Magical Garden

The Magical Garden put 'Home' into Homestay, Jay (our host) was very friendly (& a comedian), he is rightly proud of his agricultural attempts (when the chickens don't get into his crops) and made us feel very welcome. We were happy we chose to stay in the South to begin our visit to Aruba, it gave us a different outlook than if we had just stayed in the North (ie quieter, calmer and less developed). There are a couple of Supermarkets close by, Jay took us to the Zeerover restaurant, good place (fish n chips), inexpensive and a nice spot to take a beer and watch the fish (& people) in the evening (but it can be very busy there). Jay provided us with snorkelling gear and advice where to use it.

As with other inexpensive accommodation in Aruba, the Magical Garden can feel a bit isolated and it helps if you have your own transport, though Jay was more than happy to ferry us around the South for a small fee and was always available to us when we needed him. The Beach 200 metres away, whilst nice enough to watch the sun go down (& there is a bar there) is not really any good to swim at.

A hidden gem on the South side of the island. Easy to reach by buss and the owner is super kind and relaxed!

That we did not stay longer

location away from the crowds. walk to the beach. real local experience.

parking on the sidewalk.

Lovely little oasis in its simplicity. Jay is absolute wonderful, kind and helpful.

I was very sad and uncomfortable when I see a dog tied up day and night a few houses away from the accommodation. This is a mattet for the city inspector. Jay, Please look after this dog 💗

Everything!

Nothing!

Jay (the host) is awesome person! And his cat, Pinto, aswell. Jay welcomes you so that you can really feel like home. I had a private home with kitchen, bathroom, and basically my own garden. Garden is beautiful, Jay plants so many species. And takes care of abandoned sheep. And has chikens and roosters (they won’t wake you up, they’re a bit further). Jay let me borrow his kayak and helped me to carry it to beach (which is ~ 200 metres from the house). Jay has two more rooms, so not too many quests. Jay offered one guy a chance to sleep in a tent at rooftop for free, that would’ve been awesome for me aswell, but I already had the apartment. Thank you Jay for once more, let the good winds be with you! See you!

I really loved staying at this place, it was so lovely and Jay is the best host ever! He took care of me like of his own daughter and even gave me a bigger and a better room to what I initially booked. He also shared his dinner with me and was always offering more food etc. The location is very nice, in an authentic and very chill area. There is a bus stop nearby and you could reach almost everywhere by buses. I would definitely recommend this location rather than the super touristic area around Oranjestad. Wifi was really good which was important to me since I was working remotely. I felt safe walking back to the hotel in the dark as a solo female (my only concern were dogs).

Magical garden is a great place to disconnect from the busy world and go back to the roots. It's simple and beautiful. The room is big, the bed is very comfortable, and the vibe is great. Our host Jay made our stay extra special. It's a great place to relax and enjoy some sunshine.

There's absolutely nothing I didn't like about this place.