Ride to an Aruban oasis

What a treat to visit Aruba again, and this time to have time to take to two wheels. The classic Sunday morning bike ride here is to the California Lighthouse, a pinnacle above the rolling sand dunes of this low-lying isle. Setting off from the Low Rise hotels just after sunset you get to experience the island waking. Traffic is thin and the coast road takes you through an arid landscape strewn with cacti on one side and alluring beaches on the other. I thought I would have the place to myself but already by 7am the beachside cafés are busy with holidaymakers set on making the most of their day, and the smell of bacon wafts from them, plus cyclists and joggers are out in number looking to put in some miles before the midday sun. Pedaling on you reach the High Rise Hotels zone with its smart shopping piazzas, restaurants and bars. This is the island’s retail and entertainment hub, pretty at sunset with a craft market lit by fairy lights. Onwards past the last of the hotels the landscape becomes wilder, revealing coves that offer enticing snorkeling. A final stretch of flat takes you past the smart seaside homes of Aruba’s wealthy, often referred to as Beverly Hills. Then comes the surprise, a steady, winding incline which gives a simultaneous view of the Atlantic and Caribbean oceans, either side of the towering lighthouse. As if that wasn’t enough, one of my favourite visions appears before me. A coconut stand! No better breakfast than coconut water and jelly!