Aruba - Baby Beach
Written: Aug 08 '00 (Updated Oct 18 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: calm beach, easy snorkeling
Cons: wind can get annoying
The Bottom Line: Baby Beach is wonderfully quiet and a great place for beginners to snorkel.
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| tortillaboy's Full Review: Aruba |
Sure, you get a nice view of the Coastal refinery from this beach, but that doesn't detract from the pleasant experience you can expect at Baby Beach.
Bare Facts
Like a large round pool, Baby Beach is an inlet formed in by a reef that takes the brunt of the waves. The beach slopes very gradually into the water (Most adults can walk the 50 or so feet to the reef, without 'going under'). South of San Nicholas and in the shadow of the Coastal refinery, this beach is one of the less popular beaches in Aruba. Hey guys, just in case you are wondering, nope, there are no topless women on THIS beach. This is more family oriented beach, a great place to bring the kids. If you are looking for the more "European style", try Eagle or Palm Beaches.
Snorkeling
The reef that forms this beach is home to a wide variety of critters. Snorkeling here is wonderful for beginners. It is a virtually effortless activity to float, breathe, and be amazed at all the types of fish here. They tend to all congregate at a certain break in the reef. You can stand here, and feel the fish swimming all around your legs. I am no Jaques Cousteau, so I can't tell you their names, but I can tell you they come in all sizes and colors. From small blue and yellow angel fish, to the larger green and blue parrot fish (who can be seen and heard chewing on the coral sometimes). I even had this little black fish, about 2 inches long, nipping at my leg when I came too close to his rock....it was so cute.
On the Beach
They have set up several benches with awnings around the edge of the beach. These make great places to keep your stuff off the sand. They are made of wood, and provide some small amount of shelter from the sun and wind as well. Also, there is a little place here that cooks lunch, not much for variety, but everything I had there was good. Usually some local flavored dish and always some rice. They have covered seating here, which makes for a nice place to take a break with a drink. Don't be surprised to see some guys wearing Nomex (fire retardant coveralls) sitting in this place, watching the women on the beach...don't worry, they are harmless. Just guys from Coastal taking a lunch break...not that I ever did that. :^) Here you can also pick up some suntan lotion, T-shirts, or a disposable underwater camera (I expected to be price gouged for this camera, but it was actually cheaper here than in town).
Wind
The wind here never ceases, and i do mean NEVER, whether you like it or not. Sure it keeps the temperature down to a pleasant 85-90 during the day, but don't plan on laying your towel down on the sand to lay out. If you can manage to actually get the towel to stay down long enough for you to lay on it, in a matter of minutes you will be able to feel the sand all over you. My suggestion is to bring a chair.
Me
Picture a sheltered American who had never been out of the US until now, being let loose on an island like this for 3 weeks. That was me. Of course, I had to work (at Coastal), but I had plenty of time off to enjoy (sure wish I could have brought my wife though). I stayed just up the hill from Baby Beach, so this was my first experience with the beaches of Aruba. I got off work at 3:00pm, was in the water about 3:05pm, and snorkeled till I was pruned beyond recognition. What I didn't realize though, until later that night, was I was burned on my back more severely than I have ever been. I was just too engrossed in the excitement to notice. I didn't let this slow me down though, I went back the next day.
Throughout my time there, I visited virtually the entire island, and favor Baby Beach for my 'beachtime' fun.
Pictures of my trip can be found at:
http://www.tortillaboy.com/aruba
:^)
tb
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tortillaboy
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Member: Steve
Location: Pueblo, CO
Reviews written: 72
Trusted by: 93 members
About Me:
I was born, I grew up, and now I write at Epinions. :^)
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