How To Explore Aruba For Under $700

 MARCH 31, 2019

If you’re anything like me, spontaneous adventures are a common occurrence. When you want to travel the world but are not on the Forbes top 100 richest people’s list however, traveling can become more of a hassle than an enjoyable experience. In this blog we’ll discuss the ways I was able to travel from South Carolina, USA to Oranjestad, Aruba with less than 24 hours notice for under $700 (and yes, that includes airfare and lodging.)

Before we dive in to the different ways to easily save some cash, let’s first talk about Aruba itself and how I found myself there.  Have you ever reached that point in your life where you just needed to “get away” for a bit? Reaching the mentality of “ Screw this, I’m out “ and needing a quick escape?  Of course you have, we all have! Aruba was my little escape from reality and I was able to find a round-trip plane ticket, airBnB and a rental car on a Sunday evening and have my toes in the nearly bleach white Aruban sand the very next day. Here’s how I did it: 

Airfare: $420USD (after Credit Card Rebate)
You can look at flights from the airlines directly, or even use websites like KAYAK, Orbitz, Travelocity and more like many others. Or you can look at websites like Skyscanner (not a sponsor [yet] ) or do a Google search for “Cheap Flight trackers” . Just because it has “cheap” in the name does not always mean you’ll end up losing out, remember that!

I personally used Skyscanner which searches flights from a multitude of airlines who have last minute seats they are looking to fill. Whether it’s because of a cancellation or they just couldn’t fill the flight due to having too many connections.  Regardless, I found a flight that was initially listed for $620.00USD on Skyscanner through American Airlines. As I was about to nearly max out my budget on the airfare alone I saw that American was offering a $200USD rebate if you signed up for their Advantage credit card. I’m not usually one to sign up for a credit card without doing my due-diligence and research, I worked hard to get my credit score where it’s at and I want to keep it that way! Being that the card offered the $200 off plus 40,000 bonus miles, I knew it would be worth getting as I start this new venture of travel blogging.

* It’s important to note that you will obviously not receive your Advantage credit card immediately upon signing up for it. You will however receive a temporary credit card number, expiration date and CVV code. If you accidentally deleted the email with said information like I did, don’t fret, you can call in to the credit company and they will give you the information over the phone (after security verification, of course.) The rebate will show on your first statement after signing up. 

So now you have successfully booked your flight that, in my case, left 9 hours after I booked it. The panic may or may not be setting in knowing you’re about to travel to a foreign country and have currently have no lodging lined up. Enter AirBnB to the rescue! (not a sponsor either, yet.) Now before we go any further, if you are a young teen or are a early twenty something, or even just have an adventurers soul to begin with, you could save even more money by booking one of the many hostels that Aruba has. I chose to go the AirBnB route. 

Lodging: $160USD, 3 nights, 4 days
I was able to find an amazing deal for a one bedroom apartment through a lovely fifty-something year old couple named Jane and Haime. If you are traveling to Aruba I cannot recommend them any higher, they truly were fantastic! The taxi services in Aruba are all government mandated and are quite expensive. Unfortunately the taxi’s are going to be your only option if you don’t wish to take public transportation that runs every hour as Aruba does not have any ride-share services. The Taxi’s quoted me $25USD to travel about 5 miles. Fortunately enough Jane and Haime were willing to pick me up at the airport for $10USD which was such a blessing. They were gracious enough to drive me around Oranjestad, Aruba’s capital, to show me the local restaurants, beaches and grocery stores around the apartment. all of which where within a 5-10 minute walking distance from the apartment.

* It’s important to note here that the Aruban currency is the Florin which has an exchange rate of 1.80AWG - 1USD . Even though Aruba is a Dutch island, the majority of the island will take USD and your credit card as well. 

Rental Car: $32USD, 1 day
I arrived in Aruba at 4pm EST on Monday and spent most of the day and into Tuesday getting settled in to the AirBnB and walking around exploring my immediate surroundings. Aruba is the safest Caribbean island and the locals take pride in that, so there’s little need to worry about walking most places. If you want to explore the other end of the island on your own time and don’t wish to take the public transportation, buses run every hour and cost around $3-8USD, your best bet is to rent a car from the many rental companies located at the airport. I went through Avis and got a small eco-friendly sedan on Wednesday to get away from the tourist traps and see the real Aruba on the South and East sides of the island.
The island in total is only about 70sq miles so it never took more than 40 minutes to get from one end of the island to the other. You can rent an SUV or Jeep if you’d like to go off-roading in the Arikok state park if you’d like, both will run you around $130/day. 

A Traveler Has to Eat: $75USD/$25 a day
I had a mission of staying under $700 total investment and did my best to stick to it. Did that mean I didn’t get to eat at every beachside restaurant enjoying some fresh fish or lobster? Yeah sure, but your experience doesn’t have to be exactly like mine.  Shopping for the basic foods at the grocery store cost me around $30AWG a day, which included your classic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, ham and cheese deliciousness and a few microwaveable meals. The one restaurant I did allow myself to splurge at, which was recommended to me by multiple locals, was a place called ZeeRovers located in Savaneta.
This hidden gem is on the south-eastern end of the island and only serves what the owner and locals catch that day. Listen y’all, I live on the coast of South Carolina where we enjoy fresh fish on a regular basis, the fish at Zeerovers was on a whole other level though. It was some of the best fish and shrimp I’ve had in my life. 

As you walk in through the front patio  and approach the order window, two of the friendliest locals greet you to the restaurant.  Everything is ordered based on either weight or by piece with sides that include friend plantains, cornbread and tartar sauce. Everything is ordered raw and you’re given a wooden block with a number to take with you as you find a table oceanside on their fishing dock. This side of the island has significantly more wind than the tourist areas, so a light jacket is recommended if it’s a somewhat chilly day. After you finish your food and are refueled to continue your adventure, you are only about a 15 minute drive to Baby Beach.

Must-See’s Of The Island:
While I had the rental car I made it a point to see as much of the island as I could. Here are the places I explored without spending a dime, even though that was definitely an option. I started off seeing the California Lighthouse which is located on the Northern end of the island near Arashi Beach. The lighthouse is easily accessible by car has significant parking to ensure you have space to get out and take plenty of pictures. While you’re there, be sure to get a fresh coconut from the vendor cart for $2USD. After you finish enjoying the sweet coconut water, be sure to return to the vendor who will cut open the coconut for you so you can enjoy the meat inside as well! 

My next stop was a combination of the tourist beaches, Palm beach and Eagle beach. If you are a cigar aficionado such as myself, be sure to check out the cigar shop near Eagle beach to get fresh Cuban cigars for $13-30USD a piece, Both beaches have plenty of options to rent kayaks, jet skis, para-sailing and any other watersport activity you can think of. Feel free to find a mangrove or palm tree to blop yourself under to enjoy the crystal clear water and nearly bleach white sands. 

After enjoying a few hours at the northern beaches I continued to the Southern end of the island to Baby beach. Baby beach is what I would recommend to any family traveling that may have small children with them. The entire beach is basically one big wade-pool. The water never gets deeper than 3 feet as long as you stay behind the rocks. It’s the perfect place to take the kids or to go if you’re just looking for a nice spot to float the day away.
On to my adventure at the Natural Land Bridge at the Arikok National Park. this place is the true wilderness of Aruba. Being that Aruba is located outside of the hurricane belt it rarely sees any major storms and as such is primarily a desert island. To get to the national park, you’ll have to drive off road about 3 kilometers on roads that are not ideal for a little eco-friendly sedan such as the one I had. I thankfully made it the the staging area for the park and land bridge and thought I could rent an ATV to explore the park. I was mistaken. If you are looking to rent an ATV or UTV to go off roading, you have to rent them downtown before you arrive at the park, remember that! 

Or you could go the route I did, say “Screw it”, and hike up and down the mountains. Author’s Note: Do not attempt to hike up and down 2 mountains wearing only sandals and a bathing suit. I made it about a kilometer and a half into to the park before I decided it was time, in the interest of saving my feet from bleeding, to head back.  Thankfully there was a small little beach I found on the coast and was able to take a little break to cool off in the water before making the journey back.  Overall it’s an amazing place to check out and if I had the proper attire or equipment, I would gladly spend a day hiking the trails. 

That, my friends, brings us to the end of my Aruba adventure. Even though I was there for such a short time I tried to fit in as much as I could. I tried to get both the tourist and local experience of the island and with the help of some extremely friendly locals, feel I was able to do that. It’s an amazing place and I cannot recommend it any higher. I’m already starting to plan my next trip back!

Total Investment: $697.00