Beach House Aruba Apartments

With ocean breezes and a quiet garden, Beach House Aruba matches most people’s ideal image of a simple, charming beachside guest house. The grounds are as quirkily cluttered as the guest rooms, decorated with potted plants, palm trees, mosaic tables, and assorted lawn ornaments. A wooden walkway winds its way past a few palapas that shade wooden tables and chairs. Steps lead up to a platform featuring a little triangular pool bordered by a wooden deck on one side, which includes a long palapa shading colorful lounge chairs with cushions. The hotel is set across the street from the tiny, white-sand Hadicurari Beach, which is closed in by greenery on either side. A rectangular palapa and some lawn chairs are set up on its sands for guests. This hotel seems to mainly attract couples of all ages, and the property doesn’t offer any particularly kid-friendly amenities. 

Beach House Aruba is set along one of the island’s main beachfront boulevards. The High Rise district’s shops, bars, casinos, and restaurants can be reached in a 10-minute walk, yet the hotel feels worlds away from this busy strip. The nearest beach (across the street) is a bit cramped, but Malmok and Palm Beaches are both accessible in less than 15 minutes on foot in opposite directions. Arashi Beach and the California Lighthouse can be reached in a 10-minute drive. Downtown Oranjestad and Queen Beatrix International Airport are just over a 20-minute drive away

Guest rooms are individually decorated with a quirky and inviting mix of patterns, colors, and knickknacks. Flowers, plants, candles, shells, and stones add character to the bedrooms and living areas. Some rooms are decorated in bright pastels, while others mix primary colors with bold prints. One room has a seashell chandelier, while another includes a gilded-framed oil painting. Combined with palm-roofed terraces and terra-cotta floor tiles, these seemingly hodgepodge items come together to create low-key, beachy hideaways. Bathrooms are small and simple, with round sinks, minimal counter space, walk-in showers, and no toiletries aside from hand soap. 

Apartments offer well-stocked kitchenettes, which include full-sized fridges, hotplates, coffeemakers, and cookware. These kitchenettes are set on beautiful lanai (Hawaiian palm-roof terraces), which also feature outdoor dining tables plus seating on comfy sofas and chairs. Terraces face toward the hotel’s garden-filled grounds, with some overlooking the pool.

Suites -- some of which have multiple bedrooms -- offer larger kitchens with four-burner stove tops, and dishwashers. Kitchens are indoors, set in open-air living spaces furnished with couches, chairs, and dining tables. Additional dining tables are out on the terraces. Suite bathrooms are significantly nicer, with marble tiling, large walk-in showers, and bidets.

Amenities are limited overall at Beach House Aruba, but it's the delightful rooms and intimate ambiance that draw guests here rather than flashy features. The small, triangular pool is a nice feature, but not large enough to entice most guests to lounge on its deck for extended periods. Across the street, Hadicurari Beach is pretty but miniscule. The grounds are comfortably furnished with lounge seating and hammocks, and there's a grill available as well. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout, and free self-parking is offered on site.