This was our third year-NEVER an issue getting a palapa no matter what time you arrive. The beach is always very wide and deep but this year was even deeper. The best part about Aruba is the weather-we asked the taxi driver when they last got rain- he said 2-3 months ago. Sunny and 87-92 every single day with great breezes (maybe a bit strong at times...) LOVE Aruba and I never thought we would be picking Aruba over SXM.