This little known beach in Aruba is is truly a hidden gem. Savaneta Beach (also known as Santo Largo Beach) is a small and intimate beach is almost always passed by, except for a that know it is behind a locals neighborhood (also named Savaneta).Â
This little beach is partially enclosed by mangroves, but what you lack in open sand is more than made up in cool shade and a feeling of privacy that allows you to escape the crowds and have your own slice of paradise.
The gorgeous calm clear water is shallow allowing you to walk fairly far out. Even with the tree cover, you can still find empty stretches of sand to lay out on. The best part is that there are good odds you will have the beach to yourself.
We visited twice; the first time there were two other groups on the beach, but most the second time we had it to ourselves (even on a holiday weekend)!
Savaneta Beach Quick Info:
- Other Names: Santo Largo Beach
- Where: south east side of the island of Aruba
- Facilities/Amenities: only nature
- Best for: escaping the crowds, even on cruise ship days
- Kid Friendly: Very
- Not So Good For: amenities
- Available excursions: none
- Cost: free
What you can Expect at Savaneta Beach
The soft golden sand often has leaves and little sticks in it from the tree cover. This doesn’t mean that you still can’t lounge on it and enjoy.
There are not rocks in the water, so you don’t have to worry about cutting up your feet or bringing water shoes.
If you are looking for some rocks to snorkel around, enter the water and head around to the left to find a decent snorkel spot.
Swimming Conditions
The water is almost always calm and shallow. The shallow water and protected cove areas make it somewhere I would be comfortable taking kids to splash around.
If you are really looking to swim though you will have to wade further out for the water to get deeper. From our stretch of beach it was about 100 ft out.
Water Clarity
The water is shockingly clear and shocking blue. This combination never gets old!
Saventa Beach Snorkeling
If you want to snorkel this is a decent snorkel spot. The calm water allows you to see the sea life. However, the water is very shallow.
There are a few bigger rocks in the water if you get in and turn left while swimming a couple hundred feet out.
The water is extremely shallow, which makes Saventa Beach snorkeling extremely beginner friendly, though The amount of sea life isn’t close to the amount you would see at Tres Trapi or Malmok Beach. But there is still a lot of fish.
Crowds
You are not likely to find many crowds. When we did see other people they seemed to be locals.
Facilities/Amenities/Activities
There are no amenities directly on the beach, however there are a number of restaurants and bars within a two minute drive.
Most recently we picked up smoothies from Mauchi Smoothies and brought them to the beach to enjoy, though we did hanging out at their picnic tables and using their free wifi for a while.
Given that this is a locals neighborhood, the pricing tends to be about one half of what you will find in the main hotel zone (our smoothies were only about $4 usd).
When To Visit
The ideal time to visit is realistically just about any time. We most recently went on a double cruise ship day, which meant that the island had many more visitors than normal.
Even with the extra crowds we still lucky had the beach to ourselves. Even if other people are there it is still big enough for a few different groups to enjoy and feel like the have plenty of their own space.
Where is Saventa Beach located?
Saventa Beach is located on the southern side of the island of Aruba, just past the midpoint of the island towards the eastern side.
If you are coming from the airport it is only about a 15 minute drive. If you are coming from the main hotel area it is about a 30 minute drive.
How to get to Saventa Beach
It is relatively easy to follow until you get to the actual entrance of the beach. There is a gravel/paved road that goes up and over a big pipe.
It looks weird and a little sus, but drive over. You will see the dirt road open up directly to the shore. If you turn left you will see thick mangroves and a driveway to a large home.
If you proceed left you will actually see a couple openings in the mangroves where you can pull in and have your own private cove beach.
This is what we did to enjoy a relaxing afternoon to ourselves.
Parking
There is no set parking lot, but there is ample space on the sand that you can park on. It’s so nice to be able to park directly on the beach. Making it so easy to go back and forth from the car.
It’s free to park there, just make sure you don’t park too close to the water in case the tide comes in. You don’t want your car to be submerged. Our rental car agency told us that it happens more often than you would expect.
Where to Stay Near Savaneta Beach:
There aren’t a lot of accommodations in the Savaneta neighborhood, but you aren’t too far from the options in Oranjestad.
Conclusion: Is Savaneta Beach worth visiting?
I love Saveneta Beach! We have been twice, once in 2019 and another time in 2024.
Even though it is a longer drive (by Aruba standards) I love having the intimate and shaded experience of my own cove beach while not having to sacrifice any quality of sand or water! It isn’t a beach that I personally could spend the entire day at, I get bored. I think I would enjoy it more if I had kids. The shallow, calm water is perfect for small children to play in.