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Best beach for me?


emen822

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We are a family of four (me and my husband, two girls ages 14 and 12) who have never been to Aruba. We are looking for a powderly sand beach, no jetskis, parasailing ON the beach, (no vendors would also be a plus), chairs/umbrellas to rent, food/drinks/restrooms and it would be nice to take the bus there. About the bus, I have read that you should have exact change, but does that mean I have to have change in coins? Or should I just have $6 ready when we board the bus. Thanks in advance for your help.

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Powdery sand beaches- Eagle, Druif or Palm Beach

No jetskis- Druif or Palm Beach

Parasailing- Palm Beach

No vendors- very few if any on Eagle or Druif Beach

Chairs/umbrellas to rent- Palm Beach

Food/drinks/restrooms- Palm Beach

The bus the last I knew was $2.60 round trip and can get you to any of the above beaches.

Someone here on the forum has posted that you can rent chaises and palapas at the Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort. I have a friend who stays there twice a year for a total of 5 weeks and she tells me that they do not rent chaises and palapas.

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yup, that was me! i've been there a few times (the part of Eagle Beach across from the Amsterdam Resort) and you can rent chairs there for $5/chair...and if you get there early enough, you can sit under any of the palapas.

 

As for the bus, it was $2.30 for a round trip (or $1.30 one way) and it took us only 10-15 mins to get there.

The only actitivites at this area of the beach are jet skiis. There is a small bar, where they also have a large igloo cooler with cold water for free...

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I am thinking Palm or Eagle Beach. And just to clarify, I sent an email to Amsterdam Manor and received the following reply:

 

"Thank you for your e-mail,indeed you could use our beach chairs & umbrellas @ $5.



Arubus stop just at the hotel around trip will be $2.30.per person.



Looking forward to welcome you."




Thank you again for your help. I'm really looking forward to spending the day in Aruba. :D

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It is fabulous that cruisers have a beach option on Eagle Beach. If you do not require the watersports and other assorted activities, it is a beautiful spot. :)

 

We wanted to find a beach that didn't not have the whole parasailing/jetski's right AT the beach. Last year, we went to a beach in Mexico and I felt like the water was ruined by those boats running in and out all day. And I didn't like smelling the fumes! :)

 

Since it sounds like you absolutely LOVE Aruba, which would you pick? Eagle or Palm

 

We don't want any activities. We just want a beautiful beach to relax on with some food/drinks/restroom nearby.

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emen, you definitely want Eagle Beach. No watersports boats, but maybe a few small waves. Palm Beach the water is normally flat as a lake, but there are waterports boats.

 

Thank you again! You are so helpful. :D I have clicked on many of the links you have posted.

I emailed the Amsterdam Manor again to ask if there are restrooms we could use as well as restaurants on site. They said yes. And the bus stops there. This place sounds perfect.

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Which bus do we have to get on? And should we say we want to go to the Amsterdam Manor? Or Eagle Beach?

And does anyone know if we have to have exact change in coins or would dollars and change be ok? I saw on the Arubus site that you can buy a roundtrip ticket. Does anyone know where? TIA!

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We have booked Jolly Pirates for the a.m. and wanted beach time afterwards. We were planning on staying at the beach that the Jolly Pirates leave from, but was wondering if you think one of the beaches you mentioned in an earlier post might be better. Husband, two 19 yr. old girls and me. Some shade, perhaps a beach bar would be nice. A topless sunbather wouldn't be a problem, but I prefer to steer clear of mostly nude area of the beaches. Thanks!

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We have booked Jolly Pirates for the a.m. and wanted beach time afterwards. We were planning on staying at the beach that the Jolly Pirates leave from, but was wondering if you think one of the beaches you mentioned in an earlier post might be better. Husband, two 19 yr. old girls and me. Some shade, perhaps a beach bar would be nice. A topless sunbather wouldn't be a problem, but I prefer to steer clear of mostly nude area of the beaches. Thanks!

It is most convenient with the location to just hang out at MoomBa following your excursion. There is a restaurant, bar and restrooms. Chaise lounges as well, but not sure about shade. Otherwise, just a short walk down the beach there are vendors from which you can rent chaises and umbrellas. I am not sure it would be worth relocating all the way to Eagle Beach though if you are already going to be at Palm Beach.

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Which bus do we have to get on? And should we say we want to go to the Amsterdam Manor? Or Eagle Beach?

And does anyone know if we have to have exact change in coins or would dollars and change be ok? I saw on the Arubus site that you can buy a roundtrip ticket. Does anyone know where? TIA!

 

 

You get on Bus Line 10. You get a round trip ticket when you first step on the bus, just tell the bus driver what you need. The bus stop is just through the terminal when you get off the ship and across the street.

Eagle Beach is kind of long, so you do want to wait until you get the Amsterdam Hotel to get off, and it's kind of hard to miss...

Here's a pic of teh Hotel ... you can see the bench it drops you off at on the left in front of the hotel..then just cross the street and you're on the beach! :)

IMG_2379.jpg

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You get on Bus Line 10. You get a round trip ticket when you first step on the bus, just tell the bus driver what you need. The bus stop is just through the terminal when you get off the ship and across the street.

Eagle Beach is kind of long, so you do want to wait until you get the Amsterdam Hotel to get off, and it's kind of hard to miss...

Here's a pic of teh Hotel ... you can see the bench it drops you off at on the left in front of the hotel..then just cross the street and you're on the beach! :)

Very very helpful. Do I need all coins to pay for the bus? I would need to get 4 roundtrip tickets. And to get the bus going back, is the stop on the other side of the street? Are there any signs for the bus? (Sorry if these sound like dumb questions but I'm just trying to get a visual in my head) :D

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Thanks so much for the photo Amanda! I want to be there right now :(

 

Lisa, I read your report on the Tamarijn resort you stayed at recently. Do you know whether they make their facilities (chairs, restaurants, washrooms) available to daytrippers, or are they for the use of resort guests only?

 

Bonnie

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Very very helpful. Do I need all coins to pay for the bus? I would need to get 4 roundtrip tickets. And to get the bus going back, is the stop on the other side of the street? Are there any signs for the bus? (Sorry if these sound like dumb questions but I'm just trying to get a visual in my head) :D

 

No, you can use cash if you want, that's what we did (there were 6 of us). And yes, the bus stop to head back to the ship is just on the other side of the street (same side as the beach)...There's a covered stop there...it'll say "Arubus" all over it..can't miss it! =)

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For a family of four, wouldn't it be easier (and almost as cheap) to just take a taxi? I thought it was only about $10 from the docks to Eagle Beach?

 

Not really. $2.30 x 4 = $9.20 for the roundtrip as opposed to $10 each way, plus tip.

I'm not even sure I'm doing this. I just figured I would gather all the information I can in case we decide to do it. We might get there and become impatient and hop in a cab. I want to be as prepared as I can be. :D

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http://taxiaruba.com/new/farelist.html

Taxi from Oranjestad to AMBR $9 each way per ride/fare not per person. Additional $3 on Sundays.

 

The Tamarijn does not handle any cash, but sells "coupons" for food and beverages at their front desk, but no day passes. The AMBR is a much better option for the use of chaises and shade palapas.

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Amanda......Would you happen to have any pictures of the beach there at the Amsterdam Hotel? Is it called Amsterdam Hotel or Amsterdam Manor? We usually go to Palm Beach, but we really don't need all the water sports.....it's loud and the fumes and the boats are in the way of the beautiful view. So I was thinking of trying out Eagle next time around. Can we get food there?

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Amanda......Would you happen to have any pictures of the beach there at the Amsterdam Hotel? Is it called Amsterdam Hotel or Amsterdam Manor? We usually go to Palm Beach' date=' but we really don't need all the water sports.....it's loud and the fumes and the boats are in the way of the beautiful view. So I was thinking of trying out Eagle next time around. Can we get food there?[/quote']

 

Not Amanda ;) - but I might be able to help. The hotel is called the Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort. I emailed them to see if they had a restaurant and restrooms that we could use and they said yes. So I'm not sure if you could get something right *on* the beach. I would also love to see pictures of the beach if Amanda has them. ;) :D ;)

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Thanks' date=' [b']emen822[/b].......hopefully someone can answer those specific questions and has some pictures to share. I don't want to have to go into a restaurant......would rather eat at the beach.

I just emailed them and they said you could get food on the beach. Here is their email if you have any questions. They are very quick to reply.

frontdesk@amsterdammanor.aw

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