Vela Aruba is sandwiched between the Ritz Carlton and the Marriott Aruba Resort & Stellaris Casino. It is a well-established watersports center and it is unlike no others.
Why, you ask, why is it so different?
Because the good people at Vela Pro Surf Shop & Hang Out focus on gentle, wind-powered activities, and their headquarters on the beach aren’t slapped together helter-skelter, but are nicely laid out and inviting, with a colorful board-storage facility on the side, comfortable lounge chairs in front, sturdy shade umbrellas, a sandy-bottomed living room, and super friendly front desk people, answering questions before setting you up on your next wet adventure.
So what do they do at Vela, and why should I go there?
You should head out to Vela because they just introduced local rates for kite surfing and windsurfing, and are discounting the beach & paddleboard program, with florin for dollar prices, free infused water, lockers, beach chairs, hammocks and lounging areas.
If you have a day off on the horizon, you should spend it at Vela, like you left Aruba on vacation at some exotic Caribbean island, without ever buying an airline ticket.
So now you know why you should go, here’s what they do: Windsurfing, Kite surfing, Hobiecat sailing, Kayaking, Paddle-boarding and Snorkeling. Additionally, they offer all the crazy related activities such as Paddleboard Yoga, Paddleboard Pilates, Paddleboard BodyFit, Beach Yoga, Beach Boot camp and Beach Tennis. You can buy a strip card with 5 or 10 sessions at a discount, and enjoy ‘out of the box’ activities, whenever your schedule allows.
Guests staying at the Ritz Carlton may take paddleboards out at no charge, as an added value to their hotel room rate. Wouldn’t you know, it pays to stay at the RC.
SUP was first introduced in Aruba in 2013, when Stand-Up Paddleboarding on oversized surfboards with a long single-ended paddle, arrived. A few years into the craze I noticed Paddleboard Yoga started catching on and further into the timeline Paddleboard Body Fit joined the scene.
Manon Hekman, in charge of the friendly Vela front desk, reports SUP’s easy to learn. It originated in Hawaii, centuries ago, and was revived in the 60s when lifeguards on the beaches started using wide boards for rescue, standing upright and paddling themselves forwards to fish swimmers-in-trouble out of the water. Then later, the activity reached main stream.
VELA is now the sister company of Aruba Active Vacations (AAV), and Fiberworx (FX) Aruba, the Surf Shop in Rooi Santo. VELA’s local owners Wim Eelens and Geert V/d Berg, also cater to Aruba’s mountain bikers, in addition to windsurfers, kite surfers, landsailers, stand up boarders, and their adorable wives and kids. Wim’s wife, the tireless Maartje, runs Vela, sprinkling her shine and charm over the daily operation.
You may visit VELA and/or the surf shop, Rooi Santo 28, finding boards, sails and accessories by brands such as JP-Australia, Neil Pryde, Starboard, Chinook, Fanatic, Select Fin and Loftsails, also kites by Cabrinha, Core and North, and everything you would require to pimp up your surf gear!
At FX professional advice comes with the territory. The store also offers repair and service for anything from sails, to boards, kites and bikes. For tourists, if your idea of a good time is a combination of relaxation and active exploration of the island, you have come to the right place, FX Aruba Surf Shop, +297 592 2707 / +297 731 2991 or mail: [email protected]
