here can become pretty rough. There's low-lying reefs that the waves can knock you into so take caution (don’t ask how I know this... okay, yes, it happened to me. I just really wanted to swim, but lesson learned! Safety first!). There isn’t much happening in the surrounding area, but there are a few nearby cash-only restaurants - there aren’t ATMs nearby, so be sure to bring some if you plan on eating here.

Aruba Beaches & Recommendations Map

Interactive Aruba map – zoom in to explore Baby Beach, Arashi, and more! Click on marked spots for details.

Aruba's beaches truly live up to the "One Happy Island" vibe, offering everything from bustling party spots to serene swimming havens. Whether you're chasing sunsets at Arashi or floating in Baby Beach's calm lagoon, there's a slice of paradise for every traveler. For more on the underwater wonders at spots like Tres Trapi and Mangel Halto, check out my guide to Snorkeling in Aruba. Safe travels and happy beach-hopping!