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[ This page was last updated on Monday, June 01, 2009 ] [Facts] [Business]
[Attractions] [Where to Stay] [Travel]
Registered
with The Aruba Chamber of Commerce since 1997
|
Minister Edison Briesen conducted an informal
meeting this week with Aruba's guest and concierge service executives. They came from all
major hotels to greet the recently elected official at the Aruba Beach Club's new
lounge, and spent an hour airing their pertinent concerns and issues. The Minister seemed
pensive and open, taking notes. He didn't come off as a know-it-all maven. He acknowledged
shared preoccupations and promised to raise a few red flags with the Aruba Hotel &
Tourism Association, with Parliament and in general direct the input he received to
the appropriate authorities. The meeting was unusual. Never before had a meeting of that
kind taken place. It had no agenda, the floor was open, and the Minister was not there to
lecture, flex his muscles or announce anything. He simply wanted to hear from the field
workers. The people in the tourism trenches among them Celia Naghtegaal and Coleta
Zschuschen of Sonesta, Cristina Galindo, of the Wyndham,
Brenda James, of the Holiday Inn, are veterans in the field.
They certainly had a number of acute observations. Apparently, Guest Service and Concierge
execs are mostly concerned about the island's taxi drivers. The lack of regulation,
uniforms or at least a dress code, clear tariffs and proper registration and training,
generate a great big number of complaints for them to deal with. The Minister reported
that the issue of Taxi Regulation was on his desk, and while the law stipulates fares per
ride according to distance, many drivers are now charging per passenger. These infractions
will all cease, January 1st the Minister promised, when van & cab fares are published
and enforced. On the issue of service, the Minister explained it is the intent of
the current administration to launch an Awareness Campaign stressing the fact
that Aruba's only unique natural resource is its people and the warm welcome visitors
receive. As the Minister's guests aired some concerns regarding the smooth
socialization process of new immigrants he replied: "Those who came from overseas to
help us build our tourism industry will be paid more attention to. We will help them adapt
to our ways and receive special training courses." On the issue of training in
general the Minister however agreed with the forum that the entire tourism work force
would benefit from a bit more of that secret ingredient, not just the recently
arrived. The Minister reported reading the Freeman Report - the company
inspects all hotels and restaurants to determine if they comply with pre-agreed local
standards. He is he says, taking their recommendations to heart. You cannot judge success
by GDP per capita alone, he declared. Quality of life is the one indicating the
success of a nation. And by quality of life he means locals and visitors alike. Another
issue raised was the waterfront and the Haitian souvenir market which renders unfair
competition to the elegant malls across the street whose tenants pay expensive rents and
keep things clean and upscale. Making the downtown area wheelchair friendly was a
suggestion noted down by the Minister. He also made it clear that Cruise Tourism and Land
Tourism while in the opposition of each other should work together to promote Aruba. As
33% of cruise ship passengers return as land-visitors, he stated his intention to work on
behalf of both yet indicated some kind of Pan Caribbean Cruise Tax will be
implemented and collected in accordance with a Caricom decision. The beach braiders
received much criticism for their pushy tactics, charging in advance then letting the
guest's hair hang, braids half done when the Police arrives. The Minister agreed
wholeheartedly that beauty salons paying rents at the resorts should be allowed to corner
that market. He promised to curtail and outlaw all beach vending during his
administration. Drugs sold on the beach was at the core of the Minister's
conversation with his guests as many of them complained the Police has been inefficient in
its dealing with the problem. Law enforcement is coming to the beach, the Minister vowed,
as special agents will be assigned to that particular area. All good news the forum
agreed. Christina then presented the minister with a framed picture of a flaming sunset.
He was meeting with AHATA he said and the input he received will come in handy.
Visitors
to the Casablanca Casino, Wyndham Resort, will be enchanted by
the small decorative details everywhere. There are murals, and multi-layered curtains,
faux ceiling trims, dangling ornaments and fringes, stamped wall patterns that look like
rich oriental fabrics, Swarosky crystal beads stuck to the ceilings and little
white painted clouds, against sky-blue domes. All this busy-busy painstakingly executed
d?or is new. Boni Grossman-Smith who is a mural and decorative paintings
specialist, has just completed her three-year project here, revamping the Casablanca for
resort owner Alfonso Riverol. Riverol, she says, gave me great artistic
freedom. And it shows. The place is beautiful. Boni takes her inspiration from Italy,
Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, she passionately collects fabric, tile and mural patterns.
Having studied in the US and Europe she became
a decorative artist at the time when sleek
clean lines were in. Now that the rich opulent oriental arabesques are in fashion, she
knows she has been one of the original ones. She even worked on the famous Fontaine
Bleu hotel's Trompe L'Oeil, in Miami Beach, that's how long she's been at
it. The trim around the ceiling is especially pretty as light indirectly shines from
behind laser cut, tiny wood palm trees, mosques, minarets, perhaps even camels. Boni mixes
velvet ribbons with stamped patterns to give walls interesting textures. La Linda
was also her source of inspiration as that store's fabric emporium is a great source for
yards of over-the-top textile. Check it out yourself, and good luck. 
Businessman Alfonso Riverol who
owns the Aruba Wyndham hosted a party last night at Rick's Cafe
introducing the bar's new band starring singer Sashah Figueroa. Beautiful
Sashah who also performs at Cabaret Royal entertained locals and tourists with
the latest Latin and American hits including a memorable rendition of Hotel California.
Also singing in the band Daniella, who has a great set of pipes and a wonderful
stage presence. Among invited party guests Radisson's General Manager Jeff
Lesker, Epic Records music producer Joel Kleinman,
mural & decorative painting artist Boni Grossman-Smith who decorated the Casablanca
Casino, members of the press, friends of the resort and many of its
department
heads. The band plays nightly to the wee hours. Sashah reports the musicians are her
brother Angelo Figueroa, guitar, lead singer and backing vocal; Cedric
Ridderstap, bass player and backing vocal; Hubert thiel,
keyboard and backing vocals; Daniella Odor-Mazzaro, lead singe; Edvard
Lampe lead singer; C-Zar Olarte, lead singer and Sashah Figueroa
lead singer. Any person interested for the band to play, may call 934308, 929515, 946878
669237 946202 
Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Raphael
made it here on the wings of the idea that he would like to participate in 
number of Caribbean artists from all over to create a
great-big, major happening at the Kennedy school, which he thinks is very kewl. Raphael
met fellow-artist Ryan Oduber at the Biennale del Caribe, they
became friends. Ryan told Raphael about Aruba, and that’s how the skinny curly top
found himself here. Check him out next week, at Instituto di Cultura. I am sure
he’ll concoct a fabulous environmental installation there as well...
but
industrialists and financiers would tell you, war is good for the economy, it keeps it
rolling. So the two forces are continuously at work here the Peace Movement, VS.
the Let’s Get Rich now, drive. At John F. Kennedy two artists, Francis
Lejuez and Takhai Mohamed worked very hard to put Simiya di Paz
together. The
derelict school complex is a haunting place: Dusty, broken down, somewhat reflecting the
state of the world. But it certainly has potential. Takhai swept the courtyard clean and
with the dead leaves and tree pods created giant PAZ letters. It looked amazingly good.
Then the opening ceremony featured dancer Pierre-Angelie Wever –
dancing runs in the family. She was the struggling white dove. The main exhibition area
contained works by many familiar names and the ideas expressed were equally recognizable:
A red rose and candle altar by Jiolina Henriquez, a woman preventing her
head from taking off in agony, by Fernando Arroniz, a cross surrounded,
by Belinda de Veer, aerial photos of bombs dropping like seeds of destruction from a war
plane, by Fernando Vermeer, Moses clutching the 
tablets,
standing on the mountain, by Jenny Kock, a vulnerable Alida
Martinez at the center of a shooting target, and watch your word, they may hurt,
by Monica Oduber. Voodoo-ish water, earth, air installation by Douglass
Cardenas invoked the world of the spirit, as reflected in the real world.
Photographer Paul v Driel philosophized on sex as a commodity in poor
countries. Love should be given away, not sold, he says. Other ideas supported the
assumption that we all may contribute personally to world peace: a tender seedling
struggling with growth, different clay bottles strung together. Most powerful was Francis
Lejuez’s video. The clever lad glued together the weirdest clips of religious
practices, editing one after the other Christian, Judaic, Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic
rituals. The question is how can people so different and so off-the-wall ever get together
in harmony? The answer is by sticking to what they have in common, rather than looking at
what keeps them apart... 
"Shh. . . Don't tell Mama," is
the amazing show at the Tropicana Showroom, Royal Cabana Casino. The new version,
produced by Humphrey Odor, has the divas enjoying great creative freedom,
thus they deliver more of themselves on cue. Also the cast of dancers move wonderfully and
the fresh choreography by Gayle Hagedoorn and Bob Ollar is
very demanding. Visitors enjoy the feathered a-la Vegas opening number "Welcome To My
Party," Madonna's and Gloria Estefan sequences, including going under a
limbo stick, Victor/Victoria's "Le Jazz Hot," Celia's Cruz'
sizzling "La Vida es un Carnival," and many more favorites. The show has
surprise, just introduce Liza Minnelli in a flashy, glitzy, jazzy
performance by Bob Ollar as
well as the side splitting Lucille Ball, promoting
a vegetarian health drink laced with alcohol. Gary Dee, the shows talented emcee, is
simply brilliant in that piece. Sex kitten Marilyn Monroe makes a stage
appearance, as she wants to be loved by you, just you! In the pictures the divas bidding
their guests farewell at the end of the show. Tickets are $35 per person, they are
available at the box office every night except Sunday. 
style house on stilts in the neighborhood bordering the Coastal
Aruba Refinery smoke stacks and holding tanks. Lago Heights, he reports is a
very quiet, peaceful place. Then instead of using the ground space as a garage, he decided
to enclose it and house his miniature train collection in it. The idea of opening a museum
came as he watched his retirement approaching. De Vries has been known on the island for
many years as the Ennia insurance man. Next year, he will be celebrating the end
an excellent, long career. To pre-empt boredom and inaction – his wife is an avid
Bridge player, he prepared well for the future. And the entrance to the de Vries museum is
free of charge, though small donations are accepted and you must sign your name in the
guest book. 
As a young man, de Vries toured the US, by Greyhound. He
bought a $99 ticket and embarked on a personal coast to coast tour. Three months into the
trip a friendly Greyhound cashier made a mistake issuing him another coupon booklet. The
young Dutchman didn’t protest the fact she didn’t charge him. Thus I was able to
complete his exploration of the New World East to West and back. De Vries has a map on the
US on the wall. Thumb tags outline his journey through 30 states. His visitors like to
quiz him on places he’s been, things he saw. This is an excellent conversation piece,
de Vries declares. 
The Wyndham Cabaret
Royale played host to the island's glittering set for opening night of the
dinner/theater's new season. The intimate room serves dinner every night, then the show, 
prima ballerina stage companion wears a frilly tutu, a perfect 60's platinum blonde wig on
her head. A hot edition to this year's line up is the remake of the French naughty Voulez
Vous Coucher Avec Moi, renamed Madame Marmalade, as seen in the movie Moulin
Rouge. Sacha sashays around in mountains of purple tulle looking absolutely
ravishing. Her wardrobe changes with every song, from a white halter top to a slinky
yellow body clutcher with a mesh middle. A roaring 20s short gold lame dress with long
flinging fringe accompanies Guantanamera, for a perfect Latin throwback to Havana in the
old days. Then La Bomba erupts and the audience goes crazy, gyrating hips,
flailing arms, rotating backsides for a moment of great audience participation. For the
finale, the girls get some boys from the audience on stage and show them what it means to
dance. The boys must work hard to keep up with the professionals. Apparently, owner 
Alfonso Riverol went to Cuba himself for the
auditions and picked only the cream of the crop. It's a dirty job, he banters, but it must
be done. Alfonso Riverol is a great host and he put the party together with his very
experienced resort staff. As his guest of honor he invited Zizi Lee,
first runner up Miss World, Aruba's most famous citizen. The tall and gorgeous
beauty queen was escorted by her family members. Parties at the Wyndham are always
generous, and the food on the buffet was exceptional: mini lamb chops, giant shrimp cooked
in cream and Pernod, crab cakes and beautiful canap?. Free flowing drinks from the bar
made the event ever so easier to handle. General Manager Rob Smith and
Director of Operations Joe Najjar greeted their guests and mingled with other general
managers from the strip among them Jeff Lesker from the Radisson and
Barry Kaplan from the Hyatt.s promi 
virtual one. Partygoers were all Bulletin Board regulars. They call themselves
the Aruba Gang. They met on line, on 
had the official 2001 Aruba shirt on, with both Aruba BB Party label
ironed on and the 2001 logo, all designed by Gary. Marlene Purcell who
lives here, her husband Mark is a Marriott executive, ran around for prizes and was
thrilled with the goodies she unearthed, dinners, trips and jewelry, raffled among those
who attended. BIG BASH participants were: Andrea, Anthony & Gayle, Barbara,
Beth, Bill, Bob & Karin, Carol, Dan, Debbie, Howard & Mary, Izzy, Jeff, Joe &
Kathy, John, John L., Judy, Dave, Laura, Lori & Pete, LuckyBee, Mark & Marlene,
Marty, Phil, Richard, Maria and Rick, all cyberspace fanatics. As a special treat
Tippaman, a local musician, performed a few numbers on his steel pan, which were
appreciated by all.
Di Aruba
Moda, presented a trip to the past Sunday night, at Cas di Niki, an
old-fashioned main street mansion. The Tea Party was designed as a fashion show,
showcasing the latest in party and casual clothes, from popular retailers around the
island. Among shops showing their Christmas and holiday collections: dressy and smart
lines from Aruba Trading Company, silver accessories from Rage, evening
handbags from Extravaganza, gowns and streetwear from Trash, by Ronchie,
Benetton, lingerie from Secrets of Aruba and more. The show was
conceived by Rossini van Wijk, a TV personality. The models, 35 females,
17 males, are Di Aruba Moda superstars. Some runway veterans such as Charmaine,
Vivian, Monique and Sandra made a comeback especially for the occasion. Sandra
shared the red carpet with her
two
stunning model daughters. The music mixed nostalgia with Jazz, Salsa and Bolero.
The models created street scenes on the same eye level as the viewers. That is especially
difficult, says show producer Marjory Vermeer, as the distance between the
audience and the model is not there to protect their detachment. They become more
involved, she adds. Tea and cookies were served and the audience was a feast to behold,
all decked out. Asked to show up wearing hats, Aruba's socialites complied dragging the
best in retro fashions out of their closets. 
In the spirit of
the time, Daphne Lejuez and Mark Cesareo, met each other on the Internet.
Naturally, where else could a native Aruban with an interest in web marketing, meet a
dashing suitor from a tiny other island, in the Mediterranean, 
transcontinental trip to attend.
Daphne's smashing wedding gown was designed by Ronchie de Cuba. Keeping
with the tropical flower motif, the wedding party took place at the Wyndham Resort.
Starting with Sirocco Lounge open air and champagne reception and
continuing long into the night with an elegant dinner buffet at the Pago Pago
restaurant. Singer Sacha Figaroa entertained. In the heat of the moment
Mark grabbed the guitar for an unforgettable rendition of Hotel California. Many
of Daphne & Mark's clients were at the party wishing the two matched in cyberspace
sweethearts all the best in the world. 
The electronic
way of living was exposed during the weekend at the Wyndham Hotel & Casino
ballroom. Local companies such as 
In total,
the expo has about 30 exhibitors, discussing telecommunication, entertainment, distant
learning and gaming, with visitors. Remigio Rasmijn also gave a seminar
concentrate on how to search the net efficiently, sharing helpful tips with his audience. Dr.
Cheung, arrived here especially for the E-Life expo, though he has some
important deadlines for a February space mission, fixing the famous Heubel telescope.
reproduced
for the calendar are by Dominican born artist Charitto Chavez,
they depict the faces of Aruba's most charismatic public personalities, the Father of
Carnival, Milo Croes, opera singer, Tica Giel,
radio announcer, Ruben Garcia, TV star Faride "Tica Basha Bao"
Luidens, major league batter Sidney Ponson, guitarists Ivan
Jansen and Max Hassel, Prima Ballerina, Diana Antonette,
international musician Hildward Croes, Poet Hubert Booi, Calypsonian
Lloyd Baptiste and Carnival powerhouse Claudius "Mighty Talent" Philips.
Charitto produced a calendar last year for the first time, however this year's edition is
glossy and in full color. The original oil paintings were given to the artists as a 
token of
appreciation for their contributions to culture, Friday night at a dinner party hosted by
the Ragunath family and their company, New India Insurance. Evening emcee Ivan
Ragunath reiterated his family's commitment to the promotion of culture. Charitto has been
living in Aruba for many year. She is a popular artist, while looking at faces, she
immediately manages to unmask the personality and distill its vitality.
The Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino hosted
the presentation of the AFCA website, followed by a cocktail party to celebrate
the launch. As a private initiative, the Aruba Financial Center Association
("AFCA") was incorporated on February 2nd, 1988. The main purpose of AFCA was,
and still is, to promote and stimulate the development of Aruba as an international
financial center. The membership of AFCA is open to: lawyers, civil law notaries,
tax-advisors, accountants and those legal entities, established in Aruba, which are active
in the financial sector. As a special interest group AFCA has been and continues to be
active in the development of legislation and policy in Aruba's offshore financial sector.
It is also dedicated to the protectection of the interests of its members. Present at the
presentation
the following members of the board: Andin C. G. Bikker, president, Attorney-at-law
and candidate civil notary, Senior Partner Gomez & Bikker law offices; Stanley
Looman, vice-president, Legal advisor & trust manager, CEO AMTR N.V.;
Suzette Yarzagaray, secretary, Trust executive officer, Dean &
Associates; Lincoln D. Gomez, treasurer, Attorney-at-law, CIO Gomez
& Bikker law offices; Robin Croes, officer, Legal advisor & trust
manager, Executive-manager legal affairs AMTR N.V. For more information check 
to meet sellers for 20-30 minutes
sessions, then sumptuous lunch was served. The pro active initiative was designed to
tackle business challenges facing Aruba's fourth quarter of 2001 and the first quarter of
2002. With the business downturn, and the economic recession in North America -
tragically amplified by the September 11 events, the island occupancy rates suffered.
Aruba shares well in the region, yet 60% occupancies is not what the island is used to.
Official government statistics report we have 17% less than usual visitors, better than
our neighbors, yet airline executives and tour operators say we can do more if we stick
together, share promotional idea, negotiate pricing, and add value to existing packages to
make the destination more competitive. This will hopefully trigger response in the
otherwise sluggish consumer behavior. Last year the first snowstorm, created a booking
frenzy, this year banters Jeff Lesker, general manager Radisson Aruba
Resort
& Casino we have to create one perhaps with snowmaking machines. Tour
representatives, scheduled airline, charter companies, top wholesalers, were treated to a
full agenda, kicked off at Holiday Inn, where as always the congenial Michelle
Oliver greeted everyone back to the island. Symposiums, and an inspirational
speech by the new Minister of Tourism Edison Briesen followed.
Rumor has it swanky dinner parties were hosted by the Hyatt Regency and the Radisson
Aruba Resort & Casino sales execs, vying for business from top producer
attendees. We understand Puerto Rico jumped on the band wagon and as the
tourism heavy hitters leave Aruba to go home via San Juan, they will be courted,
wined and dined there as well, by that island's hungry for business tourism authority. 
The Clown Doctors Aruba foundation had a
party last night! President Peter Balliere and treasurer
Werner Venne invited al sponsors, Farva
boardmembers, friends, clowns and patroness Mrs. Dora Koolman, the
island's first lady, for a anniversary toast at 
,'' Floor
explained. ``This is to guarantee continuity. Our aim is to bring regular smiles to the
faces of sick and scared children.'' The clowns of the Clown Doctors visit the children's
ward of the Dr. Horacio Oduber Hospital twice a week for a few hours. They get a
briefing on the children's medical condition, then go ahead and interact, play, in short
provide much needed diversions to bed-ridden little ones. 
