Caribbean Destination Management Company Aruba and Curaçao
If your company chooses Aruba for its next MICE travel program, you’ll have the peace of mind knowing what to expect: Sunny days (the most of any Caribbean island), warm temperatures with cooling trade winds, spectacular sunsets, and lots of things to do. One of the main attractions of One Happy Island are its many gorgeous white-sand beaches, and ECO DMS wants to highlight five must-visit Aruba beaches for your MICE travelers.
Located in the low-rise resort area south of the Palm Beach high-rise area, Eagle Beach is not only one of the best beaches on One Happy Island, it has been widely recognized as one of the best beaches in the entire world. In fact, earlier this year Eagle Beach was named the third best beach on the planet by TripAdvisor. It is home to the two most-photographed trees on the island, called Fofoti trees by some and DiviDivi trees by others. The constant trade winds blowing across the island means these trees permanently point westward. It’s the perfect spot for sunbathing and swimming in designated areas, outside of which you can enjoy a huge variety of motorized watersports. Dotted with plenty of palapas (sturdy permanent thatched-roof umbrellas) to provide shade when needed, Eagle beach is also a well-known active nesting site for the island’s four species of sea turtles: The Leatherback, the Loggerhead, the Green and the Hawksbill. If you’re lucky, you might catch the dramatic site of hatchlings making their way to the ocean. Nests are clearly marked with red-and-white barriers so visitors can steer clear and let the baby turtles being their life unharmed. For more information on Aruba’s sea turtles, visit the website of local environmental organization Turtugaruba.
Mangel Halto Beach is located along the southeast coast of the island in an area called Pos Chiquito, just south of the Spanish Lagoon. Mangel Halto is home to one of the most interesting reefs for snorkeling adventures on One Happy Island. But it’s also fascinating because of its extensive network of mangrove trees. The roots of the fascinating plants extend right down into the ocean and don’t mind the salty water at all. These extensive root and stem networks make the perfect place for baby fish to grow and develop, which means there are plenty of tropical fish to see when you snorkel the nearby reef. You’ll be likely to see blue tangs, parrot fish, sergeant majors, yellowtail snapper, and deep-water gorgonians, sponges and anemones. The reef plunges to depths of 110 feet where octopi, morays and barracuda are common if you want to try your hand at scuba diving. An increasingly popular tour option are sea kayak adventures that paddle out of the Spanish Lagoon and over to Mangel Halto Beach, pull the kayaks onto the shore, then snorkel the reef for a while and later paddle back to the lagoon.
Because Arashi Beach is located in the northernmost area of the island, north of Malmok, not as many tourists visit it, making it a favorite among locals. It’s also close to the iconic California Lighthouse that offers some of the most spectacular panoramic views available on the island. Although it lacks the facilities of the more tourist-oriented beaches, there are plenty of palapas and makeshift huts to provide shade when needed, and the peaceful waters make for both good swimming and good snorkeling. This is a great beach to visit for a more authentically local beach experience on the island.
Calm waters make this the spot for swimming and snorkeling. It’s a large, half-moon bay at the southernmost tip of Aruba that makes for a protected area offering gentle currents and very shallow waters, which is why Baby Beach is the best spot for family outings with young children. There are lots of shade huts, and beach-goers can also easily rent beach beds, windscreens and snorkel gear. A refreshment stand offers food and drinks, as does the nearby Big Mama’s Grill. If you snorkel here, be sure to stay within designated areas, once you pass beyond the bay, the currents are quite strong.
Located south of Malmok Beach and north of Palm Beach, Hadicurari Beach used to the spot where all the local fishermen would head out for the catch of the day. Hadicurari is by far the best beach to visit if you’re interested in wind-based water activities. In fact, it is the site of the annual Aruba Hi-Winds event, the Caribbean’s largest amateur windsurfing event and competition that includes slalom, long-distance and freestyle for windsurfers, along with freestyle and long-distance for kite boarders. There are many activities and parties to go with this five-day event held in July each year.
If your company will be sending a group of MICE travelers to One Happy Island, ECO DMS is the leading destination management company in the Dutch Caribbean that will help you plan the perfect agenda, including making sure your participants visit as many of the best Aruba beaches as they desire!
