Aruba’s New Adults-Only Resort Has Swim-Up Suites, a Rooftop Bar and One of the World’s Greatest Beaches
Eagle Beach. If you know Aruba, you know it. That wide, white, shimmering stretch of sand in the northwestern corner of the island is one of our favorite beaches in the Caribbean — and inarguably among the best beaches, well, anywhere in the world. It’s also home to an exciting new resort that’s about to open its doors in Aruba: Joia Beach, Iberostar’s new Dutch Caribbean hotel.
While it’s not the all-inclusive you might expect from a brand like Iberostar, that’s by design on an island that prides itself on an immersive, experiential, get-out-of-the-resort vacation. But it is an adults-only resort, one of just a handful on the island, and it’s rather sleek, too.
The property, which welcomes its first guests Dec. 18, will have 240 rooms, number of them of the highly-in-demand swim-up variety.
It also has three different pools, a trio of eateries (one of them is a buffet) and five lounges, including a very cool rooftop concept called Zima. There’s also a spa that includes hydrotherapy, with a full slate of treatment options.
But the biggest story is the location, as one of just a few resorts set on the rarefied sands of Eagle (along with other CJ favorites like the ultra-sustainable Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort (rooms from $557) and the Manchebo, rooms from $475), the kind of beach that deserves its own pilgrimage — it’s that good, and you’ll want to spend all day long on it just about every day of your vacation.
So what about cost?
It’s a new resort, so that means opening rates. For an entry-level double queen suite, you’ll be paying around $461 per night. That gets you a room with its own whirlpool bathtub on your balcony (the next best thing to having a private plunge pool), along with little touches like a pillow menu and slippers.
Yes, we mentioned swim-up rooms, and that will run you about $808 per night for a large room that also includes a pair of in-pool lounge chairs and a separate outdoor patio.
Joia is one of two highly-anticipated properties making their debut in Aruba in the next few months, including Marriott’s new St. Regis.
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