Grocery Shopping: What to expect
Main Grocery Stores in Aruba:
Superfoods | Ling & Sons | CMART | Pricesmart
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These are 4 of the larger grocery stores in Aruba, CMART being the newest. Pricesmart is also a great option if you are staying longer or feeding a large family, but this requires an annual membership fee of $39 USD.
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Some honorable mentions are Do it Center Shaba (Noord) and Save More, which happen to be right across the street from each other, well almost, around the corner. I shop at both occasionally, but I can't get everything I need here so tend to shop elsewhere unless I only need a few things. Do it Center Shaba(Noord) is kinda like Target-has food and clothes, home items. No shoe section though.
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They have a lot of Dutch items as it's a Dutch island, but you can also find a lot of American food too, so no worries! The food in Aruba is freaking amazing, I promise you will NOT be disappointed!
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You can also shop at the smaller Chinese markets scattered all over the island! I will stop in there when I just need a few things! They also sell alcohol and usually have pretty good prices!
Pro Tip:
Plan ahead on Sundays! Stores close early!
SuperFoods: 6pm | CMART: 3pm | Ling & Sons: 3pm | Pricesmart: 2pm
When grocery shopping, we usually go to Superfoods or Ling & Sons, just because they are closer to where we usually stay. When we first arrive, we go to Pricesmart to load up on some things. Since we stay in an Airbnb, we have the option to cook instead of going out to eat every single day, which works great for us. We also make our lunches most days!
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For lunches, we tend to keep it simple! We'll get a bunch of different deli meats like turkey, ham & chicken, and a few different cheeses, bread/buns, small bottle of mayo, mustard, chips! We either eat by the pool at our airbnb or pack it in the cooler & bring it to the beach! We also LOVE their chicken stoba! We make bowls with some Mexican rice and veggies.
We love making charcuterie boards for snacks too, all the grocery stores have great selection of meats and cheeses!
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For dinners, we make burgers, chicken, steaks or the pre-marinated beef kabobs from Super Foods or Ling & Sons, paired with potatoes or potato salad.
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There is a Superfoods app and they deliver!
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Bring a quarter for a cart, kinda like Aldi. You can find some that don't need one, but it's better to be safe than sorry. A florin will not work in their newer carts, you need to get a token from the Customer service desk.
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Buy a reusable bag that says ARUBA on it! They are huge & sturdy and make a great souvenir to use back in home or
even to bring to the beach while you're there! These can be found in the checkout line for $1-$4!
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Pro Tip:
Tip the young men that bag groceries (all stores) and take them to your car! They are not getting a salary to be
there and they are saving for college.
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Alcohol, most good wine and cold beer is sold in a separate part of the grocery store, inside Cheers Wines & liquors, so you will pay/shop separately for that. It's to the right of the turnstiles to start shopping! I typically go after I have done the food shopping and checked out. I park my cart right outside the alcohol area and then grab the cart on the way out!
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The warm cases of beer are by the bottled water in the middle isle in the main store.
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The Tourist Bonus Card that is available at the customer service desk isn't really needed I found out, because all the cashiers have one and scan it for you, so you will receive the discount if a certain item is on sale.
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Pro Tip:
The pre-marinated garlic or spicy beef/chicken kabobs at the meat counter are TO DIE FOR!! So easy to throw on the grill!
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Saturday evenings and earlier on Sundays are VERY busy. Lots of planes land Saturday, so it's usually a
madhouse around 4pm! If you want a calm shopping experience, go early in the am during the week or pick a different store! I'm serious, it gets CRAZY busy in there!
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There is an awesome restaurant inside the front door to your right, called Jack's Cafe. It's right across from the checkout lines. They have the MOST DELICIOUS pre-cooked and kept warm breakfast for dirt cheap! I got eggs, bacon and french toast for 1, split with with my boyfriend. We couldn't finished it all and it was only $6!! Another time we got 4 slices of HUGE French Toast for $6.30, and another time 2 full meals of eggs, bacon, hash browns and GIANT pastechi's for only $11 USD! So good and cheap! 1 meal can easily feed 2 ppl! They also have warm lunch and dinner here and you can eat in there in a large seating section or take it to go.
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When you enter the store, directly to your left is a drug store called Bliss Beauty & Health where you can buy sunscreen and makeup.
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Outside Superfoods, to the left of the main entrance, is BENU Pharmacy Oliva. Find Tylenol, bandaids, etc here.
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Outside Superfoods, to the right of the main entrance, is a to-go warm "food window" that sells croquettes and pastechi's!
Next to that is a fresh seafood store called Daily Fish, a great place to stop for some fresh seafood to cook!
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Did you know there's an upstairs at Superfoods!? It has tons of home items and lots of beach items! So, if you need snorkel gear, water shoes or a float, they have you covered!
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Ling & Sons Tips:
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Ling & Sons is located 5 mins south of Superfoods by car, or 2 Roundabouts south
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Ling's has more American food options than Superfoods, so if you're a picky eater or looking for something from home, this is your spot!
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Be sure to get their Fun Miles card at the customer service desk! You will get points that can be redeemed at various places across Aruba!
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20% off vegetables on Tuesdays and 20% off meat on Thursdays!
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Every Wednesday is their senior 60+ discount day, 5% off items not already discounted!
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Excellent meat and seafood selection, great pre-marinated items ready to throw on the grill!
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Delicious Bakery with fresh baked breads and some of the best Double Chocolate cake I've EVER had!
Their dessert selection is awesome​.
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Awesome cold and hot bars! Cold bar opens earlier in the morning with tons of salads. I am OBSESSED with their eggless potato salad with carrots, it's so darn tasty!! Their hot bar is great too and attracts a HUGE crowd! The pricing is excellent and you get a lot of bang for your buck! You can get to go or you can eat in the seating section just inside the front doors.
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They also have the LARGEST liquor selection on the Island, so if you're looking for something specific, this is a good place
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They also sell cosmetic items like shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc
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CMART Tips:
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CMART is located about 13 mins south by car from Super Foods
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They have a gorgeous produce section.
Excellent deli meat and cheese options, plus a ton of meat and seafood options.
There is also an amazing pre-marinated selection! Perfect for grilling!
You do not need to purchase alcohol separately here. I found prices to be about the same.
They also have home items and clothing upstairs
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Cafe upstairs serving Breakfast, lunch and dinner for very reasonable prices!
If you prefer a more tranquil shopping experience, come here, I never found it busy.
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Located right by the Airport in Oranjestad!
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If you’re here for an extended time or have a large family to feed at an airbnb, this might be worth it for you!
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Annual membership fee is $39 USD
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Pricesmart is allot like Costco! They even have a lot of brands that Costo carries, so you will recognize things!
They even have a food court like Costco does with Pizza and Hot Dogs!
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We buy a lot of our meat here and freeze it when we stay long periods of time, some chips, nuts and vodka :)
They carry the 1.75L of Kirkland Vodka, Its 50$ USD. Saves a bit money instead of buying at the grocery stores.
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Alcohol is sold in a separate section just past the cashiers.
Save the receipt cause you’ll need it to leave the store, they check receipts just like Costco!
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