Aruba is not new to Diane, in fact this was her seventh visit, having been here for the first time in 2002 upon recommendation by friends. She and her husband fell in love with Aruba and come back any chance they can. Of course Diane jumped at the chance of winning a trip to Aruba through the VisitAruba video contest which she heard about online. This was the first time she had ever participated in such a contest and found it a lot of fun to do. She was of course delighted to hear that her video entry for which she used many pictures and video clips from her previous trips to Aruba, won second prize.
We visited Diane and Ronnie on the day of their arrival at Paradera Park Apartments where they won a week’s stay as part of the ample prize package. Having been there for only a few hours, they already had only good things to say about Paradera Park’s peaceful tropical surroundings and beautiful gardens which they found to be quite a different and welcoming experience compared with their previous experiences at high-rise hotels. Paradera Park’s ever-gracious and smiling host Debby de Weerd was on-hand to welcome Diane and Ronnie with a bottle of champagne on ice and we all celebrated their win and start to another relaxing vacation in beautiful surroundings.
Diane reiterated what many visitors say about Aruba “We love the people, they are very friendly!” Her husband Ronnie pointed out that they specifically are always impressed with the food variety and quality on the island, mentioning that Aruba has many outstanding restaurants. They have a few favorite restaurants that they visit every time like Driftwood and The French Steakhouse, but they also always make it a point to try new restaurants when they can.
They definitely had the opportunity to do so this time since as part of their prize package they won a dinner for two at three great restaurants that they have never been to before being Marandi, Cuba’s Cookin’ and 7 West.
Diane and Ronnie like to go off the beaten path and explore Aruba whenever they have the chance. For them to be able to do this, Budget Car Rental offered a three day rental as part of the prize package and they were also treated to an Aruba Segway Tour which provides a different but close-up experience of some of Aruba’s attractive spots. Diane and her husband also got to enjoy the not-to-be-missed South Side Lunch Cruise with Captain Anthony Hagedoorn on the Tranquilo sailing boat.
Last but not least, for a bit of nightlife and entertainment, Diane and Ronnie also had a night on the town with the famous Kukoo Kunuku Dinner and Barhopping Tour.
We look forward to hearing from Diane and Ronnie on their 8th, 9th 10th and umpteenth Aruba vacations!
