SHY City Guide ~ Aruba!!
Hi everyone!!
Welcome back to another Shy World city guide continuing my 2025 travels now with a magical trip over to the caribbean! I was so lucky enough to visit my best friend Deet in Vancouver May, and now Aruba with Jen and Lina who are my best friends from university! Deet, Jen and Lina are some of my favourite people in the world and i’m eternally blessed to call them best friends. So Aruba was our ten year friendship anniversary trip with each other and lemme just say the most amazing time channeling our island girls or mermaids.
Aruba is a small caribbean island near venezuela actually colonized by netherlands so lotta dutch influence filled with the most crystal clear turquoise beaches, an incredible national park with deserts and wildlife and the best snorkelling and natural ocean pools. Highly rec renting a 4x4 car to drive all across the island and explore every corner because aruba is small and 4-5 nights is honestly the perfect amount to go explore it.
Our recs:
1. arashi beach a favourite esp for sunset pics
2. the white lotus hotel in noord was amazing
3. a suzuki jimmy is such a fun car rental
4. beach hop a lot: eagle, palm, baby, arahshi, tres trapi, boca catalina
5. desert trails by the lighthouse are so sick
6. mythos froyo was pricey but hit the spot
7. tres trapi to go swim with the sea turtles
8. peace labrinth at alto chapel actually healed everything
9. farmers market on saturdays to support local businesses
10. alto chapel for a vintage italien little church
11. aloe farm was cool worth a road trip stop
12. mangel halto had the coolest lagoon turquoise waters
13. zeerovers fresh fish shrimp where the locals eat 12/10
14. eduordo’s had some bussin açai bowls (loved pipeline)
15. whilhelmina’s restaurant in oranjestead for an amazing dinner
16. arikok national park mandatory hike to conchi natural pool
17. so many perfect animals all across the island
18. baby beach was my top 1 beach ever (swam with sea turtles)
19. bbq express was honestly the best caribbean meal
20. apotek bar with the gnarliest drinks combos ever (iconic)
Our highlights:
thursday <3
sunset swim eagle beach literally just in time
grocery shopping at superfood and seing ginormous papaya
loved finishing reading normal people on the plane
friday <3
arashi beach north shore plus our dutch sandwiches
mythos froyo which was so pricey but delicious and our friendship bracelets/anklets
sunset from our place was literally so ferocious
saturday <3
mangel halto followed by zeerovers catch of the day
peace labyrinth at alto chapel was so healing
farmers market to support local businesses and products
sunday <3
spotting our first sea turtle (we named him caesar) at tres trapi
getting bussin açai bowls at this beach shack
our “fancy night” dinner at wilhelmina’s was superb
monday <3
10.5km hike to conchi natural pool was unreal
baby beach and swimming along side sea turtles
facing fears and jumping off rock into ocean
love,
mermaids