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Most visitors arrive on charter flights from the US and Canada, but if you're traveling independently, American Airlines and Aruba Airlines have flights between the island and New York and Miami. KLM has flights from Amsterdam, while a number of South American carriers offer connections to Venezuela and Colombia. Air Aruba also has frequent inter-island flights to Bonaire and Curaçao. The airport departure tax is US$20.

There are no scheduled boats between Aruba and Venezuela. If you're doing the deck and dock thing, your cruise ship will dock in Oranjestad.

Money and Costs

Currency: Aruban florin (Afl)

Meals


• Budget: US$5-10

• Mid-range: US$10-25

• Top-end: US$25 and upwards
  
  Lodging
  

• Budget: US$80

• Mid-range: US$80-200

• Top-end: US$200 and upwards

No one comes to Aruba looking for a cheap holiday. Most visitors come to the island on package tours to luxury resorts. At these establishments pre-booked package deals are considerably cheaper than the quoted rates, which for accommodations alone can easily top US$250 a day. If you plan to stay in this kind of comfort and indulge in gambling, shopping and watersports - the three most popular tourist activities - you'd better have a platinum credit card in your wallet. Staying in a moderate hotel and eating in modest restaurants will cost around US$175 per day. Independent budget travelers can squeeze by on around US$100 a day by tracking down inexpensive B&B accommodations and concentrating on the free pleasures offered by the beach.

Aruba has its own currency but the US dollar is widely used. They'll take your greenbacks in even the tiniest local bar, though your change is likely to be in florins. Major credit cards and travelers' checks are accepted at all businesses catering to tourists. Many ATMs accept international debit cards, but not all - some of the most prominent likely-looking autotellers are for locals only. Look out for ABN-AMRO bank ATMs, which will dispense cash in local currency or US dollars.

There's a 7% government tax on hotel rooms. Hotels add a 10-15% service charge, plus other energy surcharges. Restaurant service charges are also in the 10-15% range; there's no need to tip on top of this.