Aruba's Gorgeous Natural Pool

Aruba’s Natural Pool is an attraction that takes a bit of work to get to but is completely worth the effort. As tempting as it is to rent a Jeep and attempt to drive to the pool yourself, don’t do it. Why? None of the island’s car rental company’s will cover any of the damage you could cause to the car (in fact, even if you get the car rental company’s extra insurance, there is a clause that specifically excludes any Natural Pool trips). Also, it’s very easy to get lost; the dirt load leading up to the pool is all dirt, very very rocky and windy and full of holes. Wouldn’t it be easier to just take a tour and sit back and enjoy the scenery?

So what exactly is the Natural Pool and why do so many people take the time to visit it? In short, it’s just a very cool place! The pool is connected to the ocean but it’s surrounded by a lunar landscape of ragged rocks, so it feels as though you are cut off from the ocean entirely. The water inside the pool is perfectly calm and incredibly clear, so be sure to bring your snorkel gear.

Several Aruba tour companies including De Palm and ABC Tours offer half day and full day tours with stops at the Natural Pool. Full day tours are very long and tiring, though they’re generally not that much more expensive than the half day tours.

IF YOU GO: Take a morning tour, or if you can arrange one, a private tour that gets you to the pool before 11am. The crowds tend to come in around noon, so if you get there earlier, you’ll have some private time to snorkel and relax. Don’t rent a car and do this yourself! It’s just not worth the risk. Half day and full day tours range in price from about $75-$100 per person and include multiple stops at other attractions. Wear water shoes!

Photos: joyosity

Pirates!

Yo ho, yo ho…you know the rest. When we found out that Aruba had a snorkel tour on a pirate ship, it was an easy decision to make. Jolly Pirates leaves out of Palm Beach and offers a fantastic 3-hour snorkel tour of Malmok, Boca Catalina and the impressive World War II shipwreck called the Antilla. The company offers morning and afternoon tours, though I’d recommend the afternoon one; at $38, it’s $20 cheaper and though it doesn’t include lunch, it only takes up three hours of your day instead of five. Snorkeling above the Antila was quite a trip; we weren’t prepared to see the wreck only 30-40 feet below us, so it was quite shocking to see 400 feet of ship just beneath you. Very, very cool.Snorkeling is the safest way to view the ship now as parts of it are collapsing on a daily basis. Read More »

Aruba's California Lighthouse

Sometimes, even on a beach vacation, you can learn something very cool. I knew my love for history would pay off at some point…as well as my obsession with the Titanic disaster. Here’s what happened:

My husband and I I wanted to visit the California Lighthouse next to Arashi Beach when we were in Aruba last week. I had heard that Aruba’s California Lighthouse was an interesting landmark to visit and that it afforded gorgeous views of the island. What I ended up discovering is that the lighthouse is interesting for different reasons than many tour guides and/or tour books might tell you about.

It appears that there’s a big misconception that the lighthouse was named after the Californian, a passenger liner that was in the vicinity of the Titanic when she went down. It’s a spooky, almost romantic notion, but as it turns out, this idea is way off. How was I tipped off to this misinformation? Believe it or not, the name of the lighthouse! Some people obsess about clothes, or stamps, or sports — me, I’m a bit obsessive about learning everything there is to know about the Titanic disaster. I knew the name of the ship that was in the same general vicinity of the Titanic the night she sunk was called the Californian, not the California, and that the Californian was sunk by a German torpedo in 1915. I didn’t know anything about a ship called the California though, so I had to research it quite a bit. Turns out the SS California was a much smaller, wooded ship that sunk either in 1891 or in 1908, depending on which source you consult, and the lighthouse wasn’t even completed until 1910.

So there you have it!

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably wondering why you should bother to visit the California Lighthouse since it has absolutely nothing to do with Titanic (after all, I admit I felt this way after I realized the mistake). Well, after visiting it, I can tell you that it is indeed worth a visit! You can’t go up to the top anymore, unfortunately, because some poor soul decided to commit suicide from the top some years ago, but the view of northern Aruba is really gorgeous from the base of the lighthouse. And, gorgeous Arashi Beach is only steps away, and that’s Aruba’s most beautiful beach in my opinion. And if you’re lucky, you might even see some wild donkeys or goats grazing in the area.

Go — take in some sun, history and fun. And if you are so inclined, the SS California wreck awaits you just offshore…

Photo: Erik Cleves Kristensen

We want carrots!

Ever been surrounded by 15 jack as*’s closing in fast? If you bring a bag of carrots to Aruba’s Donkey Sanctuary, you could be! My husband and I recently spent a week in Aruba, and our visit to the sanctuary was definitely one our trip’s highlights.  What fun! Aruba’s wild donkeys are descendants of those brought over for transportation purposes before there were cars on the island. Over the years, the donkey population has suffered due to disease, accidents and even mistreatment, so the Donkey Sanctuary opened its doors in 1997 to protect the donkeys from harm and to better their conditions. Now, they have over 70 donkeys happily living on the grounds, and they depend on donations from visitors to help keep them going. Read More »