The climate is tropical marine, with little seasonal temperature variation Because of its location south in the Caribbean there is very strong sun, but a constant light breeze keeps the temperature pleasant These persistent winds out of the east shape the island's distinctive, lop-sided divi-divi trees The weather is almost always dry, with most rain showers coming at night and lasting only a little while It lies outside the zone usually affected by hurricanes
The island is flat with a few hills, arid with mostly desert vegetation and negligible natural resources other than white sandy beaches Highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 meters
Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636 The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry Aruba seceeded from the Netherlands Antilles Bonaire and Curacao, the ABC-Islandsin 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990
Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy, with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities Construction has boomed, with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level
Officially 120V 60Hz, which is identical to the US and Canadian standard Outlets are North American grounded outlets, identical to standard US and Canadian wall outlets Occasionally non-grounded outlets may be found, which do not accept the third, round pin present on grounded plugs, and require an adapter Older North American outlets may not be polarized with one slot wider than the other Otherwise, adapters are available which accept a polarized plug and adapt it for use with a non-polarized outlet
As the islands are administered by Australia, the official language is English, but the most common language spoken is Indonesian, as Indonesian fishermen come onto the West Islet to take on fresh water
Beaches
Above all, it appears that Arubans are very aware that their economy is completely dependent on tourism - so Arubans are polite to tourists, and even street vendors don't generally seek to rip off their customers though as in all traveling, don't let advice like this lull you into a sense of complacency This may be helped by the fact that Aruba is a relatively expensive place to visit, so it tends to attract the reasonably well-off
American dollars are accepted virtually everywhere at a decent exchange rate If you have US dollars, there is no need to change money into the local currency, the Aruban florin The current exchange rate as of April 2008 given in shops is about 179 florins to the dollar Because the island is a Dutch dependency, Dutch currency is easy to spend, and small change for purchases in dollars may be in florins The island is actually not duty-free, but merchants respond well to competition on other islands, and duty free goods are offered by a few shops at the airport as visitors depart
Oranjestad's waterfront has many vendors/stalls selling souvenirs Ironically, many of these souvenirs are imported from the United States with island scenes/slogans, only to be purchased by Americans and brought back to America
In Oranjestad, the Renaissance Mall contains various American and European major apparel brands ie Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, Gucci at essentially the same prices as in the United States The mall and the rest of the downtown area also hold numerous other types of stores catering to visitors, to include jewelers, souvenir shops, clothers, and two modest grocers
You'll find strip malls and grocers at modest not easily walked distances west of downtown and elsewhere They offer most everything a visitor or resident might need for short stays or living there Groceries and other supplies are all imported, so prices tend to be high You can catch the bus from the hotel areas to the Grocery shops which are about 10 mins from Eagle beach but before you get to Oranjestad, cost's $3 return just ask the driver
With numerous cruise ships visiting, downtown stores offer buys in jewelry, etc, typical of that in other Caribbean cruise ports, some at "duty free" prices For cheese lovers, mild Dutch Gouda, in boxes or wheels, is a popular buy in super markets, though not the great bargain it used to be Do ensure the integrity of the package seal from the maker to avoid spoilage and difficulty at customs inspection
If you've flown to the island and are returning home, the airport duty-free store offers some items at slightly better prices than downtown, eg, a decent selection of rums
Many chain restaurants, both fast food and upscale, from the United States are present in Aruba ie Texas de Brazil, Wendy's, Burger King, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Hooters, Subway, Tony Romas You'll find some downtown, and many near the large resort hotels The downtown Burger King next to the bus station overlooks the main street from its second floor balcony, and is a good place to "tourist watch" with a cool one
The upscale restaurants near resorts vary in quality as there are a limited number of them and they have a steady stream of tourist customers, as they advertise in pamphlets available in the hotels The fast food places are essentially no different than their American counterparts
Also good are some of the local fare restaurants While obviously relying on tourist income, good food can be had Nos Cunucu is a good example of such With meals like the traditional baked cheese and some more interesting items such as Iguana soup Don't be afraid to eat at random bars and such along the road, with normal caution of course Good food can be had for relatively low cost These pander to locals
By the glass, sixpack or case, imported dutch beers are relatively good buys Balashi Beer - Aruba's National Beera must-drink beverage, perfect after spending all day at the beach Founded in 1996, the name Balashi is derived from the words Bala Bala and Balana and means "near the sea" It is the only beer brewed on the island of Aruba Daily tours of the brewery are available with an open-aired bar and restaurant on the premises Balashi Brewery / Tel 592-2544 / 523-6544 Balashi Gardens open from 6:30AM - 4:00PM Tours Monday - Friday There is also a Balashi logo store, with mostly t-shirts, and a few other things located on LG Smith Boulevard, right before the Harley shop and after the Caribbean Mercantile Bank Very easy to miss but worth a trip if you enjoyed the Balashi! There is also a drive-thru beverage store next door that is nifty
There are an array of resorts located all over the island
Career Center 4 has job listings For volunteer work see these links: 5, 6, 7
