How To Do Flamingo Beach on Renaissance Aruba Private Island Like A Pro + The Perfect Flamingo Inspired Outfits to Wear
If you’re heading to Aruba, Renaissance Island is a must! Flamingo Beach is one of the most popular tourist attractions here and totally worth it. When I took my husband he couldn’t get over how cool it was. Like this experience was actually possible. When you go expect to be greeted by lots of wildlife like flamingos and iguanas. A few of the main attractions.
The Rundown on Renaissance Island
A 40-acre tropical paradise, Renaissance Island is home to Aruba’s only private beaches. This exclusive retreat is only available to guests of Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily – but I’ll tell you how to get around that! Complimentary water taxis leave every 15 minutes from the Renaissances Marina Hotel lobby and behind the Renaissance Ocean Suites docking area. There are plenty of things to do on this fun-filled private island.
There are actually two sides to the island. As soon as you get off the boat you can choose to go to Flamingo beach (adult exclusive) or Iguana beach. They have private cabanas on both sides that you can rent with over the water hammocks and even a water slide but you have to be a guest at Renaissance Aruba hotel to book one. There is a restaurant and bar on the private island that has delicious food and drinks. They even have live music. There is an activity central zone as well where you can rent floats and paddleboards, get towels and more! There’s a gym, which I surprisingly stumbled upon, a sports court, a kids playground, and a few other cool amenities like spa treatments. You can even watch the iguana feeding around noon.
I even found baby flamingos on my last trip!
How To Get Tickets To Renaissance Island
Tickets go fast and they will sell out. Obviously, weekdays are the best time to go due to fewer crowds. You don’t have to be staying at Renaissance Aruba to visit Renaissance Private Island but it does help. If you aren’t staying at the hotel tickets are first come first serve. So get to the hotel early to try to snag some. I believe they are about $100-$150 for the day.
Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino books out months in advance but depending on how many people are in your group, the most affordable option is probably just to book a night at the hotel. If not and you try to call ahead, they’ll just tell you to get there at 6am to take your chance.
If you’re in Aruba for a week, it’s best to try to visit Renaissance Aruba Private Island first and get it out of the way so you don’t have to worry about not getting to visit Flamingo beach. It’s definitely worth it and you won’t want to miss an experience feeding flamingos in the wild.
Flamingo Inspired Outfits To Wear to Flamingo Beach on Renaissance Island in Aruba
I choose to theme it up and stick with pink with flamingo details. I even got the hubs to rock some flamingo swim trunks! The beach is soft but there are rocks in the water so I’d recommend grabbing some water shoes to help so you don’t hurt your feet. Don’t forget to pack sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and a cover-up. I even brought another bathing suit so I didn’t have to rock a wet suit all day when we went to the restaurant for lunch. Bring a big beach bag to carry everything. Preferably one that closes because you’ll be back and forth on the boat with lots of people.
For HIM
How To Do Renaissance Island Like A Pro To Get The Best Flamingo Beach Photos
Ok, Instagram lovers and photographers. I get asked a lot how to get “the shot” so I’m here to share my tips on mastering the flamingo photo. One thing to note is that the boat runs every 15 minutes starting at about 7am so the later it gets the more and more people are going to show up. And trust me, it gets crowded. Make sure you have your camera, phone, or go pro charged and ready!
- Get there first! This is a must. That means waking up early to get on the first boat out at 7am. Don’t worry, there is a Starbucks in the lobby but don’t bring your coffee on the boat unless you want it all over you. It’s important to be first because there will be fewer people, the flamingos will be active and probably already in the water, and they won’t be full. Plus you’ll get that soft morning light.
- Bring quarters for the food machine. Get a handful of food, walk in the water, hold your hand out, and wait. Don’t chase them. Just be patient. They will come to you. No, it doesn’t hurt when they eat out of your hand. Just be still, strike your pose and have someone take your picture.
- Don’t be afraid to get in the water with them. Lots of people kept walking in front of them or to the side or would stay on the beach to get a photo and I don’t think that’s the best approach. Because then your photo is of you, the flamingos, all the beach chairs, and the crowded beach behind you – yuck. (Head to my IG stories to see what I mean) What you want are the beautiful Caribbean waters and the pretty pink flamingos. So to make sure you get the angle you have to get behind them in the water and have your photographer shooting at your from the beach. (check out the photos in this post as an example)
- Stay on the iguana side! Once you get your shot, set up on the iguana side for the day. The flamingo side gets crowded, people walk in front of you all day trying to get photos, etc and it can be annoying. So head to the other side to grab a shaded hut in the front row, be closer to the activities, restaurant, live music, bathrooms, and away from all the people. Plus there’s a shallow beach end by the rocks to just chill and float. This is by far my favorite side! Plus, if you plan on being there all day, a shaded hut is a must!
*All my tips and more behind the scenes are saved on my Instagram story highlights so make sure to check those out @VerbalGoldBlog!
Photo manners: I feel like now is a good time to mention manners also. Once you get your shot please leave. Don’t get in or ruin anyone else’s shot. Don’t let your kids run up to try to pet the flamingos or fake them out with fake food and make them angry. Don’t sit on other peoples stuff or spill your food in front of their beach chairs. I was there for about 30-45 minutes politely “waiting my turn” but only took photos for about 5 minutes. I shoot on continuous so I was done in like 3 clicks. Easy peasy. But while I was there I noticed the same few people hogging time taking SO many iPhone photos. Just be aware and be courteous. Just a few pet peeves but for the most part it wasn’t bad and it was a super cool experience.
If you have any other questions drop a comment below or shoot me a message and I’ll make sure to include it in my post!
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