Flamingo Beach Aruba:

If you’ve seen photos of flamingos walking through turquoise water in Aruba, you’re probably looking at Flamingo Beach on Renaissance Island.

I had seen those same photos before my first trip to Aruba, and honestly, Flamingo Beach was one of the biggest reasons I chose where we stayed. Olivia and I spent four nights at what is now Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort, which gave us access to the resort’s private island and the famous flamingos I’d seen all over the internet.

And yes: seeing flamingos casually wandering around a Caribbean beach really is as surreal as it looks.

But Flamingo Beach is only one part of Renaissance Island — and after actually spending several days there, I was surprised to discover that it wasn’t even my favorite beach on the island.

I originally wrote this post after my trip in 2018. I’ve updated the practical information to reflect what travelers need to know now, while keeping my original experience and opinions from that trip.

Where Is Flamingo Beach in Aruba?

Flamingo Beach is located on Renaissance Island, a private island operated by Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort in Oranjestad.

You won’t find it by simply driving around Aruba looking for flamingos.

The island is reached by water taxi from the resort, and hotel guests have complimentary access to the island and transportation there. The resort currently lists Renaissance Island’s hours as 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Renaissance Island actually has two main beach areas:

Flamingo Beach is the adults-only side and, as the name suggests, is where you’ll find the famous flamingos.

Iguana Beach is the family-friendly side of the island.

And here’s my potentially unpopular opinion: I went to Renaissance Island because of the flamingos, but I actually preferred the beach itself on the Iguana Beach side.

How Do You Visit Flamingo Beach Aruba?

The most straightforward way to visit Flamingo Beach is by staying at Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort.

The resort has two distinct accommodation experiences: the adults-only Renaissance Marina Hotel and the Renaissance Ocean Suites, which accommodate families. Guests have access to Renaissance Island, with complimentary water taxis transporting them to the private island.

This is one area where I would recommend checking directly with the resort before planning your trip around information from an older blog post — including this one.

Access policies, packages and availability can change. If Flamingo Beach is the main reason you’re booking Aruba, verify the current Renaissance Island access rules when you make your reservation.

Getting to Renaissance Island

One of the most memorable parts of staying at the Renaissance is that getting to the beach involves taking a boat.

There isn’t a traditional beach attached to the adults-only Marina Hotel. Instead, the water taxi takes you out to Renaissance Island.

During our trip, the boat ride became part of our daily routine. We’d head over to the island for the day, eat there, spend hours by the water and eventually take the boat back to the resort.

The current resort information still lists complimentary water-taxi transportation to Renaissance Island for hotel guests.

What Is Flamingo Beach Actually Like?

The flamingos are real.

And they really do walk around the beach.

That sounds obvious, but seeing them in person was still bizarre in the best possible way. They’re incredibly photogenic, they’re part of what makes Renaissance Island so unusual, and getting to see them up close was absolutely one of the highlights of the trip.

But the island itself deserves more credit than it gets.

The water was gorgeous. The beach was beautiful. There were palm trees, wildlife and those almost ridiculous Caribbean colors that never look quite real in photographs.

At the time of this trip, I had visited seven Caribbean islands, and Renaissance Island stood out as one of the most beautiful beach experiences I’d had.

Flamingo Beach vs. Iguana Beach

This was the surprise for me.

I loved seeing the flamingos, but when we were actually choosing where to spend most of the day, I preferred Iguana Beach.

Flamingo Beach is now designated as the adults-only beach, while Iguana Beach is the family-friendly side of Renaissance Island.

During our visit, Iguana Beach felt like the better place to settle in for the day. And yes, the name is appropriate — we saw iguanas and lizards of all sizes wandering around the island.

So if you’re staying at the Renaissance, don’t take your flamingo pictures and immediately assume you’ve seen the whole island.

Explore both sides.

Flamingo Beach may be the famous one, but you might end up having the same reaction I did.

Can Kids Visit Flamingo Beach?

This distinction is important if you’re traveling to Aruba as a family.

The resort currently describes Flamingo Beach as adults-only and Iguana Beach as its family-friendly beach. Renaissance Ocean Suites is also the family-oriented accommodation option, while the Marina Hotel is adults-only.

If you’re traveling with children specifically because they want to see the flamingos, I would check the resort’s current policies before booking so you know exactly what access will look like during your stay.

Food and Drinks on Renaissance Island

One of my favorite parts of our trip was that we didn’t have to leave the island when we got hungry.

We ate breakfast and lunch on Renaissance Island almost every day during our stay. At the time, pizza and wings became our favorites — partially because the food was good and partially because it’s difficult to complain about lunch when you’re looking at that water.

The dining options have changed since my 2018 visit. The resort currently lists Papagayo Bar & Grill on Renaissance Island and Mangrove Beach Bar & Fish Shack at Flamingo Beach.

That’s another reason I’m glad I came back and updated this article instead of pretending a restaurant list from 2018 was still a travel guide.

Can You Rent a Cabana at Flamingo Beach?

Yes.

Renaissance currently offers private oceanfront cabanas on the island, including cabanas at Flamingo Beach and Iguana Beach. These are an additional luxury rather than something you need in order to enjoy the island.

We didn’t need a private cabana to have an incredible time, but if this is a honeymoon, anniversary or splurge trip, I can absolutely understand the appeal.

Staying at Renaissance Aruba Resort

One thing that’s slightly confusing when you’re researching the Renaissance is that there are two different hotel experiences within the resort.

We stayed on the adults-only side, now called the Renaissance Marina Hotel.

The Marina Hotel is in downtown Oranjestad and has restaurants, shopping, a casino and an adults-only pool. The Renaissance Ocean Suites offer larger accommodations and are the family-friendly option. Both provide hotel guests access to Renaissance Island.

I do think it’s important to understand the location before booking: if your vision of an Aruba resort is opening your hotel-room door and walking directly onto a huge natural beach, the Marina Hotel isn’t that experience.

For us, that wasn’t a problem because Renaissance Island was the experience we wanted.

How We Booked Our Aruba Trip

We booked this trip as a package through CheapCaribbean, which bundled our flights and stay at the Renaissance. At the time, it made the trip surprisingly affordable and was ultimately how we ended up having this experience in the first place.

Because package pricing and inclusions change constantly, I wouldn’t use what we paid in 2018 as a guide for what your trip will cost today. But if you’re considering booking Aruba as a vacation package, I wrote separately about my experience booking through CheapCaribbean and what I learned from it.

Read my experience booking through CheapCaribbean!

What We Ate at the Resort

Food was a surprisingly memorable part of this trip.

In addition to eating on Renaissance Island, one of our favorite dinners was at L.G. Smith’s Steak & Chop House. I also loved Fresco, the Italian restaurant at the Ocean Suites.

Those restaurants are still part of the resort today, although menus, hours and packages naturally change over time.

When we visited, we booked an inclusive dining package and loved the convenience of it. Renaissance currently advertises an Inclusive Getaway package, but I would compare whatever package is available for your dates against the regular room rate rather than assuming the inclusions are identical to what we had in 2018.

Is Flamingo Beach Aruba Worth It?

For me, yes.

But maybe not for the reason you’d expect.

The flamingos were the thing that got my attention. They were the photograph I wanted and the experience I’d heard about before the trip.

What made me love Renaissance Island was everything surrounding them.

I loved taking the boat over in the morning. I loved eating lunch beside the water. I loved the ridiculous blue of the Caribbean. I loved wandering between the two beaches. I loved the iguanas almost as much as the flamingos.

And after traveling there specifically excited about Flamingo Beach, I ended up preferring the less-famous side of the island.

That’s probably the best advice I can give you about visiting:

Go for the flamingos. Stay for the island.

Flamingo Beach Aruba FAQ

That was probably my biggest takeaway from visiting. Flamingo Beach gets the attention, but Renaissance Island itself is beautiful. I would give yourself enough time to explore rather than treating it like a quick photo stop.

My Final Take on Flamingo Beach

I originally came home from Aruba in 2018 asking myself whether it was worth taking an entire trip because I’d seen pictures of flamingos on a beach.

My answer then was yes.

Years later, that’s still the part of this story I wouldn’t change.

Sometimes the touristy thing really is worth seeing.

But some of my favorite memories from this trip aren’t actually the photographs with the flamingos. They’re the boat rides, the clear water, the food, the iguanas, and sitting on the side of the island I hadn’t even known existed when I booked the trip.

Flamingo Beach got me there.

Aruba gave me a lot more to remember.

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Until Next time,

Xo

Katie

This post contains affiliate linking, where I might make a small commission on things purchased through my links. However, as always, all opinions are honestly and organically my own.