A new direct service elevates this Caribbean isle to the A-list

A NEW CHAPTER 

If that is all you know about this Caribbean destination, now’s the time to learn more. From March 2023 a brand new British Airways route will fly twice weekly (departing Sunday and Thursday) from Gatwick. Taking 11-and-a-half hours, including a short stop in Antigua, and becoming the first-ever direct scheduled year-round flight from the UK, it removes the need to connect via Amsterdam. 

“This landmark decision by British Airways writes another chapter for Aruba,” says Ronella Croes, Aruba Tourism Authority CEO. “We have had long historic ties with Europe… notably in the UK, from where our visitor numbers have grown and grown. This ground-breaking decision by the UK’s national carrier endorses and further underlines the quality, consistency and professionalism of our destination. We are absolutely delighted at the potential of introducing our One Happy Island to an even bigger UK and wider European audience.” 

The US currently accounts for the vast majority of arrivals. But the draw of a direct route to a lesser-known Caribbean destination, especially one with such pin-up good looks, seems set to be a potent draw for Brits. Outside the hurricane belt, tucked down in the southern Caribbean Sea just 15 miles from Venezuela, and with average temperatures 28°C year-round, there’s obvious appeal.

“Just watch out for those rocks, and really try and launch yourself,” says Mike, my Jeep tour guide at ABC Tours. Not the kind of destination where guests stay behind the gates of a resort, Aruba’s 70 square miles (it’s just 19.6 miles long and six miles across) are for exploring. 

While the hotels cluster around the amazingly clear waters and wide white-sand beaches of the west coast, here on the rugged east side, nature rules. Arikok National Park, with its sculptural, soaring cacti and trade wind-battered crags takes up 20% of the island. Beyond that, the arid coastline is peppered with rustic fishing huts, quaint churches, and abandoned gold mines. 

INTO THE BLUE 

I’m concentrating hard to not slip from my spiky coral perch, curling my toes to grip an edge. Stood atop the crumbled remains of a cave, I’ve scaled a ladder down the cliff and am now sandwiched between the thrashing torrent of the open sea, and a protected pool of neon blue depths. There’s nothing to do but jump. 

Being in the water, of course, is a staple of any visit. At Mangel Halto, the shallows illuminate in every shade of blue when the sun comes out, like the flicking of a light switch. It’s a popular swim spot. Snorkelling above the ghostly wreck of WWII-era Antilla – one of the largest wrecks in the Caribbean – is other-worldly. 

Guided Jeep tours will often take you to lesser-known spots too. Stepping from limestone rocks, I’m surrounded by a rainbow of tropical fish at Malmok beach but I have to earn the next part. Swimming out a little way from the shoreline, I look below as two huge turtles surface. It’s a pinch-me moment. 

Hotels-wise, the options are growing. A new Embassy Suites by Hilton Aruba Resort will add 330 suites in early 2023. The St Regis Aruba Palm Beach Resort is set to open in 2024, completing the row of properties that line Palm Beach. Forging new frontiers, a new 600-room Secrets hotel is currently being built at the island’s southern tip, Baby Beach. Guarding against over-tourism, after that says the tourist board, no more hotel permits will be granted. Ever. 

From the patio of my newly refurbished room at the Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusive, I’m watching cruise ships approach nearby Oranjestad harbour. Belonging to the Divi family of five resorts on island, this is for the sun-seekers. Built right on the sand, the ocean is metres from my room. To open your door is to be on the beach. 

ART AND CULTURE 

Historic Oranjestad, where designer boutiques sit waterfront alongside a clutch of intricate heritage buildings that reflect Dutch connections, is intriguing. Aruba Walking Tours lead illuminating explorations of how a fusion of cultures has shaped these shores. A good example of this is Papiamento – one of two official languages alongside Dutch – which is an Afro-Portuguese Creole with elements of English, Dutch and Spanish. 

But it’s down in San Nicolas, Aruba’s second-largest city, that you’ll find a renaissance of modern culture. “I saw a four-storey building [covered in art] that messed up my life,” says Tito Bolivar, director of the Aruba Art Fair, and Founder of ARTISA (Art is Aruba), when I ask him why and how he got into covering its many empty buildings with dazzling murals. 

Once a major hub of the Caribbean, its streets were left nearly entirely deserted when its oil refinery shut down. The rusting hulk towers over the town. In 2016, Bolivar staged the first annual Art Fair, inviting artists from across the world to paint murals. 

“People are coming to San Nicolas now,” he says. “Some days we have 20-30, others there’s 100-150 people walking here. That’s amazing, because back in the day it used to be zero. That’s what we’ve managed to accomplish; creating a buzz that attracts visitors.” 

Since the 2022 event, 10 more murals have been added. There are now around 50 depicting facets of Aruban culture from local heroes and the island’s landscape to political statements on social issues. 

“And over here you will see Flamingo Madness,” says Bolivar, good humouredly rolling his eyes on our final stop after touring works that come alive with 3D glasses and interactive apps. Spread across two storeys, a beaky pink bird peers down. 

“Why?” he states. “Because all you crazy people, all you want to see is a flamingo. So, if you don’t make it to Renaissance Island or De Palm Island, this is for you.” 

Book it: Caribtours offers seven nights at the Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusive from £2,669 per person sharing a Deluxe Oceanfront King room, including British Airways flights departing after 26 March 2023. Book by 31 January 2023. caribtours.co.uk