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Aruba
Located about 12 degrees north of the equator, approximately 29km (18 miles) off the
Paraguana peninsula of Venezuela. The island, one of the Lesser Antilles islands, is
about 30 km (19 miles) long and about 8 km (5 miles) wide with an area of 193 sq km (75 sq
miles) and a population of some 89,000. See the geography section for more information.Accommodation
Aruba offers you a very large and varied choice of hotels, both low-rise and high-rise, apartments
and guesthouses. There are
also numerous timeshare (Aruba is a red time location all year round) and real
estate opportunities.
Banks
Should you need banking services when you arrive you'll find a bank at the
airport. There are also five banks with several branches at other convenient locations.
ATM facilities exist at some of these banks.
Calling Aruba
The international dialing code for Aruba is 297. Area codes do not exist in
Aruba, all numbers start with 5 except for cellular telephone numbers
which start with 9, 7 or 5.
Children
The Aruba is a great place for young kids and also older ones. There are a number
of children's playgrounds and all sorts of activities that will ensure that kids won't want to leave!.
Communications
Aruba has a modern telecommunications network. Long distance calls can be placed from any
telephone or from SETAR (Aruba's Telecommunications organization) locations around Aruba.
AT&T customers can dial 800-8000 from special phones located at the airport and at the
cruise ship docking area. From other phones dial 121 to contact the SETAR international
operator to place a collect or AT&T calling card call. Cellular phone rental is also
available (Call 297 5820005)
Credit Cards
All major credit cards are accepted and there are Credit Card & Traveller's checks
representatives (American Express/VISA/MasterCard/Discover) who will help you should you
have any problems. ATM machines are also available for cards compatible with the Cirrus
system. It might be an idea to check whether your card will work in Aruba by calling
1-800-4-CIRRUS or 1-800-THE-PLUS. You'll find more information in the money matters section.
Currency
Aruba's currency is the florin, denoted by the letters 'Afl.' ,
divided into 100 cents. The rate of exchange with the US dollar is Afls 1.77 for cash and
Afls. 1.79 for checks. Traveller's checks are widely accepted. |
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| Customer Service
Compliments and complaints regarding Aruba's tourism can be voiced by calling the
Customer Service Hotline on (297) 5839000, active Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. An
answering machine logs calls outside these days and hours. The individuals and/or
establishments concerned will be informed. More tourism authority information in the tourism
offices section.
Drinking Water
There is no need to buy bottled water in Aruba, the
island's tap water is pure and refreshing, distilled in the world's second largest
saltwater desalination plant. Oil is refined on the island's southwest coast and a
by-product of this process is abundant pure drinking water and electricity. The plant is
called the WEB, and there are many requests to tour the plant that is located in Balashi
(tel. 297 - 5824700).
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Electricity
Rarely is there a power failure and the island
has decided to adopt
the North American voltage standard of 110 A.C. (60 cycles), the
same as in the United States and Canada. The TV standard is
NTSC so your home video camera will also play back on the hotel's
TV sets or large screen projectors.
Emergency
Numbers |
| Police |
|
911 |
| Fire
alarm/Hospital |
|
911 |
| Hospital
& Ambulance |
|
5874300 |
| Ambulance:
|
O r a n j e s t a d |
|
5821234 |
|
S a n N i c
o l a s |
|
5845050 |
| Air
Ambulance: Richard Rupert |
|
5829197 |
Fax
Cellular |
5832791
932329/930201 |
| Medical
Center |
|
5848833 |
| Dept.
for National Security |
|
5811911 |
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Police Stations
Numbers
|
Beach Police |
|
+297
586 3003 |
| Oranjestad
(head office)
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+297
582 4000 |
| Noord |
|
+297
587 0009 |
| San
Nicolas |
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+297
584 5000 |
| Santa Cruz |
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+297
585 4710 |
Medical
The main 280-bed hospital is well-equipped both as regards staff and equipment. Oxygen
tanks and hemodialysis services are available. Hotels have doctors and dentists on call
and appointments can also be arranged through your hotel. Several other medical clinics
also exist on the island.
Click here for more info
Postal Rates
Aruba has its own postage stamps since 1986. Rates to US & Canada - Afls 1.40
or US$ 0.80 for the first 10 grams. Postcards Afls. 0.60 or US$ 0.35. To Europe Afls. 1.50
or US$ 0.90 for the first 10grams. Postcards Afls. 0.70 or US$ 0.40.
Room Tax
There is a 6% government tax on rooms and 11% hotel service charge on rooms, both
of which will be shown on your hotel bill.
Seasons - High & Low
Aruba's low season falls between April 15th and December 14th and High Season is
between December 15th and April 14th. Some hotel
& resort accommodation packages differ from these dates by perhaps a week
or so.
Service Charge
When included, the service charge on food and beverage is normally around 10 to
15 per cent. At one's own discretion an extra amount can be added for good service.
Shopping
Most stores open from 9am to noon or 1pm and from 2pm to 6:30pm, although some
remain open between noon and 2pm. Shops are open from Monday to Saturday. Hotel stores
have varying open hours so check at your hotel for these. The Alahambra bazaar is open
between 5pm and midnight. Mall store hours are 10am until 6pm. You'll find more
information in the shopping section.
Special Facilities
Limited facilities for disabled persons are available. Some hotels have rooms that can
completely accommodate disabled people while others have more limited facilities with
ground floor rooms and wider doors to enable use of wheelchairs. Diving instructors with
expertise for disabled persons are also available.
Time
The time in Aruba is Atlantic Standard Time. It is the same as Eastern Daylight Savings
time all year round.
What to wear
With Aruba's tropical
climate, you will be
comfortable in casual summerwear plus some light evening wear for restaurants, nightclubs and casinos (men might need a light jacket for some of these).
Bathing suits are not permitted in shopping and business areas.
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[ This page was last updated on
Monday, January 05, 2009 ]
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