NEW SUSHI BAR. Remember the darling Mylene Lapinid? The diminutive female sushi chef who made the House of Japan famous?! She also manned the sushi bar at La Cabana Beach Resort & Casino a few years back. Well, she has a new home, at the Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa where management built an entire sushi bar in her honor at the French Steak house. Our waitress Sheneequa, as friendly as she is exotic, delivered a very tasty Rainbow roll to share, followed by the Manchebo special, which had a lot going on, besides smoked salmon, crab, avocado and cream cheese. Nyoka Edwards, Magdalena and Blanco the food & beverage manager contributed to the cheery dining room service. When you go, get the mixed sashimi platter, Mylene cuts generous slices of premium fish, which just melt in your mouth! A really nice experience, guaranteed.
A HOTEL FOR TIERRA DEL SOL. After saying yes initially, in the conception and planning phase of the golf course, and no over time, again and again, Tierra del Sol is finally getting a 200 room luxury resort. Who would have thank that after saying no for so long, the decision makers, would finally say yes, in their great wisdom?! If truth be told, the course needs it, it is hard to survive and thrive on a few vacation rentals and golfers. A great resort will surely really make a difference. FMV, the current management team and prospective new owners of the golf course, resort, spa & club house have implemented a turnaround plan and they slightly improved the enterprise and stabilized its prospects. With Aruba Bank on board, the future looks promising.
OUR POOR PALMS. They die standing, dried out, as if freeze-dried, then the crown falls off. A new palm tree wilting disease may be observed in many gardens around the island. It’s a fungus, and it is not known exactly how it spreads so widely, but wind-blown spores are strongly suspected. Local transmission of the fungus from palm to palm is possibly caused by contaminated pruning tools. So you must disinfect your garden clippers, just like your manicure scissors. There currently is no cure for this lethal condition.
CONDO LIVING. The last phase of development of the highly successful Gold Coast residential community includes stylish additional condo units, which have just been finalized. The units, 36 in total, with 2 and 3 bedroom options, are located in the Mangroves V6 section, on the south side of the residence. The spacious one story condos, are tastefully appointed and equipped with the latest energy saving, state-of-the-art appliances. The 2 bedroom Boca Druif Condos, 115m2, are available on both the ground and the upper floors. For those seeking a more spacious footprint, the 3 bedroom Boca Grandi condo, 129m2, is just as beautiful as its 2 bedroom Boca Druif sister. Special features: The upper floor condos boast 2 balconies and a private rooftop terrace overlooking the beautiful outdoors. Ample parking, lavish landscaping.
CURACAO REVISITED. Last weekend’s highlights included the 5th annual Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival 2014. We saw hundreds of Aruban enjoying a music-filled weekend on our neighboring island, spending around $3,000 per couple for a three-day getaway. The outgoing Insel Air flight left three hours late, on Thursday, but was right on time coming back Monday. At the Curacao airport, a logoed welcome goodie-bag included a straw fedora which I never saw anyone wearing, and a seat-cushion which I never saw anyone use, but thank-you Curacao airport for the gift, though we would have preferred if you used the funds to procure a new, clean carpet under our toes at security, in the departure hall. The taxi to the hotel, a fairly large and clunky vehicle, charged us for transport to the Curacao Marriott Beach Resort & Emerald Casino a fair amount, but that was a meticulously clean and fussy female driver. All other taxi drivers we used during the weekend, all the size of fairly large refrigerators, charged as they pleased, anything from $15 to $35, no rate sheet in sight. The resort in Curacao is lush and lovely, with a striking welcome pool and beach tableau. Service was gracious and overall we enjoyed our visit there this year more than we did last year, as the hotel seemed to have improved in many service areas. It was not perfect. We hung out at the Seabreeze pool restaurant and bar, with a forgettable, under-achieving menu. Luckily the company was excellent, and the Bloody Mary’s at the Board Room, a cool beach bar made of driftwood, revitalizing, after late night escapades. The Explore Curacao aspect of our stay included Kome, a chef-owned restaurant in Pietermaai. He is the executive chef in the spotless exhibition kitchen, and she is the gifted pastry chef, together they create lovely meals in a restored mansion. Thank you David McHugh for the culinary firecrackers. The pizza at Tomatoes, within walking distance to our hotel at Pirates Bay was truly artisanal and delicious, befitting the striking toes-in-the-sand setting. The concerts, after all we crossed the pond for the concerts, definitely delivered the goods with standouts including the strutting, ageless Rod Steward and the high energy, still juvenile Bruno Mars. What’s not to like about Mana and Juan Luis Guerra? My inner old-timer enjoyed Smoky Robinson, Dianne Reeves and Dr. John & the Nite Trippers. Now that is music, you can keep the electronic variety, it cannot even hold a candle to the living legends. The festival this year did not blow us away, the way Price did last year. So the question remains, what will make us cross the pond next year?? Tico Croes, a former government minister and a current university professor in charge of measuring the economic impact of the concerts on the island of Curacao told me the study will be published shortly. And we understand the dilemma. Will the organization, the Goodwill Foundation, continue to pay the high cost of a branded CNSJ product or will it attempt a mom & pop local production for the 6th edition. After all you’ve had 5 years to learn how it’s done. Allow me an additional observation, on the 5th anniversary of the concerts we noticed short cuts. No more oysters. No more Sushi. Still the same extravagant number of toilets were available and there was no hassle involved in finding ticket and token booths. PS. Thank you for allowing us to return our unused tokens, we always have a fortune left over.
KVK EXERTS DEMANDS. The local Chamber of Commerce & Industry has been bombarding members of the local business community with demands to file the shareholders’ register, and the annual financial report, by September 8th, 2014. I understand the demand to file shareholders’ registers but cannot wrap my head around the demand to submit annual financial reports. Businesses are already required to file their results with the tax inspector. If the chamber desires any information, why can’t it receive the figures from the tax authority? The tax authority should mine and process the data then responsibly distribute it, so that companies aren’t coerced into submitting their financials to numerous addresses such as the banks, the chamber and the tax inspector. The chance of compromised confidentiality, rises in direct relationship to the number of report copies floating around.
TRAVEL COST & GLOBAL ENTRY. I recently renewed Son#1’s Travel Authorization, known as “ESTA”, the online application system developed by the United States government to pre-screen travelers before they are allowed to go spend their hard-earned money in the United States. I was quite surprised when I saw that the approved ESTA Travel Authorization which can be used for both visit and transit through the United States, now costs $64.- per person. I distinctly remember it was $14 last year. Another novelty during my summer travel was the privilege of paying $25 for the first suitcase and $45 for the second. But I have to admit that I enjoyed leaving the UK with an expedited immigration clearance executed by an automated kiosk for pre-approved, low-risk travelers, which apparently I am. The robotic kiosk, looked at my passport, snaps my picture, fingerprinted me, and cleared me for customs, spitting out a confirmation receipt to be handed to immigration officials. The program is now available to US citizens and US lawful permanent residents, Canadian citizens, pre-approved Mexican nationals, and Dutch citizens. We are privileged. [email protected]
