WHERE WE STAYED
We split our time between two hotels, The Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba and the (new!) St. Regis Aruba Resort. We spent four nights at the Renaissance and three nights at the St. Regis. Here’s a little bit more about both places we stayed!
The Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba has two locations super close to each other – the family-friendly, oceanfront hotel (where we stayed) and the adults-only hotel on the marina. Both hotels are located in downtown Oranjestad, Aruba’s capital city. It’s walkable to restaurants, casinos, shops, etc.
Some (personal) pros to the Renaissance:
- The absolute biggest pro was access to the hotel’s private island, Renaissance Island! More on that below!
- Daily activities for kids – the girls did a pizza-making class one day, but they also had other activities (crafts, coloring, face painting, nature hikes, s’mores, etc) on different days
- Good-sized rooms for families – our room had a separate bedroom, living room with pull-out sofa, kitchenette area (microwave, sink, etc), and balcony!
- Two awesome, large pools! And one pool had a little slide for kids which Lucy and Winnie went down approximately 13859 times.
- Food – I thought the food at the Renaissance Wind Creek was great! We had breakfast included with our stay so we ended up having breakfast there every day.
- Near the airport so a quick and easy drive to get there!
Some (personal) cons to the Renaissance:
- Given the hotel location, it was more of an ‘urban setting’ vs a secluded remote resort setting
- The hotel doesn’t have a dedicated beachfront on the property (outside of the private island!). The hotel is located near the marina. There is a little man-made beach cove area, but we opted to just go to the private island and drive to other beaches we wanted to visit to get our beach fix during this part of the trip!
- Given it was close to the airport, there was some noise (but it was mostly during the day and I didn’t find it invasive or annoying)
Okay, onto our second hotel. St. Regis Aruba Resort is located in the Noord area along Palm Beach. This seemed to be a ‘hotel strip’, where a majority of hotels are in Aruba (Marriotts, Hyatts, Hiltons, etc.). There were lots of restaurants and shops within a quick drive (or longer walk) distance from the hotel.
Some (personal) pros to the St. Regis:
- Stunning property! We had an incredible beach view from our balcony, the pools were amazing, and really nice beach area with chairs and umbrellas. The entire property was just high-end and beautiful.
- Food – there are several onsite restaurants and bars. We had breakfast included and ate there every morning – the food was delicious! We also ate dinner at
- The location was amazing! It was centrally located on Palm Beach with stunning beaches, clear and warm water, etc.
Some (personal) cons to the St. Regis:
- It is brand new, and they seem to have a few logistical things to work out! For example, we thought the kids club would be available, but it was still under construction. We were also told conflicting info from staff about a few different things. Not a huge deal, but something to be aware of!
- Pool situation – while the pools were gorgeous and nice, there were four adults-only pools and only one family-friendly pool. The girls loved the pool they could go in, but it would have been nice to be able to use the other (gorgeous) pools as well! There is also only one very small hot tub, which surprised us, especially given the size of the property and the number of guests/other pools.
- It also wasn’t a secluded, remote setting – but felt less urban than the Renaissance and more of a ‘traditional beach hotel’ setting (with hotels side-by-side, etc.)
- Higher price point than other hotels in Aruba
Honestly, we loved having a mix and variety of experiences between where we stayed! I’m really glad we stayed at both and enjoyed both locations for different reasons.
ACTIVITIES
RENAISSANCE ISLAND
The very best part of the Wind Creek Renaissance Hotel (and the reason we booked) was access to the hotel’s private island, Renaissance Island. Not only was the island property stunning, the water was beautiful and perfect for swimming with kids! And the most unique addition to the island that we were just tickled by… the flamingos! We ended up doing three different trips to the island and loved it every time.
The island has two beaches – Flamingo Beach (adults only) and Iguana Beach (family-friendly and where we hung out!). Flamingos wandered between both beaches. The island itself was really beautiful with clear, shallow water – making it easy and fun for the kids to swim!
The island has a restaurant and bar, restrooms, a small playground, nature trails, a spa area, and a cute gift shop. There is also a rental stand for kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, floats, etc. There are plenty of beach chairs and tables, and you could also rent cabanas. You can buy food to feed the flamingos (25 cents, we just exchanged dollars for coins at the bar) and getting to feed the flamingos and be so close to them was such a highlight.
In terms of getting to/from the island, it was super easy! There are small boats near the hotel that come every 15 minutes between 7 am – 7 pm. The boat ride only takes eight minutes! Sometimes the boat was full (but never packed/miserable) and other times, we were the only ones on it!
Depending on hotel occupancy, they do sell limited day passes to the island, but availability is not guaranteed! It looks like the day pass is $125/adult and $60/child over the age of five.
BABY BEACH
This was a highly recommended beach in Aruba and the first that we visited! It’s located in the southeast corner of the island and was about a 30 minute drive from our first hotel. It’s a family-friendly, shallow lagoon with clear, calm water – was perfect for kids! There are restaurants on either end of the beach, but we didn’t eat/visit either. Look at that water!!!
MANGEL HALTO BEACH
We had such a special day at Mangel Halto Beach! It’s a secluded beach that feels more like a local spot. The beach was surrounded by mangroves – which the girls loved climbing! The water was beautiful and we got to snorkel with the girls here and see some really cool fish! We found this shaded spot beneath the trees by a small beach entrance, and it was such a special little nook to hang out in when we weren’t in the water. Note: there are no restaurants/bathrooms at Mangel Halto, but there’s a little convenience store off the road near the parking lot if you need to pick up supplies.
BOCO CATALINA BEACH
We drove to Boco Catalina Beach on our last full day and I’m so glad we did! It’s a small, quiet beach on the northwest coast – about a 15-minute drive from the St. Regis / Palm Beach area. Again, the water was really clear and calm, but the vest part of this beach was the AMAZING snorkeling! We saw so many cool tropical fish, without having to swim super far out. It was amazing! The girls got to snorkel (with their regular goggles) and LOVED it. Heads up that there are no restaurants/bathrooms, etc. here.
BUTTERFLY FARM
The Butterfly Farm was such a sweet and special place! There were hundreds of butterflies in an enclosed tropical garden – it was incredible! There’s also a cute little cafe called Nectar connected to the Butterfly Farm where you can get snacks, smoothies, coffee, etc. When you buy tickets to the Butterfly Farm, you can come back anytime during your trip (up to 30 days). It was right across the street from our hotel, so we walked over on two different days!
PLACES TO EAT
When we go on beach trips, we aren’t usually focused on dining. We’re there for the warm weather and beach! We did get to eat at a few good spots on this trip, including:
- Flying Fishbone – a more upscale spot with really delicious seafood. A perfect place to watch the sunset!
- Lucy’s – casual spot near the marina! We walked here the first night and it hit the spot.
- Santos Coffee with Soul – there’s a few Santos locations on the island! We went one day for lunch and had coffee, acai bowls, and avocado toast.
- Zeerover – a food memory I’ll remember for a long time! We didn’t know the situation until we got there, but basically, you wait in a LONG line (worth it!) to order fresh fish by the kilo at the counter. You can order drinks and popsicles to enjoy while you wait. After you order, you come around to the back to find a table and your food is served in a huge laundry-style basket. This is a casual spot, but really unique and delicious, and a great sunset view!
- Eduardo’s Beach Shack – another casual dining option for lunch or an early dinner. Everything on the menu is fresh and healthy – acai bowls, smoothies, juice, salads, poke bowls, etc. We loved the food a lot!
Here are a few other restaurants I saved/heard about, but didn’t get a chance to go to: The Bread Basket, MYTHOS Greek Frozen Yogurt, Diana’s Pancake Place, Marina Pirata, Pelican Nest, The Coco Cafe Aruba, The Old Man, and The Sea (we tried to go – but it’s for ages 16+ only!), Faro Blanco, Dushi Delicious Breakfast Cafe, West Deck.
OUR ROUGH ITINERARY
Here’s a high-level look at how we spent our time in Aruba! This wasn’t planned before we got there, but we just made a plan each night for the next day!
Thursday: landed at the airport, unpacked and swam at the hotel, walked to Lucy’s for dinner
Friday: breakfast at the hotel, spent the morning at Renaissance Island, swam at the hotel pool in the afternoon, drove to Flying Fishbone for dinner
Saturday: breakfast at the hotel, drive to Baby Beach in the morning and hung out for ~2 hours, grocery store, pizza-making class and pool at the hotel in the early afternoon, Renaissance Island in the late afternoon/early evening, picnic/balcony dinner at the hotel
Sunday: breakfast at the hotel, drove to Mangel Halto beach (spent about 3-4 hours there), lunch at Santos Coffee with Soul, afternoon A/C downtime and then pool hangs, drove to Zeerover for dinner
Monday: breakfast at the hotel, spent the morning at Renaissance Island, packed up while E took the girls to the pool, drove to next hotel, swam at hotel and then walked to dinner nearby.
Tuesday: breakfast at the hotel, beach, and pool at the hotel, walk to the Butterfly Farm, more pool time, drove to Eduardo’s for an early dinner, watched the sunset from the beach
Wednesday: breakfast at the hotel, drive to Boca Catalina beach and hung out for ~2 hours, pool time, a quick visit to the butterfly farm, more pool time, ate dinner at the hotel
Thursday: breakfast at the hotel, packed up while E took the girls to the pool, drove to the airport!
A FEW THINGS WE PACKED…
Hooded Towel Ponchos are a must for beach vacations! The girls wore these to/from the beach and pool every day. They dry quickly and are super thick and plush.
The girls LOVE these diving gems! They come in a little treasure box and they seem to love these more than the standard diving rings (which we also have and brought on this trip). We also brought our own pool rings.
This collapsible sand toy set was used daily! It’s super easy and flat to pack in the suitcase, and perfect for beach days. It comes with lots of little pieces for sand play, but everything fits in the collapsible bucket for easy packing. It also comes with a water bag to easily clean it out.
I used the BAGGU Cloud Bag as my item on the plane to hold my stuff and as Daisy’s diaper bag. On the trip, it was a hybrid diaper bag/pool/beach bag! I love that these bags are waterproof and hold so much stuff. I use BAGGU pouches to keep stuff organized (one bag for Daisy, one bag for me, etc.)
Daisy used our Cosco Scenera Next travel car seat – we’ve had this for years and it’s lightweight (7 lbs), affordable, and can be used rear and forward facing up to 40 lbs. Lucy and Winnie used our Ride Safer Travel Vests for this trip! These are approved car seats and SO helpful for travel, so you don’t have to lug around a bulky car seat. We bought these a few years ago and have gotten our money’s worth!
OTHER INFO
Why Aruba? We narrowed down and picked Aruba after consulting ChatGPT and a few travel Facebook groups I’m in! We wanted to go out of the country, somewhere warm, and somewhere with a nonstop flight or one layover out of Nashville on only three specific airlines (Delta, United, Southwest). We had already been to a few destinations ChatGPT recommended at first (Turks & Caicos, Grand Cayman, Belize, and Mexico) so landed on Aruba, Puerto Rico, St Lucia, or Jamaica. From there, I posted in a few FB groups for recommendations and finalized Aruba. People seemed to love Aruba for the weather, safety, and clear and warm water. In terms of finding our hotels, we did some research and also posted in a Marriott Titanium FB group, looking for recommendations and that’s how we picked the two properties we did!
Rental Car: We like to have a rental car to have the flexibility of being able to bop around as we please. It was fairly affordable (~$300/week) to rent a car, and was easy compared to other islands like Turks & Caicos and Grand Cayman, where you drive on the left side of the street!
Groceries: We knew that food on the island would be expensive, so we ended up packing a lot of our own snacks – protein bars, fruit bars, pretzels, peanut butter, etc. Went to the grocery store twice to get snacks and supplies! We did a few picnic/balcony lunches with PB&Ks, nuts, cheese, crackers, olives, etc. A friend recommended Super Foods Plaza for grocery shopping and it’s the best spot!
Leaving Aruba: Give yourself PLENTY of time at the airport for your return flight. We were told by friends and read online that you should get to the airport 3 hours before your flight takes off. It took us about 75 minutes after dropping off the rental car to get through the airport and to our gate. That was WITH global entry. The line at U.S. passport control for those without global entry was super long and easily would add 30+ minutes, if not longer. We waited in so many lines and the entire experience was inefficient. Bag drop, passport check to get into a building, Aruba customs, Aruba security, baggage reclaim, US passport control, bag drop, and then finally US security. The plus side is that you don’t have to do customs when you get back to America, but this is definitely something to be aware of and plan for when you’re coming back home!