Oranjestad and other Aruba Things to Do Tips

Aruba's capital and largest city, Oranjestad offers plenty to do. Much of the seaside city revolves around cruise ships that port for the day, thus you will find numerous jewelry stores and marketplaces. There are also several nightclubs and some decent restuarants in this area. Traffic can be horrendous at certain times of the day but walking is the best way to get around. While downtown, check out the amazing Renaissance Resort Hotel. The Marina tower has an open-air atrium and the second floor includes a bar and the swimming pool overlooking L.G. Smith Blvd, the main drag. Inside the atrium, a boat dock plays host to boats that will take you out to the hotel's 40-acre private island, though you have to be a hotel guest in order to access this island. Across the street, past the yacht dock, and shopping center you'll find the other tower of the resort. Behind the resort you can take a peaceful walk through a beautiful landscaped pool area and connect into Queen Wilhelmina Park and possibly catch a glimpse of the islands famous large iguanas.

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Directions: Downtown Oranjestad

California Lighthouse is a beautiful structure perched high atop a hill on the islands far northwest side. Visitors used to be allowed to the top until a suicide caused it's closure. The lighthouse isn't active anymore and the lighthouse keeper's house has been converted into a restaurant. Views of the island are superb from the lighthouse, even without being able to climb to the top. Below to the south you can look out over Malmok Beach with it's relatively expensive housing and on down to the high-rise hotels rising in the distance. To the north are sand dunes leading down the rocky seas on the northern coast of the island. The lighthouse is on the extreme northwest tip of the island. Since roads outside cities are rarely marked, find a good map and a good navigator, or take one of the many island tours. The lighthouse isn't hard to find. It's only the only road leading north out of Malmok Beach.

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This small little chapel, perched on a hill and surrounded by cacti, is extremely picturesque. The winding road leading from the town of Noord north to the chapel is lined with crosses, signifiying the stations of the cross. The church is very small but still has an active congregation. It's not uncommon for visitors to find people praying inside the church or reciting the rosary. Please remember it's a church and be respectful.

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Directions: Along a winding road north of Noord

Somewhere between Noord and Santa Cruz, we stumbled across this interesting rock garden. There was just a sign along the road pointing to it and we almost missed it. The rock garden includes several interesting boulders scattered about the cactus garden. The best part is the view from the top of the largest formation. The stairs to the top can be hazardous and require the use of both hands at times, including a tight squeeze where you will have to duck to get through. From the top you can see much are the surrounding area with a great view of nearby Hooiberg, one of the tallest hills on the island. Just be warned the wind at the top of this rock formation is fierce so you will want to hold onto your hat! The gardens are open from 9am-5pm daily and are free.

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I must admit I had high hopes from this place. I love history and visiting ancient ruins. Unfortunately, Bushiribana isn't maintained or looked after and seems to a place local teenagers come to party. Broken beer bottles litter the ground around the ruins and graffiti covers almost every rock around the area. The smelter was built in 1872 and closed 10 years later, although there is nothing around to let you know that. If you didn't have a guidebook with you, you wouldn't even know what Bushiribana was. There isn't much on the inside either. Fortunately, most of the graffiti has been left on the outside of the ruins. One wall is crumbling and there is no roof, but you can still climb at least partway up the inside. Again, something to describe how the gold smelter worked would be nice. Stop here if you're an archeology buff or a major history buff. Otherwise, don't worry about missing it. Fortunately it's right on the road to the Natural Bridge, making it a quick side trip on the way to the Natural Bridge. The ruins can be seen from that road.

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