Travel advice & practical information for travelogue:

'Aruba, One Happy Island'

Useful addresses

New York

Consulate General of The Netherlands
1 Rockefeller Plaza
11th floor
New York, NY 10020-2094
1-877-388-2443 (phone)
212-333-3603 (fax)
www.cgny.org

London

Royal Netherlands Embassy
38 Hyde Park Gate
London SW7 5DP
tel.: 0044 (0)20 7590 3200
fax: 0044 (0)20 7225 0947
www.netherlands-embassy.org.uk/

Paris

Ambassade du Royaume des Pays-Bas à Paris
7-9 rue Eblé
75007 Paris
Tél.: 01.40.62.33.00
Fax: 01.40.62.34.56
E-mail: ambassade@amb-pays-bas.fr
www.amb-pays-bas.fr

Population

Arubans are friendly and culturally American oriented. Everyone speaks English, but a few words of Papiamento, the indiginous language, will open many door. For example: "Kon ta bai?" (How are you?) and "Bon Dia" (litt. "good day").

Electricity

Like in the USA, 110 Volt. An adapter plug may come in handy, depending on where you're from.

Food and drink

There are many different (small) restaurants on Aruba, from European to Chinese. But you have to taste a pastechi (patty) with chicken, a typical Aruban dish.

There ar incredibly sweet soft drinks, in flavors like Grape (purple), Cherry (red) and Pineapple (yellow). The Aruban beer is Balashi Beer. Tapwater is okay to drink.

Money

Aruba has its own currency, the Aruban Florin, but it is mainly used by the local population. Tourists usually pay in American dollars. Make sure that when you get change, it is in dollars. In casinos, especially in Oranjestad, changing foreign currency for dollars is advantageous.

There aren't that many ATMs, most are in the malls in Oranjestad. Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere.

If you know in advance which places you're going to visit, you can find out online if and where there are ATM's where you can use your MasterCard and Cirrus or Visa to withdraw money.

Climate

Tropical climate, lots of sun and a refreshing north-eastern tradewind.

Telephones

There is no collect calling on Aruba. Calling from your hotel room is very expensive. It's better to call from a call center, like Cetar in Oranjestad (near the main post office).

Transportation

In the western part of Aruba the main roads are paved. In the inland (kunuku) the roads are unpaved and it's probably better to rent a 4WD.

Arubus is the name of the public transportation system. There are regular bus services from the hotel zones to the bus terminal in Oranjestad. A single ticket is one dollar, a return ticket 2 dollars. In the bus terminal are also buses to Dakota, Savaneta, San Nicolas and other towns.

Taxis don't have meters but use fixed prices.

Plan your trip to Aruba online

Through online reservation systems like À la Carte Vacations you can book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars and holiday houses. You can build a fly-drive itinerary with maximum flexibility, book a flight plus a hotel hotel for a night or weekend. Without the limitations of package deals from travel organisations and most times for a much better price.