Bikini in hand, I travel to Aruba, the Dutch Caribbean’s most popular island, for its national sport: beach tennis. Purportedly invented in Aruba, this sweaty waterside game reigns as the arid island’s number one pastime. Fast paced, easy to learn, and surprisingly competitive, beach tennis draws legions of passionate players of all levels to Aruba. A marriage of beach volleyball with badminton, stirred with essences of classic tennis, beach tennis is played all over the island at waterside courts from Palm Beach to Eagle Beach. Players use paddles to volley a special decompressed ball over a net, trying their best to make sure it never hits the sand. But beach tennis isn’t the arid, 20-mile-long island’s only virtue. When not whacking a ball over a net, I explore the visual glories of its distinctive architecture — a vestige of the island’s rich culture and Dutch heritage. With gabled roofs, balconies, and period shutters, the buildings, many of them centuries-old, bring to mind the canal houses of Amsterdam. Kitted out in joyful Caribbean colors from pink to orange, they also reflect Aruba’s island vibe. Unmistakably purveying sense of place, these characteristic buildings envelop me in the destination in a way ordinary tiki huts and tropical accouterments never could.
Not just for paddle sport lovers or architecture buffs, however, Aruba also draws divers, honeymooners, families, and sun worshippers for its quintessential Caribbean virtues: bone-white beaches, gin-clear water, stellar hotels, and top-notch snorkeling and diving. Whether at one of Aruba’s vivacious all-inclusive hotels or luxurious five-star resorts, the island promises to mesmerize with its famous “Aruba Effect.”
Here’s where we like to stay and play.
The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba
A haven on the quieter end of sugary Palm Beach, Ritz-Carlton, Aruba takes pride of place as Aruba’s only luxury-branded resort. Steps from the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea, the retreat borrows from the island’s signature Dutch-meets-Aruban architectural forms to offer 320 glamorous rooms, including 55 suites. Dive into either of two swimming pools, take your chances at the buzzy casino, dine at any of five restaurants, check your kiddos into the resort’s innovative children’s programs, and be pampered in the 15,000-square-foot spa, complete with 13 treatment rooms.
Insider’s Tip: Sign up for the festive “Dinner on the Beach” experience, orchestrated by your able butler in collaboration with the chef. You’ll be wined and dined by the sea as the sun sets.
Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort
Sunbathe with pink flamingos on a private island ringed by idyllic beaches when you stay at Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort. An amenity of the five-star retreat, the island (exclusively for Renaissance guests), lies an 8-minute boat ride from your suite. Divided into two hotels — adult-only Renaissance Marina and beachfront Renaissance Ocean Suites — the chic hideaway offers an optional all-inclusive program that features a range of restaurants and bars including an acclaimed steakhouse. Celebrated for its vibrant nightlife, chic design, sleek spa, and two casinos, Renaissance attracts a cosmopolitan, fun-loving crowd.
Insider’s Tip: Though rooms are spacious and design savvy, you’ll want to glamp one night on Renaissance Island. By special arrangement, staff will kit out an island cabana for your overnight beachside pleasure.
Barceló Aruba
Perfect for families, as well as a favorite resort for destination weddings and bachelorette fetes, this all-inclusive wonderland occupies a premier spot on Palm Beach, bordered by crystal-clear, blueberry-hued waters. Rife with recreational options, the resort incorporates every element of holiday fantasy from a casino to a sushi bar, from a natural swimming pool and beachside watersports to a captivating kids club.
Insider’s Tip: Book the Royal Level, a hotel within a hotel, created to provide guests an elevated level of luxury and service, including its own check-in and concierge service. Among its various rooms types, the Royal Level Master Suite pampers with a living area, ample terrace replete with hot tub, and a large dining room.
The St. Regis Aruba Resort
Dapper John Jacob Astor IV opened the first St. Regis hotel in New York more than a century ago. The stately brand, renowned for its opulence, happy-hour sabering ritual, and signature bloody marys now has more than 50 distinguished hotels around the world, located both in cities and resort areas. When the The St. Regis Aruba Resort opens (fall 2024) on famed Palm Beach, it brings 251 new rooms, including 52 suites, to Aruba, upping the island’s luxury ante a thousand percent. On the magnificent property, private cabanas will edge infinity pools, the Iridium Spa will cosset wellness seekers, a 9,000-square-foot casino promises entertainment, and a rooftop restaurant will delight epicureans while embracing a view.
Insider’s Tip: Ever since the bloody mary was created by the head bartender in the King Cole Bar at St Regis New York, the brand has made it a hotel standard, with each St. Regis concocting its own version. Though not a classic tropical drink, the St Regis Aruba Resort will feature its own bloody mary — try it for brunch on the beach or at the luminous St Regis Aruba Bar.
Featured Image Courtesy of St. Regis Hotels and Resorts
