Best Things to do in Aruba with Kids and Teens

This post may contain affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission if items are purchased via the link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

Are you planning a family trip to Aruba? With its many beaches and activities, Aruba is the perfect destination for a Caribbean family vacation. Aruba is packed with family-friendly activities that will keep the whole crew entertained. In this guide, we’ll dive into the best things to do in Aruba with kids and teens, ensuring your trip is filled with fun activities even moody teens will enjoy. Whether you’re looking to relax on the beach, snorkel in crystal-clear waters, or embark on a desert adventure, Aruba has it all! Here are the best things to do in Aruba with kids and teens and our Aruba 4 day itinerary.

Things to know when traveling to Aruba

• You need to complete an online form called the Embarkation and Disembarkation Card (ED-Card) to enter Aruba. As of July 2024, the fee is $20/person and it’s best to do this ahead of time or you will be standing at the airport filling out everyone’s form. Once completed, you will receive a QR code which allows entry to the country. Make sure you are using the official site linked above as there are lots of 3rd party ones that charge a lot more than $20!
• Credit cards were accepted everywhere, we didn’t need cash at all. In fact, most places accepted Apple Pay. And the few that didn’t, took US cash.
• Rent a car! It’s super easy to get around the island and explore on your own. We opted to rent a car and drove around the entire island. Many will tell you to rent a Jeep but we disagree. Not only are they super expensive, they are uncomfortable and just not needed. We rented an SUV but quite honestly, we would have been totally fine with a regular sedan so save your money. 90% of the cars we saw were sedans.
• Aruba is a windy island! If you have long hair, be sure to bring something to tie it back with or your hair will be a tangled mess. It’s windy all the time here, something many aren’t aware of.
• Travel in the off season if possible! After landing, it took less than a minute to clear customs. When we were going home, we were done with all of the security and US customs in less than 20 minutes. Aruba is a Preclearance airport so you’ll do your US customs here instead of at whichever US airport you’re flying to. We also didn’t need restaurant reservations, they were never full this time of year which was nice to go when we are hungry not because we had a certain time to be there.

Things to bring when traveling to Aruba

• Bring floats for the beach and pool. We brought these pool floats and they worked perfectly in the pool and ocean. Many people were paying a ton to rent them and asked us where we got ours. These pack up super tiny and it takes seconds to inflate since you’re only inflating the two small sides.
• Sunscreen, lots of sunscreen! It’s hot and sunny and with the wind, you are likely to get sunburned. We love Blue Lizard spray for the body and Badger for the face.
• Collapsible beach toys if you are coming to Aruba with kids. We’ve had this set for years and always bring it on beach trips. Much better than buying cheap plastic at the destination!
• Bring a drone! I brought my DJI Mini 4k Drone and got some great aerial shots of the beach and hotel areas. These are some of the easiest drones to use, right out of the box. There was no learning curve and they are super stable, so even a beginner like me had no issues using it even in the Aruba wind.

Where to stay in Aruba with kids and teens

There are many family friendly hotels to choose from in Aruba, including some all-inclusives. While we didn’t stay at an AI and to be honest, we usually avoid them because we love trying local food and supporting local restaurants, it might not be a bad idea here if you don’t have a rental car and plan on only eating at restaurants near the hotel zone. The food near the hotels was pretty bland and awful (and expensive!) and I can’t imagine an AI would be any worse.

On this trip, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort and Casino and it was great. The location is excellent, with lots of shops and restaurants within walking distance. The beach here (Eagle Beach) is really nice as well, with calm, warm water that’s perfect for kids to play in. Pro tip: Reserve your beach and pool chairs ahead of time, especially if you are traveling during peak travel season. For the beach, we reserved palapa 76 on all of our days and it was the perfect location. Front row in the center, right in front of the water. We came in the off season so most were empty but I have heard that during popular travel times, beach chairs sell out.

The family pool at Hyatt has multiple areas. One has a large pool for toddlers, it’s only 6 inches deep. There’s also a slide for older kids and adults and multiple regular pools as well.

On a past trip to Aruba, we stayed at the Aruba Marriott Resort. This hotel is at the end of the island on Palm Beach and while the beach here was amazing, there really was not much within walking distance. It was fine since we had a car, but when visiting Aruba with kids, you might want the Hyatt for ease of walking around.

What to do in Aruba with kids and teens

Aruba is a fantastic destination for families with kids and teens, offering as many or as little activities as you want. Here are the best things to do in Aruba with kids and teens.

Explore the beaches

If you’re traveling to a Caribbean island, chances are it’s because you want a beach vacation. Aruba has plenty of beautiful beaches and we recommend checking as many out as you can. Some of our favorites were:

Eagle Beach & Palm Beach: These are the beaches located by most of the hotels and ones you will most likely spend the most time in. The water here is calm and warm, perfect for playing or lounging. We loved the beach in front of the Hyatt and spent quite a bit of time here.

Baby Beach: Ideal for families with young kids, this shallow, crescent-shaped lagoon offers gentle waters that are great for snorkeling. If you’re staying in the hotel zone, it will take you around an hour to get here.

Visit Arikok National Park

• Explore Caves: Take a family hike to see the park’s fascinating caves like Quadirikiri and Fontein, with ancient rock paintings and natural pools.
• Off-Road Adventures: Teens will enjoy a jeep or ATV tour through the rugged landscape of the park, visiting sites like the Natural Pool and the sand dunes.

Check out Oranjestad

• Explore Aruba’s capital city with its colorful Dutch colonial architecture, shops, and restaurants. Teens might enjoy shopping for souvenirs, while younger kids will love the street performers and gelato shops. We explored the marketplace here after eating at a local restaurant a few blocks away. Make sure there are no cruises on the day you visit, we didn’t want to deal with cruisers so we visited on a day there wasn’t one docking.

Visit the Donkey Sanctuary

One of the best things to do with kids and teens in Aruba is to visit the Donkey Sanctuary. Here, you will meet donkeys that were abused or injured. This is free, so be sure to stop at the gift shop on your way out! My daughter loved seeing all the friendly donkeys and feeding them. It’s in a very local part of the island and your chance to try food that locals eat if you are driving yourself here!

Visit the Aloe Factory Store and Museum

Aruba’s warm and dry desert climate makes it the perfect location to grow aloe. Here, you’ll find fields and fields of aloe and inside you can do a self tour of the factory. You can see aloe being stripped and made into things like lotion, lip balm, soap, etc. After your tour, head to the store to purchase some local aloe goodies. My daughter loves the lip balm she purchased!

Go on a snorkeling tour

There are many excursions you can take in Aruba and one of the most popular ones is a snorkeling tour. At our hotel, they were picking up people right on the beach so super convenient without having to drive anywhere.

Go to the California Lighthouse

The tallest structure in Aruba, the California Lighthouse is located near Arashi Beach. You can climb to the top for views of the island. We opted not to climb since it was super hot and we were dressed for dinner but it was fun to see it from the outside.

Where to eat in Aruba with kids

Aruba has lots of family friendly restaurants, everything from Italian and burgers to tapas and seafood. I will say though, we didn’t like much of the food at all anywhere near the hotel area. There was no seasoning on anything, including dishes labeled as curry and jerk. If you want good food, rent a car and drive away from the tourist zone. Here are some of the restaurants we tried that would be good when traveling to Aruba with kids.

Salt and Pepper Tapas Bar

One of the first family friendly restaurants we ate at in Aruba was Salt and Pepper Tapas Bar. We walked over from our hotel on our first day since we didn’t feel like driving anywhere else right after a flight. The food here was super bland, and I mean I don’t think they even used salt and pepper. I’m not sure what the French onion soup was but I took one bite and left the rest.

The Old Cunucu House Aruba

If you only eat at one place in Aruba, make it this one! It’s the best local Aruba restaurant where locals eat. This was just a 5 minute drive from our hotel but a world of difference in terms of food quality. They specialize in local Aruban food and we loved everything we tried.

The oxtail here is amazing and made perfectly, my garlic shrimp was very well seasoned and my daughter’s fettuccine alfredo was not the typical cream laden stuff you find in the US. It was a very light sauce with lots of vegetables inside, she loved it! And don’t skip dessert. The quesillo was amazing but the star of the show was their peanut butter dessert. It doesn’t look very pretty but tasted amazing! Everyone around us was ordering it so we knew we had to try it. This is the best family friendly restaurant in Aruba.

Diana’s Pancakes Place

Since Aruba is a Dutch island, you will find lots of Dutch pancake restaurants. We loved them in Amsterdam and they were great here, pretty much identical. Our favorite was Diana’s, which had both sweet and savory options. The staff here is super welcoming and the pancakes were really good. If you’re looking for a kid friendly Aruba restaurant, definitely check them out! This was definitely a huge hit and one I would recommend for families with kids.

Pelican Nest Restaurant

If you’re looking for waterfront dining, this is a great option. Book a time around sunset and you will have great views while dining. However, while the views are amazing the food was pretty awful. Just like our other experiences near the hotels, the food was super bland. Come for the views and maybe drinks, but I would skip dinner!

Delimar Peruvian

One of our favorite meals in Aruba was at Delimar Peruvian. It was a 15 minute drive from our hotel and located in the capital city of Oranjestad, on a quite back street. We visited Peru 4 months prior and the food here was identical to what we had in Peru. We tried the pollo saltado (my daughter’s favorite) and saltado con camarones and both were excellent. If you like authentic Peruvian food, I highly recommend making the drive here! There was plenty of street parking in the surrounding area.

Eduardo’s Beach Shack

One of the only places we enjoyed near our hotel is Eduardo’s Beach Shack. If you like juices without the added sugar, protein balls or acai bowls, this is the place for you! We came here for breakfast and loved their juices and acai bowls. It’s a 5 minute walk on the beach path from the Hyatt and they accept Apple Pay, so you don’t need to carry actual cards. They also sell boba tea, which my daughter loved. Much cheaper breakfast option than what the hotel offers and so much tastier!

Just before you reach Eduardo’s, you will pass another shack called Scott’s Brats. I highly recommend walking over here when going to the beach at the Hyatt. The food is super cheap and great. My daughter got some fries to eat on the beach. Once she ordered nachos from the Hyatt and they were over $30. Scott’s is cash only so bring some US dollars, all the prices are in USD. The drinks are much cheaper here too though we didn’t try any.

Morgenster Take Away

If you want to try real Aruban food and eat where locals eat in Aruba, then check out any of the take away shacks you’ll pass when driving to and from the Donkey Sanctuary. Every single one had locals in line and the food is incredibly cheap. We got a large chicken curry and not only was it super flavorful, it was around $7 USD. It seems like this area is the hidden gem for great local food!

Linda’s Dutch Pancakes

Another family friendly Aruba restaurant, Linda’s is just a 5 minute drive from the hotels. Both my husband and daughter liked these better than Diana’s while I preferred Diana’s. Try both and decide for yourself! These were bigger and definitely more filling (I barely finished half) and they had create your own options, which my daughter loved.

Aruba is one of the best Caribbean islands to visit with kids and teens. The island’s friendly atmosphere, diverse activities, and kid-friendly amenities make it an ideal destination for families. And because Aruba is generally considered to be outside of the hurricane belt, they very rarely get hit by one. We visited during peak hurricane season (mid September) and had perfect weather the entire time. If you’re planning a beach trip with kids, definitely add Aruba to your list! Want to read this later? Pin one of the images below.