Shopping, beach, walkability and the ABCs

[Pooch]

Ok moving on to the next cruise - 8 day Explorer to the ABC’s in October.  We enjoy a good beach day with loungers, umbrellas easy access to food and beverages, shopping for local products (not jewelry!), and walking.  Looking for recommendations for what to do where.  Which is the best for beaches?  Where do I browse/shop?  Good areas for walking?

thanks all!  Couldn’t do it without you!

[AshleyDillo]

Aruba has good shopping nearby and walkable from the port. The port is in downtown. Aruba also has beautiful beaches to enjoy, but I can't think of any that are near shopping. I'd suggest Palm Beach as the best beach option which you can just take a cab to. You just have to figure out where you'd want to rent the loungers and umbrellas from. Palm Beach has a lot of beachfront resorts all along it with lots of options and restaurants. Put it into Google Maps and you can see all the names of the places along that stretch and research them individually to figure out if you might want to look into any specific ones.

[Pooch]

Ok so maybe we walk/shop in Aruba.  So now Bonaire or Curaçao for beaches?

[FionaMG]

3 hours ago, Pooch said:

Ok so maybe we walk/shop in Aruba.  So now Bonaire or Curaçao for beaches?

Bonaire isn't really a beach stop, although I understand it's a divers'/snorkelers' paradise. We did an island tour that included time at one of the beaches and it was small and rocky but the water was very clear and you could see lots of little fish. You'd probably want to look for something else to do there. Some people recommend hiring a golf cart and doing a leisurely drive around the island.

For shopping, I actually preferred Curacao over Aruba and the town centre is walkable from the ship. There is a beach quite near the port called Mambo Beach but I didn't think it was anything to write home about. I have heard that the ones on the far side of the island from the port are much nicer but haven't had a chance to visit them so don't know if that is really the case. There are also some caves (I think they're called Hato Caves) which some people on our cruise went to and enjoyed.

For me, Aruba has the best beaches. I loved, loved, loved Eagle Beach. It's a long beach with lovely white sand and turquoise water. I think I read somewhere that someone had actually walked to it from the port but I may be imagining it. We took a cab. There was a beach facility right where the taxi dropped us that had loungers and sunshades. I don't know if they had drinks and food or just drinks.

[Pooch]

Appreciate all opinions!!  So are taxis readily available near the port?

[FionaMG]

7 hours ago, Pooch said:

Appreciate all opinions!!  So are taxis readily available near the port?

Yes, right outside in both Aruba and Curacao. I don't know about bonaire as we did the excursion there.

[AshleyDillo]

I agree that Aruba is going to be the best choice for a beach day. The beaches there are beautiful. Taxis are available right outside the port.

Bonaire and Curacao both have shopping that is walkable from the port.

[Pooch]

Hard to determine distances on a map.  Can you walk from the cruise port to Mambo Beach Blvd beach & shopping area?

[FionaMG]

11 minutes ago, Pooch said:

Hard to determine distances on a map.  Can you walk from the cruise port to Mambo Beach Blvd beach & shopping area?

 

We did it on an excursion bus and it was a short drive. Google maps reckons it's a bit over 3 miles, which would likely be a long, hot walk. When we were last there in December 2018 a taxi was $25 each way from the port (per taxi for up to 4 people). Obviously the price may well have gone up by now.

 

 

[fa-li]

I agree Aruba has best beaches in the traditional sense. 

Bonaire has amazing snorkeling.  Unless you really hate to snorkel, I would highly recommend that you email Woodwind Bonaire and book a snorkel with them.  They are a short walk from the ship, and take you over to a beautiful reef for a drift snorkel.  Very little effort is required on your part as you drift with the current and the boat picks you up at the end.  They provide all equipment, that even my snorkel snob husband likes, help you get set up, and a guide goes in with you to point out interesting aquatic life.  After a couple of swims, they serve you wonderful food on your way back.  Even if you are normally not a snorkel person, you will love this experience.  

We've always booked adventure guides through Edo with VIP tours Curacao and had amazing, very full, days on the island, but that doesn't sound like what you are looking for.  

[AandD]

Sorobon Beach in Bonaire. 

[PatsFanBrian]

Never been to Bonaire.  Our Southern Caribbean in June doesn't include it (we have La Romana instead).

When we went in '17, in Aruba, we taxied to a beach (think it was Eagle?), stayed a bit and taxied back. We spent the afternoon walking the town and then topped off the stop with a sunset cruise.  We're already have the sunset cruise booked again in June.

We really enjoyed Curacao.  We started with an excursion to the distillery and which included a few hours at a beach.  In the afternoon, we walked the town.  The walk into town is really nice, we loved the town itself.  At night, the view of the town from the ship is picturesque.  If the stop in Curacao goes into the night, passengers are forewarned to leave plenty of time to get back because the pontoon bridge could move to let a ship pass at any time and there's no way around it except by taxi.  Not sure if we'll just get a ride to a beach this time around, but we'll definitely be in town.