Spa and Beach Vacation Guru

Birding

Next to The Mill Resort and the Wyndham in the High-Rise area, the Bubali Bird Sanctuary attracts more than 80 ornithological species to its nutrient-rich ponds and wetlands. How many brown pelicans, black olivaceous cormorants, herons, and egrets can you spot? Farther afield, Arikok National Park features several diverse ecosystems in a compact area.

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Birds here include hummingbirds (common emerald and ruby-topaz), rufous-collared sparrows, tropical mockingbirds, ospreys, yellow orioles, American kestrels, black-faced grassquits, yellow warblers, Caribbean parakeets, long-tongued bats, common ground doves, troupials, crested caracaras, and Aruban burrowing owls. Captive birds can be depressing, but the Wyndham, Radisson, Hyatt, and Renaissance offer close encounters with a variety of showy tropical species like toucans, cockatoos, and macaws.

Biking

Pedal pushing is a great way to get around the island; the climate is perfect, and the trade winds help to keep you cool. Melchor Cycle rental (Bubali 106B, Noord, Aruba. Phone: 297/587-1787) rents ATVs and bikes. Rancho Notorious (Boroncana, Noord, Aruba. Phone: 297/586-0508, www.ranchonotorious.com) organizes mountain-biking tours.

Fishing

Local fishermen use simple hand lines (fishing line, hooks, and lead weights) to bring up red snapper and dolphin fish. Most activity takes place along the southwest coast, although some anglers occasionally venture to the north coast, where the rough seas trap fish in small pools carved out of the limestone bluffs. To try your hand at deep-sea fishing, charter one of the many skippered boats. Deep-sea catches here include barracuda, kingfish, wahoo, bonito, and black-and-yellow tuna. November to April is the catch-and-release season for sailfish and marlin. Many skippered charter boats are available for half- or full-day sails. Packages include tackle, bait, and refreshments. Prices range from $220 to $320 for a half-day charter and from $400 to $600 for a full day.

Pelican Tours & Watersports (Pelican Pier, near the Holiday Inn and Playa Linda hotels, Palm Beach, Aruba. Phone: 297/586-3271, www.pelican-aruba.com) is not just for the surf-and-snorkel crowd; the company will help you catch trophy-size fish. Red Sail Sports (J. E. Irausquin Blvd. 83, Oranjestad, Aruba. Phone: 297/586-1603; 877/733-7245 in U.S., www.aruba-redsail.com) can arrange everything for your fishing trip. Captain Kenny of Teaser Charters (St. Vincentweg 5, Oranjestad, Aruba. Phone: 297/582-5088, www.teasercharters.com) runs a thrilling expedition. The expertise of the crew is matched by a commitment to sensible fishing practices, making this an excellent as well as enjoyable choice. The company's two boats are fully equipped, and the crew seem to have an uncanny ability to locate the best fishing spots.

Hiking

The sun is hot, and the scant foliage offers little respite, but if you bring water and a wide-brimmed hat, traversing Aruba's hills and coastline is worth the effort. Arikok National Park has the best trails. Climb the island's highest hills, explore abandoned gold mines, poke around plantation ruins, trek through caves, and comb limestone cliffs for coral and small-animal bones (leave everything where you found it, please). The network of trails is clearly marked. Hiking boots are nice, but sneakers will do

Horseback Riding

Aruba's coastline and outback are just as dramatic when viewed from the saddle. Several ranches offer early morning and midday excursions, or you can ride off into the sunset. As you wend your way through cacti and random boulders in the outback, watch for iguanas and skittish cottontails. Stop at Alto Vista Chapel and California Lighthouse, then ride along the shore. Or start at the crashing waves and sand dunes of the northern coast before heading for the Natural Pool. Keep your eyes open for bickering parakeets and hovering hummingbirds. That ominous bird circling over your head? Not to worry: It only looks like a vulture. Ask if you can stop off at Cura di Tortuga, a natural pool that's reputed to have restorative powers. Rides are also possible in the Arikok National Park. Rates run from $25 for an hour-long trip to $65 for a three-hour tour. Private rides cost slightly more.

Rancho Daimari (Tanki Leendert 249, San Nicholas, Aruba. Phone: 297/587-5674, www.visitaruba.com/ranchodaimari) will lead your horse to water -- either at Natural Bridge or Natural Pool -- in the morning or afternoon for $55 per person. The "Junior Dudes" program is tailored for young riders. Rancho Notorious (Boroncana, Noord, Aruba. Phone: 297/586-0508, www.ranchonotorious.com) will take you on a tour of the countryside for $50, to the beach to snorkel for $55, or on a three-hour ride up to the California Lighthouse for $65. The company also organizes mountain-biking trips.

Kayaking

The leeward (south) coast's calm waters are excellent for kayaking. Starting near the old fishing village of Savaneta, guided tours hug the coastal mangrove forests before crossing a lagoon to a small island, where you can have a bite to eat and snorkel.

Aruba Kayak Adventure (Ponton 90, Oranjestad, Aruba. Phone: 297/587-7722, www.arubawavedancer.com/arubakayak) has excellent half-day kayak trips, which start with a quick lesson before you begin paddling through caves and mangroves, and along the scenic coastline. The tour makes a lunch stop at De Palm Island, where snorkeling is included as part of the $77 package.

Parasailing

Aruba looks even better from 180m (600 ft.) in the air. Flight time is only 12 or 15 minutes, but secure in your boat-towed parachute, you're on top of the world. Several watersports centers along Palm Beach will be happy to put wind in your sails. Take a disposable waterproof camera along to show your friends back home that you've been there, done that.

Sailing

Sailing adventures are available day and night. Some include watersports, others feature dinner. For night owls, dance-and-booze cruises include a midnight dip in the sea. If you have something special to celebrate, charter a private yacht. Catamarans, trimarans, and ketches are available. The calm waters along the southern coast are also ideal for extra-buoyant individual sailboats like Sunfish and Minifish.
If you try a cruise around the island, know that the choppy waters are stirred up by trade winds and that catamarans are much smoother than single-hull boats. Sucking on a peppermint or lemon candy may help a queasy stomach; avoid boating with an empty or overly full stomach. Moonlight cruises cost about $25 per person. There are also a variety of snorkeling, dinner and dancing, and sunset party cruises to choose from, priced from $25 to $60 per person. Many of the smaller operators work out of their homes; they often offer to pick you up (and drop you off) at your hotel or meet you at a particular hotel pier.

Octopus Sailing Cruises (Sali-a Cerca 1G, Oranjestad, Aruba. Phone: 297/583-3081, www.octopus-aruba.com) operates a trimaran that holds about 20 people at a time. The drinks flow freely during the three-hour afternoon sail that costs $25. Having a captain named Jethro is almost worth the price of admission by itself.

Red Sail Sports (J. E. Irausquin Blvd. 83, Oranjestad, Aruba. Phone: 297/586-1603; 877/733-7245 in U.S., www.aruba-redsail.com) offers a number of sail packages aboard its four catamarans, including the 70-foot Rumba. The popular Sunset Sail includes drinks and a lively atmosphere for $35 per person. The dinner cruise package includes a three-course meal and open bar for $85. There are also locations at the Hyatt and Allegro.

Tranquilo Charters Aruba (Sibelius St. 25, Oranjestad, Aruba. Phone: 297/586-1418, www.visitaruba.com/tranquilo), operated by Captain Hagedoorn, offers entertaining cruises including a six-hour cruise to the south side of the island with lunch for $65. As strange as it sounds, the special "mom's Dutch pea soup" served with lunch is actually very good. Snorkeling equipment and free lessons are included in the package.

Wave Dancer Cruises (Ponton 90, Oranjestad, Aruba. Phone: 297/582-5520, www.arubawavedancer.com), in business since the mid-1980s, offers excellent value for the money. Sunset sails are $25 including drinks and snacks, and half-day sails are $50 including snacks, lunch, and drinks. Snorkeling packages are also available.

Jet Skiing

Harleys of the sea -- just as fast, just as noisy. Put on your black leather swimming trunks and head for Palm Beach, where several vendors have one- and two-seaters.

Scuba Diving

Aruba offers enough coral reefs, marine life, and wreck diving to keep most wetsuit-wearing folks happy. The water temperature averages 80°F (27°C), but during winter it can dip into the mid-70s. Due to currents and plankton, visibility varies, but at the leeward dive sites it usually ranges from 18m to 36m (60 ft.-120 ft.). The bountiful plankton nourishes a dense coral population, especially brain, sheet, finger, and mountainous star coral. Freshwater runoff is minimal. Sunken airplane fuselages and shipwrecks (including the largest in the Caribbean) are among the most popular destinations. In addition to snappers, grunts, angelfish, damselfish, and parrotfish, divers regularly spot less common species like frogfish, seahorses, nudibranchs, black crinoids, basket stars, scorpionfish, and eels. Barracudas, tarpons, and jacks also call Aruba's waters home.

For the more seasoned diving crowd, check with Aruba Pro Dive (Ponton 88, Noord, Aruba. PHONE: 297/582-5520, www.arubaprodive.com) for special deals. Dax Divers (Kibaima 7, Santa Cruz, Aruba. Phone: 297/585-1270) has an instructor-training course. Some dives are less expensive, at $40 for 40 minutes with one tank and weights.

De Palm Tours (L. G. Smith Blvd. 142, Oranjestad, Aruba. Phone: 297/582-4400 or 800/766-6016, www.depalm.com) is one of the best options for your undersea experience, and the options go beyond basic diving. You can don a helmet and walk along the ocean floor near De Palm Island, home of huge blue parrot fish. You can even do snuba -- which is like scuba diving but without the heavy air tanks -- either from a boat or from an island; it costs $55.

Dive Aruba (Williamstraat 8, Oranjestad, Aruba. Phone: 297/582-4554, www.divearuba.com) offers resort courses, certification courses, and trips to interesting shipwrecks.

Mermaid Sport Divers (Manchebo Beach Resort, J. E. Irausquin Blvd. 55A, Eagle Beach, Aruba. Phone: 297/587-4103, www.scubadivers-aruba.com) has dive packages with PADI-certified instructors.

Native Divers Aruba (Koyari 1, Noord, Aruba. Phone: 297/586-4763, www.nativedivers.com) offers all types of dives. Underwater naturalist courses are taught by PADI-certified instructors.

Pelican Tours & Watersports (Pelican Pier, near the Holiday Inn and Playa Linda hotels, Palm Beach, Aruba. Phone: 297/586-3271, www.pelican-aruba.com) has options for divers of all levels. Novices start with mid-morning classes and then move to the pool to practice what they've learned; by afternoon they put their new skills to use at a shipwreck off the coast.

Red Sail Sports (J. E. Irausquin Blvd. 83, Oranjestad, Aruba. Phone: 297/586-1603; 877/733-7245 in U.S., www.aruba-redsail.com) has courses for children and others new to scuba diving. An introductory class costs about $80.

Snorkeling

Spa-Beach-Vacation.com is the resource and guide for planning your spa and beach vacation. Through our spa resort reviews, beach destinations information, island resort reviews and beach resorts reviews, you will be able to plan your spa and beach vacation knowing that the reviews provided here are experienced first hand by our writers.

Good visibility, several shallow reefs, and a couple of wrecks give snorkelers an array of options. All sites are on the southern, or leeward, coast. Slightly north of Palm Beach, Catalina Bay and Arashi Reef feature brain and star coral, sea fans, parrotfish, angelfish, and an occasional octopus; the 400-foot Antilla shipwreck is impossible to miss. East of Oranjestad and off the shore of Renaissance Island, a Beechcraft airplane rests in 4.5m to 6m (15 ft.-20 ft.) of water among a host of soft coral.

De Palm Slope, off De Palm Island, features magnificent coral as well. At Aruba's eastern tip, Baby Beach Reef boasts large elkhorn and sheet coral formations inhabited by crabs, octopuses, and lobsters.

Underwater Touring

Who says you have to be a certified scuba diver to experience life at the bottom of the sea? Board a submarine and descend 45m (150 ft.) to observe coral, shipwrecks, and some very curious fish. If you'd rather not have your vessel submerge completely, hop on a glass-bottom boat. The viewing deck is only 1.5m (5 ft.) below the surface, but a scuttled German freighter, encrusted with coral and teeming with other marine life, is just feet away. The sub leaves from a pier in front of the Crystal Casino in Oranjestad; the glass-bottom boat departs from Pelican Pier on Palm Beach.

Windsurfing

Aruba's high-wind season is the longest in the Caribbean. Wind speeds are best in May, June, and July, when they average 20 to 25 knots. From December through April, they slow to 15 to 20 knots, and from September through November they range from 10 to 20 knots. Most launches are on the leeward side of the island, near the hotels and major beaches. The most popular site is off the northwest tip of the island on Malmok Beach, an area known as Fishermen's Huts. Near San Nicolas, Rodgers Beach, and Boca Grandi are alternatives to the hotel area.

Golf

The Aruba Golf Club (Golfweg 82, San Nicolas, Aruba. Phone: 297/584-2006) has a 9-hole course with 20 sand traps and five water traps, roaming goats, and lots of cacti. There are also 11 greens covered with artificial turf, making 18-hole tournaments a possibility. The clubhouse has a bar and locker rooms. Greens fees are $10 for 9 holes, $15 for 18 holes. Golf carts are available. Aruba-bound golfers can rejoice, because The Links at Divi Aruba (J. E. Irasquin Blvd. 93, Oranjestad, Aruba. Phone: 297/581-4653), a 9-hole course designed by Karl Litten and Lorie Viola, opened in 2004. The par-36 course on paspalum grass (best for seaside courses) takes you past beautiful lagoons. Amenities include a golf school with professional instruction, a swing analysis station, a driving range, and a two-story golf clubhouse with a pro shop. Two restaurants serving contemporary American cuisine with Caribbean accents are par for the course. Greens fees are $70 for 9 holes, $105 for 18 (high season); guests of the Divi Villlage Golf & Beach Resort pay a reduced rate. Tierra del Sol (Malmokweg, Aruba. Phone: 297/586-0978), a stunning course and one of the Caribbean's best golf courses, is on the northwest coast near the California Lighthouse. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., this 18-hole championship course combines Aruba's native beauty -- cacti and rock formations -- with the lush greens of the world's best courses. The $145 greens fee includes a golf cart equipped with a communications system that allows you to order drinks for your return to the clubhouse. Half-day golf clinics (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday), a bargain at $45, include lunch in the clubhouse. The pro shop is one of the Caribbean's most elegant, with an extremely attentive staff.