Spa and Beach Vacation Guru

The beaches on Aruba are legendary: white sand, turquoise waters, and virtually no litter -- everyone takes the no tira sushi (no littering) signs very seriously, especially considering the island's $280 fine.

The western and southern shores of Aruba are called the Turquiose Coast. The major public beaches, which back up to the hotels along the southwestern and more tranquil strip of Aruba, are usually crowded. You can make the hour-long hike from the Holiday Inn to the Tamarijn without ever leaving sand. Make sure you're well protected from the sun -- it scorches fast despite the cooling trade winds. Luckily, there's at least one covered bar (and often an ice-cream stand) at virtually every hotel. On the island's northeastern side, stronger winds make the waters too choppy for swimming, but the vistas are great and the terrain is wonderful for exploring.

Arashi Beach

Just after Malmok Beach, this is a 1-km (½-mi) stretch of gleaming white sand. Although it was once rocky, nature, with a little help from humans, has turned it into an excellent place for sunbathing and swimming. Despite calm waters, the reputation for rockiness has kept most people away, making it relatively uncrowded.

Baby Beach

On the island's eastern tip (near the refinery), this semicircular beach borders a bay that's as placid and just about as shallow as a wading pool -- perfect for tots, shore divers, and terrible swimmers. Thatched shaded areas are good for cooling off. Down the road is the island's rather unusual pet cemetery. Stop by the nearby snack truck for burgers, hot dogs, beer, and soda. The road to this beach (and several others) is through San Nicholas and along the road toward Seroe Colorado. Just before reaching the beach, keep an eye out for a strange 300-foot natural sea wall made of coral and rock that was thrown up overnight when Hurricane Ivan swept by the island in 2004.

Boca Grandi

This is a great spot for windsurfers, but swimming is not advisable. It's near Seagrape Grove and the Aruba Golf Club toward the island's eastern tip.
Boca Prins. You need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to make the trek here. Near the Fontein Cave and Blue Lagoon, this beach is about as large as a Brazilian bikini, but with two rocky cliffs and tumultuously crashing waves, it's as romantic as you get in Aruba. Boca Prins is famous for its backdrop of enormous vanilla sand dunes. This isn't a swimming beach, however. Bring a picnic, a beach blanket, and sturdy sneakers, and descend the rocks that form steps to the water's edge.

Eagle Beach

On the southwestern coast, across the highway from what is quickly becoming known as Time-Share Lane, is one of the Caribbean's -- if not the world's -- best beaches. Not long ago it was a nearly deserted stretch of pristine sand dotted with the occasional thatched picnic hut. Now that the resorts are completed, this mile-plus-long beach is always hopping. Although other Caribbean beaches eroded after Hurricane Ivan in 2004, Eagle Beach actually became several feet wider.

Fisherman's Huts

Next to the Holiday Inn is a windsurfer's haven. Swimming conditions are good, too. Take a picnic lunch (tables are available) and watch the elegant purple, aqua, and orange sails struggle in the wind.

Grapefield Beach

To the southeast of San Nicolas, a sweep of blinding white sand in the shadow of cliffs and boulders is marked by a memorial shaped like an anchor dedicated to all seamen. Pick sea grapes in high season (January to June). Swim at your own risk; the waves here can be rough.

Malmok Beach

On the northwestern shore, this small, nondescript beach (where some of Aruba's wealthiest families have built tony residences) borders shallow waters that stretch 300 yards from shore. It's the perfect place to learn to windsurf. Right off the coast here is a favorite haunt for divers and snorkelers -- the wreck of the German ship Antilla, scuttled in 1940.

Manchebo Beach (Punta Brabo)

Impressively wide, the shoreline in front of the Manchebo Beach Resort is where officials turn a blind eye to the occasional topless sunbather.

Palm Beach

This stretch runs from the Wyndham Aruba Beach Resort & Casino to the Marriott Aruba Ocean Club. It's the center of Aruban tourism, offering good opportunities for swimming, sailing, and other water sports. The waters off this beach are remarkably blue and teeming with neon-yellow fish and flame-bright coral reefs. -Billowing rainbow-coloured sails complete the picture. Along Palm Beach, all the resorts are set in this otherwise arid landscape, but the gardens take on a special beauty especially when the island is so dry. As you stroll along the beach, you can wander garden after garden, watching the native bird life. The tropical mockingbird feeds on juicy local fruits, and the black-faced grassquit or the green-throated carib hover around the flowers and flowering shrubs.

Rodger Beach

Near Baby Beach on the island's eastern tip, this is a beautiful curving stretch of sand only slightly marred by its proximity to the oil refinery at the bay's far side. Swimming conditions are excellent here, as demonstrated by the local kids diving off the piers. The snack bar at the water's edge has beach equipment rentals and a shop. Local bands play Sunday nights from Easter through summer. Drive around the refinery perimeter to get here.