Santa Cruz | $1.3 million
A four-bedroom house with two guesthouses near a national park
This four-bedroom, three-bath house includes two one-bedroom guesthouses and a swimming pool on the slopes of Mount Jamanota, the island’s highest peak, in Santa Cruz in central Aruba.
The house is in a small community called Jamanota that borders Arikok National Park to the east. Besides Mount Jamanota, which is about 617 feet above sea level, the park is also home to large dome-shaped caves; Arawak rock drawings; natural geological formations in lava, quartz diorite and limestone; and walking paths through dry river beds leading to hidden coves and rugged beaches.
While the immediate area is fairly wild and unspoiled, amenities like restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacies, banks and schools are in Santa Cruz, about five to 10 minutes away by car. Jamanota is about six miles east of Queen Beatrix International Airport and about eight miles east of Aruba’s capital, Oranjestad.
Size: 5,285 square feet
Price per square foot: $246
Indoors: The house has two living areas and an open kitchen off a wide veranda on the first floor. There are wide-plank wood floors and multiple doors open to the veranda. The kitchen has wooden cabinets and an island. There are three bedrooms on the first floor, one with a bay window seat, and two bathrooms.
The primary bedroom is on the second floor in a cavernous space with wooden beams on the ceiling, wood plank floors and multiple doors that open to the veranda. There is an en suite bathroom with double sinks and a bathtub and a shower.
Outdoor space: The property sits on almost three-quarters of an acre of land in forested desert terrain bordering Arikok National Park. The main house has wide verandas along the front and side on the first and second floors. There are two one-bedroom guesthouses, a workshop with a bathroom and a swimming pool with a wooden deck and a sitting area.
Costs: Annual property taxes are 0.6 percent of the purchase price, coming in around $7,800. Closing costs are typically about 8 percent of the purchase price, and include transfer tax and notary fees.
Contact: Bibi Louwers, Keller Williams Aruba | +297 569 7343 | kw-aruba.com
Noord | $1.275 million
A restored traditional house with a swimming pool
This two-bedroom, two-full-and-two-half-bath house is a restored cunucu, a type of traditional Aruban countryside house.
The town’s region, also called Noord, encompasses the northern portion the island. It is home to striking limestone cliffs and stunning beaches, along with the island’s hotel district, which is full of restaurants, cafes, bars, nightclubs, casinos and shops. Palm Beach, Eagle Beach, Arashi Beach and Boca Catalina, with the crystal clear and turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea, are popular with beachgoers and snorkelers. Another beach, Fisherman’s Huts, attracts windsurfers and kiteboarders.
One of Aruba’s main attractions, the California Lighthouse, which has 360-degree views of the island, is in Noord, as is the Alto Vista Chapel, which was constructed in 1952 on the site of an 18th-century Catholic chapel.
Noord is about a 10-minute drive north of downtown Oranjestad, which has almost 30,000 residents, and is a 20-minute drive north of Queen Beatrix International Airport.
Size: 1,819 square feet
Price per square foot: $701
Indoors: The coral stone cunucu house, which was built around 1900 by fishermen, was in ruins when its owner started a three-year restoration that included stripping plaster off the walls, reinforcing concrete beams and columns and hand-cutting coral stones to match existing ones.
Electric wiring and plumbing were added to the structure. The blue and orange cross tile roofing was imported from the Netherlands, which has one of the last remaining manufacturers of this type of roof tile. The house’s exterior is painted teal, and decorative floor tiles were also imported.
The house is laid out with a central living room flanked by the two bedrooms, both with en suite bathrooms. One bedroom has as walk-in closet. The living room opens to the pool area. The interior coral stone walls are exposed and the ceilings have dark wood beams. The bathrooms have fixtures with a vintage 19th-century look and sink bases of polished South American tree roots.
An enclosed outdoor kitchen with Italian windows and sliding doors was added to the side of the house and has rooftop solar panels. The kitchen has a double oven and breakfast nook and opens to a side terrace.
Outdoor space: The house sits on a 6,500-square-foot walled lot with multiple patios, some covered, and a bathhouse with a roof deck. There is a swimming pool that mimics a sandy beach with a beach entrance and the pool patio has a Bose surround sound system. The yard is landscaped with rocks, palm trees and other vegetation.
Costs: Annual property taxes are 0.6 percent of the purchase price, or about $7,650. Closing costs are typically about 8 percent of the purchase price, and include transfer tax and notary fees.
Contact: Dilenia Marval | +297 586 1010 | Aruba Sotheby’s International Realty
Noord | $1.3 million
A cunucu-style house with a pool and roof deck
This four-bedroom, three-bath house has the look of a cunucu, and is in the Turibana neighborhood of Noord.
Noord, meaning “north” in Dutch, is known for its spectacular natural scenery, including the rolling, white sand California Dunes at Hudishibana. The region’s natural attractions include the protected wetlands of the Bubali Bird Sanctuary, which has more than 80 species of migratory birds.
Gorgeous beaches abound, offering plenty of opportunities for water sports. Other activities in this part of the island include the casinos of the bustling Palm Beach tourism enclave and the 18-hole course at Tierra del Sol Resort & Golf.
Nearby Oranjestad has a full array of amenities and tourist attractions, including the Fort Zoutman Historical Museum in a building dating to 1798. The city also has an archaeological museum and a national theater. Queen Beatrix International Airport is about six miles south of Turibana.
Size: 3,337 square feet
Price per square foot: $390
Indoors: Built in 2020, this bright yellow house has a main entrance off a raised veranda with a balustrade. The front doors open to a foyer and main living area, which has high ceilings with white beams and an open kitchen and dining area. The kitchen has white cabinets and an island with a breakfast bar and black polished countertops. The living area opens to a rear terrace leading out to the pool.
The main bedroom has a walk-in closet and en suite bathroom with an oversized bathtub and a shower. Two other bedrooms have en suite bathrooms with glass-walled showers.
The second floor mezzanine, under a peaked ceiling of wood beams, overlooks the main living area and is set up as an office that opens to a spacious roof deck. The house is air-conditioned.
Outdoor space: The house sits on almost a third of an acre of fenced-in land and has a veranda overlooking a large patio with a swimming pool and a palapa with white sand. There is a two-car garage and additional parking space.
Costs: Annual property taxes are 0.6 percent of the purchase price, or about $7,800. Closing costs are typically about 8 percent of the purchase price, and include transfer tax and notary fees.
Contact: Aileen Kelly | +297 740 7762 | boldrealestatearuba.com
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