Where to stay in Aruba
Aruba covers about 70 square miles, and every area in this guide is within about 15 km of the airport by road. The areas differ in what sits outside the door: high-rise hotels, low-rise resorts, the capital, a rental house inland or the quieter north and south.
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How the areas differ
Palm Beach, north-west of Oranjestad and about 10 km from the airport by road, is the high-rise hotel district, with shopping malls next to the hotels. Eagle Beach, about 5 km from Oranjestad, has low-rise resorts along the widest beach on the island, with wind-bent trees on the sand.
Oranjestad, the capital, is about 4 km from the airport, with colonial-style buildings around Plaza Daniel Leo. The town of Noord lies inland from the Palm Beach hotels, about 2 km from the beach by road. North of Palm Beach, smaller apartment complexes and holiday homes line the road towards Arashi Beach, about 5 km from Palm Beach, whose calm water draws swimmers and snorkellers.
The south is quieter. San Nicolas, the second largest city, has mural art on its streets, and Baby Beach, a shallow, sheltered lagoon at the south-east end of the island, is about 7 km away by road. Savaneta, the capital until 1797, is about 10 km from the airport.
Staying with a rental car
The Aruba Tourism Authority points visitors to cars for hire at the airport, and every area in this guide is within about 18 km of Oranjestad by road.
Paid street parking was found only in Oranjestad. The meters there run from Monday to Saturday, 9:00 to 19:00 unless a sign says otherwise, and cost AWG 1 for 30 minutes, AWG 2 an hour or AWG 20 for a 10-hour day. Drivers pay by licence plate with local or US coins, Visa or Mastercard, or the Pay.aw app, and park only in white spaces; the meters give no change. A car left unpaid for 2 hours can be towed, and the release is paid in person at the Aruparking office in Oranjestad, Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:00.
No paid street parking scheme was found outside Oranjestad as of September 2026, so ask the hotel or host how parking works before booking. GetCar's guide Driving in Aruba: Roads, Rules and What Surprises People covers the roads themselves.
What the taxes and entry rules mean for a guest
Two levies are added to a stay. The tourist levy is 12.5% of what the guest pays for the room, service and energy charges included, since 1 January 2023. The environmental levy is USD 3 per occupied room per night, in hotels and in apartments or houses rented to tourists, and the host must tell the guest in writing what is due. The tax department's own example: a family staying 7 nights pays USD 21 in environmental levy. Guests registered as residents of Aruba pay neither.
Since 2023 both levies can be charged to a platform, such as Airbnb, that arranges the stay and takes the payment. Check whether the total shown includes them before booking.
Before the flight, visitors complete the online embarkation and disembarkation (ED) card, up to 7 days before arriving, and airlines ask for proof of approval. Visitors arriving by air also pay a USD 20 sustainability fee through the ED card, with children under eight exempt. Travel insurance is not required, according to the Aruba Tourism Authority, though it recommends it.
In April 2024 the government said every owner with a listing would have to register the rental to operate it, with the law in its final phase; whether registration is now required is unverified as of September 2026.
When to book what
Compare totals with both levies in, since a price shown without them rises by 12.5% plus USD 3 per room per night. Then ask the hotel or host about parking.
Fill in the ED card within the 7 days before arriving and pay the sustainability fee in the same step: the ED card is approved only after the fee is paid online by credit card, and cash is not accepted on arrival.
Which area for which trip
A first beach holiday at a hotel: Palm Beach.
A wide beach with a shorter drive to town: Eagle Beach.
Town life and early flights: Oranjestad.
A rental house for a family or group: Noord.
A quieter base at the north end: Malmok and Arashi.
The south and Baby Beach: San Nicolas and Savaneta.
Questions
How far is Palm Beach from the airport?
About 10 km by road, and Eagle Beach about the same. Oranjestad is about 4 km from the airport.
How much is the environmental levy in Aruba?
USD 3 per occupied room per night, in hotels and in apartments or houses rented to tourists. A 7-night stay in one room adds USD 21.
Is the tourist levy charged on vacation rentals?
Yes. The tax department counts a place that houses fewer than ten people for payment as a lodging, and since 2023 the levy can be charged to a platform such as Airbnb that takes the payment. The rate is 12.5%.
Where is parking paid in Aruba?
In Oranjestad, from Monday to Saturday between 9:00 and 19:00 unless posted. No paid street parking scheme was found elsewhere as of September 2026.
What is the ED card?
Aruba's online embarkation and disembarkation card, completed up to 7 days before arriving. Airlines ask for proof of approval before boarding, and people travelling through Aruba fill it in too.