6 Best Places to Shop in Aruba

It’s easy to miss this strip mall if you don’t realize it’s there, but look for the large Trattoria Calabria restaurant close to the highway that serves as its anchor and you’ll discover its sprawling low-rise layout. It’s chock full of all kinds of new outlets including clothing shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, and even a little artisan bakery, a local rum distillery, and a small reception hall—with still more to come. There's plenty of free parking.

Across the street from the Holiday Inn, this low-rise alfresco mall is home to specialty shops, cinemas, dining spots, cafés, bars, and food truck--style kiosks, as well as an indoor shooting range and a VR experience outlet. Besides its diverse offerings, the mall is famous for its nightly “Waltzing Waters” shows—neon-lit water fountains waltz to music in a choreographed dance three times per evening in a colonial style courtyard. Visitors can enjoy it for free from the outdoor amphitheater, where live music and dance shows also take place almost every night of the week. Children love the kiddie train ride and the neon-lighted carousel. There is always a carnival-style atmosphere here, which makes it an ideal spot for all ages.

Upscale name-brand fashion and luxury brands of perfume, cosmetics, and leather goods are what you'll find in the array of 40 stores spanning two floors in this mall located within and underneath the Renaissance Wind Creek Resort Marina Hotel. You'll also find specialty items like cigars and designer shoes, plus high-end gold, silver, diamonds, and quality jewelry at low- or no-duty prices. Cafés and high-end dining, plus a casino and spa, round out the offerings.

The paved promenade winding around under the Harbour House Condominiums is populated with restaurants, cool cafes and bars, and shops. It’s especially attractive to cruise visitors as they hit it as soon as they get off the ship, but locals and land visitors have been discovering it too as a fun spot to spend some time on the downtown marina day and night. They often have live music events on weekends as well.

Aruba’s most modern mall has three floors of shops offering fashion, tech, electronics, jewelry, souvenirs, and more. Entertainment includes glow-in-the-dark bowling, a modern video arcade, a sports bar, and the main floor indoor courtyard is often used for local festivals and events like fashion shows. Dining includes a food court and stand-alone restaurants and bars, and there are also modern air-conditioned cinemas and a spa within, as well as free Wi-Fi.

It’s impossible to miss this gorgeous colonial-style, cotton-candy-color building with a big gold dome gracing the front street along the marina. The artsy arcade used to have three levels of small boutiques, cigar shops, designer clothing outlets, gift and jewelry stores, and souvenir kiosks.  At the time of this writing, the top two levels are transitioning into a condominium complex with a rooftop pool, but there will still be shopping around the ground level courtyard.