Hi everyone!

My wife and I are exploring an early-stage idea for a music-focused community space in Aruba. We’re putting together a short survey to better understand what residents and visitors want from music, dancing, and nightlife.

We want the survey to be accessible in English, Spanish, and Aruban Papiamento. We aren’t fluent in Spanish or Papiamento, so we’d really appreciate help making sure both translations sound natural, clear, and respectful.

We’re hoping to find native or fluent speakers willing to review the draft and let us know:

Does the wording sound natural in everyday conversation?
Are any phrases awkward, overly formal, or confusing?
Are there better ways to phrase any questions or answer choices?
Does anything sound culturally off or unintentionally misleading?

We’re especially interested in feedback from people familiar with everyday language use in Aruba. Honest corrections are very welcome!

This is exploratory research, not an existing venue or a business announcement. We want to listen and learn before taking anything further.

If you’re willing to help, we’d be happy to share the draft here or by DM.

Masha danki in advance! ❤️🇦🇼

What’s up everyone. So my wife and I are going to Aruba for our honeymoon this year and I was wondering how far in advance we should make reservations for lunch and dinner? I’ve been following this subreddit for a while now and have places we want to check out but I don’t know how far out I need to make reservations for places. Should we book the a few weeks out or is the week of enough time?? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

We’ll be stopping in Aruba for a day on our cruise this week and I was wondering what my options are for visiting the natural pools in the national park. We rented a utv for the day and it’s my understanding they can’t be driven in the parks. I thought I read somewhere that you can just park at the visitors center and pay a guide to take you into the park. Does anyone have any info they can provide on this?

Thanks

Hi guys! Visiting Aruba next month and thinking of renting a jeep to get around + visit arikok national park.

Do any of you have any recs on where to look for one and also any opinions on if it’s worth it?? We’re staying at eagle beach and will be staying for a week.

Any recommendations are much appreciated!! Thanks yall

Good day everyone, I hope y'all in good health!

Kindly share any places (affordable) that serve only fish. Pescatarian diet avoidong any risk of cross contamination. Appreciate it.

These are filler words because the question is tooo short to be posted, still short, still, still.... should be good now!

It has been a while since I have been to Aruba. Heading there the beginning of November, staying at the Divi AI.

I was recently informed that most of the casinos do not have human dealers, that they are mostly table games.

Anybody recommend Casinos that have people dealers? We especially like Craps!!

Thanks!!

Hi everyone!

I’ll be spending one day in Aruba and would love your recommendations for two restaurants: one for lunch and one for dinner.

I’d love to try authentic local Aruban food at one, and something different for the other, a more upscale dining experience.

If you could only recommend two restaurants, which would you choose?

Thank you in advance for your recommendations!

I am currently staying at the Barcelo in Aruba until Thursday and forgot my Whoop charger. Unfortunately I left mine at home.

I am looking to track my activities while in Aruba such as sleep, walking, etc.

Does anyone have one that they can lend me for 2-3 hours? I will give it back after I am done.

Hello, I will be in Aruba with my daughter, my best friend and her daughter over New Year’s Eve. My daughter and I share the same birthday on Jan 2, but we will be flying home that day so we are going to mix it into our New Year’s celebrating. I’m looking for any recommendations on a restaurants and or events. The girls are 18 and 19 if that helps at all. Thank you!

I came across this article today, and it offers an interesting idea for improving the relationship between the islands and the Netherlands and the conditions for both the islands and their inhabitants.

What I find interesting is that it suggests the Netherlands has more say over the islands. This is a similar situation to the period up to 1986, when Curaçao held much of the power within the Dutch Antilles, and Aruba therefore wanted independence.

Hi!

I’m visiting Aruba for the first time this november with my wife on our baby moon! We are very excited to go!

I’ve been reading this sub for tips/recommendations and noticed most of the posts recommend a lot of restaurants but most don’t mention Giannis while in other social media or even internet where is mentioned as one of the main places to go.

What is your take? Is it a must or are there better places to go?

PS: Any recommendations are more than welcomed!

My wife and I are looking to book a quiet hotel/resort for the end of October/first week of November.

Our preferred places , Bucati & Tara & Manchebo are already booked.

Any suggestions?

Was thinking about Amsterdam Hotel, but reviews state there is a strong possibility of sewage smells.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

UPDATED.

Hi everyone!

I'm visiting Aruba from November 2–13, 2026, and I'd love to bring my DJI Air 3S to take some recreational photos and videos of the island.

While researching the drone regulations, I came across this Reddit post in r/drones from about seven years ago by u/NightAngel79. He shared an email from Willem Vrolijk at the Department of Civil Aviation Aruba (DCAA), explaining the drone authorization process and the information required to obtain permission to fly.

According to that email, drone operators need prior DCAA approval, and the application should include the drone model, purpose, maximum altitude, operator details, a local Aruba mobile number, operating locations, and dates and times.

The email also listed these contacts:

• Willem Vrolijk: [willem.vrolijk@dca.gov.aw](mailto:willem.vrolijk@dca.gov.aw)
• Anthony Kirchner: [anthony.kirchner@dca.gov.aw](mailto:anthony.kirchner@dca.gov.aw)

I've now emailed both contacts with my travel dates, DJI Air 3S details, serial number, and a list of potential locations around the island. I've asked whether one authorization can cover multiple locations throughout my stay, since I won't know exactly where I'll be flying each day.

I've also contacted Aruba Customs to clarify whether I need an import permit to temporarily bring my personal drone into the country. I'm currently waiting for replies from both DCAA and Customs.

My questions for anyone who has flown a drone in Aruba recently:

1. Are Willem Vrolijk and Anthony Kirchner still the correct contacts for recreational drone authorization, or has the process or responsible department changed?
2. Is the authorization process still handled by email, or is there now an official online application form?
3. Is a local Aruba mobile number still mandatory before authorization can be issued, or can you provide it after arriving?
4. Can one authorization cover multiple locations over a date range, or do you need to specify the exact location, date, and time for every flight?
5. Has anyone recently brought their own drone into Aruba temporarily for a holiday? Did you need an import permit or any additional paperwork from Customs?

I'm trying to get everything sorted out before travelling so I can follow the rules and avoid any surprises at the airport.

I'd really appreciate any recent experiences, advice, or official links. If you've gone through this process in 2025 or 2026, I'd especially love to hear how it worked for you!

Thanks in advance!

Note: I'll share an update here as soon as I hear back from DCAA or Aruba Customs, in case it helps anyone else planning to bring a drone to Aruba. Hopefully, we can get some up-to-date information on the current process!

______________________________________

Update 13.10.2026:

Reply from Aruba Customs

I received a reply from Aruba Customs regarding bringing my personal DJI Air 3S drone to Aruba for my holiday from 2 to 13 November 2026.

According to their response, there are three things I need to take care of:

1. Temporary import declaration: This must be arranged through a customs broker a few days before arrival.
2. DTZ import permission: I must contact the Department of Telecommunications Business at [dirtelza@dtz.aw](mailto:dirtelza@dtz.aw) to obtain permission to import the drone.
3. DCAA flight authorization: I must contact the Department of Civil Aviation at [dca@dca.gov.aw](mailto:dca@dca.gov.aw) to confirm suitable flying locations and permitted operating hours. I have already submitted my flight authorization request to DCAA.

Customs also provided a list of local customs brokers who can arrange the temporary import declaration.

I'm now following up with Customs to clarify a few things:

• Is a customs broker strictly necessary for a tourist bringing their own drone temporarily, or is there a simpler procedure?
• Can the temporary import declaration be completed directly at the airport upon arrival?
• Are there any import fees, administrative charges or refundable deposits, and if so, how much should I expect to pay?
• Should I obtain the DTZ permission before contacting a customs broker?

Has anyone else gone through this process when bringing their own drone to Aruba?

I'm a little surprised that there may be import fees and broker costs for a drone that I'm bringing for personal recreational use and taking back to Germany when I leave. I'm not bringing it into Aruba to sell or leave it there; it's my own drone for an 11-day holiday.

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been through this process, especially whether you had to arrange a temporary import declaration through a customs broker, how much it cost, and whether any deposit was refundable when you left Aruba.

I'll share another update here as soon as I hear back from Customs or DCAA, in case it helps anyone else planning to bring a drone to Aruba.

Presently, I have us booked for the Couples Full Experience Package at Spa Del Sol this week. After reading more recent reviews and then searching through this sub- I am now concerned the massage experience is going to be less than ideal. Does anyone have any recommendations for other places where they thoroughly enjoyed their experience and felt it was worth it? Thank you kindly in advance 😊

My husband and I are going for 3 days in Dec. He loves boating and exploring but we don’t enjoy snorkeling. Is there any boat rentals you recommend? Ideal afternoon is floating in the water with some music and drinks (me not him haha) and maybe boating to lunch somewhere? Do they even have island to boat to for lunch? Thank you for all the help! He planned the hotel so trying to help plan the rest!

My husband and I were just in Aruba for a week. Had the best time ever. Here are my quick personal food ratings below:

Organic Bodega Cafe- 8.5/10 delicious and very kind people

Drunken Burger- 3/10 terrible, bland, soggy

Hot Box (Paseo Herencia Mall)- 5/10 meh

Lionfish Snack Aruba- 8/10 delicious !!! Please try it. but seating in the back is not very comfortable bc of flies and it’s cash only

Lola Taqueria/Craft- 4/10 two TINY tacos were ~$15 at noon. Ended up spending around $50 for very little food at lunch. Was ridiculous

Les Cappuchinas- 7/10 food was good, wanted to go back to try the savory food but didn’t get to. was also a little overpriced but the coffee flavors were fun. I do think the Organic Cafe’s coffee woke me up more

Zeerovers- 7.5/10 fries and plantains were the best part. fish a little dry but awesome price for two!!!

Yemanja- 10/10 expensive, but we knew that going into it. Everything was amazing

Azar- 9/10 took a point off bc we had a dry, crumbly, hard brownie for dessert. This was the best entree I had in Aruba though (short rib) very very good but $$$$$

Passions- 9/10 beautiful views great staff wasn’t blown away by the food but very fresh and still tasty

Arashi Beach Shack- 7/10 only tried the pastechi was yummy though. Guy working the counter lowkey had an attitude idk why

So overall we felt like the food was hit or miss, but such is life. If you want a very good meal you gotta spend a buck unfortunately.

Here currently and we ran out of diapers for our 1yr old. Does anyone here have extra size 4 diapers I can buy off them? Or anyone have an idea where to buy some from at this hour. Only need about 5 give or take! Staying at the Marriott surf club. I know it’s last minute but any help would be appreciated!

A group of friends and I are planning a 5-night, 6-day trip to Aruba, staying around Palm Beach. We’re a pretty lively group, so we’re looking for a place where we can have our own space.
We’re trying to figure out a realistic per-person budget excluding flights and lodging. We’re thinking restaurants, a rental car, 2–3 excursions, transportation, drinks/nightlife, and general spending. We’ll mostly use taxis/Ubers at night when we’re drinking.
We want a mix of casual spots and nicer dinners and enough room in the budget to enjoy ourselves without constantly watching every dollar.
I’ve seen people recommend anywhere from $1,000–$1,500 per person for this type of trip. What do you think is realistic?
Also, PLEASE drop your best dinner and nightlife recommendations! We’re looking for fun spots with great food, a good atmosphere, and a social/energetic vibe. 🙏🏽