I write in glowing terms about the Arubiana at the risk of losing our spot next time! Gaston, Marjan, et al. were so friendly and welcoming. They offer a lowkey, very relaxing inn where one can just kick back and approach the island at whatever pace one chooses. We rented snorkeling equipment one day, and Gaston stuffed some bread ends into a bag and told us to feed the fish. We became the hit of Baby Beach. Within the inn's courtyard, it's lovely and calm. The best guests honor this quietude, and everyone gets along well. But the quiet isn't overwhelming -- there were plenty of opportunities and friendliness to share recommendations, comestibles, and drinks, if one is so inclined. Although the walk to the fantastic Eagle Beach is not difficult or far, we did end up renting a car. We'd now recommend doing so. Yes, the inn is in a largely residential area that suffers some water pressure issues. Yes, in an area of constant trade winds, stuff blows into the rooms. Some prospective guests would be troubled by these things, but for the price and the vibe, you'd be hardpressed to find a nicer inn. Oh yes, the morning coffee is excellent!

This apartment/motel is situated towards the southwest side of the island, not very far from the high-rise hotels and beaches. It is a bit out of the way, but not inconvenient.

Gaston was very accomodating and friendly. My mother wound up in one of the nicest rooms, while my wife and I had another decent sized suite. My mother's room did not have hot water, but that was apparently being rectified after we left.

The rooms were of good size, and the beds comfortable. There were some spiderwebs. There was also a septic issue that caused unpleasant smells for a day or two. The pool was a bit small, and had debris from the constant winds. The coffee was excellent, and the guests quiet.

All in all, I would recommend Arubiana if you're looking for a reasonably priced (given the season), quiet, and friendly motel.

If you are looking for a romatic hideaway on a budget, this is it. If you prefer smaller cosier Arubian-style venue to the large highrise hotels that leave you wondering whether you are still in Miami or Chicago, then Arubianna is for you. Many Europeans (like us) seemed to like the place. Owner Gaston is very nice, will answer all your questions, even prepare breakfast for you. Rooms are recently redecorated in good taste, they look exactly (or better) like on hotel's website. You can find some more pictures on flickr website. Amenites in the room: air conditioning, phone, TV, fridge, little kitchenette, tea kettle, hot water, wireless internet for a fee (like everywhere on the island), you can get iron , hair dryer, extra blankets from Gaston. Outboors courtyard provides a secluded space for breakast or break in the pool. In the back, Gaston has planted some coconut palms, papayas and other tropical plants. Very nice base place from where to explore the island. Eagle beach is walking distance (though have to walk across some large roads, they are not like highways), can even walk to Palm beach (~30 min walk). There are buses running along the beach, or you can call a cab,--it will arive in no time. Supermarket is around the corner, that helps to keep the trip on a good budget.
We stayed in Arubiana Inn and had a conference in Westin (highrise on a beach, 3X more expensive), so having an experience of two hotels. I prefered Arubiana because of it's atmosphere (and of course cost). Do not stay in Arubiana if you want to be right on the beach, if you are fussy, and perhaps for work/ business more expensive hotels are preferable. But for true Arubian experience, stay in Arubiana Inn!
PS. Hotel is in Bubali, close to Eagle beach, not in Oranjestad.

After doing some research on Trip Advisor, we found the Arubiana Inn. The price can not be beat! It was my second time in Aruba and the first time I went I had stayed at the Hyatt. The Hyatt was about 8 times the price of Arubiana Inn this time around.

A car is a must for me, but I already knew we would be renting one and chose this hotel with that in mind. We picked up from Amigo at the airport, which was very convenient. Aruba is the type of place you want to have the liberty to drive and explore the island, its restaurants, and its sites, IMO. For instance, you can go to Baby Beach by car, which you don't want to miss for snorkeling and just a beautiful spot in general; and I can't imagine how much it costs by cab (probably $50 each way). considering you can rent a car for about $30 / day, and less if you get a whole week, this is worth it.

The rooms were simple and comfortable. You don't spend much time in the rooms anyway, so for us, they were perfect. The showers had decent water pressure, which varied at times, but was good most of the time. I think there is a flushing weakness, but you can just be careful not to flush too much paper at once. In the bathroom there was a useful shelf to put all your toiletries.

The bed was 2 twins pushed together, but pretty comfortable. Firm, but not hard. The standard room was spacious, with a large table for eating, using your laptop, etc and 2 chairs. the closet had a safe and there was a large mini fridge and microwave. They also provide you plates, utensils and cups. We thought this was great, since we weren't really cooking (didn't need a full kitchen) but had leftovers from the huge portions at restaurants that we would re-heat. We also kept a lot of drinks and snacks in the fridge.

The TV had a bunch of american channels, but not great ones. Ones we wanted to watch were blocked, which was a total tease b/c it would work for a minute and then black out. Remote control AC was convenient. The AC worked perfectly.

Gaston rented us 2 beach chairs, which were amazing! They were super ergonomic and reclined, with pillows. They were also lightweight enough to carry from the car to the beach with no issues. We were the envy of many on the beach. We also borrowed snorkel equipment from him one day which was decent. We went on a private snorkel tour with Windie from Windie's. $35 / hour for 2 ppl. minimum of 2 hours, I think. I highly recommend doing this for Mangel Halto, where it maybe be difficult to find the reefs on your own. Then rent from Gaston (or Windie) and go to the easier spots yourself!

We didn't use the courtyard all that much, but the other people in the hotel did. They would have wine and snacks at night in groups, and it seemed some of them would tan there during the day. We never had the breakfast, but it looked pretty yummy and a good deal for $8. The pool was clean, and the plants and trees around it were kept very well.

We loved the location. It was central to everything: high rises, supermarket, Oranjestad downtown, restuarants in Noord - with a car that is. One day we went to the beach in front of the Hyatt. My boyfriend immediately got annoyed with the amount of people, kids, etc. Another day we went for a walk on the beach by the high rises and there were SO many people and loud disruptive annoying music from party boats and bars. We're from NY and we love a party as much as the next person, but we found the more secluded quiet beaches of Eagle, Manchebo, Mamlok and Arashi much much better. They have public palapas at some of them, where we just set up our chairs from Gaston. People were totally envious of our awesome chairs! So if you're not into big crowds of people, with chairs RIGHT next to each other, piled up on the beach, this is a much better option with a car, as opposed to being stuck at a resort all day.

There was a supermarket walking distance that had all the essentials. We started to veer away from the touristy restaurants, after seeing how much they were charging. And the food was all creamy heavy sauced. We did enjoy Papiamento though, the first night, the ambience was spectacular outside. So romantic. The entree was huge and they split it for us on 2 plates - it literally looked like 2 separate entrees! Other favorites: we LOVED Nos Cunucu. A little hard to find, but they will give you good directions on the phone. The waitress / daughter was sooooo sweet. They have a farm with huge peacocks walking around their grounds. It was a very local feel, built in an open air farmhouse setting. The food was great and very well-priced. Many locals stopped in for takeout while we were there eating dinner. We went back for lunch again.

We also like Huchada for lunch. Great cheap sandwiches on yummy bread. It's a bakery in the Certified Mega Mall, next to Deli France. Deli France was also quite good, not too expensive. We really enjoyed the crepes / pancakes at Linda's, which is right next to Bingo's in Noord. Salt and Pepper was fun, but average food. We found some excellent snack stands too, that sold delicious pastries in the morning. (pastechis) Wacky wahoo's was decent but a bit overpriced for what it was. Pinchos had a great pier bar / restaurant, great for sunsets. the pier bar at the Hyatt also had a great happy hour deal at sunset. Their fries with war sauce were great. Charlie's in San Nicolas by Baby Beach was touristy, but really fun to visit. Their seafood chowder was expensive but delicious.

So all in all, we had a great time at Arubiana Inn, and we will definitely stay there next time we go back. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

H + T
from New York, NY