Aruba gay clubs

Pastechi are a traditional Aruban breakfast or snack, and are crescent shaped, deep fried savoury pastry with a filling. It is also the spot where Aruba’s leatherback turtles come to nest and lay their eggs.

Conchi – The Natural Pool: The Natural Pool has become one of Aruba’s top attractions, and is a must visit for anyone exploring Arikok National Park.

$130 per person, which does include a food and beverage credit of $25 to be used at Papagayo Bar and Grill, or the Mangrove Beach Bar.

You can use this website here to check if any day passes are available.

Gay Hotels in Aruba

Being such an LGBTQ+ friendly island for tourists, you will be welcomed with open arms at pretty much any of the islands many properties.

I have included the below as gay-friendly hotels in Aruba, based on my personal experiences staying there and how comfortable and welcomed we felt.

Gay Friendly Hotels in Aruba

Courtyard by Marriott Aruba Resort

I spent my first four nights in Aruba at the beautiful Courtyard Aruba Resort, and what a welcome to the island!

Courtyard Aruba Resort is a gorgeous property, with the rooms and suites located in low-rise two-storey white-washed units built around two beautiful lagoon style pools – one complete with a swim-up bar.

The hotel is located in the heart of Palm Beach, walking distance to both the beach itself and also the Palm Beach Strip, with various shops, bars, casinos and restaurants.

For those who wish to go all out, @7 offers 2 VIP rooms. Fingers crossed!

Aruba also has anti-discrimination laws in place – both in employment, in the provision of goods, services, when it comes to LGBTQ+ persons serving in the military, as well as across other areas.

UPDATE July 2024: The High Council has announced same-sex marriage is now legal in both Aruba and Curacao!

Things to do in Aruba for Gay Travellers

One of the first things that struck me about Aruba was that, whilst the island is the epitome of the iconic white sand, blue sea, palm tree lined beaches that spring to mind when you picture the Caribbean and it would be so easy to laze on the beach all day – there is SO much to do on the island!

I spent 11 nights on the island, and had the perfect balance between taking part in activities and exploring, as well as relaxing and topping up my tan.

Explore Arikok National Park

The beautiful Arikok National Park in Aruba is located to the east of the island, and actually makes up around 20% of the island’s total land area.

The park is an ideal location for seeing Aruba’s varying landscapes and natural wonders.

Check rates and book! The hotel also provides a shuttle service to nearby Palm Beach, where there is a dedicated section with sun loungers and umbrellas for hotel guests.

There is also a 24-hour fitness gym onsite, which I made good use of everyday thanks to the jetlag causing me to wake at 5am!

Visiting is technically only available to guests of the Renaissance hotel, and so if you want to guarantee a chance to visit, the best way is to book an overnight stay at the hotel.

For a slower-paced evening, step into the Gin & Olive Garden, where we serve fine gins combined with unexpected flavors inspired by our herb garden. Not a beach for swimming due to the strong winds and current, but it is popular with windsurfers. It is quite a way from the entrance to Arikok, and so a vehicle is needed.

For more information, such as how to get to the park, or to book a guided hike visit their website here.

Scuba Diving

I am an avid scuba diver, and if I am visiting a destination known for its diving, I am absolutely going to do it!

Aruba has some incredible diving sites, and is the perfect location for both qualified experts as well as new divers.

The coral reefs and beds of seagrass are home to a diverse range of marine life – rays, eels, the invasive lionfish, and Aruba is home to four species of sea-turtles which I always love seeing!

Aruba is also well known for wreck-diving, and one of my dives was around one of the shipwrecks, where I was very lucky to spot a nesting octopus in one of the wreck’s former portholes!

We used Jads Dive Center for our two-tank dive, a PADI 5-star IDC resort.

Rum tasting at Pepe Margo Distillery

The Pepe Margo Distillery is Aruba’s first ever craft distillery, and is located in a fully restored traditional Aruban home in the historical district of downtown Aruba.

The name of the distillery comes from one of the former residents of the home, Catarina Margarita (Margo) Arends, who was nicknamed ‘Pepe Margo,’ (‘pepe’ meaning godmother in the Papiamento language) by the local community.

Pepe Margo Distillery offers distillery tours, where you will find them making rum, gin and more onsite at the historical house, as well as of course – tasting the spirits themselves!

You can read more about the history of the distillery and book your own tour via their website.

Address: Wilhelminastraat 46, Oranjestad, Aruba

Island Jeep Tour with Isla Aruba

My island jeep tour was one of my most enjoyable experiences on the island, and was the best way of experiencing just how diverse and beautiful the island of Aruba is.

Isla Aruba jeep tours are run by locals, who have extensive knowledge and first-hand experience of what Aruba has to offer for visitors – both the popular tourist attractions and off-the-beaten-track hidden gems.

The off-road safari jeeps were a really cool and unique way to travel around the island, and the perfect choice of vehicle for when I was travelling across the rugged landscape of Arikok National Park!

Isla Aruba offer a variety of tours, all of which are private, making sure you tick off the popular attractions, but also giving the option of a fully customised private tour which they can help with creating and customising for you.

Popular attractions that Isla Aruba take you to include:

• Gold Mill Ruins: Learn about the history of gold mining in the area, and explore the ruins of a historic former gold mill
• Arikok National Park – including the Natural Pool, Fontein Cave and Quadirikiri Cave
• Various beaches around the island – including the beautiful Baby Beach – more on Baby Beach below!

Check out more of their tour options here.

Wine tour at Alto Vista Winery

I love a wine tour and equally love drinking wine – so this was a perfect activity choice for me whilst on the island, and also something I actually was not expecting to find!

Alto Vista Winery is the first and only boutique winery on the island, and is an estate winery, meaning that the wines are produced with grapes grown on its own vineyard – quite an impressive feat considering the island’s desert climate!

The wine tour at Alto Vista is a bit different from the usual – instead of heading straight indoors to the production site and distillery, the tour starts by walking through the farm itself, including across the natural terrain of what the farm used to be before the vineyards were planted, and then through the vineyards themselves.

I then visited the distillery, where Alto Vista also produces rum, which I sampled, before finishing in the winery and the tasting room, which I was definitely ready for.