Aruba vacation

美国东岸有不少直飞阿鲁巴的航班。入境阿鲁巴需要提前申请 ED Card 绿码，费用为 $20/人，8 岁以下免费。申请时间为入境前 7 天内，虽然不需要打印，但必须保留确认邮件。返回美国时，阿鲁巴机场设有 美国海关预检，需要比平时更早到机场。

申请网址：https://edcardaruba.aw/welcome

出机场后对面就是租车公司。我们租到的车比较旧，连后视功能都没有，但租车费用却非常高，油价也比美国贵一倍以上。好在阿鲁巴岛不大，没有红绿灯，主要靠双车道环岛来分流交通。

我们入住 Pearl Aruba Condos Hotel，离 Eagle Beach 很近，步行 5 分钟以内。酒店提供毛巾、沙滩椅，有泳池、热水池和酒吧，房间内配有厨房，可以自己做饭。

交通方面，除了公共巴士（$2.6/人）外，还有许多私人小巴在固定线路上频繁运行（$2.5/人）。出租车不便宜，需要通过酒店叫车。如果结伴出行，可以参加一日游团，能覆盖不少主要景点；也有全地形越野车团，可以前往普通车辆无法抵达的区域。

安全方面，网上普遍说阿鲁巴很安全，但我们在 Eagle Beach 目睹了一场持械群体冲突。虽然有人劝阻避免了打斗，但事后仍有两辆警车赶到。

Eagle Beach 最北端有著名的 Fofoti Tree，是热门打卡点。

Palm Beach 则是大型酒店区，夜生活丰富，商店营业到午夜。沙滩略有贝壳，没有 Eagle Beach 那么细软。

阿鲁巴风很大，海浪卷着沙子，站在海边头发都会沾上沙。海水颜色非常漂亮，但清澈度不如想象。水上活动很多，包括浮潜、Jet Ski、滑水、潜艇等。

Arashi Beach 被说适合浮潜，但实际上只有靠近岩石、没有沙滩的边缘区域或许适合。

California Lighthouse 我们去的时候在检修无法登顶，附近有餐馆，整体不算特别惊艳。

岛上有不少华人超市，其中 Super Food Plaza 很大，购买食物方便。

Aruba Aloe Factory Museum and Store 提供免费的讲解与试用，但产品价格偏高。

Philip’s Animal Garden 是个不错的景点，门票包含喂动物的食物。园内动物种类不少，有成群的羊、乌龟、散养的孔雀和猪，还有阿鲁巴特色的驴子。

Casibari Rock Formations 也值得一去，山不高但能看到不错的全景。如果时间充裕，可以挑战 Hooiberg Mountain Trail。

Flamingo Beach 若不是酒店住客，需要提前预约名额，而且不太适合儿童。

De Palm Island 是更好的替代选择，提供无限量酒水与食物，有水上活动、香蕉船、无限时浮潜（鱼非常多），海底漫步需另付费。岛上还有 VIP 区，可以近距离接触火烈鸟，并提供酒店接送。

阿鲁巴有潜水艇和半潜艇体验，确实能看到海底景色，但右侧座位能看到的鱼明显更多，左侧相对较少。

网上说阿鲁巴几乎不下雨，我们前几天确实只有清晨短暂小雨，但最后一天白天遇到几次阵雨，好在雨后很快就晒干。

阿鲁巴的餐饮价格偏贵。理论上可以不给小费，但账单上通常会给出 15% 以上 的小费选项。

There are several nonstop flights from the U.S. East Coast to Aruba. To enter Aruba, you must complete the ED Card (green code) before arrival. It costs $20 per person, and children under 8 are free. You don’t need to print it, but you must keep the confirmation email. The application must be submitted within 7 days before arrival.

When returning to the U.S., Aruba Airport has U.S. Customs Pre‑clearance, so you need to arrive earlier than usual.

ED Card link: https://edcardaruba.aw/welcome

Right across from the airport are the car rental companies. We rented a car, but it turned out to be very old, no rear‑view camera and quite worn, yet the rental price was high, and gas was almost double the U.S. price. Fortunately, the island is small, and there are no traffic lights; traffic is managed through two‑lane roundabouts.

We stayed at Pearl Aruba Condos Hotel, which is less than a 5‑minute walk to Eagle Beach. The hotel provides towels and beach chairs, and has a swimming pool, hot tubs, and a bar. The rooms include a kitchen, so you can cook your own meals.

For transportation, besides the public bus ($2.60 per person), there are many private minibuses running frequently along the main routes ($2.50 per person). Taxis are expensive and must be arranged through the hotel. If you’re traveling in a group, there are day tours that cover many major attractions. Off‑road tours are also available to reach areas accessible only by ATV vehicles.

Regarding safety, online sources say Aruba is very safe, but we actually witnessed an group confrontation on Eagle Beach. Someone stepped in to stop the fight, so it didn’t escalate, but two police cars arrived afterward.

At the northern end of Eagle Beach is the famous Fofoti Tree, a popular photo spot.

Palm Beach is the main hotel zone with lively nightlife; shops stay open until midnight. The sand has some shells and isn’t as soft as Eagle Beach.

Aruba is very windy, and the waves are strong. The waves carry sand, so your hair will get sandy near the water. The water color is beautiful, but the clarity isn’t as perfect as expected. There are many water activities including snorkeling, jet ski, water skiing, submarine tours, etc.

Arashi Beach is said to be good for snorkeling, but in reality only the rocky edges (without sandy beach) may be suitable.

California Lighthouse was under maintenance when we visited, so we couldn’t go up. There’s a restaurant nearby, but overall it wasn’t particularly impressive.

There are many Chinese supermarkets on the island, and Super Food Plaza is quite large and convenient.

Aruba Aloe Factory Museum and Store offers a free tour and product testing, but the products are a bit pricey.

Philip’s Animal Garden is a nice place to visit. The ticket includes food for feeding the animals. There are many species like herds of goats, tur

tles, free‑roaming peacocks and pigs, and Aruba’s signature donkeys.

Casibari Rock Formations are worth a stop. The hill isn’t high, but you get a good panoramic view. If you have more time, you can hike the Hooiberg Mountain Trail.

Flamingo Beach requires reservations if you’re not a hotel guest, and it’s not very kid‑friendly.

De Palm Island is a great alternative. It includes unlimited drinks and food, water activities, banana boat rides, and unlimited snorkeling (lots of fish). Sea Trek (underwater helmet walk) costs extra. There’s also a VIP area where you can interact with flamingos. Hotel pickup is available.

Aruba offers submarine and semi‑submarine tours. You can see marine life, but the right side of the vessel has far more fish than the left side.

People say Aruba rarely rains. For the first few days, we only had light showers early in the morning, but on the last day we encountered several daytime rain showers. Luckily, everything dried quickly afterward.

Food in Aruba is quite expensive. In theory, tipping is optional, but restaurants usually present tip options starting at 15%.

Please cited 78dx.com