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1) Maps for walking tour from Oranjestad port and bus routes, 2) Directories for malls, and 3) An island
tour with photos and maps. Aruba is a shopping paradise with duty-free pricing on international brand
names. The gorgeous, white sandy beaches are north of the port in the upscale hotel-resort area. It's too
far to walk. Take a bus for ~ $ 2.30 cash USD or take a cab to the hotel/resort area beaches.
Aruba is a favorite vacation spot and a popular
scuba diving destination. Unlike much of the
Caribbean, Aruba has a dry climate and an arid,
cactus-strewn landscape. Visitors can expect
warm, sunny weather. Year-round temperatures
range from 76 to 91 F with ~ 77% relative humidity
and low rainfall. Often, there is a gentle breeze
making it very comfortable.
Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaao are referred to as the
ABC islands of Netherlands Antilles or the Dutch
Antilles. Aruba is 31 km (19 mi) long and 8.1 km
(5 mi) wide located about 20 miles from Venezuela.
It is generally flat with a few rolling hills. Mount
Jamanota is the highest point at 188 meters (617 ft).
Visitors will be pleased to find Aruba is very clean, crime is very low, and there is almost no poverty. This is an
excellent place to spend a vacation, not just a day in port on a cruise ship.
The local currency is florin designated as Awg. The bank exchange rate is 1 USD = 1.77 Awg. U.S. Dollars are
widely accepted in Aruba. Businesses accept credit cards, but not personal checks.
Table of Contents
Subject Pages
Cruise Port and Airport Map 2
Cruise port and nearby shopping malls - Map 2
Shopping Royal Plaza Mall, Renaissance Mall 3
Shopping Seaport Village Mall, Renaissance Marketplace, Palm Beach Plaza 4
Shopping Paseo Herencia Mall 5
Public bus 5-6
Aruba Tourist Map 7-8
California Lighthouse, Alto Vista Chapel 8-9
Bird Sanctuary, Butterfly Farm, Old Dutch Windmill 9-10
Private Bus Tour with Sonny Binns 11
Casibari Rock Formations 11
Bushiribana Gold Smelter 12-13
Natural Bridge 13-14
Natural Pool, Boca Prins Sand Dunes 15-16
Caves 16-17
Lourdes Grotto, Location of Beaches 17
User Feedback, Copyright Notice, Terms and Conditions for use of Toms Port Guides 18
CAVEAT
Information contained herein is believed to be accurate. PLEASE verify the information you use for your travel
plans. Opinions expressed are my own. This port guide is protected by copyright law - see the last page of this
guide for legal notices.
Tom Sheridan
Shopping
Aruba is a virtual nirvana for shoppers. You'll find a better selection of international brand names than
anywhere else in the Caribbean or South America with prices 10% - 35% lower than in US. Arubas duty-free
pricing ensures that shoppers dont pay import duties or taxes because prices are set by the manufacturer. Any
additional costs are absorbed by the retailer.
Royal Plaza Mall
From Tommy Hilfiger to Benetton, the Royal Plaza Mall is one of the most traditional shopping areas on the
island. Retailers specialize in jewelry, apparel, accessories, linens, perfumes, cigars and souvenirs. Stop here
for a bite or a cocktail; the harbor view is awesome. The mall has an escalator and elevator.
Palm Beach Plaza and Paseo Herencia malls are in the Palm Beach hotel area. They are next to one another
on J. E. Irausquin Blvd near
L. G. Smith Blvd. The
location is 7.1 km (4.4 miles)
north of the cruise port.
Paseo Herencia
Paseo Herencia boasts a diversity of stylish stores offering quality goods and a panoply of eateries serving
anything to suit ones mood, as well as nightly entertainment and special events. Designer shops are stocked
with the trendiest of fashions and famous labels.
See www.PaseoHerencia.com
Public Bus = Convenient Travel to Beaches, Hotels, and Shopping in the Hotel Area
The bus service covers major areas of the island. The main bus stations are in Oranjestad, across from the
Cruise Terminal, and at San Nicolas, at the south end of the island. Buses from Oranjestad are a convenient
method of travel to beaches, hotels, and shopping north of the cruise port. A single bus trip costs 4.00 florins or
$2.30 USD cash. If you use a Smartcard, it's 2.25 florins per trip (2013 prices).
See www.arubus.com for bus routes and schedules. Buses typically run every 30 to 60 minutes depending on
the route. Line 8 runs from the cruise port to the airport. Lines 7/7A and 10/10A/10B run between the cruise
port and beaches and hotels to the north.
This is the northern section of the bus route map from the Reina Beatrix International Airport and cruise ship
terminal to the hotels and beaches.
GPS Coordinates
Throughout this port guide, I use GPS Coordinates to pinpoint the location of tourist sites. You probably won't
be driving a car, but GPS has many benefits. The coordinates allow you to find the location of a site at any map
scale, whether you are using a street, terrain, satellite, or Google Earth map view. The Get Directions map
function allows you to determine travel distance and time by car, walking, or bicycle if there are public roads
and pathways between the sites.
GPS Coordinates to start to explore Aruba
Cruise port security gate GPS coordinates = N 12 31 13.70, W 70 2 29.49
Reina Beatrix International Airport GPS coordinates = N 12 30 20.05, W 70 0 31.25
Palm Beach Plaza GPS Coordinates = N 12 34 27.42, W 70 2 33.23
Paseo Herencia Mall GPS Coordinates = N 12 34 27.02, W 70 2 40.02
GPS coordinates are useful to locate sites on Google Maps and determine travel
distance and time. If you are staying at a hotel in Aruba, enter the street address for
the hotel in Google Get Directions and use coordinates for the tourist sites to plan a
travel route. If you have a portable GPS device, you'll find these coordinates helpful.
If you're arriving on a ship, use these GPS coordinates for the cruise port security
gate as your starting point, N 12 31 13.70, W 70 2 29.49.
Open this port guide in one window on your computer and Google Maps in a second
window. Copy and paste the tourist site GPS coordinates into Google Maps.
California Lighthouse GPS coordinates = N 12 36 48.91, W 70 3 6.95
The stone lighthouse (photo at right) was named after the S.S. California, a wooden
sailing ship that sank near shore. There are sand dunes next to the lighthouse.
Children enjoy sliding, surfing down the dunes in durable trousers.
The La Trattoria El Faro Blanco Restaurant is next to the lighthouse. It claims to
offer the best Italian cuisine in Aruba. See http://www.aruba-latrattoria.com/. Our
guide told us the evening views from this area are gorgeous.
Alto Vista Chapel GPS coordinates = N 12 34 33.43, W 70 0 40.42
The bright yellow chapel is at the end of a long, winding road lined by stations of the
cross. This is the site of the first Catholic church built in Aruba in 1750. It's a
special place for peace and contemplation with panoramic views of the countryside.
There is a labyrinth path in front of the chapel used by pilgrims as they pray and
meditate. Photos of the chapel below.
You don't have to climb the rocks. Walk the paths to enjoy the views of unusual rock formations, cactus, and
flowers in bloom. (photos below)
NOTE: There is a small bar/cafe at Casibari Rock Formation. They charge 50 cents to use the toilet. This is common for
the toilets at businesses near tourist sites.
I entered GPS coordinates for the Gold Smelter, Natural Bridge, Natural Pool, and Boca Prins into Get
Directions on a Google Terrain map. Google cannot plot a route if it can't find public roads. There are no
public roads connecting these sites. There are dirt roads, trails, and unknown roads. Note that Hooiberg
Mountain appears as a small raised section on this map.
See http://www.naturalbornhikers.com/trails/bocaprins.html
For photos, see http://www.panoramio.com/photo/3626158
The GPS coordinates are for the Boca Prins restaurant next to the sand dunes. Google displays the GPS
location as a down pointing green arrow. The red balloon shows the nearest street address.