Aruba for Couples: 3 Days, Honeymoon or Long Weekend

Aruba for couples, in three days, is a long weekend, and the mistake most couples make with a long weekend here is to fill it. Ghislaine’s version does less and does it at the right time of day. Breakfast at home, the beach before the crowd, a siesta when the sun is high, and the evening planned around one good table. Here it is, day by day.

Day 1: Eagle Beach and the first sunset

Morning. Coffee on the terrace at 7. Walk or drive to Eagle Beach by 7:45, before the hotel chairs go out, and find the two fofoti trees. The sand is still cool and you will have twenty metres of beach to yourselves. Swim, read, nap. Leave by 11 when the sun gets serious.

Afternoon. Lunch at the Dutch Pancakehouse by the Alhambra casino, one savoury pancake to share and two coffees. Then back to the house for the hottest hours. If you are at Oasis Hideaway this is pool time; from the Hideout suites it is the terrace with the blinds half down. Around 4, drive the ten minutes north to the California Lighthouse and walk the dunes behind it to the north coast for twenty minutes of wind and surf.

Evening. Sunset from the top of the lighthouse road or from Arashi beach just below it, with a drink from the Arashi Beach Shack. Dinner at the Old Cunucu House in Noord: keshi yena and fresh fish in a 150 year old farmhouse. Early night; tomorrow starts at 7:30.

Day 2: turtles, the wreck and dinner in the sand

Morning. Snorkel morning on the Malmok coast. Tres Trapi at 8 am, three steps into the water and green turtles grazing on the seagrass most days. Keep your distance, float, watch. By 9 move to Boca Catalina, two minutes south, before the catamarans arrive at 10. Two hours in the water total, then a second breakfast at the Beach Shack at Arashi.

If you would rather see the Antilla wreck, book a morning snorkel sail from the Palm Beach piers instead; it stops at Boca Catalina and the wreck and gets you back by 1. The smaller boats are better than the big party catamarans for a couple.

Afternoon. Siesta. Really. Then, if you have the energy, the Bubali bird sanctuary near Eagle Beach at 4 for herons and egrets coming in to roost, or a walk through Oranjestad’s Wilhelminastraat for coffee and the Dutch facades.

Evening. This is the dinner to book before you fly: Passions on the Beach at Amsterdam Manor, tables in the sand at Eagle Beach, torches lit as the sun goes down. Arrive at 6 for the light. If Passions is full, Elements at Bucuti next door is the quieter, more polished version.

Day 3: the south, slowly

Morning. Breakfast at home, then drive south, 25 minutes past the airport, to Mangel Halto at Pos Chiquito. Walk the boardwalk through the mangroves, swim out from the stairs into the lagoon, and stay inside the reef unless you are both strong swimmers. It is usually empty on a weekday morning.

Afternoon. Lunch at Zeerover on the pier in Savaneta, five minutes on. Fried fish and shrimp by weight, plantain, a Balashi, picnic tables over the water. Cash only, closed Mondays. Then either Baby Beach for a float in the lagoon (20 minutes further) or straight back to the house for a swim and a sleep.

Evening. Last night. Two options at two budgets. The Flying Fishbone in Savaneta, tables in the water at sunset, book a week ahead. Or Local Store behind Palm Beach for ribs, cold beer and a crowd, no booking, no dress code. Both are a fitting last dinner; which one depends on the couple.

The rules that make this work

• Do not plan anything between 12 and 3. The sun on Aruba is honest about its strength and the beaches are empty for a reason.
• Book the two beach dinners before you land. In February they are full ten days out.
• Rent the car for day 2 and 3 only if you stay on the Palm Beach strip. From Eagle Beach or Gold Coast, have it all three days.
• Pack a rash guard each. An hour face down at Boca Catalina on day 2 is where the burn happens.
• Sunday closes a lot of local kitchens. If your three days include a Sunday, move the Zeerover lunch to Saturday.

If you have a fourth day

Arikok and the Natural Pool by jeep in the morning, with pickup at the house. It is the one thing this itinerary leaves out, and it is the one couples ask about afterwards. Shared tours run $85 to $110 per person for four hours and most include the $22 park fee; book a morning departure and put it on the first free day so you can retry if the swell closes the pool. The afternoon after is for the pool and nothing else; the track is bumpy and you will be dusty.

Is Aruba good for a honeymoon?

Yes, and it is one of the easiest. Direct flights from most of the US east coast, weather that does not cancel plans, calm west coast beaches, and the adults only resorts on Eagle Beach (Bucuti and Tara is the known one) sit right next to the beach dinners above. If you would rather have a private pool and a terrace than a resort, Oasis Hideaway in Gold Coast is the honeymoon pick among our homes, and this three day plan is the one we send honeymooners first. Book Passions and the Flying Fishbone before you fly and tell them it is a honeymoon; both do something about it.

What this costs, roughly

For two people, three nights, not counting the rental and flights: one day of compact car around $50 to $65, the snorkel sail if you take it $60 to $100 each, Zeerover lunch $30 for two, the two beach dinners $120 to $200 each with wine, pancakes and pastechi under $30 for the trip, and groceries for breakfasts around $50. Call it $500 to $750 for the weekend’s eating, drinking and moving around, with the Flying Fishbone at the top of that range and Local Store at the bottom.

Stay nearby

For this itinerary, the Hideout Dream Big Suite or Hideout Happiness Suite near Eagle Beach puts day 1 and the Passions dinner on foot. Oasis Hideaway in Gold Coast is five minutes from the day 2 snorkel beaches and has a private pool for the siestas. Ocean View 2BR on Palm Beach is the choice if you want to skip the car entirely and book the boat. See all three at /stays/.

Questions people ask

Is 3 days enough for Aruba?

For a couple who wants beach, one snorkel morning, a sunset and two good dinners, yes. You will not see the interior or the south properly; save those for a longer trip.

What is the most romantic restaurant in Aruba?

The ones with tables in the sand or the water: Passions on the Beach at Eagle Beach and the Flying Fishbone in Savaneta. Both need a reservation days ahead in high season.

Do couples need a car for 3 days in Aruba?

For this itinerary, one day of car for the snorkel beaches and lighthouse is enough if you stay on Palm Beach or Eagle Beach. From Gold Coast you want it all three days.