How to Travel to Aruba on a Budget

When I was looking at where to stay in Aruba, I was thrilled to find the Boardwalk Small Hotel Aruba had availability for our last minute booking. Aruba is a popular tropical getaway for families, honeymooners and snowbirds year round, so there are plenty of places to stay on the island. Most of these accommodations are large chain hotels that can get crowded and expensive during peak travel weeks and conference events, so I knew I wanted to find a smaller boutique hotel where we could be sure to relax.

The Boardwalk Small Hotel Aruba is perfectly located across the street from The Ritz Carlton Aruba and the gorgeous Palm Beach. While you may think the you’d rather be located on the beach, Aruba is actually extremely windy making it difficult to relax without cups and towels blowing away. Don’t even get me started on my hair. It was so nice to be able to lounge around the Boardwalk’s beautifully landscaped property, protected from the wind.

Each colorful casita provides a gorgeous private patio which includes a hammock for relaxing and a full kitchen and grill for cooking your own meals. We ate out most nights, but we loved occasionally bringing back a take away pizza and bottle of wine to finish off the day on our patio while the breeze passed overhead through the palms.

I know you’re most concerned about being on the beach, so let me assure you how well The Boardwalk takes care of their guests. The hotel has an agreement with The Ritz Carlton Aruba across the street, so you literally share their beach and their beach services, including a discount on food and drinks from the delicious Madero Pool and Beach Grill. While we relaxed under our palapa, a Ritz Carlton server would stop by to take our drink and food order and then deliver our food in these lovely woven containers via segway.

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Each day just let the front desk know if you want to reserve a palapa, and when you walk over to the beach you will find your name on your reserved spot. It is literally located right next to The Ritz Carlton chairs, so you’re getting an amazing five star beach location and service without the premium price tag.

The Boardwalk also provides guests with complimentary bikes, coolers, beach bags, snorkeling gear, and folding chairs for days that you want to explore other parts of the island. Read all about things to do in Aruba in my travel guide here.