I’m Patrick, a travelling Dutch guy in my early thirties. I
grew up in a small city in the Netherlands. I graduated with a bachelor degree
in Mechanical Engineering and worked for 7 years in the oil & gas industry.
I always dreamt of seeing the beauty of the world through my own eyes and right
after I graduated it was time for my first solo trip. This was 2007 and I
traveled around the USA. This first solo trip changed my life forever; it fed
the inner explorer in me and I wanted more and more. The following 9 years were
spent with working and traveling the world intensively. Now we are here; 80+
countries / unique destinations later I decided to write about my experiences,
travels and adventures from the road.
Aruba – Where Paradise Becomes Reality
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| Photo:@flyingdutchmanpat |
Aruba is paradise with a big letter P! I have visited tons
of beaches all across the world, so with heaps of material to compare with I
can say that the beaches of Aruba are marked high in my personal top 10!
The stunning island of Aruba is part of the ABC islands: Aruba, Bonaire and
Curacao. They are located north of Venezuela and are formally known as the
Netherlands Antilles. Aruba is a great mix of Venezuelan, Caribbean, American
and Dutch influences. This island is a favorite on the itinerary of cruise
ships, so it can feel a bit crowded in the capital Oranjestad during the day.
Aruba has a dry climate and a landscape dotted with cactus. It’s located
outside of the hurricane belt and it has more sunny days than any other
Caribbean island.
Oranjestad
For me as a Flying Dutchman I was always fascinated about the Dutch Caribbean
islands. So far away from home and still part of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands. Wow!
After arriving in Aruba you feel directly the laid back and friendly vibe of
this Caribbean island. There are 4 languages (Spanish, English, Dutch,
Papiamento) widely spoken on Aruba, so there won’t be a language barrier at
all! The official currency of Aruba is the Aruban Florin, but US dollars are
accepted everywhere as well. The capital Oranjestad is a great place to start
your Aruban adventure, the colorful architecture is stunning!
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| Photo:@flyingdutchmanpat |
Aruba is not cheap, not cheap at all! I stayed at the only hostel on the
island; Aruba Harmony. The hostel has a family-like feeling and the host
Barbara is super friendly and will help you with anything you want to do on the
island! And besides that; the hostel has a killer swimming pool as well! If you
want to embrace paradise on a budget, meet fellow like-minded travelers and
have a blast, stay at Barbara’s place!
Oranjestad is great for shopping, dinning and a drink. If you want a great
night out, join the KuKoo KuNuKu bus! This bus with loud music drives around
Aruba and hops from bar to bar. A fun environment to meet people! But the
biggest charm of Aruba are off course the beaches!
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| Photo:@flyingdutchmanpat |
Beaches
The beaches of Aruba are amazing and are one of the best you will ever see! The
sand is so white and the water is so blue that it hurts your eyes, but it hurts
with a big smile on your face! Aruba is exactly how I would describe paradise.
I stayed here 3 days, but all I wanted was to stay longer. The days are perfect
and you will forget all your problems and work back home.
I teamed up with an awesome group of newly made friends from the hostel to
explore the beaches of Aruba! And there are heaps of beaches to choose from;
the entire west coast of the island is dotted with fabulous beaches, the one
more picture perfect than the other! The majority of the resorts are situated
around Palm and Eagle beach and is therefor also the most crowded stretch of
beach. Eagle beach is listed on many websites as one of the best beach
destinations around the world and it definitely fulfills its reputation, it’s a
beach that steps right out of your imagination!
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| Photo:@flyingdutchmanpat |
The west coast is easily explored by bus as the public transport on Aruba is
pretty good and cheap. Hadicurari beach (Fisherman’s hut) is a perfect spot for
windsurfing and you will find here plenty of schools who will help you in the
water and catch some wind under your screen! Great fun!
There are plenty of water activities to do on Aruba and you will definitely not
get bored here! But besides the activities, Aruba is all about…..relax
The far north of the island, Arashi beach, has a perfect stretch of beach which
feels more laid back than Palm or Eagle beach.
If you want to see more than beaches then you should definitly visit Arikok
National Park. This part of the island is rugged and undeveloped.
Wait no longer and buy your ticket to paradise! Bon Bini!
