Aruba gay resort

Start Booking Your Trip To Aruba

We’re just getting started with the amazing effects Aruba has to offer. And interestingly, when the Aruban parliament voted to legalise the bill, this was the first time a Caribbean parliament had done so.

It does look like same-s3x marriage legalisation is on the horizon though!

It is quite a way from the entrance to Arikok, and so a vehicle is needed.

For more information, such as how to get to the park, or to book a guided hike visit their website here.

Scuba Diving

I am an avid scuba diver, and if I am visiting a destination known for its diving, I am absolutely going to do it!

Aruba has some incredible diving sites, and is the perfect location for both qualified experts as well as new divers.

The coral reefs and beds of seagrass are home to a diverse range of marine life – rays, eels, the invasive lionfish, and Aruba is home to four species of sea-turtles which I always love seeing!

Aruba is also well known for wreck-diving, and one of my dives was around one of the shipwrecks, where I was very lucky to spot a nesting octopus in one of the wreck’s former portholes!

We used Jads Dive Center for our two-tank dive, a PADI 5-star IDC resort.

Rum tasting at Pepe Margo Distillery

The Pepe Margo Distillery is Aruba’s first ever craft distillery, and is located in a fully restored traditional Aruban home in the historical district of downtown Aruba.

The name of the distillery comes from one of the former residents of the home, Catarina Margarita (Margo) Arends, who was nicknamed ‘Pepe Margo,’ (‘pepe’ meaning godmother in the Papiamento language) by the local community.

Pepe Margo Distillery offers distillery tours, where you will find them making rum, gin and more onsite at the historical house, as well as of course – tasting the spirits themselves!

You can read more about the history of the distillery and book your own tour via their website.

Address: Wilhelminastraat 46, Oranjestad, Aruba

Island Jeep Tour with Isla Aruba

My island jeep tour was one of my most enjoyable experiences on the island, and was the best way of experiencing just how diverse and beautiful the island of Aruba is.

Isla Aruba jeep tours are run by locals, who have extensive knowledge and first-hand experience of what Aruba has to offer for visitors – both the popular tourist attractions and off-the-beaten-track hidden gems.

The off-road safari jeeps were a really cool and unique way to travel around the island, and the perfect choice of vehicle for when I was travelling across the rugged landscape of Arikok National Park!

Isla Aruba offer a variety of tours, all of which are private, making sure you tick off the popular attractions, but also giving the option of a fully customised private tour which they can help with creating and customising for you.

Popular attractions that Isla Aruba take you to include:

• Gold Mill Ruins: Learn about the history of gold mining in the area, and explore the ruins of a historic former gold mill
• Arikok National Park – including the Natural Pool, Fontein Cave and Quadirikiri Cave
• Various beaches around the island – including the beautiful Baby Beach – more on Baby Beach below!

Check out more of their tour options here.

Wine tour at Alto Vista Winery

I love a wine tour and equally love drinking wine – so this was a perfect activity choice for me whilst on the island, and also something I actually was not expecting to find!

Alto Vista Winery is the first and only boutique winery on the island, and is an estate winery, meaning that the wines are produced with grapes grown on its own vineyard – quite an impressive feat considering the island’s desert climate!

The wine tour at Alto Vista is a bit different from the usual – instead of heading straight indoors to the production site and distillery, the tour starts by walking through the farm itself, including across the natural terrain of what the farm used to be before the vineyards were planted, and then through the vineyards themselves.

I then visited the distillery, where Alto Vista also produces rum, which I sampled, before finishing in the winery and the tasting room, which I was definitely ready for.

I just like to visit places that have the types of things I enjoy, like good restaurants, five-star accommodations, beaches, and shopping. You can of course also take a taxi, or even use the local buses.

Places to Eat in Aruba

CAYA House Restaurant

Caya House is located in Palm Beach, literally across the road from the Hyatt Regency hotel, and is set inside a fully renovated traditional Aruban house.

The setting is beautiful – as well as the indoor modern dining room, the restaurant also features an outdoor courtyard for open air dining.

Caya is also not just a restaurant – they also provide entertainment, such as live performances, or featuring a DJ on a weekend.

The menu is authentic Aruban cuisine, with lots of fish and seafood options.

Address: J.E.

Irausquin Blvd 372, Noord, Aruba

Olivia Mediterranean Restaurant

Olivia is an authentic Mediterranean restaurant located in downtown Oranjestad.

The menu features a real mix of Mediterranean cuisine with dishes inspired from Greece, Italy, Morocco, Lebanon…I was spoilt for choice!

The courtyard setting was also very trendy and romantic!

Address: Wilhelminastraat 74, lokaal 2 Oranjestad, Aruba, Aruba

Azia Restaurant and Lounge

Azia Restaurant and Lounge is a beautiful, elegant restaurant that as its name suggests specialises in Asian cuisine – think dim sum, sushi, and of course, being a restaurant on an island, some amazing seafood options.

The décor inside was incredible, we really felt like we were in a restaurant in the Far East.

The restaurants are also enticing—offering topnotch fine dining, trendy cafés, and cool local eateries.”

Michael concludes, “Personally, I don't look for LGBT destinations in particular. And there is no shortage of natural wonders either – a natural pool, caves containing original Indian drawings, stunning beaches, – you could easily spend a whole day here seeing something different every hour!

Visitors to the park do need to purchase a ticket to enter Arikok National Park, the cost of which goes towards the preservation of the park as well as various educational programs that the park runs.

Once inside the park, visitors can freely explore, either driving through the park, or you can explore on foot on one of the many hiking trails.

However, for the best experience I strongly recommend booking a guided tour, escorted by a Park Ranger who will point out many things you will likely miss otherwise.

I hiked through the park for about 90 minutes with one of the rangers and was so grateful for all the in-depth information I received about the things I was seeing.

Key areas of interest within the park:

• Quadirikiri and Fontein Caves: Both of these caves have beautiful stalagmites and stalactites, some of which have formed pillars.

  I was so grateful that I had to chance to do this – and my top tip is head over on the first water taxi of the day, when the flamingos are still hungry!

  However, the island isn’t all about the flamingos – it is a day out in its own right. $130 per person, which does include a food and beverage credit of $25 to be used at Papagayo Bar and Grill, or the Mangrove Beach Bar.

  You can use this website here to check if any day passes are available.

  Gay Hotels in Aruba

  Being such an LGBTQ+ friendly island for tourists, you will be welcomed with open arms at pretty much any of the islands many properties.

  I have included the below as gay-friendly hotels in Aruba, based on my personal experiences staying there and how comfortable and welcomed we felt.

  Gay Friendly Hotels in Aruba

  Courtyard by Marriott Aruba Resort

  I spent my first four nights in Aruba at the beautiful Courtyard Aruba Resort, and what a welcome to the island!

  Courtyard Aruba Resort is a gorgeous property, with the rooms and suites located in low-rise two-storey white-washed units built around two beautiful lagoon style pools – one complete with a swim-up bar.

  The hotel is located in the heart of Palm Beach, walking distance to both the beach itself and also the Palm Beach Strip, with various shops, bars, casinos and restaurants.

  However, as part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Aruba does recognise same-s3x marriages that are performed and registered in the Netherlands. Just as same-sex wedding ceremonies have gained popularity in Aruba, gay nightlife in Aruba is growing as well. It is stunning!

  Other Beaches Worth a Mention

  Baby Beach was without a doubt my favourite beach on the entire island!

  Visiting is technically only available to guests of the Renaissance hotel, and so if you want to guarantee a chance to visit, the best way is to book an overnight stay at the hotel. The lesson is taught by the expert who has over 35 years’ experience glass blowing!

  Of course, I had to try this – I made a little glass bird of my own, currently displayed on my living room windowsill!

  Address: Ayo 22, Aruba

  Get Up Close with Flamingos on Renaissance Island

  Do a Google image search for ‘Aruba’ and it’s guaranteed that over half of the top results will be from Flamingo Beach, on Renaissance Island – showing the graceful pink birds walking on the powdery white sands, with the backdrop of palm trees and blue sea.

  Visiting these residents of Renaissance Island is one of the most popular tourist attractions for many people, and after experiencing it for ourselves we can see why.

  Unlike its neighbours Bonaire and Curaçao, Aruba has no wild flamingos, and so the flamingos that are resident on Renaissance Island are captive flamingos from Bonaire – although they have the run of the entire island and are very much at home with the tourists visiting each day!

  You can even purchase flamingo food on the island, the best way to coax the birds to come up close and personal with you to grab that perfect Instagram shot.

Here on Aruba, we have become a destination of choice—often a repeat destination—for LGBT travelers.

Feeling safe, secure, and welcome is the foundation to an ideal LGBT-friendly travel destination. Not a beach for swimming due to the strong winds and current, but it is popular with windsurfers. The great thing is, being that little further out, it tends to be much more popular with local families as opposed to being overrun with tourists!

I visited Baby Beach as a stop on our island jeep tour, and only wished I could have stayed longer, but it was a great way of getting here and at least ticking it off.

“I don't recall ever encountering any kind of mistreatment or discrimination based on sexual orientation in all of my visits to the island,” he shares. In November 2023, the legalisation of same-s3x marriage in both Aruba and Curaçao went to a hearing at the Supreme Court in the Netherlands, with a decision due to be made around June this year. Both caves also contain drawings going back thousands of years from the Indians.