The issue of tourists wanting to use palapas (thatched beach umbrellas) on the beach has become a recurring problem in Aruba. This week, on a popular tourist Facebook group, the conversation again turned to the topic of palapas and whether hotels should charge for their usage.
This topic has come up several times between tourists and locals in Aruba. In June 2023, Aruba Today’s sister paper Bon Dia Aruba addressed this issue in an article titled “It remains unclear if the use of palapas is public or must be rented.” The article discussed whether palapas are free or if they belong to a hotel and are exclusively for hotel guests. At that time, there were even reports of people being intimidated and frightened, being told they could not use the palapas without renting them – sometimes even the police had to intervene.
This time, in the mentioned Facebook group, a user with the initials G. M. posted about an email received from a hotel, calling its content “outrageous.” In the email, of which the user posted a screenshot, the hotel informed them: “We have palapas and umbrellas for rent. For the palapas, you must make a reservation in advance, for the umbrellas you can just inform the Pool and Beach attendant. The price for the palapas ranges from $18 to $30 depending on the location. The umbrellas cost $40.”
“Do you have to pay to stand under a coconut tree umbrella on the beach?” the user questioned. “So in other words, if I want to be on the beach and in the shade, I have to pay? We have never experienced this at any other tropical beach resort.”
As in previous instances, many users in the group reacted, generating more than 200 comments.
User J.P. stated that “there have been ongoing issues with this for months and months. Any palapa on the beach is public. They do not belong to any hotel or resort. Whoever gets there first gets it. There is no charge. Chairs for rent, yes. Please show this letter to the police. The police will go to the hotel in question and give them a warning.”
Meanwhile, C. R. clarified that the palapas on hotel property are private. “But those are the ones near the [hotel]. Those beyond the blue mark are on public beach.”
Amidst the controversy, AHATA CEO Tisa LaSorte provided a comment to clarify the situation, stating that the hotel in question “has a strip that is their leasehold. Public beaches has a precarious permit that allows usage and the placing of chairs, etc., but not for charging.”
In 2022, Bon Dia Aruba sought for clarification on the palapa situation. As is known, beaches in Aruba are public and do not belong to any hotel. Therefore, palapas on the beach are also considered public and can be used by anyone who arrives first. In some cases, this is not applicable if the hotel’s property line extends to a certain point on the beach or if the hotel has reached an agreement with the government to privatize the use of the palapas, allowing the hotel itself to build the palapas.
The lack of clarity on this topic has caused a lot of confusion and frustration among both tourists and locals who use the palapas to protect themselves from Aruba’s strong sun while enjoying their day by the sea.
Given that this situation continues to arise and cause frustration among tourists, it would be beneficial for the government to find a way to distinguish public palapas from private ones and thereby provide more clarity for users.
