PALM BEACH, Recently Minister of Tourism Otmar Oduber, along with Myrna Jansen, visited boutique hotel Boardwalk for the first time after it was completely renovated and changed owners. Minister Oduber was pleasantly surprised with the warm welcome he received and the transformation this small hotel in Palm Beach has made.
The new owners, vibrant twin sisters Kimberly and Stephanie Rooijakkers (29) were born in Aruba and left the island for Belgium where they grew up. They always returned to the island as visitors and it had always been their dream to start a new life in Aruba. Two years ago that dream came true. When Boardwalk went up for sale, they purchased the property. Since 2011 they completely renovated and transformed this small hotel and turned it into trendy accommodations with Caribbean flair.
Together with hotel mascot Lola, a cute dog, Kimberly and Stephanie warmly welcomed Minister Oduber and Myrna Jansen with tropical dragon fruits and refreshments. They gave insight into their 1,3 million dollar renovation and showed the 14 fully refurbished and refreshed casitas. They also gave the Minister a heads-up on plans for the future and showed their ranking on Tripadvisor as the second best hotel in Eagle and Palm Beach. Most recently Boardwalk received international recognition as it was named ‘best hidden gem’ in the Caribbean by USA Today.
Minister Oduber was overall very impressed with the progress and results the twin sisters have booked so far and congratulated them on their accomplishments. He said to be particularly proud of the younger generation taking the lead in building on Aruba’s future, upgrading the tourism product.
Pictures show Minister Oduber and Myrna Jansen during their Boardwalk visit. They were greeted by the entire team of Boardwalk – sisters Kimberly and Stephanie Rooijakkers, housekeeping staff Carmen, who is serving 22 years at Boardwalk, Veronica, with 17 years at Boardwalk, Front Desk Officer Alice and dog Lola, the hotel mascot.
