Aruba is one of the tourist capitals of the Caribbean, the A of the ABC islands. Renowned for resorts and beaches this tourist destination was where I set my sights on when my trip abroad to Jordan was abruptly cancelled. For only a $600 round-trip flight and a $500 Airbnb for almost two weeks in this tropical paradise, it was cheap, available, and just what I needed. I expected a week and a half of sailing adventures, snorkeling, fancy foreign meals, and tourism. What I instead found was a genuine look into the lives and culture of many of the people on the island.
I found myself at my Airbnb at the Southernmost tip of the island. A 20-minute walk from my bus stop, which was a 15-minute drive from San Nicolas, and another 30-minute bus ride from Oranjestad and the airport, I was not staying in the tourist capital of this island. This was intentional, and something I would recommend more travelers try. Instead of being bombarded by wifi networks, designer malls, and resort experiences. I got to live in a humble studio apartment, going grocery shopping and buying local, taking the bus, and exploring the humble town of San Nicolas. I spent my days lounging on the beach and wandering paths and cliffsides.
A fellow student said to me when I told her I was coming to Aruba, “I went there my Freshman year and I had the best steak of my entire life.” This idea stuck with me as I prepared my trip. Beef on an island. The modern culture of tourism and commodity has ruined our desire to seek out real human experiences. Why stay at a resort with all the comforts of home and dine on American food, sitting on the poolside and shopping at Kate Spade and Gucci, when you can truly experience Aruba? Stay in an Airbnb, shop at the local stores, wander the cacti-filled paths and plains. This island is a beautiful and rich place, filled with culture and real people, if you know where to look. I was given a ride from town to my apartment by a complete stranger who saw me walking along the road, and was given a discount at the store for trying my best to use local Papiamento phrases. The people of Aruba are kind and love seeing tourists who try to understand their daily lives.
The flora and fauna of local Aruba are diverse, untouched by the consumerist resorts on the other side of the island. This part of the island also reveals how heavily Aruba depends on the modernized tourism we have flooded it with. Dilapidated properties and poverty strike the locals who do not work for the resorts, as the island has been taken over by more developed countries building large hotels and using the shores as their vacation retreats. I saw evidence of the economic ruin that came with the fall of vacation numbers during Covid and experienced the inflation that led my US currency to be worth nearly double that of the Aruban people.
When you are looking to vacation in the Caribbean, feel free to pay the hundreds or even thousands of dollars to eat steak at a resort and meander about the well-kept streets of tourist Aruba. But, if you want a genuine experience to take with you, an escape from cell service, gimmicky and overpriced shops, and a glimpse into what it is like to live in a cozy town on the warm island shores, consider skipping the tourism, and staying in a remote Airbnb or a small motel. Experience real Aruba, a happy island with plenty to offer for those looking to escape.
