Aruba.

Aruba is one of the Lesser Antilles located in the Southern Caribbean Sea. Its weather stays fairly constant at 82° F (28°C). It also lies south of the general hurricane paths. All this makes it a wonderful place to visit year round.

We were able to book a direct flight from Washington D.C. (Dulles-IAD) to Aruba.

The flight time was around 4 1/2 hours.

The island was vibrant and full of character. Not to mention i was a welcome relief from a long winter in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Here are five photos of Aruba that will make you want to hop on a plane and go visit the “One Happy Island.”

Palm Beach.

Located on the West side of the island, Palm Beach is two miles of white sand and calm, turquoise waters.

This is the main tourist district and is where we stayed with our three teenagers. You’ll find stunning turquoise waters as well as many water sports. Our snorkeling excursion left from here as well as the tube ride that we took.

Natural Bridge.

Located in Arikok National Park on the East Coast of Aruba, Natural Bridge collapsed in in 2005.

There is still a baby natural bridge located here and amazing views of the ocean crashing into the limestone cliffs.

The winds on this side of the island are much stronger.

Baby Beach.

Baby Beach is a half-moon lagoon near San Nicolas, known for its calm and shallow waters.

Across the rocky outcropping, divers were seen along the reefs.

Boca Catalina.

One of the sites on our snorkeling cruise with Jolly Pirates, which you can read about here, was Boca Catalina.

It’s located in the Malmok Beach area just north of Palm Beach.

Sunset at Palm Beach.

Aruba serves up plenty of beautiful sunsets.

Try to catch as many as you can.

Let your light shine!

Amy