Palm Beach Aruba is the island’s two-mile engine room: the high-rise hotels, the water sports piers, the restaurants, and the nightlife all stacked along one calm, swimmable stretch. Love it or plan around it — here is exactly what it offers.
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Palm Beach is the base; the rest of the island is a short drive away. Reserve a car with Triple D or let a local guide show you the wild side.
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Where is the strip in Aruba?
“The strip” is what visitors call the row of high-rise resorts along Palm Beach, on J.E. Irausquin Boulevard in the Noord district on Aruba’s west coast. It is about 15-20 minutes’ drive north of Oranjestad and roughly 25 minutes from the airport. When people say “the Palm Beach strip” they mean two parallel things: the beach itself, lined with resorts, palapas and piers, and the boulevard one block inland, packed with restaurants, bars, shops and casinos.
- North end (Marriott, Ritz-Carlton): the quietest stretch, closest to Arashi Beach and the California Lighthouse.
- Middle (Holiday Inn, Playa Linda, the piers): the busiest part, with the water-sports piers, the beach bars and most of the nightlife.
- South end (Hilton and the low-rise boundary): where the high-rises stop and the road continues to Eagle Beach.
On the boulevard you will find Palm Beach Plaza (mall, cinema, food court) and Paseo Herencia (open-air shopping and restaurants), plus resort casinos and dozens of restaurants within a few minutes’ walk. If you want the strip’s energy without paying strip prices to sleep, look at the hotels one road back or at Eagle Beach, ten minutes south. Compare the two in Eagle Beach vs Palm Beach.
What Palm Beach does best
- Calm, warm water with a gentle entry — ideal for families and casual swimmers.
- Water sports on tap: parasailing, jet skis, banana boats, and the catamaran piers.
- Everything walkable: dozens of restaurants, bars, and shops within flip-flop range.
- Sunsets with a drink in hand at beach bars that never require planning.
What it does not do
Quiet is not on the menu. The sand is busier, the vibe is social, and prices run higher than elsewhere on the island. For serenity, Eagle Beach sits ten minutes south — many visitors stay at one and visit the other.
Staying on Palm Beach
The strip holds the island’s big names — our reviews of the Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, and Hyatt Regency cover the top tier. Compare prices before committing, then make dinner reservations early in high season.
Ready to plan your Palm Beach days?
Round out the picture with our beach rankings, nightlife guide, and where to stay overview.
Thirsty? Two of the island’s five legendary beach bars — MooMba and Bugaloe — live right on this strip.
The Lay of the Land
The strip runs from the Marriott end (quieter, north) down toward the Hilton and the piers (busier, central). One street back sits Palm Beach Plaza and the restaurant rows of Noord — where prices drop and quality often rises. Everything on the strip is 25–30 minutes’ walk end to end, with the Arubus and cheap taxis covering the rest.
Beach Life
The water is Palm Beach’s superpower: flat, clear, and swimmable every day of the year. Resort palapas are for guests, but the beach itself is public — walk in anywhere. The piers host the water-sports operators: jet skis, parasailing, banana boats, paddleboards, and the catamarans that run the Antilla snorkel trips.
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Prefer a private guide just for your group? See our private jeep tours.
Eat & Drink Like You Live Here
Skip at least a couple of strip dinners for the local rows: Noord’s restaurants five minutes inland beat most beachfront menus at two-thirds the price. On the strip itself, pier bars own happy hour — go at 5pm, stay for the sunset, and you’ve had Palm Beach’s best free show. Full picks in the restaurant guide.
Practical Bits
Parking: free public lots behind the strip fill by late morning in season. Shade: rent an umbrella early or claim the trees near the piers. Crowds: thickest December–April midday; mornings are gloriously calm year-round. Safety: excellent — normal beach-town sense applies. With kids? This is the family beach; see the family guide.
Should You Stay Here?
Yes if: you want walk-everywhere ease, nightlife, water sports and full resort service. Look at Eagle Beach instead if your dream is space and silence — the head-to-head comparison settles it in two minutes. Hotel picks by budget in Where to Stay.
Book your Palm Beach days
Is Palm Beach Aruba right for you? If you want restaurants, water sports, and nightlife within walking distance, then yes — absolutely. However, if you prefer quiet, wide sand, Eagle Beach suits you better. For official event dates, check aruba.com before you book. Meanwhile, our beach guide compares every stretch of sand on the island.
Staying on Palm Beach? The water sports and sails leave right from this sand — see live availability for every Palm Beach tour.
Some links on this page are affiliate links — full disclosure.
On the water: see our guides to Aruba water sports and prices and scuba diving the wrecks.
Palm Beach essentials
- Swimming
- Excellent — calmest water on the island, shallow for a long way
- Snorkelling
- Fair around the pier pilings; better at Malmok
- Families
- Yes; pools, restrooms and snacks steps away
- Parking
- Limited free spots near the piers; walk from your hotel instead
- Facilities
- Everything: bars, restaurants, water sports, restrooms, chair rental
- Crowds
- High; palapas are claimed by 7 am at the big resorts
- Wind
- The most sheltered beach on the island
- Water
- Warm, flat, clear
- Best time
- Early morning; late afternoon for the piers and happy hours
Palm Beach is Aruba’s resort strip: two miles of calm water backed by high-rise hotels, with piers, beach bars, catamarans and every water sport within a short walk. It is the busiest beach on the island and also the easiest, which is why most first-timers stay here.
Swimming and water conditions
The water is the calmest in Aruba: protected from the wind, shallow far out, and warm. It is ideal for children and weak swimmers. Jet skis and parasail boats operate off the piers, so swim close to shore near the hotels.
Snorkelling
Around the pier pilings you will see sergeant majors and the occasional parrotfish, which is fine for kids. For proper reef snorkelling, the boats that leave these piers go to Malmok and the Antilla wreck; see the snorkelling tours guide.
Facilities, shade and parking
Palapas belong to the hotels and are for their guests. Public access is at the piers and between resorts, where you can rent chairs and buy drinks. Parking is scarce; the beach is meant to be walked to. Restrooms are in the beach bars and hotels.
Where to eat nearby
Pelican Pier, Bugaloe on the De Palm pier and MooMba Beach are the on-sand classics, all with happy hours. Behind the hotels the Palm Beach strip and Noord have dozens of restaurants; see where to eat in Palm Beach and Noord.
Map
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Hotels near Palm Beach
Live rates on Expedia. See the full <a href='/where-to-stay-in-aruba/'>where to stay guide</a> for every area.
Check live hotel ratesTours near Palm Beach
🚗 Need a car for this? Rent from our local partner Triple D: unlimited mileage, tax included, airport pick-up, from $50/day. See cars and prices →
Palm Beach: quick answers
Is Palm Beach good for swimming?
Is Palm Beach good for snorkelling?
Is Palm Beach family friendly?
Is there parking at Palm Beach?
When is the best time to visit Palm Beach?
What is the strip in Aruba?
Where is the Palm Beach strip?
Is the Palm Beach strip walkable?
Fancy a flutter? See our guide to Aruba casinos — where they are, the 18+ rule, dress code, and what the scene is honestly like.
🦩 Want the flamingo beach? The famous flamingos live on Renaissance Island, a private island reached by boat from Oranjestad. See our Renaissance Island day pass guide for prices, the Saturday 9 a.m. sale and backup plans.
