Travel

Stunning private island where you can swim with flamingos and take plane selfies


THERE’S a private island in the Caribbean where you can go plane spotting and swim with wild flamingos.

The adult-only beach at the Renaissance Aruba Resort allows you to get close enough to take selfies with the exotic pink birds, as well as watch the low-lying planes fly overhead.

 The birds can only be seen by guests who stay on the private beach or are lucky enough to get a day pass

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The birds can only be seen by guests who stay on the private beach or are lucky enough to get a day passCredit: Alamy

To stay at the hotel, the average night costs around £300, although access to the beach is free for guests.

Not staying at the resort? You can still visit the flamingo beach, although it costs around $125 (£100) and tickets sell out quickly.

If the hotel is not fully booked, non-guests can head to the resort early in the morning to try and get one of the 30 tickets.

Once on the beach, only accessible through the hotel or from the main island by boat, you can then swim and walk around with the birds.

 

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The flamingos, while wild, aren’t scared away by humans as the beach has long been popular with tourists, meaning it is easy to grab a photograph with them.

There is even a flamingo-food vending machine where you can get snacks to feed and interact with them.

However, there is more to the island than just swimming with flamingos.

Nearby, there’s a family friendly beach with lizards.

And thanks to the nearby airport, plane spotters can get up close to the island’s departing aircraft.

 The private island is also perfect for plane spotting thanks to the airport's proximity

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The private island is also perfect for plane spotting thanks to the airport’s proximity
 Guests can visit the beach for free if they stay at Renaissance Hotel Aruba

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Guests can visit the beach for free if they stay at Renaissance Hotel ArubaCredit: Alamy

Just a 15 minute walk from the hotel is a clear view of the airport’s runway, where planes such as Boeing 737s and Airbus A330s can be spotted.

According to The Points Guy, the walk is private for hotel guests, making it a a great place to escape the crowds.

If you can’t make it to the private island, there are alternative plane spotting beach locations.

There are other places around the world to take the best plane selfie, including at Maho Beach in St Maarten and Xanemos Beach in Greece.

Is it ethical to swim with the flamingos?

While the flamingos are not kept in cages, some feel it could be seen as animal cruelty to pose and pay to see them.

Although the birds came to the beach of their own accord 15 years ago, there are rumours that their wings have been clipped.

This would prevent them from flying away and migrating.

Tourists who want to see flamingos more ethically can head to places such as the Galapagos Islands or Bonaire island where they roam around in the wild.

There are other cool animals to swim with as well.

In the Bahamas, tourists can swim with wild pigs on a beach dubbed Pig Beach in Exuma.

A dream job is also offering one lucky person the chance to look after baby turtles in the Maldives.





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