The tiny Caribbean island of Aruba is making a big claim for itself, as one of the happiest places in the world. Last September, the island even hosted the Happiness 360 Conference, in collaboration with the United Nations World Tourism Organization, where tourism leaders from around the world explored the concept of happiness and how it can be integrated into tourism and culture.
Aruba lies only 18 miles off the coast of Venezuela, and is one of the ABC Islands (the others being Bonaire and Curacao). The island’s Dutch heritage is still present in its brightly colored architecture, and Dutch being one of the main languages spoken, along with English, Spanish and the appealing local tongue, Papiamento.
The island can back up its happiness claim with a visitor-friendly checklist: More than 90 nationalities spice up Aruba’s cuisine, making it a great destination choice for foodies. The island’s terrain alternates a rugged northern and eastern coastline with gentle protected beaches on its western and southern side, perfect for families with small kids, including the appropriately named Baby Beach on the island’s southeast shore.
The island is outside the hurricane belt, and averages only 20 inches of rainfall per year, and temps hover in the mid-80s year-round. Aruba has its own currency (the florin) but shops readily accept U.S. dollars. Aruba’s goal to become the greenest island in the Caribbean includes banning all plastic bags from retail stores as of Jan. 1, 2017.
Aruba balances the delights of the beach — most especially its famous Palm Beach, where many of the island’s finest resorts are located — with the nearby delights of the capital city of Oranjestad, which has some of the best dining and shopping in the Caribbean. And Eagle Beach is among one of the most scenic in the world. All of Aruba’s beaches are open to the public, but you’ll rarely get hassled by vendors as you do in so many other popular tropical tourism escapes.
To amp up the happiness factor, travelers can schedule their visit during one of the island’s annual festivals, including the Soul Beach Music Festival, or the colorful Carnival, featuring music, parades and over-the-top costumes. And two uniquely Aruban annual events — the Aruba Hi-Winds windsurfing and kite boarding championships, and the Aruba Beach Tennis Open, a sport created on this island — attract competitors and visitors from all over the world. The ensuing beach party blowouts have become legendary week-long celebrations.
If visitors to Aruba are ever in need of assistance, they can avail themselves of the services of the island’s Happy Information Officers. The Happy Information Officers are trained professionals waiting to answer questions and impart information on the island’s attractions and events. The officers are mobile and can be picked out by their teal green T-shirts with bold letters. They can also be found at the Aruba tourism kiosk located at Oranjestad’s Plaza Daniel Leo.
The locals are warm and welcoming and it's easy to feel right at home seconds after you arrive. But you have to get off the drop-dead gorgeous beaches and the first-rate resorts to really explore and discover just how cool and quirky this island really is. There are many secret spots well worth seeking out; just ask a local, they’ll be happy to tell you where to find them.
In fact, the Aruba Tourism Authority recently launched a video series featuring island residents waxing rhapsodic over where to find an out-of-the-way natural pool, where to enjoy local art, or the best place to chow down on local fare.
There’s a multitude of ways visitors can switch up their time on the island, alternating days at their resort or in town, with days getting out and exploring the nooks and crannies of the surprisingly arid outback. Aruba’s landscape can be rugged, so renting a 4x4 vehicle is a great first move. Places to explore include Arikok National Park's 7,907 acres of wildlife, caves and secluded beaches, and the small town of San Nicolas, where they can pull up a stool at Charlie’s Bar, which has been cooling off customers since 1941.
San Nicolas, which locals call “Sunrise City,” is going through a renaissance now with all kinds of new art and museums and cultural attractions to lure visitors off the tourist side for something different. Animal lovers will want to seek out the Donkey Sanctuary, where abandoned donkeys are cared for. Donkeys, which the Spanish introduced to the island when they first set out to colonize Aruba, were left to run wild once cars became the mode of transportation.
Courtesy of USA Today
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