Palm v Eagle beaches and the Beach at Bucuti
 

We have settled on Aruba as our Thanksgiving vacation destination because it is easier and cheaper to get to than our other choices and 2 people in our little group have never been there. I have 2 questions- What is the difference between Palm Beach and Eagle Beach? How is the beach at Bucuti? Can you enter the water easily and not encounter a lot of rocks, coral or seaweed? We have one person in our party with a trick knee so the condition of the beach and water is important.
Thanks for any help!

We much prefer Eagle Beach. It is MUCH bigger, especially at the point where Bucuti is located, as well as Manchebo (on one side of Bucuti) and Costa Linda on the other side.
Palm beach is much smaller and more cramped. We have stayed at Bucuti several times and even when the hotel is completely full, you always have a lot of room and privacy on the beach because it's just so big.

Go to aruba-bb.com It is a forum of Aruba experts and they can give great advice.
We stayed on Palm beach and loved it. The beach in front of the Marriott was not that big, but we liked the hotel. If you are all adults, I think Bucuti would be a great hotel. I have heard great reviews on it. If you are looking for big hotel/resort than stay at the Hyatt, Radisson, or Marriott.

We stayed at the Bucuti several years ago. We felt there is a big difference between Eagle and Palm Beach. Eagle Beach is wider and you have more privacy. Palm Beach is not as wide and everyone is sitting very close to one another. The high-rises are located on Palm Beach and all of them have very large pools - some have swimup bars and slides in the pools. There were no rocks, seaweed or coral on Eagle Beach but I do remember there were more waves than I expected (I lost a pair of sunglasses). This may have been an isolated incident because I read that there are usually not a lot of waves.

We are headed to Aruba/Bucuti this week. From my research, there are two hotel sections: high-rise & low-rise. Palm beach & the bigger hotels are in the high-rise section. Bucuti & other smaller resorts are in the low-rise section. Eagle beach appears very expansive & beautiful (view bucuti.com). Palm beach seems more geared toward families or people wanting a lot of activities. From what I read you sometimes have to wake-up super early & wait in line to get a little beachhut for the day on Palm beach.
Basically, you just need to decide what suits your needs better.
There are so many highly-recommended restaraunts! Does anyone know the standard of dress for Madame Jeanette's, Flying fishbones & El Gaucho?? If so, it would really help us as we pack.

Most of Aruba's restaurants are casual. Only once did I wear capri pants to Chalet Suisse. Every other restaurant I wore khaki shorts and a nice top. My husband dressed similar with a golf shirt. This was totally appropriate. El Gaucho is casual. I have never been to flying fishbone, but I also think that is casual (you eat on the beach). I am not sure about Madame Janettes.

We stayed in Aruba the week after Thanksgiving in 2000. We dined at Flying Fishbone and El Gaucho, but not Madame Janette. When we were there most of the woman wore capris/slacks with a nice top and men wore slacks and collared shirts (no jackets). There are a couple of other restaurants you may want to consider, for ambiance and service, food is good, Ruinas del Mar in the Hyatt and for ambiance, service and food, Tuscany's in the Marriott. Chez Mathilde in Orangestad is probably one of the most expensive restaurants in Aruba. When we were there everyone dressed up (jacket for men). We were there several years ago, so dress codes may have changed. Sometimes when you are dress a little nicer, the restaurant appreciates it.

That's it Chez Matilde! That is a dressy restaurant. I knew there was one.(We did not dine here.) We wore nice shorts everywhere and had no problems (everyone else was dressed like us) Like the above post mentioned the Marriot's Tuscany is supposed to be very good. You will have a great time! Think casual. If you like to wear nice shorts, sundresses or slacks/capris you will be fine.

Been to Sruba several times. Try Papiamento (sp)for good dining. The Terrace resteraunt at the golf course is good and the view is great (but pricy)

Also stayed on both Eagle Beach and Palm Beach. My wife and I prefer Palm Beach because the surf is calmer and everything is nearby, but Eagle Beach is also beautiful, but tougher getting into and out of the surf.

We stayed at the Manchebo (next door to the Bucuti), walked the length of Eagle Beach almost every day, and visited Palm Beach a couple of times.

As others have said, Palm Beach has slightly calmer water and a lot more people. However, we felt the waves at the Manchebo were fairly small - similar to what we have experienced in Fort Lauderdale, but smaller than New Jersey or the north coast of Jamaica. Of course, conditions vary.

Entry into the water was fairly easy. There are just a few small rocks (pebbles, really) when you first walk in, and sometimes a bit of a sudden drop (maybe 6-10 inches) depending on wave action. The bottom is 99% sand.

If I were returning to Aruba I would stay on Eagle Beach.

Thanks to those of you that posted replies to my question on restaraunt attire. It is nice to know you can dress fairly casual, b/c that is what we hoped for.

Eagle Beach is definitely the place to be. It has perfect white sand and a panoramic view. Not a lot of people and noise level is low as they only have one water sports stand on the beach (you won't have all those people on banana boats screaming). Perfect carribean beach. No rocks when entering water. Waves not big.

Thanks for the help on the beach and the restaurants. It all sounds great. We have settled on Bucuti on Eagle beach. MeganandJ would you let me know how your trip went when you return?

The trip was amazing. We were there 9/3-9/10/04. We plan to return next year. Bucuti is wonderful. It is romantic & comfortable. Staff comes to know you since it is smaller resort. Rooms are very clean. Happy hour was fun (9-10pm) w/ a steel drum player Lee. Eagle Beach is gorgeous, sunsets are beautiful each night. Palaps are readily available at Bucuti. Sand is powder-soft & ocean is clear & greenish-blue. We rented a Wrangler & drove to Natural Bridge- do it! We wished we rented it for 2 days & will next time. Have fun on your trip IceCheerMom!! We are jealous.

Megan- Thanks so much for remembering to post this back here. It sounds like you had a great time. I can hardly wait to get to Aruba.
Did you eat anywhere really great that you'd like to recommend?

We would highly recommend Madamme Jeanette's & El Gaucho. I loved El Gaucho most, it is an Argentinian steakhouse. If you go, try the white-wine sangria. Madame Jeanette's is in the residential seciton & steak & lobster were wonderful. The crab cake appy was amazingly good. Try Mama Jamaica for desert (rum-soaked pineapple over ice cream).