Monday March 10th, 2025 Aruba
- Neil Wylie
- Dec 9, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 19
Today was our second visit to Oranjestad on the island of Aruba just off the northern coast of Venezuela. We had planned to rent a car and explore the small island, but unfortunately, I’m still suffering from a bad cough so, with the help of medication, we are just having a short walk around the town.
With two other cruise ships in port, the town was quite busy – but I think a lot of people head for the beaches, which is the main draw for Aruba, so it could have been worse. The main street in Oranjestad is quite short with a yacht harbor and cruise berths on one side and shops and hotels on the other; there is a strong Dutch influence on the architecture though it’s hard to tell if any of it dates to the colonial period or if it is more recent and designed specifically to attract tourists. Oranjestad is a very tourist focused town.
In an effort to try and get away from the tourists we explored the area behind the main street and happened upon an amazing coffee shop. Santos Coffee with Soul offered a beautiful airconditioned seating area, super friendly young staff and some of the best coffee we’ve ever had (and we’ve had a lot in many locations around the world) – not to mention the avocado toast that we shared. We even bought a bag of their coffee to bring home with us.
I love the old Caribbean tradition of painting houses in bright contrasting colors, and we managed to find some good examples in Oranjestad, though you have to get away from the main street.
I short but pleasant stop in Aruba.
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