A bucket of Brights, a few chairs and the perfect beach afternoon. At Aruba’s Surfside Beach Bar, the formula is simple and flawless. 

If you’ve been to the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba, you know the island does not lack for terrific beach bars and lounges, whether the Flintstones-inspired Big Mama Grill on Baby Beach or the beloved Arashi Beach Shack. 

But you may not know about Surfside, the lovely, friendly little beach bar just south of downtown Oranjestad on a stunning stretch of sand looking out on the harbor and the northern edge of Renaissance Island. 

Despite its endlessly convenient location, Surfsde never really feels crowded; you can rent chairs and umbrellas for the whole day (the sunsets are worth staying for), making it feel like you’ve happened upon your own little beach club.

It’t not uncommon to see a bucket of the island’s beloved Amstel Bright beer on just about every table, but the drink menu is far more than that — a nice selection of wines, sparkling and otherwise, and great cocktails like mojitos, caipirinhas and frozen daiquiris (the latter a must on hotter days). 

The food is great, too: focaccias, fish tacos, fish and chips, delicious bitterballen (if you haven’t tried the ultimate Dutch bar snack, it’s high time to do so) and a full menu of wood-fired pizzas to boot. 

The beach juts up against the edge of Aruba’s Queen Beatrix International Airport, which means you can enjoy the regularly entertaining landings of planes that seem to fly just above the water. But it also gives Surfside a nice feeling of seclusion, like it’s on its own peninsula. 

Somehow, this manages to feel like one of the best-kept secrets in Aruba, a place for perfect toes-in-the-sand memories and tropical cool, one that that exemplifies Aruba’s unique brand of “happy.” 

And for an afternoon, it will feel like you have a whole beach to yourself. 

For more, visit Surfside.