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Languages spoken are Dutch (official), Papiamento, (a creole of Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch origin), Spanish, and English (widely spoken).
Stoba di Bestia Chiquito - a hearty goat meat and vegetable stew Keshi Yena - chicken or seafood with Dutch cheese
The fast food places are essentially no different than their American counterparts.
By the glass, sixpack or case, imported dutch beers are relatively good buys. Balashi Beer - Aruba's National Beer...a must-drink beverage, perfect after spending all day at the beach. Founded in 1996, the name Balashi is derived from the words Bala Bala and Balana and means "near the sea." It is the only beer brewed on the island of Aruba. Daily tours of the brewery are available with an open-aired bar and restaurant on the premises. Balashi Brewery / Tel. 592-2544 / 523-6544. Balashi Gardens open from 6:30 am - 4:00 pm. Tours Monday - Friday.
Above all, it appears that Arubans are very aware that their economy is completely dependent on tourism - so Arubans are polite to tourists, and even street vendors don't generally seek to rip off their customers (though as in all traveling, don't let advice like this lull you into a sense of complacency). This may be helped by the fact that Aruba is a relatively expensive place to visit, so it tends to attract the reasonably well-off. Oranjestad's waterfront has many vendors/stalls selling souvenirs. Ironically, many of these souvenirs are imported from the United States with island scenes/slogans, only to be purchased by Americans and brought back to America. In Oranjestad, the Renaissance Mall contains various American and European major apparel brands (i.e. Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, Gucci) at essentially the same prices as in the United States. The mall and the rest of the downtown area also holds numerous other types of stores catering to visitors. With numerous cruise ships visiting, stores offer buys in jewelry, etc., typical of that in other Caribbean cruise ports. For cheese lovers, mild Dutch Gouda, in boxes or large wheels, is a popular buy at terrific prices in super markets. American dollars are accepted virtually everywhere at a decent exchange rate. If you have U.S. dollars, there is no need to change money into the local currency, the Aruban florin. The current exchange rate (as of December 2007) given in shops is about 1.79 florins to the dollar. Because the island is a Dutch dependency, Dutch currency is easy to spend, and small change for purchases in dollars may be in florins. Groceries and other supplies are all imported from elsewhere, so prices tend to be high.
Stoba di Bestia Chiquito - a hearty goat meat and vegetable stew Keshi Yena - chicken or seafood with Dutch cheese
Restaurants
- Sawasdee Thai Restaurant, Palmbeach 186 B, NOORD, tel # 586-8071. Open 5:30PM-10:30PM. Sawasdee, (welcome) to the worlds greatest cuisine. Thai food combines the best of several eastern cuisines: the oriental bite of Szechuan Chinese, tropical flavour of Malaysia, creamy coconut sauces of india and the aromatic spices of Arabian food. Thai food is very tasty, our Thai cooks strike a perfect balance between sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, and salty. Everything Made fresh to order! Come and enjoy the greastest cuisines! You don't want to miss out on this! Walking distance from the high rise hotels across the street from Mc Donalds.
- El Gaucho, [8] - located in downtown Oranjestad. Considered by many a high quality steak house.
- Iguana Joe's, [9] - located in downtown Oranjestad. One of a few restaurants to offer authentic Aruban dishes. It has American influenced dishes as well. Very reasonably priced and fresh ingredients.
- Blossoms, [10] - located within the Westin hotel. Offers Chinese and Japanese cuisine. Very good sushi and great asian ambiance. Worth the slightly higher price.
- The Flying Fishbone, [11] - located south Oranjstead and the beer brewery but north of San Nicholas on the beach. This restaurant has excellent food and ambiance. The service is very slow and the prices are high. The best time to go as sunset as you can enjoy it at your table on the private beach. The drinks and food are very good.
- Madame Janette, [12]. Excellent but pricey, combining European and Aruban influences to create dishes that taste wonderful. Attentive service and a dining area that is completely outside are extra plusses. The restaurant does not advertise and it's located away from LG Smith Blvd (the main road in Aruba), but it's worth the trip.
The fast food places are essentially no different than their American counterparts.
By the glass, sixpack or case, imported dutch beers are relatively good buys. Balashi Beer - Aruba's National Beer...a must-drink beverage, perfect after spending all day at the beach. Founded in 1996, the name Balashi is derived from the words Bala Bala and Balana and means "near the sea." It is the only beer brewed on the island of Aruba. Daily tours of the brewery are available with an open-aired bar and restaurant on the premises. Balashi Brewery / Tel. 592-2544 / 523-6544. Balashi Gardens open from 6:30 am - 4:00 pm. Tours Monday - Friday.
Above all, it appears that Arubans are very aware that their economy is completely dependent on tourism - so Arubans are polite to tourists, and even street vendors don't generally seek to rip off their customers (though as in all traveling, don't let advice like this lull you into a sense of complacency). This may be helped by the fact that Aruba is a relatively expensive place to visit, so it tends to attract the reasonably well-off. Oranjestad's waterfront has many vendors/stalls selling souvenirs. Ironically, many of these souvenirs are imported from the United States with island scenes/slogans, only to be purchased by Americans and brought back to America. In Oranjestad, the Renaissance Mall contains various American and European major apparel brands (i.e. Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, Gucci) at essentially the same prices as in the United States. The mall and the rest of the downtown area also holds numerous other types of stores catering to visitors. With numerous cruise ships visiting, stores offer buys in jewelry, etc., typical of that in other Caribbean cruise ports. For cheese lovers, mild Dutch Gouda, in boxes or large wheels, is a popular buy at terrific prices in super markets. American dollars are accepted virtually everywhere at a decent exchange rate. If you have U.S. dollars, there is no need to change money into the local currency, the Aruban florin. The current exchange rate (as of December 2007) given in shops is about 1.79 florins to the dollar. Because the island is a Dutch dependency, Dutch currency is easy to spend, and small change for purchases in dollars may be in florins. Groceries and other supplies are all imported from elsewhere, so prices tend to be high.
Content courtesy of Wikitravel and is updated weekly. Content is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 1.0.
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