Aruba sits at Pier Approach with the whole bay in front of it — a terrace and balcony angled so the pier, the sand and the water fill the view, from the Isle of Wight round towards Sandbanks. Position is most of the appeal. Few places in Bournemouth put you this close to the sea with a cocktail in hand, and Aruba leans into it hard, from the palm trees on the terrace to the island bar at its centre.
The food
The menu is broad and globally-minded, built around fresh seafood — paella heavy with chorizo, calamari, wings — alongside grills from decent cuts of meat and hand-stretched pizza. Breakfast is served in the mornings, a roast lands on Sundays, and bottomless brunch runs on Fridays. This is not quiet, refined cooking; it is generous, sharing-friendly food designed to go with a view and a drink. Cocktails are the thing the bar is proudest of, and there are mocktails for anyone sitting them out.
The setting
By day it is a restaurant and a sun-trap terrace, palms and all, with the bay doing most of the work. After dark it changes: resident DJs, VIP booths and drinks packages turn it into one of the seafront’s late bars, open well past midnight at weekends. Come early for a calm dinner; come late for the party end of it. The two moods share the same room, so it is worth knowing which one you are walking into before you arrive. On a still summer evening the terrace, with the pier lights coming on below, is as good as the seafront gets for a drink.
Where it is
Pier Approach, BH2 5AA, at the foot of the town beside Bournemouth Pier and directly above Bournemouth Beach. From the centre it is a short walk down through the Lower Gardens to the seafront. The restaurants hub covers the rest of the bay’s dining, and the map shows how it sits against the pier.
Good to know
The terrace fills fast on a warm evening, so book ahead if the view is the point. Weekend hours run late — Friday and Saturday into the early hours — while weekdays wind down earlier; check current times before you go. Bottomless brunch and cocktail masterclasses are bookable separately. It is a lively spot rather than a quiet one, which is either the draw or the warning depending on the evening you have in mind.
