Aruba, Bermuda, or Bahamas, how do you choose which island to visit? I will share my comparison of the 3 islands and where we stayed to guide you in finding your perfect spot.
Let me preface that there are things I will be sharing that are island-wide and then there are things that are specific to the resort we stayed. I will make sure that is clear as you read below. I will also say what I really loved and did not love about where I stayed and why.
I broke things into 5 categories:
Safety & the Locals
Water & Beaches
Resort
Things to do
Food
Safety & The locals
Let me just say all three islands have friendly residents and all 3 are safe. But as a woman, I do have a ranking for how safe I felt and why.
I felt the safest in both Aruba and Bermuda walking around outside of the resort. In Aruba, I was on a trip with my college kids and in Bermuda, it was Dave and me. The crime rate is extremely low in both places and the locals know how critical tourism is to their islands.
We wandered around quite a bit off the property in Aruba.
In the Bahamas, we never got off the property other than a cab ride to and from the airport. But you can see the poverty levels in the areas off of the resorts vs the other two islands.
Every local we met in Bermuda was so incredibly friendly and well-educated and fairly well-traveled. We had great conversations with a couple of the cab drivers comparing some of our favorite spots to visit in the U.S. including Disney World.
The cab drivers in Aruba were amazing. They even showed us a couple of spots we should visit that were not part of our scheduled trip and I did not bring enough cash with me one driver we had used a couple of times let me pay him later when I booked a trip with him the next day. Of course, I overtipped as a thank you. There is not a cab driver in the U.S. that would do something like that. They really value tourism because that is their main source of income.
Water & Beaches
The water was the bluest in Bermuda. The pink sand of Bermuda is so unique and pretty. If you want to know more, check out my romantic getaway Bermuda blog post.
Aruba water was pretty too but not as blue as the other two islands.
Resort
Bahamas - We stayed at the Atlantis and we never had to leave the island. Going back again, I would venture off to dine at a local restaurant for the experience and fresh catch. But there is so much to do at Atlantis you really do not have to leave. As a couple or solo traveler, I recommend staying at The Cove section of the resort, it's quieter, dreamy, and adults only. Plus every room has a balcony and a view of the ocean. Make sure you order a fresh Mango daiquiri by the pool. It was on repeat for me and absolutely delicious. There is typically music by the pool in the afternoons.
As far as the beach, you can walk just a few steps from the Cove pool to the beach, swim in the ocean for a few min, and then head back to your beach chair.
*They had my favorite pool chairs of any of the 3 island resorts we stayed at. It was like laying on a bed by the pool.
If you are a sushi fan, there is a Nobu located in the resort, as well as 4 other restaurants, a couple of bars, a brewery, counter service spots, a casino, and two shopping areas. There is also marine life and a small water park on one side of the resort.
Bermuda- I have 3 blog posts all about Bermuda & Rosewood Resort. It was very pampering but completely different than Atlantis. Very quiet and upscale. If you are looking to be pampered and not be around a lot of noise, this is your place. There is also a spa on-site.
The only downside to this resort is, the pool we preferred which was by the main part of the resort was not by the ocean. You had to take their shuttle service to their private beach. There was a pool by the beach but it was smaller. But if you just want to hang out at the beach, their beach setup was wonderful!!
Aruba- The beach set up was hotels lined up one after another. There were some very beautiful hotels on the property. My recommendations would be Ritz Carlton, Marriott Casino, and Hyatt in Palm Beach. I was not happy about the hotel we stayed at so I am not going to share that one. There is also a section of town to walk into that is right next to any of these hotels. The Ritz Carlton is at the end of the beach and furthest away. I felt this was the least romantic and secluded setup of the 3 islands.
HOWEVER, Aruba had my favorite cabana by far of any of the islands. I love a good pampering experience and Aruba had the best it was the only one that offered a massage oceanside! Check out this blog post.
Ease of things to do off resort
Aruba was the best in this by far. If you pick the right location of your hotel (one of the ones I listed above or near one of those hotels) You can easily walk to the town section from there or walk to another resort to dine or enjoy the casino. Plus it is incredibly safe to walk around during the evening.
Bahamas- If you are staying at the Atlantis you can do all of this within the resort property. But if you wanted to experience the local town you would have to take a cab. Same with Bermuda, you could not get to Hamilton without a cab.
The Food
Ranking my favorite food experiences were:
Aruba by far: We ate at Wacky Wahoo, a local fish place, that was first come first serve and you only ate what was caught that day. It was absolutely delicious. AND my favorite dining experience in my life was in Aruba as well. Check out this blog post. The entire experience from the moment you stepped into the restaurant to the time you walked out the door was absolutely incredible. Oh and try the pancake challenge. It sounds simple, but dutch pancakes are delicious and they are very serious about their pancakes.
2. Bahamas- This is where I fell in love with Nobu, plus we had a lobster quesadilla for lunch many days that was so simple and so delicious. The food options were really good every day. But there was not a place we ate where I did not think the service was top notch and the food was really good.
3. Bermuda- I hate to put this third because honestly it was tied with the Bahamas for me. There were some things we ate that were absolutely outstanding and other things that were just good. But nothing was bad. But Hamilton had my 2nd all-time favorite dining experience of my life, because of the views. Check out this blog post.
Do you have other questions about the island or resorts I have not answered? Feel free to leave me a comment below.
Cheers,
Lisa