Bars & Clubs

Many hotel bars are cozy and conversation-friendly, and most offer live entertainment -- a jazz combo, a piano soloist, maybe a chanteuse. If you want higher decibel and energy levels, the trendiest and busiest bars and clubs are in Oranjestad. The strip along L. G. Smith Boulevard on the harbor front abounds with spots, making a bar crawl as easy as saying "bottoms up." Crowds tend to be mixed: Aruban/tourist, gay/straight, young/young-at-heart. Although most bars open at noon, they generally don't get started until 10 or 11pm and stay open until 2am. Clubs open at 10pm, are empty until midnight or 1am, and peak around 2am.