# Eagle Beach or Palm Beach? Where to stay in Aruba with kids Written 2026-10-06 by Play Day. Ten family resorts in Aruba with kids clubs, kitchen suites and water slides, across Eagle Beach and Palm Beach, with all-inclusive options. For most families with kids, Palm Beach is the answer. It's a long strip of resorts with calm water, and the restaurants and shops sit within walking distance of each other. Eagle Beach is the widest beach on the island, with calm, shallow water too and more room to spread out, and it suits families who would rather have space than a strip. The second choice matters more than the beach. All-inclusive (Barceló Aruba, Riu Palace Aruba, Holiday Inn Resort Aruba and the Divi and Tamarijn resorts on Druif Beach) means no bills at lunch. A suite with a kitchen (Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort, Embassy Suites by Hilton Aruba Resort, Marriott's Aruba Surf Club) means breakfast and naps happen on your schedule. Every resort here has a pool, and the ones with a kids club or a water slide are named under each place. The listings carry the rest. ## Eagle Beach and Druif Beach Away from the Palm Beach strip. These resorts are a few kilometres from it (about three to four straight line), so you'll take a taxi or a bus for dinner out. They suit families who want to stay put. ### [Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusive](https://ourplayday.com/places/tamarijn-aruba-all-inclusive-eagle-beach) Beach: Druif Beach, next to Eagle Beach Why we picked it: The Druif Beach all-inclusive with a climbing wall and a kids club for ages 4 to 12, so kids stay busy without leaving the resort. A beachfront all-inclusive with four pools, a climbing wall and a kids club for ages 4 to 12 that does face painting, t-shirt dyeing and kite making. Rooms have a fridge, and the premium family rooms sleep up to six. It doesn't suit a family that wants a kitchen, or one that wants to walk to restaurants: the Palm Beach strip is about 3 km away, straight line. - Pool: Yes - Fridge: Yes ### [Divi Village Golf and Beach Resort](https://ourplayday.com/places/divi-village-golf-and-beach-resort-oranjestad) Beach: Druif Beach Why we picked it: The pick for a longer stay off the strip: kitchenette suites, a water slide and a kids club in one place, across from the beach. Suites with kitchenettes, four pools including one with a water slide, and a kids club for ages 4 to 12. Druif Beach is across the road, and a golf cart shuttle runs around the resort and over to the neighboring Divi and Tamarijn resorts, so the kids can use their clubs too on the all-inclusive plan. It's the one for a longer stay on the Druif side. It doesn't suit anyone who wants to walk out to restaurants and shops: Palm Beach is about 3 km away, straight line. - Pool: Yes - Suites: Yes - Kitchenette: Yes ## Palm Beach: suites with kitchens Calm water, a walkable strip and a kitchen in the room. These four are for families who would rather not eat three meals out a day, from a high-rise on the sand to a smaller place a short shuttle from it. ### [Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort](https://ourplayday.com/places/divi-aruba-phoenix-beach-resort-palm-beach) Beach: Palm Beach Why we picked it: The Palm Beach resort where every suite has a full kitchen, with a kids club and laundry on site, so meals and naps run on your schedule. Every suite has a full kitchen, a dining table and a balcony, and the one-bedroom and larger suites have a sofa bed for the extra kids. The Divi Little Explorers kids club takes ages 4 to 12, and the two pools have a section for kids. There's laundry on site, which matters on a week with sand. It's a high-rise on a busy stretch of beach. It doesn't suit a family after all-inclusive or a big water slide. - Pool: Yes - Suites: Yes - Kitchenette: Yes - Drop-off kids' club: Yes - Laundry: Yes ### [Embassy Suites by Hilton Aruba Resort](https://ourplayday.com/places/embassy-suites-by-hilton-aruba-resort-palm-beach) Beach: Palm Beach Why we picked it: The two-room suite with a door to close at bedtime, plus a kids club and cribs, for a family that wants a bedroom but not a full kitchen. Two-room suites that sleep six: a closed bedroom, a living area with a sofa bed, a microwave and a mini fridge. The breakfast buffet is part of the stay, there's a kids club for ages 4 to 12, and the resort has a children's pool, a playground and cribs. Two rooms means a door to close at bedtime. It doesn't suit a family that wants a full kitchen: the suites have a microwave and a mini fridge, not a stove. - Pool: Yes - Suites: Yes - Fridge: Yes ### [Mill Resort and Suites](https://ourplayday.com/places/mill-resort-and-suites-palm-beach) Beach: Palm Beach Why we picked it: The smaller, low-rise option on Palm Beach, with kitchens and breakfast included, for a family that would rather skip big-resort scale. A smaller, low-rise place with suites that have kitchens, two pools and a playground, and breakfast included. A free shuttle runs to the beach, about five minutes, with a beach attendant waiting. It's the quieter, lower-key base, with no big-resort scale. It doesn't suit a family that wants to step from the room onto the sand, since it sits a short ride back from the water. - Pool: Yes - Suites: Yes - Kitchenette: Yes - Fridge: Yes - Free breakfast: Yes ### [Marriott's Aruba Surf Club](https://ourplayday.com/places/marriott-s-aruba-surf-club-palm-beach) Beach: Palm Beach Why we picked it: The most space on the list: villas up to three bedrooms with full kitchens, plus three kids pools, a lazy river and a water slide. One, two and three-bedroom villas with a full kitchen, a dining area, and a washer and dryer, plus pools built for kids: three children's pools (one with a small sand beach), a lazy river and a water slide under a waterfall. Kids ages 4 to 12 have a complimentary activity center. It's the most space on the list for a big group or a long stay. It doesn't suit a family that wants everything included in one price: meals are on you, which the kitchen is there for. - Kitchenette: Yes ## Palm Beach: big resorts with slides and kids clubs Resorts that run the day for you: kids clubs, pools with slides and everything in one place. Four of them are within about a kilometre of each other on the same stretch of beach, straight line. ### [Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino](https://ourplayday.com/places/hyatt-regency-aruba-resort-spa-and-casino-palm-beach) Beach: Palm Beach Why we picked it: Picked for the pool: an activity pool with a water slide and a swim-up grill, plus Camp Hyatt, for kids who live in the water. The pool is the draw: a big activity pool with a water slide and a swim-up grill, with a separate pool for adults so you can have one too. Camp Hyatt is the kids program, with scavenger hunts, sandcastle building and pool time. It's the one for kids who live in the water. It doesn't suit a family that wants a kitchen or all-inclusive. - Pool: Yes - Waterslide: Yes ### [Holiday Inn Resort Aruba](https://ourplayday.com/places/holiday-inn-resort-aruba-palm-beach) Beach: Palm Beach Why we picked it: The all-inclusive with a zero-entry kids pool, which is why toddlers do well here, plus kitchenette suites and a kids club. All-inclusive on the beach, with three pools (one a zero-entry pool for kids), suites with kitchenettes and a kids club that does face painting, movies and sandcastles. The zero-entry pool is the reason toddlers do well here. It doesn't suit a family that wants to cook: the kitchenettes are for snacks. - Pool: Yes - Suites: Yes - Kitchenette: Yes - Fridge: Yes - Drop-off kids' club: Yes ### [Barcelo Aruba](https://ourplayday.com/places/barcelo-aruba-palm-beach) Beach: Palm Beach Why we picked it: The all-inclusive with a kids club for ages 5 to 12 and seven restaurants, so even a picky eater has options. All-inclusive with a kids club for ages 5 to 12, family rooms, suites with kitchenettes and seven restaurants, so a picky eater has options. The main pool is shaped like a lagoon. It's a big resort with a lot of people on it. It doesn't suit a family that wants a quiet beach: the strip around it is the busy one. - Pool: Yes - Suites: Yes - Kitchenette: Yes - Free breakfast: Yes ### [Riu Palace Aruba](https://ourplayday.com/places/riu-palace-aruba-palm-beach) Beach: Palm Beach Why we picked it: The most room to split kids from adults: an age-grouped kids club, a kids pool with slides and a two-bedroom suite with a private hallway. All-inclusive, with a kids pool that has water slides, a baby pool, a playground, and the Riu Land club for ages 4 to 12, split into two age groups. The family suites include a two-bedroom with a private hallway between the bedrooms. It's the one with the most space to split kids from adults. It doesn't suit a family that wants a kitchen, and it's a bigger resort than the Eagle Beach options. - Pool: Yes - Suites: Yes ## All-inclusive or not All-inclusive makes sense for kids who snack all day and a trip where you don't want to think about lunch. Barceló Aruba, Riu Palace Aruba and Holiday Inn Resort Aruba are all-inclusive on Palm Beach, and Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusive and Divi Village Golf and Beach Resort are on Druif Beach. The suite resorts with kitchens (Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort, Embassy Suites by Hilton Aruba Resort, Mill Resort and Suites, Marriott's Aruba Surf Club) suit families who want their own breakfasts and early bedtimes. ## Kids clubs Riu Palace Aruba, Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort, Embassy Suites by Hilton Aruba Resort, Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusive and Divi Village Golf and Beach Resort take kids from age 4. Barceló Aruba starts at 5. Camp Hyatt at Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino runs in sessions of its own. Ask each resort for current age limits and hours before you book. ## Getting around Aruba is small, and the two beaches are only a few kilometres apart, but the Eagle Beach and Druif resorts are far enough from the Palm Beach strip that you'll want a taxi or the bus for dinner out. Pick the beach first and then the resort. If you can't decide, the Palm Beach strip is the easier first trip. ## Questions ### Eagle Beach or Palm Beach with kids? Palm Beach for most families: calm water, and resorts, restaurants and shops within walking distance. Eagle Beach is the widest beach on the island, with calm, shallow water and more room for kids to run. ### Where should we stay in Aruba with a toddler? Holiday Inn Resort Aruba has a zero-entry kids pool, and Riu Palace Aruba has a baby pool. Embassy Suites by Hilton Aruba Resort has cribs and a closed bedroom for naps, and the suites at Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort have a full kitchen. ### Is an all-inclusive worth it in Aruba with kids? It is if your kids snack constantly and you want a kids club in the same place as the pool. Barceló Aruba, Riu Palace Aruba and Holiday Inn Resort Aruba are all-inclusive on Palm Beach. If you'd rather eat out and cook breakfast, a suite with a kitchen fits better. ### Which Aruba resorts have a kids club? Barceló Aruba, Riu Palace Aruba, Holiday Inn Resort Aruba, Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort, Embassy Suites by Hilton Aruba Resort, Marriott's Aruba Surf Club, Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusive and Divi Village Golf and Beach Resort all have one. Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino has Camp Hyatt. ### Which Aruba resort has a water slide? Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino has a water slide in its activity pool. Riu Palace Aruba's kids pool has slides, Divi Village Golf and Beach Resort has a water slide, and Marriott's Aruba Surf Club has one under a waterfall. ### Which Aruba hotels have a kitchen? Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort has a full kitchen in every suite, and Marriott's Aruba Surf Club's villas do too. Mill Resort and Suites and Divi Village Golf and Beach Resort have kitchens or kitchenettes, and Embassy Suites by Hilton Aruba Resort has a microwave and mini fridge. Page: https://ourplayday.com/guides/aruba/family-hotels