GETTING THERE
sand against the turquoise sea. Calm clear shallows for paddling give it its name, although swim out a little and there’s brightly coloured reef life and — if you’re luckier than me — sea turtles.
That’s just the first of many snorkelling opportunities. You can even stock up on reef-safe sunscreen on a visit to the Aruba Aloe factory; the oldest aloe company in the world, the plant features on the Aruban flag.
Not far from Spanish lagoon, where pirates used to hide after a spot of marauding, lies Mangel Halto. Lined with mangroves, you can kayak
TUI flies direct from Gatwick to Aruba between May and October from around £529 return. KLM also flies from UK airports including Manchester and London via Amsterdam, from around £500.
Rooms at the Hilton Aruba cost from around £221 per night. hiltonaruba.com
through the waves as well as exploring the reef or diving to a shallow wreck. According to tradition, there are five separate shades of blue to be see in the waters, which gave me the perfect excuse to sit on a clifftop bench high above the small coves and count them.
Further along the coast lies the heart of Aruba’s tourist areas, laid-back Eagle Beach with its lower rise hotels and Palm Beach, a sea of loungers, sightseeing boat tours, restaurants where you can eat with your feet in the sand, plus the island’s biggest hotels.
Checking into the Hilton, I felt we’d chosen well. Beautifully landscaped grounds with two pools lead to the beach and its three towers found a balance between great views from the balcony of our spacious eighth floor room without dominating the coast.
After breakfast at Laguna restaurant — champagne optional — watched from the tranquil pond by koi carp and an optimistic heron, we found fresh fish tacos at Gilligan’s Seafood Shack and wonderful salmon poke bowls at Mira Solo bar for lunch before miso glazed sea bass at Sunset Grille, watching the sun dip molten orange behind the palm trees.
Our days passed in relaxed Caribbean fashion, moving from lounger to pool to beach — you can rent cabanas and reserve the beach palapas as well as borrowing Kindles, board games
Tickets for De Palm Island cost from around £86 for half a day. A Baby Beach Safari day tour costs around £81. Book at depalmtours.com
and beach toys. With those temptations, my daughter turned down the chance to check into the kids’ club, whose activities ranged from jewellery making to scavenger hunts and water games. I followed her example, breaking out my own book instead of trying the resort activities, from paddle boarding and yoga to bike tours.
But I couldn’t resist the lure of more snorkelling, heading to De Palm Island to discover the reefs there. The small private island is a five-minute boat ride from the quay near Oranjestad. Along with a buffet, grill and all-inclusive drinks — although only limited vegetarian food — there’s a small waterpark and activities for adults, including a zip wire and banana boats, older kidswith Snuba and a SeaTrek underwater helmet walk for age eight plus.
And off the island, among with the Caribbean’s more familiar reef life, blue parrotfish glide through the waves. A final splash of deep electric blue to discover on fascinating Aruba.