Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba
Breezy island living
Caribbean garden hideaway
As the cooling trade winds ripple through the palm fronds and sweep away the heat at adults-only Boardwalk Boutique Hotel, you’ll feel completely ensconced in your pastel-toned Caribbean island escape. In reality you’re only five minutes from the bars and casinos of Aruba’s indolent Palm Beach. But with casitas nestled privately in grounds thick with tropical gardens, twisting walkways and lagoon-shaped pools, the only contact you’ll have (should you wish) is a friendly wave from your neighbour, happily grilling fish on their balcony. This is a Caribbean break, done the local way.
Facilities
Rooms
46 casitas spread throughout the gardens.
Checkout
Check-in is from 3pm, check-out is at 11am. The front desk (open 8am to 8pm) will attempt to accommodate requests for early check-in or late check-out if made on the previous day.
More Details
Breakfast is not included, but packages including morning mimosas can be arranged. There is a minimum stay of three nights in high season, and five nights in peak season (from 17 December to 1 January).
Also
The hotel is built on the site of a former coconut plantation, and its gardens incorporate several of the original trees. One of the Two Bed Casitas is even built inside the original plantation house.
Fitness Center
Free Internet Access
Pool
At the Hotel
Garden and poolside lounge chairs, in-room dining, library, concierge, lobby gift shop, daily newspaper, private gym, yoga deck, access to nearby beach with free use of beach huts, lounge chairs and coolers, and free WiFi. In rooms: barbecues, kitchen or kitchenette, private patio, and hammock.
Our Favourite Rooms
It’s about living like a local at Boardwalk Boutique Hotel, and with their over-saturated hues and barbecues on the patio, each casita will reset you back to island time. But only the Deluxe Coco Casitas offer private outdoor showers, where you can bathe in harmony with wild birdsong and breezy palms swaying gently above.
Poolside
The most challenging decision of your day will be to decide which pool (or beach) you head to first. Fancy swinging in a hammock over the water’s edge? It’s the main pool you’ll want. Or would you prefer a gentle paddle before becoming engrossed in a novel, and then perhaps a mid-afternoon nap in a lounge chair? The aptly-named Trankilo Pool is your destination. Or, would you like a cocktail delivered to your beach hut after a swim in the warm Caribbean Sea? You’ll want to take advantage of the hotel’s access to Palm Beach in that case.
Spa
Boardwalk Boutique Hotel can arrange massage and spa treatments in the privacy of your casita. With the windows open and the warm trade winds blowing through, you’ll feel an unparalleled sense of relaxation in the privacy of your own space. There’s a private gym available to book, should you feel the need for a raised pulse.
Packing Tips
Your dancing shoes – the hotel is an oasis of calm but you’re only a few minutes from the bars of Aruba’s Palm Beach, don’t forget.
Also
The Aruban trade winds blow on demand, making the area ideal for windsurfing and kitesurfing. The hotel concierge can arrange lessons in these and other water sports through local providers. This hotel is also LGBTQ+ tag approved.
Children
This hideaway is for over-18s only.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
The drinks come to you at Boardwalk – Mr Smith will sip his Margarita in the hammock overhanging the main pool today, thank you.
Dress Code
Board shorts and casual cover-ups are all that’s required to dine.
Hotel Restaurant
Dressing up for dinner, putting on shoes, sitting inside to eat…it’s all a little structured, wouldn’t you say? In Caribbean society the preparation of food is just as important as the dining, which is why each casita has a kitchen or kitchenette and a barbecue on the patio. For those nights not spent making merry on the Palm Beach strip, guests can order fresh seafood from local supplier Green Fish through the hotel’s concierge. Founded by chef and restaurateur Addie and marine biologist Sebastian, the high-quality and sustainably caught seafood boxes are delivered direct with all of the locally sourced ingredients required to prepare your own meal. If you’d rather dine out, the Coco Café serves Mediterranean classics, healthy fare and freshly-shaken cocktails throughout the day.
Hotel Bar
Come 3pm, the Hotel’s main pool turns bar as a rolling cart offers local beers and a rotating cocktail menu. At the beach, food and cocktail service is provided by the nearby Ritz Carlton.
Last Orders
Coco Café serves breakfast from 8am to 12pm, all-day dishes from 11am till 9pm, and the bar is open until 10pm.
Room Service
Coco Café's breakfast and lunch menus are available as a plated service to your casita. For those looking to cook themselves, fresh fish delivery is provided by Green Fish and the local supermarket can stock your fridge full before your arrival.
Planes
Queen Beatrix International Airport is located in the Aruban capital of Oranjestad, which is eight miles away and the journey to the hotel takes 20 minutes by car. It is well connected to North and South America (US border preclearance facilities are available) and to other Caribbean islands. Those travelling from Europe can easily fly direct from Amsterdam Schiphol. Buses, taxis and car hire are available, and the hotel can arrange shared transfers from US$20 one-way.
Trains
Unless you count the tiny electric tram that links downtown Oranjestad with its cruise ship terminal, there are no trains on Aruba.
Automobiles
Public transport runs on island time, so you’ll want the flexibility of a hire car. The island’s north coast is beautifully rugged with its rocky cliffs and bays, so hiring a Jeep will grant you the freedom to explore its off-road tracks and trails. Boardwalk Boutique Hotel offers free gated parking.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
The biggest challenge on Aruba isn’t so much getting out of bed, it’s getting off your sunlounger and leaving the poolside. The 70sq m island is unquestionably geared toward taking it easy, but with your wayfarers on and a spirit of adventure, you can more than burn off last night’s seafood dinner with your explorations.
The island sits 18 miles north of Venezuela, and unusually for a Caribbean island, has a dry climate with an arid, cactus-strewn centre. The benefit is in the weather – Aruba is reliably warm and dry, and sits outside of the hurricane belt.
If you do have aspirations that stretch further than a beach hut and a cold Balashi beer, you’ll want to hire a car and it’s worth getting a four-wheel drive – something with a fold-down roof, preferably. The concierge can supply a treasure-map-themed breakdown of Aruba’s attractions, and this is an excellent place to start.
Aruba’s southern and western shores are sheltered from the strongest ocean currents and it’s here you’ll find those staggering beaches and the best snorkelling, whereas the northern and eastern shores lack this protection and the fierce sea crashes against a rocky, craggy coastline.
Set course for the Natural Pool, on the Arikok National Park’s coastline. It’s a protected oasis of calm turquoise water encircled by volcanic rock, juxtaposed starkly against the open ocean’s fury. Loop about in the pool as white-water waves crash over the rocks around you, and small fish and black crabs can be observed in the shallows.
The Alto Vista Chapel sits on the site of an old Spanish ministry; its petite size, pastel colour palette and isolated location – gazing out past dusty cacti to a never-ending sea – are the very ingredients of a Wes Anderson-inspired scene. Spot wild parakeets as you climb Mount Jamanota, Aruba’s tallest peak, and on a clear day you can even see the coast of Venezuela from the summit of Hooiberg Mountain.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
