arubabeaches.net

Hurricane Bertha’s path to Bermuda [image NOAA]

Just last week I wrote about it being a quiet hurricane season thus far and there is a storm named Bertha which has developed into a significant one. The preliminary predictions of the experts were that it probably wouldn’t make landfall, as it appeared to curl its way back to the Atlantic. However, according to the latest computer models the storm is moving into a westerly direction. It still seems to be on a path that it might miss the higher Antilles islands.

Furthermore, the storm is expected to gain strength into a Category 1 hurricane in the Saffir-Simpson scale by Tuesday. These winds carry a maximum force of 95 miles per hour. Despite the fact this hurricane is on a westerly path, it isn’t expected to come near the ABC islands. It seems that the storm is too far to have a significant impact on the water surrounding Aruba.

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Happy 4th of July to visitors from the US

There isn’t a country that has had a bigger impact on Aruba’s contemporary history than the US. On 4th of July it is a perfect time to look a bit deeper into this day and what it means for our friends from the US. It certainly made me look up a bit more information about this day. It’s too bad that activities related to 4th of July aren’t well documented the time this island was inhabited by many American oil workers.

On the 4th of July US celebrates its Independence Day from the Kingdom of Great Britain, obtained on July 4th of 1776. This day is a typical day of celebration with a lot of show of US patriotic symbols. Seemingly, in the present these symbols are more present in outfits, caps, sports and movies, rather than the old traditional symbols.

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Morgan’s waterpark progresses with parking

Morgan’s Island waterpark has been under construction for three years now. Currently construction is still ongoing, with a lot of pain however. Construction isn’t going on a satisfying pace, or so it seems. There have been several issues throughout the life of this project. I’ve been told recently that budgetary reasons are to blame for the failure to conclude the construction.

The plans for Morgan’s Island waterpark include the biggest waterslide in the Caribbean. In fact, the developers set an ambitious goal for themselves by stating that this project is going to be the biggest overall waterpark in the Caribbean. The longer the project takes to finish the harder bigger my fear gets for a satisfactory conclusion of the development.

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Recently installed Aruban Resort titles

The Aruban Resort & Casino’s renovation efforts are going according to plan. In several phases the building is being turned inside out. Rooms are getting a complete overhaul with fresh paint and new hardware. Last year I got to see the inside of a newly refurbished room and must say I was pleasantly impressed with the efforts. It received a modern look by the sleek new interior.

Recently Aruban Resort installed the titles on the wall, on the south side of the property. The logo is very big and perfectly visible from the main road nearby, especially the sun in the logo catches the eye. The one thing I miss with the renovation is the change in color of the exterior. Seemingly they are going to leave the peach color it had when they purchased the building. On a related note, the casino is also being completely renovated.

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Oceania Residences Construction

Condos are the next trend in tourism properties in Aruba. As there is currently a prohibition in construction of new resort properties, condos seem to have gotten the free hand. Officials insist however, that there is indeed a structured control of available land. For now there are several condo projects in the pipeline, with Oceania Residences being the most finished condo project to date.

The developers of this 5-phase condo project have divided the construction efforts into two parts. Phases 1 and 2 are already delivered and are already being used by its owners/renters. The photographs in this post show mostly phases 3, 4 and 5, where construction is ongoing. Since my last post about Oceania I noticed fewer areas that are “see-through”, meaning that the walls have been built.

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Eagle Beach Sunset

Last Tuesday and Wednesday Aruba was surprised by a lot of rainfall. According to the local weather service, in less than 24 hours it rained more than double what it’s supposed to rain for the month of June (0.6 inches). Naturally the predictable comments start, such as “I taught it never rains in Aruba”. In several previous posts about the weather, I’ve written about the fact that I don’t believe in such strong statements. This island receives an average of 16 inches of rain a year, which generally occurs at the end of the year.

This time around there was some sort of a tropical wave in the southern Caribbean, disrupting the regular hot and dry Aruba weather. Naturally the rain was well received by locals as it tends to cool down the island a bit. Plus, nature receives a break as well. Cacti fill up with moist, this way to ensure survival for the remainder of the year. Visitors are less happy, which is obvious.

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Freshly planted palapas at Eagle Beach

Growing up in Aruba I remember when I was a little boy the time when we visited the beaches, the first resort in the row at Palm Beach was Concorde (Westin now) and the last one was Holiday Inn. By the low rise area there were only the Divi Resorts properties. This meant long stretched clean sugar white sandy beaches. The one thing that caught the attention back then was how undisturbed the beaches were. Especially with palapas or better yet, the lack of palapas.

The growth of resort properties in Aruba brought more movements at the beaches. More and more people spend hours at the beaches, consequently demand for some shade against the ferocious became imminent. These palapas actually brought some character to the beaches and gave it a special Caribbean feel to the whole picture. They were welcome and officials allowed resorts to plant some palapas on the beaches for their visitors.

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