Garufa Cigar & Cocktail Lounge (Wilheminastraat 63, Oranjestad) — this cigar bar and jazz club is decorated with animal print carpet, black granite tables and designer bar stools. There are live jazz acts — setting the mood for revelers looking to sip and smoke. Garufa’s specialty drinks are single malt scotch, fine cognac and port. […]
Confessions (J.E. Irausquin Blvd. 81, Palm Beach) –– this is a popular nightclub for aficionados of House and Trance music. For that reason, the crowd will tend to be mainly in their 20s (with a few more mature foreigners filtering in). International guest DJs occasionally appear there.
Charlie’s Bar (Zeppenfeldstraat 56, San Nicolas) –– this famed bar was founded in 1941 by the original Holland-born Charlie Sr. and Marie Brouns. The part of Aruba where Charlie’s is located (San Nicholas) became a boom town during World War II. Seamen, contractors, refinery and harbor workers helped put Charlie’s Bar on the map. Decades […]
Cafe Chaos (L.G. Smith Blvd. 60, Oranjestad) –– this neighborhood bar in downtown Oranjestad draws in a 30-and-over friendly Dutch crowd, complete with live music, imported beer and cocktails. The music played here ranges from Blues to Reggae, Funk, Pop and Rock.
Club Hipsz (Sasakiweg z/n, Noord) — this venue, opened in 2011, leans toward Salsa nights, and has the advantage of being located on the largest dance floor in Aruba. There’s also a dance school on the premises, that teach its students various levels of Salsa, Merengue and Bachata. The club’s air conditioning system keeps the […]
“Pelicano Beach” (Hotel Be Live Hamaca, outside the capital) – where Swedish/Italian DJs Alesso and Sebastian Ingrosso (of Swedish House Mafia) appeared earlier this year (along with fellow Electro House DJ Avicii); as well as other concert-like events, such as French DJ Bob Sinclar, and U.S. pop duo LMFAO at the Hotel Jaragua. Such events […]
Guacará Taina (Av. de la Salud, Parque Mirador Sur) – Another interesting nightspot known for booking House & Trance DJs that has been the only disco in the capital that’s within a cave.
Praia (Av. Gustavo Mejía Ricart 74, Naco) – reputed to be the most popular House & Trance music lounge in the capital (complete with a Miami art gallery-like exterior, and a futuristic interior with Italian lounge furniture and pricey drinks).
Like Santiago (the island nation’s second largest city), the capital’s nightlife is divided into the tastes of the popular classes – that is, Merengue, Bachata and Reggaeton (favored among Spanish-speakers of various age groups) versus the international House music movement (English-language intensive, and favored among younger music fans, especially those from the middle and […]