Halfway between Savaneta and San Nicolas, on a mangrove-flanked stretch of Cura Cabai where the local fishermen tie up, somebody had the sense to build a bar. Battata is a splash of color on a wide expanse of white sand, five minutes from either town and nowhere near a resort. Fodor’s gave it their Choice designation, which is unusual for a place where the dance floor is the sand itself. Weekends bring live music and lobster nights, happy hour starts early, and the sunsets over the water are the kind people plan the drive around. The kitchen leans on locally caught fish and Dutch snack platters, so bitterballen with your beer, which is a very Aruban combination. If you want to see the half of the island that is not Palm Beach, start here.
