Have they put Porta Potties at Arashi

DW and I have enjoyed going out to Arashi (on the bus) for years, but always hoped the authorities would one day add some potties. Recently heard a rumor that they have put a couple of porta potties out there but cannot find any confirmation of this rumor. Anyone know for sure?

Hank

DW and I have enjoyed going out to Arashi (on the bus) for years, but always hoped the authorities would one day add some potties. Recently heard a rumor that they have put a couple of porta potties out there but cannot find any confirmation of this rumor. Anyone know for sure?

 

 

 

Hank

Arashi now has port-o-potties.

They were there one day and gone the other, so it's hit or miss.

Permanent facilities are being built at Arashi. The building is up, if no one reports back on whether it is open or not I will check when I am on the island at the end of December. Hopefully someone else will report back before then. ;)

Permanent facilities are being built at Arashi. The building is up, if no one reports back on whether it is open or not I will check when I am on the island at the end of December. Hopefully someone else will report back before then. ;)

The building is up and looks finished but I saw some guy walk up and tried to open the doors and they were locked, this was on 11/13/15. I didn't notice any signage but just assumed they were restrooms also thought it was weird they had a port-a-potty on the side walk on Monday but not there Friday. They also had one at the gold ruins in the middle of the desert.

Thanks for the update!

We will be back the first week of Dec so interested in updates. While I like the idea of a porta potty...not so sure about them building a real "facility." One of the charms of this beach is that many tourists/cruisers do not go to Arashi because of the distance and lack of facilities. Would hate to see the place become another crowded Palm Beach.

Hank

Arashi Beach

Courtesy Minister of Tourism Otmar Oduber via Facebook

Bump- any updates on the facilities here?

As of December 27 there were NO restroom facilities open. There were also NO portapotties.

As of May 14 2016, still not open. Politics involved.

Brand spanking new restrooms in a building completed BEFORE 12/26/15 sitting locked and EMPTY.

Brand spanking new restrooms in a building completed BEFORE 12/26/15 sitting locked and EMPTY.

I could be wrong (wouldn't be the first time :)) but I don't think that the new restrooms at Surfside are open either. It makes me wonder about the new ones that they are building on Eagle. It seems that a lot of money is being wasted to just build these facilities and let them sit there locked and empty.

I could be wrong (wouldn't be the first time :)) but I don't think that the new restrooms at Surfside are open either. It makes me wonder about the new ones that they are building on Eagle. It seems that a lot of money is being wasted to just build these facilities and let them sit there locked and empty.

So let's see...

No maintenance required, no cleaners need to do their thing, no expense of water, toilet paper, soap, cleaning supplies.

They LOOK pristine, because, yeah, they've never been used.

Were they built for propaganda purposes?

Thought we would resurrect this post based on a recent visit (2 weeks ago) to Arashi Beach. For many years, this has been our "go to" beach for off shore snorkeling. We can now confirm that Arashi has a new facility (that is open and operating) which has a small food menu plus the usual beverages...as well as rest rooms! Because of the new facility the beach does tend to get a bit more crowded (still plenty of room). We spend a couple of hours snorkeling (all the way out to the reef area) and were a little disappointed in the reef condition which seems to have deteriorated in recent years. This is likely the result of some storms coupled with human abuse (many snorkel boat tours go to this area). But it is still the best snorkel area (accessed from a beach) on the island. As we have stated in prior posts, this does require swimming some distance from the beach so experience and fins are really helpful.

Hank

Thought we would resurrect this post based on a recent visit (2 weeks ago) to Arashi Beach. For many years, this has been our "go to" beach for off shore snorkeling. We can now confirm that Arashi has a new facility (that is open and operating) which has a small food menu plus the usual beverages...as well as rest rooms! Because of the new facility the beach does tend to get a bit more crowded (still plenty of room). We spend a couple of hours snorkeling (all the way out to the reef area) and were a little disappointed in the reef condition which seems to have deteriorated in recent years. This is likely the result of some storms coupled with human abuse (many snorkel boat tours go to this area). But it is still the best snorkel area (accessed from a beach) on the island. As we have stated in prior posts, this does require swimming some distance from the beach so experience and fins are really helpful.

 

Hank

Thanks for the update. Do you happen to know any of the pricing on food and drinks and what type of food?

How far of a swim is it from the shore? Is the water fairly calm? How deep would you say the water is once you get to the reef?

Thanks for the update. Do you happen to know any of the pricing on food and drinks and what type of food?

 

How far of a swim is it from the shore? Is the water fairly calm? How deep would you say the water is once you get to the reef?

The small cafe has very limited food items which did include burgers (for about $10 (US) and fries. DW and I split some fries as a light snack and they were actually pretty good. This is not a food destination....but rather a place where you can get some light food if really hungry.

The reef (more like pieces of a partially dead reef area) lie east (towards your left when you enter the water) between Arashi and Boca Catalina/Malmok Beaches (from where its also possible to get to the reef area by swimming west. As I said, the reef has not been doing well in the past few years....but it is still the best snorkeling from shore. There is another snorkel area located at Baby Beach which we find even more disappointing. And getting to Baby Beach (from the port) is difficult without a rental car (a taxi would be quite expensive).

When I started snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean about forty years ago, there were quite a few decent snorkel spots on many islands. Many of these have suffered in recent years...which makes me quite sad. Reefs seem to be failing around the world due to water temperature changes, sea creatures that attack reefs, and man caused damage. Even the Great Barrier Reef is changing (not for the good) due to so-called "reef bleaching." On our recent trip we noticed deterioration of the reef near Bonaire....which was too darn obvious. Haven't been to Belize yet, but others tell me that reef still has some very healthy areas.

Hank

The small cafe has very limited food items which did include burgers (for about $10 (US) and fries. DW and I split some fries as a light snack and they were actually pretty good. This is not a food destination....but rather a place where you can get some light food if really hungry.

 

The reef (more like pieces of a partially dead reef area) lie east (towards your left when you enter the water) between Arashi and Boca Catalina/Malmok Beaches (from where its also possible to get to the reef area by swimming west. As I said, the reef has not been doing well in the past few years....but it is still the best snorkeling from shore. There is another snorkel area located at Baby Beach which we find even more disappointing. And getting to Baby Beach (from the port) is difficult without a rental car (a taxi would be quite expensive).

 

When I started snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean about forty years ago, there were quite a few decent snorkel spots on many islands. Many of these have suffered in recent years...which makes me quite sad. Reefs seem to be failing around the world due to water temperature changes, sea creatures that attack reefs, and man caused damage. Even the Great Barrier Reef is changing (not for the good) due to so-called "reef bleaching." On our recent trip we noticed deterioration of the reef near Bonaire....which was too darn obvious. Haven't been to Belize yet, but others tell me that reef still has some very healthy areas.

 

Hank

Good to hear they have burgers and fries. We usually only grab a quick bite to eat when on the island and that will be perfect.

Thanks for the update on the reef. Sad to hear things are getting worse in these areas. I'll enjoy it just the same though. :)

They charge a buck to use the potty[emoji57]

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They charge a buck to use the potty[emoji57]

 

 

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LOL Seriously? Now I'll feel like I'm in Puerto Rico. Thanks for letting me know so that I'll make sure to bring some ones with me. :)

They charge a buck to use the potty[emoji57]

 

 

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Its actually 50 cents (US) or 1 Florin. You pay at the cafe food window and they will hand you the key.

Hank

Ok so just thinking about this cafe thing. If there's staff there selling food then if for some reason the bus didn't show up, wouldn't one of them be able to call a cab for you? (I mean I would tip them and all for doing so)

Ok so just thinking about this cafe thing. If there's staff there selling food then if for some reason the bus didn't show up, wouldn't one of them be able to call a cab for you? (I mean I would tip them and all for doing so)

I assume they would do that. But on our most recent visit (2 weeks ago) the beach had become somewhat more popular then in the past (probably because they now have facilities) and there was usually 1 or 2 taxis just hanging out in the parking area. We should also mention that we are now in the Cell/Smart phone era and many folks do have working phones. One reason we switched our phone carrier to T-Mobile is because this carrier gives us nearly worldwide service (both voice and data) at no additional fee other then a 20 cent per minute charge for voice calls in some countries. We love that our iPhone now works nearly everywhere (including far flung places like the Faroe Islands, New Zealand, etc) without us having to any longer deal with paying for roaming, extra coverage, data, etc. We are very independent travelers (we think "tour" is a 4 letter word) and add taxi (also a 4 letter word) phone numbers to our contacts before we get to most ports.

Hank

I assume they would do that. But on our most recent visit (2 weeks ago) the beach had become somewhat more popular then in the past (probably because they now have facilities) and there was usually 1 or 2 taxis just hanging out in the parking area. We should also mention that we are now in the Cell/Smart phone era and many folks do have working phones. One reason we switched our phone carrier to T-Mobile is because this carrier gives us nearly worldwide service (both voice and data) at no additional fee other then a 20 cent per minute charge for voice calls in some countries. We love that our iPhone now works nearly everywhere (including far flung places like the Faroe Islands, New Zealand, etc) without us having to any longer deal with paying for roaming, extra coverage, data, etc. We are very independent travelers (we think "tour" is a 4 letter word) and add taxi (also a 4 letter word) phone numbers to our contacts before we get to most ports.

 

Hank

Thanks for the info. I would imagine if they now have potties and food/drinks, it would become a little more crowded. I don't have a problem with that. I actually like it when there's at least "some" people there instead of deserted. I just feel like if there's ever anything to happen, at least there's someone around.

Good to hear that there have been some cabs spotted waiting around, just in case the bus situation didn't work out. I guess I'm still a little worried since I believe we will be the only ones in port that day and we are there late. I'm not sure how late cabs actually wait around (not that we would be staying after dark).

Yea, I had t-mobile prior to switching from verizon and had several issues with them, so I won't be returning. We never really have much of a need to have worldwide service...of course except in this particular case. lol We usually don't even take our phones with us in port.

Thanks for the info. I would imagine if they now have potties and food/drinks, it would become a little more crowded. I don't have a problem with that. I actually like it when there's at least "some" people there instead of deserted. I just feel like if there's ever anything to happen, at least there's someone around.

 

Good to hear that there have been some cabs spotted waiting around, just in case the bus situation didn't work out. I guess I'm still a little worried since I believe we will be the only ones in port that day and we are there late. I'm not sure how late cabs actually wait around (not that we would be staying after dark).

 

Yea, I had t-mobile prior to switching from verizon and had several issues with them, so I won't be returning. We never really have much of a need to have worldwide service...of course except in this particular case. lol We usually don't even take our phones with us in port.

Even in the good ole days we were never totally alone at Arashi....as there were always a few locals and others staying on the island (we used to drive out there when we stayed on the island). The bus service on Aruba is very reliable and there is 1 bus per hour from Arashi. There is other traffic through that area since its near the Lighthouse (another popular place with visitors). If all else where to fail, one could always walk to the Palm Beach area (about 2 miles).

Hank