Eagle Beach, Palm Beach or Other??

[snowcat]

We were in Aruba last December and took the public bus to Palm Beach....worked great and was very reasonably priced!! We are going to be there again in November and are wondering if we should go back to Palm Beach or try a different beach. Is Eagle Beach the one the bus passes on the way to Palm Beach? Is there another beach area that anyone would recommend that would be easy to reach by bus? Our needs are very few....a place to lay a towel, maybe a chair and a bit of shade, a place to get a drink, snorkeling possibilities are a plus too. Any ideas? Thanks!

[aussiegirl]

Yes, Eagle Beach is the one that you pass before you get to Palm Beach. It is a nice beach, quieter than Palm Beach. We snorkeled there, but there wasn't that much to see.

The best beach for snorkeling is Baby Beach, but it's not easily accessible. You'd have to take a taxi there and probably arrange ahead of time for a pick-up because I don't recall there being taxis waiting there. (We were in a rental car.)

A good beach for snorkeling that's accessible by bus is Boca Catalina which is just beyond Palm Beach. There's coral there which attracts a nice variety of fish. However, I don't recall any amenities there like chairs, umbrellas or refreshments.

Your best bet for relaxation is either Palm Beach or Eagle Beach, but don't expect great snorkeling.

[snowcat]

Thanks! That will help us to plan!

[bubbachief]

Hi-- We went to Boca Catalina in April. Decent snorkeling, but no facilities, just sand and a little shade.

[DireMongoose]

We were in Aruba last December and took the public bus to Palm Beach....worked great and was very reasonably priced!! We are going to be there again in November and are wondering if we should go back to Palm Beach or try a different beach. Is Eagle Beach the one the bus passes on the way to Palm Beach? Is there another beach area that anyone would recommend that would be easy to reach by bus? Our needs are very few....a place to lay a towel, maybe a chair and a bit of shade, a place to get a drink, snorkeling possibilities are a plus too. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

We went to Eagle Beach last year; based on your needs, it's probably a great fit. We rented chairs for something like $5-6 bucks each near a nice little beach bar and had a great day of it. There's less stuff than Palm Beach, but a lot less crowd, too.

 

If you decide you want to head back to the ship sooner than a bus is available, we found it very easy to grab a taxi back, too.

 

I can't vouch for or against the snorkeling; we didn't do that at Eagle.

[snowcat]

Thanks for the replies! Is Boca Catalina on the public bus route? I think we are leaning toward Eagle Beach right now unless there is a beach with decent snorkeling on the bus route. I welcome input and ideas!

[Arubalisa]

Thanks for the replies! Is Boca Catalina on the public bus route? I think we are leaning toward Eagle Beach right now unless there is a beach with decent snorkeling on the bus route. I welcome input and ideas!

There is snorkeling at the northern end of the bus route. There is a nice beach at the end of the Bus route at Arashi Beach. This photo is taken as a close up and the beach is much larger than this photo.

click on thumbnail to enlarge

You can see a snorkel excursion boat in the photo below. It is anchored just off the south end of Arashi Beach. Out past those rocks (pictured middle far left), the dark shading you see in the water is coral.

 

click on thumbnail to enlarge

 

Catalina Cove is just to the south of here and is another great snorkeling spot as well, but no real beach to speak of and entry due to the rocks is difficult.

click on thumbnail to enlarge

 

Below is Boca Catalina. From here you would need to swim north to the reefs.

click on thumbnail to enlarge

If you are a decent swimmer, I would opt for Arashi and swim the bit south and out past the rocks.

 

http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=12.6063177&lon=-70.0526959&z=18&l=0&m=b In this link you will see the location of Boca Catalina and Catalina Cove. If you zoom out on this link just a bit you will see the northern location of Arashi

 

There are no facilities at Boca Catalina, Catalina Cove or Arashi. If you have to have facilities then Eagle or Palm Beaches would be your choice but there is no snorkeling at either, just plain white sandy bottom.

[topcop]

The last time we were in Aruba I think we went to Palm Beach. It was in the middle of some resorts/hotels. I found the chair and umbrella rental to be very expensive compared to other islands we visited, where is is about $5-10 at the most.

 

Would you recommend Eagle Beach? Another poster indicated chair and umbrella rentals were inexpensive.

 

We are arriving on a cruise ship at around 1 p.m. and will be in Aruba until 11. We just want to spend a few hours at the beach.

 

What does a taxi cost to Eagle Beach?

 

Thanks in advance for the info, because I know we'll get some good advice, particularly from Arubalisa.

[Arubalisa]

What does a taxi cost to Eagle Beach?

 

Thanks in advance for the info, because I know we'll get some good advice, particularly from Arubalisa.

A taxi would cost $10 each way between Oranjestad/the cruise ship terminal and Eagle Beach. At one time the Amsterdam Manor sold day passes which were essentially use of a shade palapa and chaise lounges. I am not sure if that is still the case. You could always try to contact them to find out.

[schmoopie17]

How far is the Butterfly Farm from Palm beach? Is it walking distance? On maps, it looks like it's almost across the street.

[Arubalisa]

How far is the Butterfly Farm from Palm beach? Is it walking distance? On maps, it looks like it's almost across the street.

This map is centered on its location across the street from the new towers of the Divi Phoenix.

http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=12.56358&lon=-70.050019&z=17&l=0&m=b&v=8

[schmoopie17]

Not only did you answer the question, you provided visual evidence. :)

Thanks!

[pynnkar]

Looking for help! We visited a beautiful beach while in Aruba - walked through town, across a bridge with a yacht club, down a few more streets and in front of a restaurant, there it was! Beautiful, clean, relatively quiet. There was a pier, with a rope swing that everyone was swinging into the water from. Does anyone know of this beach? and know the name of it?? Thanks!

[Arubalisa]

Looking for help! We visited a beautiful beach while in Aruba - walked through town, across a bridge with a yacht club, down a few more streets and in front of a restaurant, there it was! Beautiful, clean, relatively quiet. There was a pier, with a rope swing that everyone was swinging into the water from. Does anyone know of this beach? and know the name of it?? Thanks!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=25644036&postcount=7

[maxs mom]

When in Aruba, we much, much, much prefer Eagle Beach over Palm Beach. I do not like crowds. I just like to relax, read, and have someone bring me food and drinks! We've been to the Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort twice (most recently in late June). This place is perfect for my standards. Taxi takes about 8-10 minutes.....not expensive. We walked right on to the beach at 10 AM. They were just opening up the bar then. We paid the beach attendant for our chairs....I think it was $10 for 2. He said he would bring us anything we needed. It was great. Probably my favorite beach spot on any island.

Can't beat this location!

 

 

[TLHB70]

We are planning to go to Eagle Beach for our upcoming cruise. After reading information on a few threads, I have made notes to contact Amerstdam Manor before we leave about the availability of a day pass.

[MM42]

We rented chairs for something like $5-6 bucks each near a nice little beach bar and had a great day of it.

 

Do you remember the name of the place?

[Arubalisa]

It is the Amsterdam Manor.

[12Cruise]

Question: At Eagle Beach are there servers to bring food & drinks to us?

 

We love the look of the palapas posted above, do we need to be on a certain part of the beach to use those, or, are they up and down the beach?

 

Is it recommended to use only cash, or is a credit card ok?

 

Thnx!

[6rugrats]

Question: At Eagle Beach are there servers to bring food & drinks to us?

 

We love the look of the palapas posted above, do we need to be on a certain part of the beach to use those, or, are they up and down the beach?

 

Is it recommended to use only cash, or is a credit card ok?

 

Thnx!

You cannot just use palapas and chairs you see on the beach. They belong to the resorts and are for the use of guests only, and you will be asked to leave if you are poaching chairs (not saying you would do this).

 

The pictures of the palapas you like are those at the Amsterdam Manor. Sometimes they will sell day passes, if they aren't too full with their own guests. If not, you are free to use any beach, as they are all public, but you would not be able to use the palapas or chairs.

 

You can contact AM and ask:

 

http://www.amsterdammanor.com/index.html

[12Cruise]

You cannot just use palapas and chairs you see on the beach. They belong to the resorts and are for the use of guests only, and you will be asked to leave if you are poaching chairs (not saying you would do this).

 

The pictures of the palapas you like are those at the Amsterdam Manor. Sometimes they will sell day passes, if they aren't too full with their own guests. If not, you are free to use any beach, as they are all public, but you would not be able to use the palapas or chairs.

 

You can contact AM and ask:

 

http://www.amsterdammanor.com/index.html

 

6rugrats - Thanks for your reply. We want chairs & umbrellas/palapas that we pay for. Plus, I want a server bringing drinks and food to me.After all, we are on vacation. ;)

 

IF the Amsterdam Manor does not offer days passes any longer, where on Eagle Beach can we get the type of service I mention above?

 

Thanks again. :)

[Waiting for September]

6rugrats - Thanks for your reply. We want chairs & umbrellas/palapas that we pay for. Plus, I want a server bringing drinks and food to me.After all, we are on vacation. ;)

 

IF the Amsterdam Manor does not offer days passes any longer, where on Eagle Beach can we get the type of service I mention above?

 

Thanks again. :)

 

I am also interested in the answer to that. Max's Mom, did you have any problems just hanging out there?? I loved your review, BTW!

[schmoopie17]

We're torn between Palm beach and Eagle Beach...kind of leaning towards Eagle. The problem is, we plan to go to the Butterfly Farm before going to the beach. We know Palm Beach is right across the street, but how much hassle is it to go from the Butterfly Farm to Eagle beach...and is it even worth the bother? Maybe we should just walk over to Palm beach...:confused:

[cdnguy]

IF the Amsterdam Manor does not offer days passes any longer, where on Eagle Beach can we get the type of service I mention above?

We've been to Eagle Beach opposite the Amsterdam Manor twice now. In fact last time was last Feb.

We've never heard of day passes. Both times we took the local bus from the port and arrived at the beach early. Bus is a good deal. Under $5. for the two of us return.

At the beach there was always someone in charge of the chairs and palapas. We just picked our location and paid the attendant.

All these chairs are within 100' of the bar which serves anything you wish. Both times we were there we've never seen anyone actually bringing food and drink to your chair. Maybe they do.

[12Cruise]

Thnx cdnguy - do you know of any beach that we can go to where there are servers who take orders and bring drinks and food? :D