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harbour, Aruba

Stay in Oranjestad: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Oranjestad

Watch this spot We email you when harbour is worth the trip.

Paardenbaai Bay - panoramio
Paardenbaai. Photo: James Martins, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About harbour

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces SW (227°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (47°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 20). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 26°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Oranjestad, 0.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 dive site.

Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 9 h 20 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to AUA, direct.

    See flights ORD → AUA · Skyscanner from about £260 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 25 min from the airport to harbour.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in OranjestadAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Oranjestad · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Oranjestad · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

harbour on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

harbour does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct42 ft5 smushy18kJ30°C
Mon 19Oct42 ft4 smushy12kJ30°C
Tue 20Oct52 ft4 smushy11kJ30°C
Wed 21Oct52 ft4 smushy15kJ29°C
Thu 22Oct62 ft4 smushy15kJ30°C
Fri 23Oct21 ft5 shollow3kJ30°C
Sat 24Oct42 ft5 smushy24kJ30°C
Sun 25Oct62 ft4 smushy17kJ30°C
Mon 26Oct62 ft5 smushy10kJ30°C
Tue 27Oct51 ft5 smushy7kJ30°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to AUA, then 25 min by road. About 9h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to AUA, then 25 min by road. About 9h 20 door to door

The plan picks the best of 7 spots near Oranjestad each day: Andicuri, harbour, los pipas, Manchebo Beach, Rami Beach, Shark Bay, Wariruri.

The trip from Oranjestad, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £695–£1,310 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to AUA, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag£260–£545
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£15–£25
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£165–£280
Food7 days eating out£155–£290
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£65–£105
Total£695–£1,310

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Oranjestad

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.