The best collection of information about Aruba with pictures  from  vacation travel trips to this beautiful  island every year. Visit Aruba for rest and relaxation, tanning, sunbathing looking at th sexy bikinis on the beach. Jerry what story about timeshares.

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 Travel & Tourist Information -  Travel Tips, Aruba Weather & Climate, History & Culture, People,  Photos, Pictures, What to Wear, weather report, vacation notes, Tourist Information, Exploring, Honeymoons, Weddings.

Aruba Travel Tips & Tourist Info

ENTRY INTO Aruba- Passports are required.  Tourists may stay for a period of up to 30 days with no exceptions. Exemptions require proper documentation.

TIME ZONE -  Atlantic Standard Time, which is the same as Eastern Daylight Savings Times but is in effect year round.

CURRENCY - U.S. dollars are accepted basically everywhere, but many businesses will not accept $50 & $100 dollar bills because of a large amount of counterfeiting. Credit cards and travelers checks are accepted everywhere. The official currency of Aruba is the Aruban florin which is divided into 100 cents.

SALES TAX- new for 2007- a 3% sales tax applied on all goods & services. HOTEL SERVICE CHARGE- There is a 17.66% tax on room rates

DRINKING WATER-  great tasting  tap  water and even better when it is chilled. Aruba  processes it’s own water in one  the worlds largest desalination plants.

ELECTRICITY- is the same as the United States & Canada- standard of 110volts AC- 60cycles

ARUBA MEDICAL FACILITIES- All hotels have a doctor on call 24/7. Aruba has a first class hospital just minutes from the hotel areas with emergency rooms staffed 24 hrs. Pro-Air Ambulance Service is certified to fly to all cities in the United States, and is equipped as an ICU Unit.

CHILDREN”S PROGRAMS - Aruba’s resorts offer a large variety of children’s facilities and programs. Check at you hotel for details.

CELL PHONES & PAGERS- Cell roaming service & GSM capabilities are normal in Aruba. *Contact you provider before going on vacation for features. INTERNET SERVICE - There is only one provider in Aruba - SETAR . Ther are numerous hot spots for WIFI

 Peak season for  vacations & tourism on the  island  is between January and March, when the temperature basically stays between 84 - 92. Carnival takes place in Aruba and throughout the Caribbean Islands. The two month festivities precede the island's observance of Lent in February. The climax of Carnival comes in late February with the Grand Carnival Parade. Tourists can experience Christmas in Aruba and  Aruban versions of holidays that are celebrated around the world, such as New Year's Day and Flag Day. Jan. 25 happens to be the birthday of Betico Croes, who is the father of Aruba's independence.

 Weather

Aruba’s weather has a very sunny climate, and is  like a paradise all year. The average temperature is 82ºF (28ºC), expect 86-91 degrees as normal with pleasant trade winds. Night temperatures fall only 3-4 degrees and the same difference between winter and summer. Aruba is outside the hurricane belt with very little  threat of hurricanes and has very little rainfall  averaging about 16.1" (408.9 mm) per year most of which falls in short showers in November & December. The tradewinds move cloud masses out very quickly with little or no time to drop precipitation in the form of rain.

What To Wear in Aruba ?

The perfect clothing for an Aruba vacation is shorts and T-shirts. Casual dress is acceptable  everywhere, except for formal dining. Light colors are more popular than dark as they will reflect the sun’s rays. During the night, the temperatures fall only a few degrees, so bring  a couple pair of pants for  the evenings if you wish. Women should style their hair in a carefree way because of the continuous breezes, hair clips and hats are the norm. Sarongs and sun dresses are also very popular.

Make sure to bring you favorite sunscreen along, or you can purchase some of the best sunscreen products on the market made right in Aruba. Aruba Aloe produces the best aloe in the world and other sunscreen products. If you are sensitive to sunburn and actively in & out of the water remember to reapply sunscreen lotions.

Women in bikinis and men in swimsuits  on a soft white beach, you may see an occasional  topless sunbathers or swimmers on the beaches. There are no public nude beaches in Aruba or clothing optional areas along the hotel beaches and resort areas, although throughout the tropical island there are many secluded areas of beach front and shoreline where nude or topless sunbathing may be possible. * Swimsuits are NOT acceptable dress when walking on streets and shopping downtown. Coverups should be worn  outside of beach and pool areas and when shopping.

Exploring Aruba

If you are adventurous and want to explore the natural side of Aruba , you will need to rent a four wheel drive vehicle. There are some beautiful sites to see in Aruba but most of the roads to get there are usually dirt & rock and not suitable for a cars. Always check you spare tire before venturing out and bring some extra snacks and bottled water.

Transportation & Car Rentals

CAR & SUV RENTAL - driving in Aruba is like driving in the U.S. - you drive on the right-hand side of the road. For car rentals the minimum age of 21-25 and the maximum  my vary  with car rental companies. International driving licenses or any  license valid for at least two full years is required.

BUS SERVICE- runs daily between all districts and hotel areas. The main station is in downtown Oranjestad across from the waterfront shopping area. Each year more tourists are using this inexpensive and reliable service to travel between the hotels, beaches and Aruba downtown areas. Check at your hotel for schedules & fares.

Aruba TAXIS- cabs do not have meters and charge a flat fixed fee which is very affordable. Cab drivers are licensed and own their own cars. Aruban drivers are very pleasant and informative and will gladly help you get around, most drivers participate in Aruba’s government Tourism Awareness Program. 

MOTORCYCLES & SCOOTERS - because the weather is always great motorcycles & scooters are an excellent way to see the countryside. And if you have the need their are also Harley’s available for rent!

Aruba Airport- Queen Beatrix International Airport - The departure tax for Aruba is US $36.75 to the USA (sometimes included in the price of airline ticket). For all other destinations, the departure tax is US $33.50.

History

Aruba was first inhabited  about 1,000 A.D. by the Caquetios Indians from the Arawak tribe originating in Venezuela. Europeans had discovered Aruba in 1499 when Italian- Amerigo Vespucci & Spanish-  Alonso de Ojeda were sailing together in the area of Venezuela on their 3rd trip from europe. Both of these men had sailed with Chistopher Columbus on all of his sailings from europe. In 1508 Alonso de Ojeda was appointed as Spain’s first Governor of Aruba, and Aruba became a Spanish colony for more than 100 years.

Weddings on The Island

   Each year, Aruba receives hundreds of inquiries about weddings on the island. Whether you are planning a wedding or renewing your vows, Aruba is the place- on a white sand beach at sunset, a sunset cruise, or anywhere in this tropical paradise will make your wedding day  unforgettable.

** If you are interested in marriage on Aruba, please be aware of the following  regulations. Civil marriage on Aruba is allowed only if one of the partners is an Aruban resident and/or one of the parties has been a resident for at least six months. You can arrange religious wedding ceremonies, provided that you are legally married within your own country. If couples meet the above requirements they  can have both their dream wedding ceremony and honeymoon in paradise. Both of you must be 18 years old or over, and submit legal  documents to the Office of Civil Registry in Aruba by mail or in person at least 14 days prior to the date of the wedding. Civil marriages must take place at the Civic Town House in Oranjestad. After you have been legally married, couples may also arrange a religious  or romantic ceremony elsewhere.

CIVIL Legal Requirements:

• 1. Couple must provide from their Country of Citizenship an "apostile" report (a statistics search from the Bureau of Vital Statistics) as proof that they are both  single and eligible to marry.
• 2. Each person must submit copies of their official government issued birth certificate with a raised seal.
• 3. If either party has been divorced they must submit a copy of their divorce decree.
• 4. If either party has been widowed, they must submit a copy of the spouse's death certficate.
• 5. Couple must be holders of valid passports and submit with their application, copies of the pages showing all relevant details.
• 6. Copies of the passport pages of their witnesses must also be submitted (if couple does not have any witnesses, they will be provided at an additional fee).
• 7. All civil ceremonies must take place inside the City Hall  in Oranjestad.
• 8. Ceremonies are performed Wednesdays through Saturdays.
• 9. Times are from 10AM-11:30AM and 2PM- 6PM.
• 10. All documents are to be faxed for review and then submitted by courier (i.e. FedEx or UPS) at least one (1) month prior to desired wedding date to the following address:

Weddings at Sea:

• A ship captain is not authorized to legally perform a wedding according to Dutch laws. This applies for international waters as well as in port. The only exception to this rule is if he has been given authority by the country under whose flag the ship is registered

Honeymoon Packages

Honeymoon Packages are offered at: Amsterdam Manor,  Aruba Marriott Resort, Aruba Phoenix, Aruba Renaissance, The Boardwalk Retreat, Bucuti Beach, Divi Aruba All Inclusive, Divi & Dutch Village, Holiday Inn, Hyatt Regency, La Cabana, Manchebo, MVC Beach Club, Occidental Grand, Radisson Aruba ,Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusive, The Mill Resort, Tierra del Sol, Westin Aruba Resort, and more.

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Aruba Vacation Travel Tips, Tourist Information - Maps, Beach Reports - Weather, Aruba History - Culture - People, Things To Do, Aruba's Climate, Dining & Restaurants,

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Jerry’s Travel Tips - most of the travel facts & information is collected from our own travel itineraries & trips to the tropical island. We visit Aruba regularly and learn more about the island with each trip we take. We usually vacation with family and friends and invite them to stay at our timeshare. Every year we update our travel notes, tourist information, restaurant & dining info, photos, pictures, recommendations, reviews and reports in our Aruba Vacation & Travel Guides. What’s The Story Jerry

Aruba, travel,  hotels, Making online reservations check the travel agent guide for tourist maps and island activities for all of your family vacations. Beautiful clear weather and soft sand beaches as seen in the pictures and photos. The perfect climate for relaxing and sporting activities find in the  travel tips. Bring a  Bikini or several Bikinis to show off at Palm Beach and the resort pools ask Jerry for recommendations of private topless beaches and areas of the island. See the tourist attractions, aerial photo, vacation, planning, Jazz clubs, Eagle Beach, Swimsuits, pictures Arikok, divi - divi, Manchebo, Bucuti, Palm Island.  Check your airlines for flights to Aruba and the Caribbean islands and look for cheap tickets on airfares and cheap reservation flights. Book your flight early to get tickets for the destination and arrival time for your travel plans make sure to book the flight.