Salt & Pepper
Collection is growing
Carole & Bill DeHart, from
Southampton are posing here at Salt & Pepper
with owner Stephen v/d Varst. True to his website advertising Stephen will buy drinks to visitors
arriving with tacky, touristy salt & peppers shaker sets at his popular Palm Beach Bar
& Tapas Restaurant.
Carole picked an
appropriate set, a turkey and a pilgrim to hand carry to Aruba, she is a
collector herself, and recently also added lighthouses to her shelves. She is hoping to
find a miniature replica of the California Lighthouse, for future display beside her
Maine/New England knickknacks. The DeHart got away from the cold for a Divi Village
vacation, they left 3 kitties, 2 birds and 2 Rothweilers behind.
[courtesy
of Rona Coster]
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Improving service
and giving to charity
Paparazzi restaurants put on an
original waiter competition and fund raiser at its Palm Beach location. Tables of 4 were
sold to
vendors and purveyors, then Anky, of Chez Mathilde, Aruba's national service champion,
served as judge in conjunction with
manager Stephen Legger rating the performance of all waiters. The media
was invited as Paparazzi paid the tab for press
members' delicious lunch. The collective donation went to Imeldahof, a
children's home and crisis shelter.
Legger reports the contest was put on in an
ongoing effort to improve service. Anky agrees with him, a bit of TLC is what service is
about, she adds. Paparazzi enjoys two popular locations, at the Seaport Marketplace and at
the Arawak Gardens, Palm Beach.
Owner Harry Koeman,
wife Angie and Raul & Landa Henriquez, also graced lunch with their
presence.
[courtesy
of Rona Coster]
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Mr. & Mrs.
Gugig at the Waterfront Crabhouse
Aruba's 1,000.000.000th passenger for the year
2000, arrived on the island on board American Airline for a family reunion. It was
naturally a surprise for Gus and Beatrice Gugig to be recognized as
dignitaries and be given an official reception at City Hall, attended by hoteliers,
parliamentarians and the press. At the end of the reception the family arrived at The Waterfront Crabhouse for dinner, a
flock of nineteen hungry family members.
The Gugigs are pictured
here, at the Seaport Marketplace with some of their grandchildren, at the entrance to the
restaurant. They are expected back next year, as guests of the island.
[courtesy
of Rona Coster]
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Aruba welcomed its
1 million visitor
Aruba’s 1 million
visitor. The first celebration was with the arrival of 999.999th visitor, Mr.
Daniel Hansen and Mrs. Hansen, who arrived by cruise ship. The couple have been
cruising the Caribbean for 15 years and this is their first time in Aruba. Besides the
great surprise and all the different gifts, the Aruba Tourism Authority honored the couple
as Goodwill Ambassadors.
The other celebration was the
arrival of the one-millionth visitor, Mr. Gus and Mrs. Beatrice
Gugig, who are repeat guests of the island and love it very much. They were both
very happy to be honored as Goodwill Ambassadors for the island of Aruba
by the Aruba Tourism Authority. [picture
courtesy of Rona Coster]
Both couples received VIP
treatment upon their arrival and a national celebration in their honor that took
place in the Stadshuis, (the beautiful historic building in Wilhelminastraat used to
perform Civil Weddings). Among the invitees were Aruba’s Governor, Ministers,
Parliament members, local press, tourism industry partners and community leaders.
The VIP’s received
several gifts including airline tickets, cruise line tickets, hotel stays, plaques and
many other gifts. Both couples were very happy and expressed this during the official
ceremonies held by The Minister of Economic Affairs, Tourism, Social Affairs &
Culture.
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Aruba
International Airways (AIA) will soon service Air Aruba routes
The
Government recently approved the request of Aruba International Airways,
to service the Air Aruba routes. The airline now has to present certain documents,
required by the Department of Civil Aviation of Aruba, in order to finalize the proposal.
According to Mr. Oscar Watson, President and CEO for AIA, the new airline
is planning their inaugural flight for February 2001.
The
routes that they will service are: The Netherlands Antilles, Caracas,
Medellin, Bogotá, Miami and Newark.
As part of their second phase, the airline will also offer service to Europe. Several
former Air Aruba’s flight attendants have already applied for positions that will
soon be available with the new airline.
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ELMAR celebrated
its 50th anniversary with donations to the community
Elmar,
the sole provider of electricity on Aruba, recently celebrated its 50th
anniversary in grand style. As part of their celebration, the company presented
charitable donations to various organizations on the island.
The
organizations that received donations are: Sonrisa Association, F.A.D.A.,
Aruban Foundation for Down Syndrome, FAVI, YMCA,
Friends of the Handicapped Foundation, SABA, Casa
Cuna, Wilhelmina Cancer Foundation, SAMBA, Boy
and Girls Scouts Foundation, Red Cross of Aruba, LIFIDA,
Ambiente Feliz and EPI Mao School. In Addition to the
donations, the company also raffled off 3 brand-new cars.
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Radisson Aruba now
offers a succulent Sunday Brunch
Visitors
and local residents can now enjoy a delicious Sunday Brunch (from 11 AM
to 2:30 PM) at the Sunset Grill. Located in the completely renovated Radisson.
The
kitchen staff prepares a wide variety of salads, various types of cheeses, smoked fish,
ceviche, oysters and shrimps, different types of bread and breakfast stations as well as
different types of desserts. The main dish is served at your table. And to make this a
unique experience, they also offer Mango Kir Royals, Mimosas
and Bloody Maries.
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Coconut Inn, has
been officially registered as a
“ Hotel Operation” on Aruba
