Aruba Arriba!

(IG @sayheeyymrstaylor if you want to see more pictures or ask questions)

Looking for a safe island?! Somewhere to let go without worrying about trouble finding you? Aruba is considered one of the safest in the Caribbean and I definitely FELT it. I visited Mexico, Jamaica and Dominican Republic before Aruba so I had experiences to compare it to. There were hagglers at almost all the beaches I’d been to in those other places. Some way more aggressive than others, but NOT ONE IN SITE IN ARUBA! You can even go out at night and not worry about being at the wrong place at the wrong time. No one following you trying to figure out how they can “take advantage of the tourists”. Everywhere we went, we felt welcomed. Every local we encountered was extra nice to us! The water is also safe to drink right out the tap which you can’t even do in Texas or Florida! (I’m from Memphis- home of the best tap water on earth so I know!)

The weather in Aruba was perfect while we were there and a local told us it’s perfect year round! It’s always sunny and the wind is always blowing so you’re never too hot. Aruba is also outside of the hurricane belt so you can visit any time of year! I can also say I didn’t experience ONE bug bite while there! I was so excited about this because being from the South, we only have a few short months without mosquitoes. We stayed on the beach every night, drinking our Aruba Aribas til early morning, bite-free and worry free! (We attended a beach party in Dominican Republic and I had 100 bug bites so I could definitely appreciate being bite free in Aruba!)

So far Aruba has the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen(Eagle Beach). If you go, definitely visit Eagle Beach, Palm Beach, Andicuri Beach and Dos Playa. The water is the perfect blue and you can see all the way to the sandy floor. We went tubing and it was so much fun! If you can’t swim well and/or are a bit scary make sure you tell them ahead of time NOT to flip you or they will flip you off the tube! It literally felt like a roller coaster on water. Definitely take goggles (and contacts if you wear glasses like me) and make sure you can hold a good grip! At one point we were so high in the sky and going so fast I just knew I was going in the water! Sounds scary but it’s so fun!

A few things we missed that I definitely recommend you plan to catch is Aruba Carnival in January (we went in June), Bon Bini Festival and Flamingo Bay. We also didn’t get to explore many restaurants, but you should! Aruba has a very diverse group of people so you can try all their different food! From Colombian, Dutch, Italian, Jamaican and more. We even met a Jamaican lady there that said she came to Aruba on vacation and loved it so much that she moved there permanently a month after returning home.

Other things we experienced and enjoyed..

Flying Fishbone- make reservations ahead of time if you want to sit on the beach. Don’t wear close toe shoes or really any clothes you don’t want wet(pants). The water gets higher as the night goes with the highest possibly being to your lower calves. The food was good and the view was beautiful. (We took a cab which was a little long from the resort area so don’t wait until you’re starving to go.)

The Happiest Little Bar (in the Plaza Daniel Leo-right across from the Gucci store). Make sure you get the Aruba Ariba and tell them you want the vodka Ciroc. WHEW! That’s all I’ll say lol Let me know how you enjoy it!

Kukoo Kunuku party bus- pre-game before they pick you up if you want a buzz! The drinks aren’t strong, but the bus and stops are fun. Wear something comfortable because some of the bars are hot, but you will have fun!

The beautiful sunsets… I ❤ Aruba! I hope you will love it too!