Eagle Beach Holidays

On Aruba’s north-west corner, Eagle Beach is the nearest you’ll get to paradise in this lifetime. Condé Nast Traveller called it one of the world’s top beaches, TripAdvisor singled it out as a Travellers’ Choice winner, and visitors usually can't believe the shade of the sands.

The beach is a two-kilometre stretch of sugar-white sand, dotted with divi-divi trees and thatched palapa umbrellas. It’s got crystal-clear, turquoise water, so you can see fish swimming around your ankles. And unlike Palm Beach – the popular resort next door – the tourists are in short supply, so you can expect just a handful of watersports centres and the occasional beach bar serving Aruba Ariba cocktails.

Behind the beach, you'll find a small cluster of low-rise luxury hotels, a sprinkling of upmarket bars and restaurants, plus a nine-hole golf course and a casino. If you’re a fan of diving, Eagle Beach also has a couple of dive schools that can take you out to the Technicolor reefs just off the shore.

Just 15 minutes’ drive away is Aruba’s capital, Oranjestad. This pretty town is crammed with Dutch-style colonial buildings and has several museums worth exploring, like Fort Zoutman, which hosts weekly culture festivals. It’s also a luxury retail hub, with a string of high-end shopping malls facing the harbour.