Baby Beach, Aruba

Baby Beach - White Sand

Baby Beach, Aruba is located on the San Nicholas corner of the island. It is about 30 minutes drive from the high rise hotel area and it is near the oil refineries, Rodgers Beach and Bachelor Beach.

It is one of the not-so crowded beaches in Aruba. While Palm and Eagle beaches tend to get busy with the tourists from hotels nearby, Baby beach attracts locals and only tourists with rental cars who are willing to explore. As it is a drive from the downtown, not a lot of tourists make it out here.

This is one of the calmest beaches in Aruba. Waters in this beach are really shallow and you can go quite a distance inside the knee-deep sea. There is a rock wall (I am guessing it is man made) a few feet into the beach that restricts the flow of water and makes this beach almost a shallow pool.

Baby beach is extremely kid friendly as the waters are quite shallow and the beach has beautiful white sand. There are many divi trees in this beach that makes this whole area very picture friendly.

There is a restaurant and bar with ample parking near the entrance to Baby Beach. There are also some ice cream trucks that made their way to the road next to the beach. :)

Natural Bridge - Aruba

Natural Bridge is one of the top tourist attractions in Aruba. This was my favorite attraction in the trip.

Natural Bridge

When you drive into the Natural bridge area,
- first you will wonder how mother nature did this
- second, you will fear the raw ocean
- third, admire the beauty of this place...

Natural Bridge is on the northeast coast of Aruba. It is Aruba's stunning geological formation where years of erosion from the sea has carved its way through coral rock forming a 100 foot bridge, 25 feet over the sea, which is the largest of its kind in the Caribbean

We stopped to talk to locals in this area and got a few amazing stories.

Back in the day, people used to stand on either side of the Natural Bridge and feed freshly cut meat of a cow (with blood and all) to sharks.. Yes... SHARKS.

On the way to Natural Bridge, pit stop by an interesting rock formation

This side of Aruba is not meant for swimming primarily for sharks and also for the force of the water. A local shop owner said even fisherman dont go fishing in this part of the island because of the rocks, water and sharks, unless the sea is extremely calm. She also narrated so many stories of when sharks were caught by fisherman in this area.

She also gave us a fair warning -

If you slip and fall in the ocean in this side of the island, say a silent prayer and goodbye to your loved ones...

She said the force of the waves in this area will crush you into the rocks almost instantaneously. Even the strongest swimmers don't stand a chance.

Ocean near natural bridge..

Technically there is no shore in this area. Naturally formed rocks act as a wall and the first step in water would be into a deep ocean. There are signs in this area prohibiting swimming and diving into the water.

The day I was there, the sea was not calm. It had rained the night before and the local tour guide said it was one of the fiercest days he has seen in this area.

It is not necessary to have a 4 X 4 vehicle to get to the natural bridge, unlike other rocky terrain in this side of Aruba. We got there in a Sedan without a problem. Baby Natural Bridge, however, is accessible only by a 4 X 4.

In spite of all the fear factors attached to this place, this no. 1 tourist attraction in Aruba ranks the highest on my list. 

Aruba

Aruba... One Happy Island.. Bonbini..

One of the first things you will notice when you land in Aruba is that everything moves at an Island pace. It takes some time to get off the plane, get your baggage and start your vacation in earnest.

Other things that you will notice are the bright beautiful sun, warm weather and a cool breeze...

Aruba's people are extremely friendly. It took about 10 mins for our designated driver to arrive (again... Island pace) but a by-stander in the arrivals hall at the airport gave us his phone, called our driver and assured us that he is on his way.

People in Aruba speak Papiemento (local language), Dutch (official language), Spanish and English... (in that order). People in the interior towns dont speak English often. They spoke in Spanish and we spoke in English but we understood each other perfectly. :)

Items that you should not forget while going to Aruba..

1. Sun glasses
2. Sun Screen - SPF 50 or higher
3. Swim wear
4. Camera

Aruba is as long as my ride from my house to the airport. even slightly less - 19.6 miles. But all the 19.6 miles is surrounded by beautiful beaches..

My trip to Aruba was during early December, so we saw the wonderful Christmas trees at every street corner and shopping arena.

Locals say Aruba is a blessed island because:

- Weather is 80 degrees or higher all year around

- Island is outside the hurricane belt

- Rain stops as soon as it starts, less than 10 mins

- People are extremely friendly

- Drivers let each other pass and wait in lights

- There are a million roundabouts..

Tiki huts are very common and all beaches in Aruba are public. So you can select the beach you like for the day and enjoy the warm Caribbean waters..

Also, Iguana or what we commonly know as Geico Gecko are in abundance in Aruba.. You are likely to run into them while on the beach or when walking on the streets.

The first picture is a poster of the Gecko in a mall and the next picture is of one I saw on the street. There was one persistent iguana that stayed on my door throughout my trip and would always be there whenever i opened the door of my villa.

My experience in this island was delightful and I intend to write in detail about all the places I visited in this island. Hopefully this helps you plan your vacation.