Oranjestad, AW

A beachfront restaurant on Surfside near the airport where you eat fresh seafood under a big palapa or with your table on the sand and the runway lights beyond. Polished toes-in-the-sand dining.

A no-frills fishermen's shack in Savaneta where you order the day's catch by weight, fried fresh, and eat it at picnic tables over the water. The most authentic, unpretentious seafood meal on the island.

A romantic dinner in the courtyard and poolside garden of a 175-year-old cunucu manor in Noord, doing seafood and island-international plates by candlelight. The island's classic special-occasion setting.

Aruban home cooking in a 150-year-old whitewashed country house in Noord, the place for keshi yena — the national dish of spiced meat baked in a shell of cheese. A genuine taste of the island's own kitchen.

A locals' favorite in Oranjestad blending Aruban and Portuguese cooking — fresh fish, bacalhau and island stews — at honest prices and with a warm, family feel. Where Arubans actually eat.

A small, beloved San Nicolas kitchen doing soulful Caribbean home cooking — stewed seafood, funchi, plantain — to a steady local crowd. The reason to eat in the south town, not just see its murals.

A long-standing fine-dining garden restaurant in Noord with a European-Caribbean menu and one of the island's deepest wine lists. The grown-up dinner-out benchmark.

Refined Mediterranean-Caribbean cooking in a restored 1916 mansion and its garden courtyard near Oranjestad. Elegant without being stuffy, and a pretty alternative to the beach restaurants.

A large, lively Italian institution near Palm Beach doing handmade pasta, Tuscan grills and an old-school tableside spread. The reliable Italian crowd-pleaser on the resort strip.

A bright Palm Beach kiosk doing smoothie bowls, fresh juices and healthy breakfast plates — the antidote to resort buffets. The go-to for a light, vitamin-heavy start to a beach day.

A breezy island grill and beach bar on the Oranjestad waterfront by the Governor's Bay, doing grilled plates, local small bites and cocktails at the water's edge. A relaxed sunset spot near downtown.

A tiny, romantic restaurant built out on a pier over the water near downtown, doing grilled seafood and skewers with the lagoon all around you. Few tables, big sunset.

The island's distinctive 'haystack' hill rising from the central plain, climbed by a long concrete stairway to a summit with a 360-degree view across the whole island to the sea. A short, sweaty payoff.

The rugged national park covering nearly a fifth of the island — cactus desert, dramatic windward cliffs, caves and sand dunes laced with marked hiking trails. The wild, untamed Aruba beyond the beaches.

A natural rock pool on Arikok's wild windward coast, reached by a rough hike, 4x4 or horseback, where you can swim in calm water ringed by crashing surf. One of the island's great earned rewards.

Rolling sand dunes and rocky coast around the California Lighthouse, with easy wandering paths and big leeward-shore views. A short, scenic stretch of the island's wild northwest.

A dramatic sand-dune cove on Arikok's windward side, where big dunes spill toward a wild beach battered by Atlantic surf. A striking, lonely landscape for a short walk.

A private island off Oranjestad reachable by a short resort boat, with a calm beach where wild pink flamingos wander the sand. The island's most photographed experience, flamingos and all.

A San Nicolas institution since 1941, its ceiling and walls crusted with decades of seafarers' memorabilia, pouring strong drinks and stories to a mixed crowd. A genuine piece of old Aruba.

A small, calm bay near Malmok with exceptionally clear water and easy snorkeling among reef fish straight off the shore. One of the island's best and most accessible snorkel spots.

A netted tropical garden near Palm Beach where hundreds of butterflies from around the world flutter free among the visitors, with guided talks on their life cycle. A gentle, kid-pleasing stop off the strip.

The working factory and museum of one of the world's oldest aloe companies, with a free tour from field to bottle and the island's aloe-growing history. A cool, shaded, genuinely local stop.

A well-designed museum in restored historic houses in downtown Oranjestad, tracing the island's Amerindian past through pottery, tools and burials. The best indoor cultural stop in the capital.

A guided off-road run by UTV or jeep across Arikok's desert tracks to the Natural Pool, caves and windward cliffs — the easiest way to reach the wild east coast. Dusty, bumpy and fun.

A lively bar built out on the De Palm Pier at Palm Beach, with live music, dancing and cocktails over the water into the night. The strip's go-to for an easygoing party.

An all-inclusive activity island a short ferry from the south shore, with snorkeling among blue parrotfish, water slides, banana boats and a beach. A one-stop day of water fun, especially for families.

A vast sweep of powder-white sand consistently ranked among the world's best beaches, anchored by the two wind-bent fofoti trees that are Aruba's unofficial emblem. Wider and calmer than Palm Beach, with low-rise development.

A century-old lighthouse on the island's windswept northwest tip, surrounded by rolling dunes and rocky coast, with a panorama back down the whole leeward shore. The classic sunset-drive destination.

The capital's compact center along Caya Betico Croes, lined with candy-colored Dutch colonial facades, a free streetcar and shaded plazas. Walkable, photogenic and the historic heart of the island.

Aruba's oldest building, an 18th-century fort with a later clock tower, now housing the Historical Museum in the heart of Oranjestad. A small dose of the island's colonial past amid the shopping.

A small mustard-yellow pilgrim chapel set alone on a cactus-strewn hillside above the north coast, on the site of the island's first Catholic church. Serene, scenic and far from the resort strip.

A cluster of giant tumbled boulders rising from the desert interior, with paths winding between them, ancient Arawak petroglyphs and views over the island. A surreal, distinctly Aruban landscape.

Aruba's southern town, once a refinery hub, reborn as an open-air mural gallery from its annual art festival, with vivid large-scale street art across its old buildings. The island's grittier, most creative corner.

A calm, low-key beach near the California Lighthouse with clear water and easy snorkeling close to shore, far quieter than the resort beaches. A locals' favorite for an unhurried swim.