De Palm Island Aruba: Is It Worth It? An Honest Review

De Palm Island is the day trip every Aruba hotel sells and every guest asks us about, usually with the same question: is it worth it? Ghislaine has been with her own family, with visiting nieces, and once with a couple who came back saying it was the best day of their trip and another who said it was the worst. Both were right. Here is the honest review, by age group, with prices and the free alternatives.

What is De Palm Island?

A small private island a few hundred meters off the south coast near Balashi, between Oranjestad and the airport, run by De Palm Tours. You buy an all inclusive day pass, drive or get picked up to their pier, and a shuttle boat takes you across in a few minutes. On the island: a sandy beach with palapas, a water park with slides and a kids splash zone, a snorkel area on a shallow reef, a buffet restaurant, bars, banana boats, salsa lessons, a basketball court and a small flamingo enclosure you can visit as a paid upgrade. It is open roughly 9 am to 5 pm every day.

What does the De Palm Island day pass include?

Included in the standard pass:

• Breakfast or a late morning snack, then the lunch buffet and a grill station, open until mid afternoon
• Open bar, soft drinks and local beer and cocktails
• Snorkel gear and an instruction session
• Beach chairs and shared palapas
• The water park: slides for adults and bigger kids, a splash park for little ones
• Unlimited banana boat rides, minimum age about 10
• Salsa lessons, beach volleyball, basketball
• The shuttle boat

Not included: hotel pickup unless you buy the transport version, the Snuba and Sea Trek underwater walks, the flamingo visit, private cabanas and VIP palapas, spa treatments, and tips. Snuba and Sea Trek are the add ons that families with teenagers end up buying.

What does it cost?

This is where you have to check before you go. The pass is sold by De Palm directly, through every hotel desk, by cruise lines, and by the big booking sites, and the price changes with the season and the seller. In 2026 we have seen the day pass from about $110 per adult with no transport to around $150 with pickup; cruise lines charge more because their version includes the port transfer. Children under 3 are free; some sellers extend that to under 5. Aruba residents and Dutch passport holders can ask for a local rate at the De Palm desk.

For a family of four with two kids over the free age, budget $450 to $550 for the day before Snuba or cabanas. That is the number to weigh against the alternatives below.

Is De Palm Island worth it, by age group?

Kids 4 to 12. Yes. This is who the island is built for. The water is flat and shallow, the splash park is right by the chairs, the slides keep a nine year old busy for hours, lunch is sorted, and nobody has to drive anywhere for ice cream. Parents get a drink in their hand and a chair in the shade. Our family itinerary puts it on day three for exactly that reason: a rest day for the adults disguised as a big day for the kids.

Teenagers. Mostly yes, with Snuba or Sea Trek added. Without an add on, a 15 year old has done the slides by 11 am. The snorkeling is decent, the banana boat is fun once, and the open bar does not apply to them.

Adults without kids. Honestly, no. You are paying $110 plus for a buffet, a chair and a beach that is nicer and free a 20 minute drive away. The open bar is the argument for it, and there are sunset sails that do open bar better.

Snorkelers. No. The reef is fine for a first time, with big blue parrotfish and clear water, but Mangel Halto, Boca Catalina and Arashi are better and cost nothing. Our snorkeling guide ranks the shore spots.

Grandparents. Maybe. The boat is short, the chairs are close, the shade is real. If they are coming to be with the grandchildren it is an easy day; if they want quiet, it is loud.

Cruise passengers. Yes if your ship sells it and you want one organized day. Buy it through the cruise line, as the island does not sell direct to cruise guests.

What is the day actually like?

Arrive at 9 or 10. The first hour is the best: the palapas are free to claim, the water park is empty and the snorkel lesson has a small group. By noon the cruise ship excursions arrive and the island fills. Lunch between 12 and 1 has a queue; eat early or late. The afternoon is slides, drinks and the banana boat. The bar stops serving before the last boat and the island empties by 5. Bring your own towels, reef safe sunscreen, and water shoes for the little ones because the entry has some rock and coral. Cards work at the desk; bring cash for tips.

The free alternatives

If what you want is a calm beach day with kids, these are the free versions, each with a different trade off:

• Baby Beach, at the far south end: a shallow lagoon the size of a stadium, knee deep for a hundred meters, a snack bar, chairs to rent. The drive is 35 to 45 minutes. Details in our south coast guide.
• Arashi Beach, at the north end: soft sand, gentle waves, a beach bar, snorkeling to the right by the rocks, free parking and palapas. Ten minutes from Palm Beach.
• Mangel Halto, on the south coast: the best shore snorkel on the island and mangroves to swim through, but currents beyond the reef and no facilities, so for confident swimmers only.
• Palm Beach itself: the calmest big beach, with pier bars, water sports rentals and the Arubus running along it.

Add a cooler from the supermarket and a $60 lunch and the family of four has spent $100 instead of $500. What you lose is the water park and the all inclusive bar, which is a real loss for some families and none for others.

Our verdict

Book De Palm Island once if you have children between about 4 and 12 and want one day with no decisions. Skip it if you are a couple, a snorkeler or on a budget, and spend the money on a sunset sail and a jeep tour to Arikok instead. Either way, go on a day without a big cruise ship in port, which you can check on the port schedule.

Stay nearby

Oasis Hideaway in Gold Coast has a private pool and room for a family, so the kids have a water park of their own on the other six days. Ocean View 2BR is on the Palm Beach strip, where the De Palm pickup bus stops. Hideout Dream Big Suite and Hideout Happiness Suite near Eagle Beach are adults only. Compare them at /stays/.

Questions people ask

Is De Palm Island worth the money?

For a family with kids aged 4 to 12, yes, once. The water park, calm water, buffet and open bar fill a day without any planning. For adults without kids, or snorkelers, the free beaches do it better.

How much does De Palm Island cost?

The all inclusive day pass is sold at around $110 to $150 per person depending on where you buy it, the season and whether transport is included; children under 3 are free. Check current prices before you go.

How do you get to De Palm Island?

Drive or take the optional pickup to the De Palm pier at Balashi, south of Oranjestad, then a short shuttle boat of a few minutes to the island. The island is open roughly 9 am to 5 pm.

Can you snorkel at De Palm Island?

Yes, and the gear and a lesson are included. The reef off the island has lots of blue parrotfish and it is calm and shallow. It is not as good as Mangel Halto or Arashi, but it is the easiest snorkel on the island for beginners.