On Thursday September 25th, a welcome reception at Boardwalk Small Hotel marked the official opening of a Bloggers Weekend in Aruba now taking place until Sunday September 28. It is the first time ever for an entire hotel in Aruba to close its doors for the purpose of hosting bloggers only.
A group of 15 international bloggers from the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Chile, Canada, USA, Brazil and Colombia is currently hosted in Aruba to experience all the good things the island has to offer. Dedicated ‘Treasure Boxes’ were handed to all bloggers, offering a selection of the best hot spots and hidden gems in Aruba for them to enjoy and explore.
The welcome reception at Boardwalk brought a variety of local flavors to the bloggers. There was music from a traditional caha di orgel and steel pan band “A Touch of Steel” and local food featuring fresh fish and ban boyo on a lollypop stick. Works of local artists Elisa Lejuez, Nigel Matthew and Fernando Vermeer are featured in all of Boardwalk’s casitas and some of their artwork was creatively displayed in the palm fringed garden as well.
Ronella Tjin Asjoe-Croes addressed the international bloggers on behalf of the Aruba Tourism Authority expressing her support for this initiative. “Enabling all bloggers to explore the island on their own, based on a Treasure Box is a very innovative approach to tourism and ATA applauds Boardwalk for taking this initiative. We hope all participants in this Bloggers Weekend will unveil many new treasures in Aruba and share their discoveries with us.”
Kimberly Rooijakkers, hotel manager of Boardwalk elaborated on the hotel concept, the unique Treasure Box guest amenity and the Bloggers Weekend. “This is such a dream come true for us”, said Kimberly. “Together with my twin sister Stephanie and the team here at Boardwalk we put our passion for Aruba into every single service and experience we deliver at our hotel. Being ‘yiu di tera’ (children of the land, born in Aruba) and infected with the island vibe, we want to share our knowledge of the best Aruba has to offer. Our main goal is providing unique vacation experiences to our guests and showcasing Aruba’s beauty. We hope all bloggers will have a great time this weekend in Aruba and spread the word with their international following online via #BWBW2014, #boardwalklife and #discoveraruba.”
Boardwalk Small Hotel consists of 14 casitas amidst lush gardens, tucked away on a historic coconut plantation, just steps from Aruba’s beautiful Palm Beach. Boardwalk Small Hotel was recently renovated and now offers private suites with a spacious living room, fully equipped kitchen, separate bedroom(s), modern bathroom and outdoor patio with hammock, teak furniture and a BBQ. This year Boardwalk Small Hotel was named ‘best hidden gem in the Caribbean’ by USA Today and listed as preferred lodging in Aruba by the New York Times. More information on Boardwalk can be obtained at www.boardwalkaruba.com.
