How Aruba Keeps Making Travelers “Happy” 

Those beaches. The kitesurfing. The art galleries. The chef’s tables. The boutique hotels. The happy. 

There’s a reason, after all, why Aruba is more popular than ever. Of course, if you come here, you know it’s not just one reason. 

Maybe it’s the food. The dining scene on the Dutch Caribbean island is more dynamic than ever: the local eateries in Oranjestad, the impressive number of chef’s table concepts that have popped up; the world-class restaurants like Lima. 

Maybe it’s the culture. Centered in the increasingly buzzing town of San Nicolas, the island has a vibrant art scene, rooted in Aruba’s history and people, and one of the region’s most popular art festivals, too. 

Or is it the capital? Oranjestad has become one of the Caribbean’s most colorful, walkable downtown areas, whether you’re shopping around the harbor, bar-hopping or downing Aruba’s first true rum.

Maybe it’s the hotels: from the spectacularly good Boardwalk Boutique Hotel to the celebrated Bucuti & Tara or the Instagram-worthy Aruba Ocean Villas, the destination has cultivated a unique, personality-filled collection of places to stay – with two major new ones, by St Regis and Iberostar, respectively, set to open their doors this year. 

Or is it the adventure? ATVing through the desert, windsurfing and kitesurfing on picture-perfect, shallow, calm but breezy coastlines; or glass-bottom kayaking through the mangroves. 

Maybe it’s just the island’s beach scene — home to one of the most beautiful collection of beaches in the Caribbean, from the wide white sands of Eagle to the shimmering turquoise of Malmok and the breezy waves of Boca Grandi. (And did we mention the beach bars?)

There’s everything here, in an easy, safe, fun package, a place that earnestly offers up a vacation for every kind of traveler, and not just lip service. 

If you ask the locals and the visitors, it’s the way the island makes you feel. They call it the “Aruba Effect.” You feel different when you’re here. You feel happier when you’re here. 

They call it One Happy Island for a reason, after all. 

And that’s as good a reason as any to come here. 

To learn more, visit Aruba. 

Watch more in the latest CJ Video.