Aruba

Our Posts about Aruba

Steve
Steve

The Dushi (Sweet) Flag of Aruba

D4MN! (Remo Kock) via Flickr

The islands of the Caribbean are known for their amazing array of brilliant blue hues, and Aruba is no exception. Just look at this photo! I didn’t capture it, but I sure know where this is. From this spot just turn around, take a few paces up the beach and you’ll find yourself at Moomba, one of my favorite new bar finds in 2010.
As noted previously, I don’t usually see too many bright, sunny days like this on my trips to Aruba, but I’m definitely in the minority. This place sees as many days of clear-blue skies as any destination in the region, a fact that draws droves of people from all over the world to its magnificent beaches year after year.

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Steve
Steve

Friday Happy Hour: Three Reasons to Love Aruba’s Balashi Beer

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Balashi, like a lot of things in Aruba, always makes me smile. The island’s newest (it’s only been around about 10 years) and now only homegrown beer (we’ll discuss Amstel Bright another day), it is by far the leading brew of choice when you’re having a good time on this “One Happy Island.”
Brewed from imported Scottish malt and hops shipped in from Germany, Balashi is your typical Caribbean beer – a light, thirst-quenching pilsener with a nice golden color, not a lot of foam and a flavor that the brewer describes as a “soft bitterness.” It’s not so light that they couldn’t find a way to make a “light” version of it (one exists, though I never tried it), but it’s definitely more on the less-filling than tastes great side to me.

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Steve
Steve

On-Site Aruba: One Man’s Trash is Always a Treasure at Charlie’s Bar

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When you think oil and the Caribbean you mostly envision glistening beach bodies slathered in the sweet-smelling tanning potions purveyed by the likes of Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic and others. Less known, however, is the region’s long association with the other, darker and infinitely more valuable oil – Texas T, Black Gold – so essential to our modern daily lives.
Some of the largest oil refineries in the world can be found on a collection of small islands throughout the Caribbean, most dating back to the 1940′s and 50′s. The advent of these refineries has, over the years, spawned a unique sub-culture of oil men and women (mostly men), attracted to the region from such disparate lands as the Middle East, Russia, South America, the U.S.

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Steve
Steve

Things to do in Aruba When it Rains

Rain, rain, it's okay if you stay/SBPR

Aruba is famous for its endless days of sunshine, clear-blue skies and arid desert landscape. It’s the one place in the Caribbean where vacationers are virtually guaranteed to avoid rain (average annual rainfall is less than 20 inches). The weather here is so consistently good, in fact, that I’ve heard the local newspapers hardly ever bother to publish a forecast. It just NEVER rains in Aruba… period.
Err, correction: it never rains in Aruba unless I’m there.
I’ve made two trips to Aruba over the past five years… It rained both times. At least on the first trip five years ago it only rained at night.

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Steve
Steve

Wish You Were Here

Sunset Stroll in Aruba/SBPR

Enjoying a sunset stroll on the beach at the Holiday Inn Resort Aruba.

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Steve
Steve

On-Site Aruba: Wasting the Day Away at Moomba Beach Bar

Caribbean Pirate/SBPR

Of all the Caribbean destinations I’ve frequented in my nearly 20 years in travel & tourism PR, Aruba is probably the least uncommon… Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
There’s actually quite a lot to love about this special little Latin-infused Dutch paradise, even for the adventurous and culturally curious traveler. The thing is, you tend to have to search a little longer and a little harder for Aruba’s special charms. The reason: Disneyland.
That’s the nickname for the island’s gleaming tourist zone located in Aruba’s northwest corner along picture-perfect Palm Beach. I picked up the moniker from a couple locals I met while visiting the island last week.

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Steve
Steve

Deal of the Week: Aruba 60% Off

Courtesy SBPR Corp./Holiday Inn Resorts Caribbean

For many in the U.S., the mere notion of a Holiday Inn “resort” is uncommon. Holiday Inn properties from coast to coast are generally city or roadside hotels; short on frills, but long on cleanliness, value and service. Holiday Inn Resorts Caribbean (there are two: one in Jamaica, the other in Aruba) embody these admirable core values, while also matching the endless amenities and full-throttle fun of “sexier” resorts throughout the region.
For 2010, the Holiday Inn Resort Aruba is kicking value up a notch by putting virtually the entire year on-sale. Savings of 60% off published all-inclusive rates are available through the start of next winter.

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