Memorial Weekend is challenging if you love to travel.  There are so many options!  Music and food festivals, annual getaways, beach week; with summer just around the corner, people start shaking off the winter blues.   More sun, less clothes.   Hello sun-kissed complexion, goodbye sallow and ashy skin!   More vacation, less work (hopefully).   If you’re thinking a Caribbean vacay may be in the cards for you this Memorial Weekend, here are a few ideas and tips for a getaway at Soul Beach Music Festival in Aruba.

Friends Getaway at Soul Beach Music Festival

I’ve been to Soul Beach Music Festival, twice in the past ten years.  Both times with good friends, most recently with a large group (more than 20 people).  Musical artists like Mary J Blige, Miguel, Alicia Keys and the Isley Brothers; gorgeous beaches, tropical drinks, beach parties, spa treatments, island vibes- all the stuff dreams are made of!

Where to Stay

If You Prefer Hotel Accomodations

On my first trip to Soul Beach Music Festival, I stayed at the Renaissance Ocean Suites.   A Marriott property with access to a private island, Renaissance Ocean Suites is in the heart of Oranjestad.  There are complimentary water taxis throughout the day to the private island; with bright pink flamingos running around, it’s great for a photo op!  The sister property, Renaissance Marina Hotel, is a short distance away.  An adults only property, we visited the Marina Hotel for dinner.  With the infinity pool, restaurant and casino areas, the property has a chic cosmopolitan vibe.  Both properties have undergone remodels since my visit, so I would imagine they are even nicer now.  Due to the location, Renaissance Ocean Suites was relatively quiet during our stay; while close to restaurants and shopping, many of the festival related activities (day parties and events) were hosted further north, on Palm Beach.  If you prefer not to be in the center of all the action, the Suites could be a good choice.  For a hotel with a more lively atmosphere, I’d check out other options along Palm Beach.

If Vacation Rentals Are More Your Thing

Over the past few years, my group of girlfriends has opted for vacation homes and condos for our getaways, instead of hotels.  If there are at least three of us, having a vacation rental often ends up costing about the same per person as a hotel (sometimes less).  Also, having two or three bedrooms, more than one bathroom and a full kitchen is really nice!  We have booked rentals with several different companies; on our most recent trip to Aruba we used HomeAway.

For our group of four ladies, I found a  condo on Eagle Beach at Oceania Residences with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a private deck with jacuzzi and grill.  Directly across the street from Eagle Beach, it was the perfect location for us.  Close enough to the parties at Palm Beach, and far enough away to grab some quiet beach time too.

Beach Parties

During festival weekend, you don’t have to look far for the day parties- just head for Palm Beach.

The area of Palm Beach directly in front of MoomBa Beach Bar & Restaurant, often called MooMba Beach is the setting for Soul Beach Music Festival day parties.  The bar and surrounding beach areas stay packed all weekend with festival goers, spilling out onto the beach and into the water.  With a live DJ and dance floor, you can hear the music all the way down the beach.  Each afternoon, the girls and I would grab our beach towels, snacks and a gallon of Jungle Juice (coconut rum, vodka and whatever tropical juice we had on hand) and head for the beach!

Palm Beach is gorgeous, with calm waters the Caribbean is famous for.   It was so beautiful and perfect, we actually cancelled massages one afternoon so we could stay at the beach.  I am NEVER one to miss a massage.  But floating in that crystal clear brilliantly turquoise water, Jungle Juice in hand; with the sun shining, powder white sand, music wafting down Palm Beach… leaving for anything seemed like a bad idea.

And this sunset?? Soo worth it.

Sunset Dinner

With a group of more than twenty of us traveling from the San Francisco Bay Area, staying in different hotels and condos-  we made sure to plan one nice group dinner during our stay.

With tables in the sand on Eagle Beach, Passions on the Beach was the perfect choice for our sunset dinner.

With linen covered round tables, tiki torches and the ocean breeze, we enjoyed our dinner with our feet in the sand.

Paddle boarding at Palm Beach

Though we made laying on the beach our main sport of choice in Aruba, the one water sport our group agreed to try was paddle boarding.  I’ve seen people paddle boarding on most beach vacations I’ve been on, and always wanted to try it.  Before we left for Aruba, I checked reviews for paddle board lessons and found Aruba Surf and Paddle School.  Reading the reviews, specifically about one instructor, Dennis, made me feel like they would be our best bet as paddle board rookies.  One of the ladies in our group can’t swim and Dennis was still confident she’d be able to do the lesson (and provided a life jacket for her).

Rise and Shine

Initially, we booked our lesson for Saturday afternoon- we don’t have any natural early birds in our crew.  We usually don’t roll out until about noon.  But the day before our lesson, Dennis sent me a message to see if we wanted to switch to 9am.  The forecast for the afternoon looked windy- not ideal for paddle boarding (especially for beginners).  The girls and I agreed that we could manage to get up early once on vacation.  Dennis also offered to pick us up at the condo, but we had a rental car so we met him at Palm Beach.  When we arrived bright and early, a little before 9am, I was SO glad we’d chosen the morning lesson.  The beach was relatively quiet and our lesson took place where the day parties would happen in the afternoon.  Had we signed up for 2pm, our lesson would have been the entertainment for hundreds of people (no thanks!).

Dennis spent a few minutes with us on the beach explaining the correct form and teaching us how to get up on the board.  Then we hit the water!  It was a little scary at first, when you first stand up your legs shake and it takes a minute to get adjusted.  Even though there were three of us, Dennis did a great job of moving between us, checking on us and correcting our form.  He also had a camera, taking pictures of us in action and sent them to me on WhatsApp.  Paddle boarding is a good workout!  Which I guess was okay, since our only other exercise on this trip was strolling slowly down the beach.  Good times…

Sand, Surf and Soul

Harbor Square Arena hosts the concerts for Soul Beach Music Festival.  An open air amphitheater, the general admission space was a good venue for the festival.  We opted to get concert tickets for one night- to see Jasmine Sullivan and Miguel.  Both of them sounded awesome live!  Like many outdoor festivals there were food and vendor booths set up throughout the space as well.  You’ll want to wear sandals or flat shoes- the concert is casual and you’ll likely have to do some walking to get to the venue.  On our way in, the traffic was at a stand still, so we got out of the taxi and walked the rest of the short distance.  Also, the entire venue is general admission; another reason to wear shoes you can stand in for a few hours.

Brown Lady Travel Tips

You Say Poffertjes, I Say Pfeiffers

If you stay at the Renaissance Ocean Suites (or another hotel in that area), you are steps away from a great breakfast at the Dutch Pancake House.  On my first trip, my friend Dee and I ate breakfast there several times.  Their silver dollar pancakes, called poffertjes were really good.  I asked the server several times how to pronounce poffertjes but my version ended up sounding like pfeiffers.  My Dutch needs work, but these little pancakes were the truth.  The option to add sauces and toppings takes your breakfast from good to great.  Add powdered sugar, chocolate sauce, or if you’re feeling fancy and decadent- peaches & Grand Marnier.  Yummmm.

Bacon, Eggs and Rum

For those of you staying at a vacation rental, make a quick stop on your first day at the grocery store- even if it’s only for breakfast basics, snacks and alcohol.  Being able to have breakfast without waiting for a group of women to shower, get cute and find a restaurant is priceless.  Even if you’re a foodie and looking forward to eating out at restaurants, you can explore the food scene for lunch and dinner.  Save some time and money and avoid anyone getting hangry on vacation.  Make breakfast!

I Think I’ll Just Stay Here

If you have enough vacation time (I know that’s a big IF), consider staying a couple extra days beyond the holiday weekend.  Looking at flight schedules for Aruba, prices were substantially cheaper if we went home on Tuesday or Wednesday (instead of Monday).  The price difference was enough that even paying for the extra nights on our rental, we still saved $100 per person.  Staying longer on a Caribbean island AND saving money?  Doesn’t get much better than that, fam. 😉  If you don’t have the extra vacation time, maybe you feel a cold coming on… at the end of May.  It happens.  Sick time is for mental health days too, right?

Anyone headed to Soul Beach Music Fest this year?