The Best Vacation Spot in the World

Matthew Willar

News Editor

Bon bini! Looking to experience paradise on your next vacation? Aruba is the place for you. Whether you’re someone who likes to sit and sip cocktails on the beach all day or someone who enjoys water sports, casinos, nightclubs, and enhanced dining, the “One Happy Island” has something for everyone.

As a yearly vacationer to Aruba, my family and I have created a second home for ourselves at the Costa Linda Beach Resort on Eagle Beach. Just a 15-minute taxi ride from Queen Beatrix International Airport, the Costa Linda is in the heart of the island, giving you an on-the-ocean experience coinciding with the exceptional Water’s Edge Restaurant & Bar.

Both an outdoor and indoor restaurant with a full rectangular bar, you will find both American classics and international dishes for all three courses. My favorite meals are the Caribbean Shrimp Wrap for lunch and the Red Snapper for dinner. You can dine casually, more formally, or in beach attire, with tables seated directly on the sand, high tops behind the bar, or typical booth-style seating.

The exceptional food coincides with an extensive drink menu, which I have found to have the best offerings on the entire island. Offering your favorite beers, including Aruba’s own, “Chill” and “Balashi,” over 30 frozen drinks, and a selection of drinks on the rocks, the endless selection only enhances your vacation. I strongly recommend that everyone who goes to Aruba to try a Balashi, the Aruba Ariba, and a Piña Colada with a rum floater.

Being on Eagle Beach gives you not only the best beach on the island, but exclusive access to palapas. Just steps away from the bar but far enough away that you can have pure relaxation looking at the crystal blue water on Eagle Beach with a piña colada on your palapa table is something you can’t get anywhere else.

But what if you don’t like saltwater and want to swim? The Costa Linda has a large pool that has spaces for adult relaxation, water aerobics, volleyball, and basketball. Every afternoon on the pool deck, the hotel staff hosts a game of Bingo, with many people playing from the pool and bar.

As I’ve mentioned, Aruba is “One Happy Island.” Part of that happiness is created at “Happy Hour” at the Water’s Edge, which is held from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm every day.

But “Happy Hour” isn’t just happy because you get two drinks for the price of one, but rather because you get to interact with the exceptional staff. Being a fifth-year Aruba vacationer, the staff is what makes my family go back each year. Nearly the entire staff has worked at the restaurant since we first visited the island, including my favorite bartenders, Joel, Joy, and Elijah.

It is needless to say that Aruba is paradise. The sun is always shining, the breeze never goes away, and the temperature never gets below 75 degrees. Come join the fun at the Costa Linda with the best staff, beach, and food. Biba dushi!