Baby Beach
Seroe Colorado, Aruba, Aruba
Baby Beach sits at Aruba's southeastern tip near the village of Seroe Colorado, a shallow, sheltered lagoon so calm it earned its name from being safe for the smallest kids to swim in. An oil refinery sits within view down the coast, but local currents keep the water here notably clean and clear regardless.
One of the calmest, safest swimming spots on the island for families, though its distance from the main hotel strip means it's a deliberate half day trip rather than a walk from the room.
Bring snorkel gear even though the water looks calm and shallow. Barracuda, parrotfish, and other small reef fish are common right in the lagoon.
It's about a 40 to 45 minute drive from the main hotel strip near Palm Beach, following the coastal road south through San Nicolas to where it ends at Seroe Colorado.
The lagoon has a flat, easy entry into shallow water, well suited to young children, with informal parking right at the beach.
Aruba stays warm and dry nearly year round, sitting outside the main hurricane belt, so conditions here stay fairly consistent whatever month you visit.
More Caribbean beaches
Frenchman's Cove
Port Antonio, Portland Parish, Jamaica · Caribbean
Frenchman's Cove sits in San San, just outside Port Antonio in Jamaica's Portland parish, where a shallow, clear river winds down through the resort grounds before spilling out onto a short stretch of fine white sand. Built in 1958 as one of the Caribbean's first all-inclusive resorts, the beach has since shown up in films including Lord of the Flies for its wild, cinematic backdrop.
Boston Bay Beach
Port Antonio, Portland Parish, Jamaica · Caribbean
Boston Bay sits just east of Port Antonio in Jamaica, widely credited as the birthplace of jerk cooking, with jerk huts lining the road behind a beach that also happens to have some of the most consistent surf on the island's north coast. Locals rent boards and give lessons right on the sand, and the annual Jerk Festival draws crowds here every July.
Lime Cay
Port Royal, Kingston Parish, Jamaica · Caribbean
Lime Cay sits about fifteen minutes by boat from Port Royal, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour in Jamaica, a small uninhabited sandbar island that floods partially at high tide and has no facilities of any kind. Sundays bring the biggest local crowds, with Kingston residents mooring boats offshore and bringing their own lunch and drinks for the afternoon.