Baby Beach, Aruba: The Shallow Lagoon at the Bottom of the Island
A protected horseshoe where the water stays waist-deep — and the kitesurf coast next door.
Why Go
Baby Beach sits at Aruba's south-eastern tip, a wide horseshoe of sand enclosing water so shallow and so still that you can wade a long way out and still stand up. That is the whole appeal, and it is a genuine one: this is the best beach on the island for small children by a distance, and one of the easiest places anywhere to learn to snorkel. It is also forty minutes from the hotel strip, which is why the crowd is families, locals and people who came deliberately.
The Experience
The beach curves round a reef-protected lagoon, with the water graduating from ankle-deep at the edge to chest-deep at the mouth, and almost no wave action at any point. There is shade under palapas, a couple of bars behind the sand, and not much else. Beyond the headland the character changes completely: Boca Grandi on the windward side is one of the Caribbean's better kitesurfing spots, wild and windy and utterly unsuitable for swimming, and Bachelor's Beach and Colorado Point along the same coast are the same. The old Lago refinery colony sits behind, which is why there is a village here at all. San Nicolas and its murals are ten minutes north. The two sides of this headland make the point about Aruba better than anywhere else: the same trade wind that makes the windward shore unswimmable is what the lagoon is sheltered from, and the difference in the water either side of a few hundred metres of rock is total. Families settle on one side and kitesurfers on the other, and both are correct.
What to Try
Snorkel the marked channel at the mouth of the lagoon, where the reef is and the water finally gets deep enough to be interesting — it is the reason to bring a mask rather than just a towel. Jads Dive Center runs the diving on this coast, including the wrecks offshore. Eat at Rum Reef Cocktail Bar & Grill or Big Mama Grill behind the sand, with La Choza and the Lago Colony Beach Club as the alternatives, and Colony FoodMarket for supplies. Pro Kite School Aruba teaches at Boca Grandi over the headland, which is where the wind is. Drive out to Colorado Point Scenic Lookout and the southernmost point of Aruba while you are down here, and combine the day with San Nicolas ten minutes north. Bachelor's Beach is the quieter cove along the same coast if the main lagoon has filled up. Given the drive, the sensible plan is to make a full day of this end of the island rather than a beach visit — murals and lunch in San Nicolas, the lookout, then the lagoon for the afternoon when the light softens.
Insider Tip
Bring a mask and swim to the channel. Most people stay in the shallow end, where the water is warm and pleasant and there is nothing to look at; the marked snorkel channel toward the reef at the lagoon mouth is where the fish are, and it is still calm enough for a nervous swimmer. Also come earlier than you think — this beach has become popular enough that the palapas and the parking both fill by late morning at weekends and in high season.
The Practical Stuff
Baby Beach is about forty minutes from Palm Beach and thirty from Queen Beatrix airport, at the far south-eastern end of the island past San Nicolas. You need a car; the Arubus reaches San Nicolas but not usefully out to the beach itself. There is a dedicated parking area and it fills at weekends. Facilities are limited to the bars behind the sand and some palapa shade, so bring water. Do not swim at Boca Grandi or the other windward beaches nearby — the wind and current that make them good for kitesurfing make them dangerous for swimming. Aruba lies outside the main hurricane belt; the trade wind is strongest here and blows year-round.
Common Questions
Is Baby Beach good for children?
It is the best on Aruba for them. The lagoon is enclosed by reef, the water stays shallow a long way out and there is essentially no wave action, with palapa shade and bars behind the sand.
Can you snorkel at Baby Beach?
Yes, and you should — there is a marked channel toward the reef at the mouth of the lagoon where the fish are. The shallow inner part is warm and calm but has little to look at.
How far is Baby Beach from the hotels?
About forty minutes from Palm Beach and thirty from the airport, at the far south-eastern tip past San Nicolas. You need a car; the bus does not usefully reach the beach.
Is Boca Grandi safe for swimming?
No. It is a windward beach with strong wind and current, which is exactly what makes it one of the region's better kitesurfing spots. Swim in the Baby Beach lagoon instead.
Is there parking at Baby Beach?
Yes, a dedicated area, and it fills by late morning at weekends and in high season. Arriving earlier also gets you a palapa, which is the difference between a good day and a hot one.
What else is nearby?
San Nicolas and its murals are about ten minutes north, and Colorado Point and the southernmost tip of the island are minutes away. The three combine into a full day at this end of Aruba.
Pair It With
- Baby Beach Snorkel Channel — The reef at the lagoon mouth, and why to bring a mask.
- Rum Reef Cocktail Bar & Grill Aruba — Shade and lunch behind the sand.
- Pro Kite School Aruba — The windward coast, for anyone not staying in the shallows.
