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New & Pre-Construction Condos in Aruba: Developments to Watch

Every winter there's a new set of renderings on the billboards along the Eagle Beach road. Some become excellent buildings. Some slip a year or two. A few never quite happen. Here's how buying pre-construction actually works on this island, what to check before you wire a deposit, and the projects people keep asking us about.

By Jakob Jakubov, every winter on Aruba since 2021 · Updated September 2026 · 10 min read

Why new builds are so popular here

Aruba's condo stock has a clear generation gap: the timeshare-era buildings from the 1980s and 90s, then a wave of modern low-rise developments from the last decade, pools, rooftop decks, proper AC, floor plans designed for the North American rental market.

For a buyer who's here a few months a year, new construction is attractive for practical reasons. Nothing needs fixing yet. The rental program is usually built in from day one. The developer, not you, deals with permits and contractors. And since the best plots near the beaches are nearly gone, every new project sells its first phase fast.

That's the pull. The rest of this guide is the brake.

How pre-construction buying works in Aruba

The mechanics vary by developer, but the shape is consistent:

1. Reservation. You pick a unit from the plans and pay a fee, often ~US$5,000–10,000, to hold it while contracts are drawn up.
2. Purchase agreement and first deposit. Usually ~10% at signing. On the better projects it goes into notary escrow, not the developer's operating account. Ask which.
3. Construction-stage payments. Installments tied to milestones (foundation, structure, roof, finishing) typically bringing the total paid before delivery to ~30–50%.
4. Delivery and transfer. Once the building is complete and signed off, the notary transfers title and you pay the balance. From here the notary process works exactly as for a resale.
5. Snagging and warranty. You inspect, list defects, and the developer fixes them under a warranty period.

Placeholder schedules, every developer's terms differ. Get the exact payment plan in writing before you pay anything.

On financing: local banks will sometimes lend against a pre-construction purchase, but usually only on completion or with the developer's cooperation. Most buyers fund the construction-stage payments in cash.

The risks, honestly

Pre-construction has a built-in asymmetry: you commit money now for a product that doesn't exist yet. Usually it works. When it doesn't, the reasons are predictable.

• Delays. Materials arrive by ship, permits move at island pace, contractors are few. 6–18 months late is common and rarely sinister.
• Specification drift. The rendering showed one thing; the contract lets the developer substitute "equivalent" finishes. Read the allowances clause.
• Deposit exposure. If your money sits in the developer's operating account and the project stalls, getting it back is a legal matter, not a phone call. Notary escrow is the protection.
• Undercapitalized projects. A project funded by buyer deposits depends on sales velocity. If sales slow, the crane stops.
• Land tenure. Some developments sit on long-term government land lease. Normal and fine, but it should be disclosed and priced in. See freehold vs. land lease.
• HOA reality. Developers set the initial fee low to sell units. The real fee, once owners take over, is often higher.
• Resale timing. If several buyers try to flip on delivery, you're all competing at once in a small market. Don't buy pre-construction planning a quick exit.

Every stalled project on the island started with a beautiful rendering and a fast first phase.

The developer checklist

Before signing, we'd want honest answers to all of these, from the contract, not the sales manager.

The developer: how many buildings completed on Aruba, and can you visit one? Who's the contractor, and have they worked together before? Is the project financed by a bank, equity, or buyer deposits?

The money: is every payment held in notary escrow until milestones are certified? Who certifies them: an independent engineer or the developer? What happens to your deposits if the project is cancelled or delayed past a set date?

The land and permits: freehold or land lease (and if lease, remaining term and annual canon)? Is the building permit issued or "in process"? Is the condominium split, the legal division into units, already registered?

The product: what does the contract guarantee: square meters, finishes, appliances, parking? What's the delay clause: penalty, walk-away right, or nothing? Warranty period and coverage?

Running it afterwards: projected HOA fee, what it includes, the reserve plan. Is there a rental program, who runs it, at what split, can you opt out? Any short-term rental restrictions in the building rules?

Have a local lawyer or the notary read the agreement. The notary here is neutral, works for the transaction rather than either side, and has seen every version of these contracts. Use that.

Developments to watch (2026)

Below are the projects buyers ask us about most: the names that come up repeatedly in searches, on billboards, and in conversations with agents. We describe each only as it's been reported or marketed, and every detail is tagged for verification. Status, pricing, unit counts and delivery dates change constantly; treat this as a starting list, not a listing.

Names, locations and status as marketed in 2026: confirm current phase, pricing and delivery with the developer and an independent agent before relying on any of it. No pricing is shown because it changes by phase.

L'Aquila is marketed as a luxury low-rise on the Eagle Beach side, at the upper end of the new-build market. The questions for any premium project: which phase is actually built, and what the HOA looks like once the pool and grounds are running.

Azure has been one of the more visible Eagle Beach developments, reported as delivered in earlier phases with later phases marketed. The appeal for buyers: a completed product to stand in and owners to talk to.

The Moon is marketed as a smaller, boutique residence in the Eagle Beach area. Small buildings are lovely to live in; they also mean a small HOA where one big repair is shared by few owners. Look at the reserve plan.

Atlantic 360 is reported as an Eagle Beach project marketed on its ocean orientation. If the view is the appeal, walk the site, confirm which units actually get it, and ask what could be built in between.

Washington Gardens sits inland in the Noord/Washington area: more residential, more local, more affordable per square meter, and not a short-term-rental engine. Good for living, a different calculation for yield.

We keep this list short on purpose. New names appear every season, and a project that's real one winter can go quiet the next. If yours isn't here, the checklist above applies just the same.

New build vs. resale: Which is right for you?

Choose a new build if you want a turnkey, rental-ready unit with modern systems, can carry the construction-stage payments in cash, accept a delivery date that will move, and are buying to hold.

Choose resale if you want to see exactly what you're getting, move in this winter, and pay less per square meter. Older buildings have known HOAs, known problems and years of minutes to read: a form of honesty pre-construction can't offer. Our condo buyer's guide covers what to check in an existing building.

Location is the tie-breaker. New supply is concentrated around Eagle Beach; the high-rise strip at Palm Beach is largely built out, so if Palm Beach is the goal you're mostly shopping resale anyway.