Spanish Lagoon is a mangrove inlet on Aruba’s south coast that most rental cars drive straight past, and Marina Pirata is built out over the water at the end of it. The deck sits close enough to the surface that fish come up to the pilings while you eat, which is either dinner and a show or slightly awkward depending on what you ordered. The fried red snapper is what the regulars come for. There is surf and turf if you want to make an occasion of it, and the prices are noticeably gentler than anything on the resort strip. It is quiet almost every night, which locals will tell you makes no sense at all. Signage is minimal and the turn is easy to miss. That is part of the deal.
