Best place on eagle beach to go?

We are planning on just taking a taxi to eagle beach but don't know where we should ask to be dropped off. I'd prefer somewhere I can rent chairs and an umbrella. A beach bar with food at a moderate cost would be nice as well. I heard taxi fare to eagle is only about $10, that sound about right.

We have been there three times, inclu. one all-inclusive week. Wonderful and would return in a heartbeat. I think they may charge non-guests for chair rental, with palapa, but the beach is perfect, quiet, and there is a nice bar and restrooms. Tip: don't take the cab, just walk over to the bus station and go "local." Easy and inexpensive. Bus stops right there. Did I say easy? The hotel itself is across the street. One add'l note: very quiet; only two disturbing (?) things were the pelicans which dive right in and may startle the swimmers, though not every day; and the swimmers may be topless. It is Dutch, after all :o

We have been there three times, inclu. one all-inclusive week. Wonderful and would return in a heartbeat. I think they may charge non-guests for chair rental, with palapa, but the beach is perfect, quiet, and there is a nice bar and restrooms. Tip: don't take the cab, just walk over to the bus station and go "local." Easy and inexpensive. Bus stops right there. Did I say easy? The hotel itself is across the street. One add'l note: very quiet; only two disturbing (?) things were the pelicans which dive right in and may startle the swimmers, though not every day; and the swimmers may be topless. It is Dutch, after all :o

Recently, Amsterdam Manor has been stating that they do not allow people who are not staying at their resort to use the palapas. They still rent chairs, but shade may be difficult. Another good option is MVC, right down the road. They do rent chairs and palapas, and have a restaurant and bar across the street.

Walk down the public access walkway, and there will be chair/umbrella rentals right there. The beaches are all public....but you can't use the hotel facilities, unless you're a guest. No matter...everything you need is close by and open to the public!

BTW...have never seen any females "topless"...only men!

So just tell the taxi driver to take us to the public access at eagle beach and he'll get us there? So are there any bars actually on the beach open to the public? I love the little straw beach bars on other islands you just walk up to and grab a local beer. I definitely want to rent an umbrella as we burn pretty easy especially in the Caribbean sun.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2030062

IF you require SHADE then you would want the taxi to drop you off at MVC Eagle Beach Resort

Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort

Taxi fare $10 each way for a maximum of 5 people, with an additional $3 charge on Sundays & holidays

Beach chair rental

Full day rental $15 each

Half day rental $10 each

Free wifi

Passions Beach Bar & Restaurant with beach service

No shade palapas available

MVC Eagle Beach Resort

Taxi fare $10 each way for a maximum of 5 people, with an additional $3 charge on Sundays & holidays

Beach chair rental

Full day rental $10 each

Half day rental $5 each

Tulip Restaurant (across the street from the beach)- breakfast, lunch, dinner & drinks

Free wifi

Restrooms

Shower

Changing room

Shade palapas available

Walk down the public access walkway, and there will be chair/umbrella rentals right there. The beaches are all public....but you can't use the hotel facilities, unless you're a guest. No matter...everything you need is close by and open to the public!

 

BTW...have never seen any females "topless"...only men!

I believe you are referring to Palm Beach. The op was asking about Eagle Beach, which is much more difficult to find palapas if you are not staying at a resort. As a person who vacations in Aruba every year, I can attest to the fact that it is often impossible for resort guests to get a palapa at the resort, unless they are willing to get up before dawn. My hubby often goes down between 4:30 - 5:00 in the morning to claim our spot. People who sleep in miss out. The resort security people spend a good portion of the day running off people who try to use their chairs that are not staying at the resort. MVC, Amsterdam Manor, Druiff Beach are a few that rent chairs. There is also a limited number of chairs for rent next to Paradise Beach Villas, which is where the buses usually let cruisers out when they say they are going to Eagle Beach, however the palapas are only for people staying at the resort.

There are usually one or two topless women at Manchebo just about every day. I don't know of anywhere else.

I agree with Hatteras, when you walk down the concrete pathway to De Palm Pier, there are vendors right there renting umbrellas and chaises.

Read a review on TripAdvisor just this week where now, off season, someone went down to the beach at their resort at 7 am and many palapas were already taken. :eek:

When we stayed at the Amsterdam Manor over Christmas and New Years, though a good percentage of their clientele were Europeans we did not see a single female sunbathing topless. ;) I will let you know how it goes in 2 1/2 weeks when we return to the Amsterdam Manor for 10 nights. ;)

So is going to Palm beach a safer bet to avoid some of the crowds and cater more to the cruise ship crowd or is Eagle beach a lot nicer. Sorry for all the questions I'm still just not certain on where we should get dropped off at. It would be nice to get some shade or we might not last that long in the Caribbean sun.

Palm Beach is where the action is. It is more crowded, but offers more to do. It has shops, restaurants, bars, water sports, with a walkway connecting all of the resorts. Eagle Beach is less crowded, more laid back, a few water activities at various spots, a few beach bars and restaurants. If you decide on Eagle Beach and need shade, I would definitely try MVC if I were you. If you decide on Palm Beach, there is a vendor renting chairs and umbrellas by the Radisson and also at Moomba Beach by Holiday Inn. Arubalisa can tell you more about Palm Beach than I can. I only stay on Eagle Beach.

If your heart is set on Eagle Beach, for shade, like Hatteras said, go to MVC Eagle Beach.

If you want the best of all worlds including shade I would probably go to Palm Beach. There are assorted bars along the beachside and the walkway connecting the resorts to one another. There are also a couple of bars on piers out over the water. De Palm Pier has a bar and grill, Bugaloe which has an affordable lunch menu.

Is the taxi fare pp or group? We have 8. We have a rental car reserved but wondering if we should just taxi. Trying to decide on Palm Beach or Nikki.

Taxis are permitted to carry a maximum of 5 people. Fares are per ride, not per person.

Thank you!!

One more question! Any idea what the taxi fare is from pier to Nikky Beach?

Taxi fare from the cruise terminal to Reflextions/Nikky Beach should be about $7 each way. Taxi fares are per ride and not per person for up to a maximum of 5 people. Add an additional $3 each way on Sundays and National holidays.

Thx!!

I just can's resist disagreeing with Arubalisa :). We truly dislike Palm Beach and the entire "high rise" experience. Would much prefer spending a day at Eagle unless we want to do some snorkeling...in which case we head out to Arashi (no facilities there).

Hank

I just can's resist disagreeing with Arubalisa :). We truly dislike Palm Beach and the entire "high rise" experience. Would much prefer spending a day at Eagle unless we want to do some snorkeling...in which case we head out to Arashi (no facilities there).

 

Hank

Yes, but the Resorts on Eagle Beach don't encourage day trippers (such as cruise ship passengers) in the same way that the large hotels on Palm beach do.

Eagle Beach may be fine for men, but for women who require "legal" restroom facilities, I'd stick to Palm beach.

Many of the cab drivers have beach chair and umbrella contacts on the beach.Before they drive you they will call their contacts and set you up.Just ask them first

You know Irishwhiskey I have heard this about other islands, but have never experienced it first hand on Aruba. Can you recommend a location the taxi's bring you to?

Yes,Palm beach,but i can't say that every taxi will set you up.The person that runs the concession at the beach even called the cab up for us when we were ready to leave.They work together.The taxis are all lined up outside the pier.The more people the less you pay.The bus would be the cheapest choice but our ship was scheduled to leave at 1PM.Not much wiggle room.

So after all the great information on this thread you have convinced me that Palm Beach is the logical place to go. I have a few questions.

What is the best location to camp out in Palm Beach? We would like to rent chaises and prefer to be in the shade. Also my lovely wife likes to be near a rest room. We would also like to be near a restaurant/grill.

Are there any hotels that will allow you to pay a fee to spend the day at their facility?

Where should we tell the taxi to drop us off? What should the fair be? Is it easy to get a taxi back to the ship?

Thank you again for all the assistance.

What is the best location to camp out in Palm Beach? We would like to rent chaises and prefer to be in the shade. Also my lovely wife likes to be near a rest room. We would also like to be near a restaurant/grill.

There are various vendors along Palm Beach renting chaises and umbrellas. If you REQUIRE shade, this is the most practical place to go for guaranteed shade. Most centrally located to food, beverage and bathroom are those at the foot of De Palm Pier. Bugaloe Bar & Grill is located at the end of the pier and the Radisson has a beachside restaurant and bar as well.

Ask the taxi to take you to the entrance to De Palm Pier. Use the alley from the street out to the beach which runs between the Radisson and Riu. Once you reach the beach you will see vendors on both sides.

Where should we tell the taxi to drop us off? What should the fair be? Is it easy to get a taxi back to the ship?

When you are ready for a taxi back to the ship walk through the grounds of the Radisson and out through their lobby. There should be taxis waiting there outside the lobby.

Taxi fare $11 each way for a maximum of 5 people, with an additional $3 charge on Sundays & holidays.

Are there any hotels that will allow you to pay a fee to spend the day at their facility?

Aruba Day Passes

Occidental Grand Aruba

What You Get for Your Money: Passes, which are $76 for adults and about $38 for children, offer access to all amenities, meals, snack and drinks, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The price does not, however, include use of a room.

How to Get There: Occidental Grand Aruba is a 15-minute taxi ride from port.

For More Info: Visit Occidental's Web site or call 800-858-2258.

Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino

What You Get for Your Money: The day passes offered at this Aruba resort include transportation to the resort's private island, as well as lunch, a drink and dessert. The cost is $99 per adult and $49 per child and does not include use of a room.

How to Get There: This resort is just one-quarter of a mile from the cruise port, and it's walkable.

For More Info: Visit Renaissance Aruba's Web site or call 800-421-8188

Thank you so much for this great information. I always tell people that the information that you get on cruise critic is by far the best on the Internet.

Is Aruba crowded in early November? We will be in port November 4th?

Can you snorkel at Palm Beach?

By the way, where are you from in NJ?

Maria and Marshall