General Aruba Information

This section gives some general Aruba information to help in planning your next vacation to the island. 

Aruba Facts

Aruba is 19.6 miles long and 6 miles across and totaling 77 square miles or 193 square kilometers.  Aruba is located 12° 30' North Latitude; 70°  West Latitude; 19 miles or 31 km north of the Venezuelan coast.

Time Zone

Aruba is located in the "Atlantic Standard" Time Zone (AST) year round.  AST is equivalent to Daylight Savings Time in the U.S.  

The current date/time in Aruba is:

Currency / Credit Cards

The official currency of Aruba is the Florin, denoted by the abbreviation "Afl".  The Aruba Florin is divided into 100 cents.  The exchange rate with the U.S. dollar is 1.77 (1 $ = 1.77 Afl).  However, the U.S dollar is widely accpeted in Aruba.  In most cases, the prices quoted to you will be in U.S. dollars.  Grocery stores will usually be in Afl, with the dollar prices listed below it. 

Generally, if you pay with the U.S. dollar, you will receive U.S. dollars back (for change).  The exception to this may be loose coins.  You will likely end up with Afl coins in return, as there can be shortages on U.S. coins on the island.

All major credit cards are accepted on the island.  As in the U.S. you will see images of the credit cards that are accepted.  Generally, a Visa, Mastercard, or American Express will be accepted.

Communications

Aruba is equipped with modern telecommunications.  You can place calls to anywhere in the world.  In some cases, your hotel or resort may have a special that allows you to call North America anytime during the day for a set price of about $10.00.  

Hotels and Resorts generally have high speed internet access as well.  So, you can keep in touch via e-mail while you are in Aruba. 

Drinking Water

Aruba has the world's second largest desalination plant.  Since the island is a desert, they take in sea water and run it through a de-salination process to produce some of the best water in the world.  There is no need to drink bottled water while in Aruba.  The water that comes out of the faucet in your hotel is perfectly acceptable.  Try it when you get there and you'll see what I mean!

Electricity

Electricity on the island is 110 A.C. (60 cycles), which is the North American standard.  If you are coming from the U.S., then there will be no problems charging your iPods, phones, or laptops.  

Seasons (high / low)

The seasons in Aruba are broken into high and low.  However, this is based on tourism.  The high season for Aruba is during the winter in North America.  It is not uncommon to have a cruise ship arrive in Aruba every day during the high season.

The low season is generally considered the Summer in North America.  There is likely to be fewer people on the island.  Cruise ships dock once every two weeks or so. 

Tips / Service Charges

Service chages or gratuity is sometimes included.  When dining at one of the many restaurants, check before hand if a service charge or gratuity has already been included.  Usually, this is somewhere between 10% and 15% of the total bill.  Use your own discretion when leaving an extra amount for great service.

Air Transportation

Many Airlines fly to Aruba, we recommend checking Jet Blue as they have many flights and are usually the cheapest. 

Jet Blue - Best Flight Deals to Aruba  

We also recommend checking the following online sites for the best airfares:

Book early and save! Find special deals in hot destinations only at Expedia.com!  

Visit Travelocity for Caribbean Deals

Priceline.com - no one deals like we do!