I have early memories of Sunday chicken & ribs BBQ lunch-to-go, in Styrofoam boxes, from the Holiday Inn. Wasn’t the beach bar called Mathilda?
We picked up lunch there every Sunday, then went boating. That was a long time ago. The food never disappointed!
And the resort is worth revisiting. The Sea Breeze beach restaurant features a contemporary and on-trend lunch menu now, brimming with starter-, salad-, soup- and healthy bowls, including a Chicken Sate Bowl, and a Braised Beef Short Rib Bowl, plentiful and fresh.
Wouldn’t you want to try it?
Did I mention the Past Bowls, and a complete section of Chef Specialties?
The resort is proud of Executive Chef Alwin Donata, an outgoing, charming professional, local, yet educated and trained in the US, who works well with his counterpart at the F&B department, veteran leader Hiram Zievinger. They upgraded the offerings to the next level, they say, and if I liked lunch, I did, they promised I would LOVE dinner, featuring a new menu loaded with crowd-pleasers.
The view from the slightly elevated Sea Breeze Terrace is incredible, with a great number of bobbing boats in the ocean and happy visitors, in skimpy bathing suits, on parade, at the edge of the water.
Our Holiday Inn has maintained a steady presence on the island for more than five decades, 53 years, same name, same logo, while other hotels rebranded over time, the chain standing for “America, Motherhood & Apple Pie,” remained a constant on our tourism landscape.
According to Shulaika Isenia and Ella Bencosme, of the Marketing Department, the resort comes with 590 room, and has the most diverse offers, including all inclusive, and EP, in a great number of categories, in many markets, with something for everyone, maintaining a solid rating, and an enviable average daily rate, in comparison to the chain’s other regional properties, many of them in countries in South America where the pandemic hit hard.
The Holiday Inn in Aruba maintains a high return visitor rate and keeps upgrading and improving the room product and restaurants.
Eva Ruiz, Director of Sales & Marketing, runs an efficient, dedicated department, with Danny Fernandes, Director of Banquet & Local Sales, serving the local market tirelessly, supported by Rene Croes, the Sales Manager, also a top professional.
The resort has been promoting its catering and events’ capabilities in the past two years. Pandemic or not, the Holiday Inn Resort Aruba is ready to host special occasions on its stunning beach, creating unique wedding memories in different venues. Marketed as Sunset Scenes, the resort is set to host family events, intimate celebrations, banquets for 80, 150, up to 250 seated guests, and 500 at cocktail receptions, with toes in the sand and the sound of the waves, as background music
The resort also offers indoor reception venues, including a ballroom that can host up to 240 guests banquet style, generally requested for black tie and formal attire events. Whether you choose to have an intimate setting or you prefer to share special moments in a bigger format, love is love and deserves a celebration in every way.
