The Perfect One Week Itinerary in Aruba

If you’re looking for a breathtaking island getaway, look no further than Aruba! Located in the mid-south Caribbean, Aruba is the perfect balance of sun, sand, and sea for a relaxing, yet adventurous vacation!

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Check out ALL my posts on Aruba here!

Day 1: Getting Settled

Welcome to Aruba!! Coming from California, we had quite a long travel day so we spent most of the first day getting our rental cars, unpacking, getting groceries, and finalizing our itinerary for the week. Our amazing AirBnB was located on the western coast of the island near Eagle Beach. We decided to make dinner at home and sit by the pool as we prepared for the wonderful week ahead.

*Note: we had a large group of ~12 people so we decided to make a few meals at home, but you can choose to eat out as well!

Day 2: Eagle and Palm Beach

YAY! Our first full day in Aruba! After a nice, restful night of sleep, we went to Eagle Beach. Such a beautiful, open beach with soft sand. My friends played some spikeball and we all enjoyed the warm, clear water.

After drying off, we ate and got happy hour drinks at Paradise Beach Villas’ Tiki Bar & Restaurant, just a short walk from the beach.

Since Aruba is such a small island and most things are nearby, we went back to our AirBnB to shower and get ready for a night out. We traveled about 20 minutes north to the more touristy area of Palm Beach where you’ll find hotels such as The Hilton, Courtyard by Marriott, and The Hyatt. There are tons of restaurants in this area, but we decided to eat at Tandoor The Indian Grill House, followed by dessert at Gelatissimo.

Day 3: Snorkeling!

With such warm and clear waters, snorkeling is a MUST!

We chose a day time catamaran snorkeling tour through Viator and it was one of my favorite experiences on this trip! For our dates, we paid $59/person and it was SO worth it. The three hour excursion included two snorkel stops (equipment provided), a light lunch, open bar, rope swing, and an “I Love Aruba” t-shirt which was a fun souvenir.

If interested, use this link to book directly with Viator!

Following this excursion, we stopped along the road to Malmok beach. As always, the water was extremely calm and beautiful.

We ate dinner home on this day 🙂

Day 4: UTV Tour & Cliff Jumping

Depending on whether you’re looking to jam pack your trip, I may or may not recommend doing 3 excursions 3 days in a row. However, my friends and I had a great time on our fourth day doing a UTV Tour, also booked through Viator.

A few highlights from our tour included:

Direct pickup from our AirBnB
Phillip’s Animal Garden
Alto Vista Chapel
Natural Bridge
Wariruri Bay
Bushiribana Ruins
Cave Pool Aruba (cliff jumping + my personal favorite stop)
Andicuri Beach

Although this tour was only about 4 hours long, we were wiped after being in the sun and a bit dirty all day. We decided to spend the rest of the evening at our AirBnB and by the pool.

Day 5: Mangel Halto Beach

On our next day, we traveled south to Mangel Halto Beach. Although all the beaches in Aruba were breathtaking, this one is a true gem. The crystal-clear waters and secluded location made it my favorite stop on our trip (despite the 57 bug bites I got…)

Whether you’re looking to relax on the beach or take a dip in the refreshing waters, Mangel Halto Beach is an idyllic spot that’s not to be missed during your visit to Aruba.

After a nice, relaxing day, we stopped by Tia Rosa Snacks to enjoy delicious arepas and eventually headed back to our AirBnB. Once we had some dinner and downtime, we headed back out towards Noord/Palm Beach and hit up some bars! Although it was touristy, our group had a great time at Gusto Night Club.

Day 6: Arashi Beach + Sunset Catamarran

On our second to last day, we headed north to Arashi Beach! This was definitely more of a touristy area, but it was a great spot to tan and enjoy some drinks from the Arashi Beach Shack in the water.

With its calm and clear waters, this beach is a great spot for swimming, snorkeling, and sun bathing. The beach is also surrounded by lush greenery, providing a picturesque backdrop for sunbathing and taking in the stunning views of the Caribbean Sea.

We couldn’t leave Aruba without enjoying the breathtaking sunset from the water, so we booked an evening sunset sail with Viator. This was an absolutely wonderful excursion and I would 10/10 recommend to anyone visiting Aruba! As if the views weren’t enough, the two hour tour also included delicious appetizers and an open bar.

The experience was truly unforgettable and was the perfect way to end our trip to Aruba.

To cap off the night, we ate dinner at Gianni’s Ristorante Italiano! The Pappardelle Bolognese and Spaghetti Al Formaggio Parmigiano tossed in a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano are must tries!

Day 7: Baby Beach & Oranjestad

Sadly, our beautiful trip is coming to an end. However, we had to make the most of our final day in Aruba. We spent the first half of our day at Baby Beach, located on the southmost tip of the island. I would say this was also a pretty touristy area, but I totally understand why!

Baby Beach has a long strip of white sand and clear water, with many grass umbrellas for you to enjoy shade. My favorite part about this beach was eating lunch at Rum Reef Cocktail Bar & Grill, which had great food and drinks to enjoy with a gorgeous view of the water.

To cap off our trip, we walked around Oranjestad and explored the capital. Although there are lots of shops and restaurants, most of them were closed so it may be hit or miss! I think it’s definitely worth exploring if you’re able to catch it when everything’s open.

Overall, Aruba is a beautiful tropical destination for your next couples trip or family vacation and I can’t wait to visit again soon. As always, if you’re thinking of planning a trip to Aruba, I’d suggest you JesssBookIt!

Also, if you’re interested in a complete budget breakdown of this trip, comment below!