arubabeaches.net

Radisson Aruba hot deals [image by Radisson]

Radisson Aruba has come on top off many reviews by travelers in terms of service and general quality. It is not the cheapest resort though. You will pay for the outstanding product when staying at Radisson Aruba. It doesn’t have to be too expensive if you are a savvy traveler. There are always deals to be found, especially in the more tranquil time of year tourism is right now.

As everyone is aware of the gasoline prices saga so are resorts. Some resorts try to cash in on the issue by offering hot deals to come and stay. Radisson released a summer campaign called ‘Up a Notch-Summer Fun Sale‘. According to Radisson, this deal is intended for people who are fed up about negative media reports on the economy and gas prices and for those who have worked very hard and earned a vacation.

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Aruba Airport satellite photo

Aruba Airport has showed its strength as of late. Despite the negative news from American Airlines and its announced cuts, Aruba Airport still managed to release some positive news in terms of its financial position, a favorable review by passengers and a major new client.

Aruba Airport released figures for the second quarter of this year that show an increase in passengers by 6.8% in comparison with the same period last year. The amount of flights grew with 3.5% in comparison with previous year. If one puts the two figures together, the only conclusion is that the aircrafts arriving to Aruba are fuller. The remainder of the year the airport expects it to be challenging, especially with the announced cuts from especially American Airlines, but reportedly remains positive.

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The Mill Resort pool area

The Mill Resort & Suites is a small timeshare resort property in the high rise area of Palm Beach. This resort is only two storeys high and features the historic Dutch windmill in front of the premises, hence the name. To get to the beach, there is a hurdle to be taken: The Westin. Westin doesn’t allow any outsider to cross its property to the get to the beach. Consequently The Mill started a shuttle service to the beach for its guests.

The Mill is a 200-room property. The pool area features a luscious tropical theme with two pools. It also has a kiddy pool adjacent to the main pool. Furthermore the pool bar serves food and drinks. It also has theme nights and happy hours. Overall it offers enough entertainment for young and old. The resort is undergoing some reconstruction efforts and upgrades.

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Tropical Storm Dolly [image by NOAA]

The weather system that passed near Aruba has developed into Tropical Storm Dolly. This weather system started in the Atlantic Ocean as an unorganized low depression area. Initially it moved on a westward pattern at an average speed of 20 miles per hours. The system brushed the coastline of Venezuela causing it to lose its momentum as it hit land. When the system passed near Aruba it just brought some clouds. No rain.

Throughout the week however, Aruba’s weather has been continuously unstable causing occasional rain showers, predominantly nightly. Expect the weather to continue to be unusual for the rest of the week. In other words, clouds will continue to find their way over Aruba. It will be sporadic though. Also expect the surf to be big on the north coast of Aruba.

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Aruba’s weather is going to get busy [image by NOAA]

As an inhabitant of a Caribbean island I’m always vigilant to any weather system forming over the Caribbean Sea. Whether or not the weather system is close is irrelevant. From what I understand from National Hurricane Center’s data, a weather system is forming in the east and it is making its way to the Southern Caribbean. It is traveling westward at a speed of 20 to 25 miles per hours.

It’s still too early to define it as storm as it is in its developing stages. One thing that it does do is bring precipitation to the islands. During the last week and a half it has rained briefly (minutes) almost every day. Luckily for our visitors, it rained generally during the early hours of the day when most people are still asleep.

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Coral formations by Malmok area

Today I took the family out to Malmok, where there are a few hidden areas one can visit to enjoy some quality swimming. The area I visited in specific is shallow with clear calm water, surrounded by coral formations. On a lucky day, one can see some nice under water life around these coral formations. As it was a week day in the afternoon, the beach was relatively quiet.

The stretch of swimmable area at Malmok is pretty large. There are several spots with inlets which make it possible to swim and/or snorkel. Many of these spots don’t have an official name. That is a good thing. This way it guarantees some good quiet quality time with family, especially if you want to escape the busy high rise resort area at Palm Beach.

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Copa Airlines starts flying to Aruba [image by copaair.com]

According to an aviation website Panamanian air carrier Copa Airlines plans to start a 4 weekly service to Aruba from Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport. According to the article this was confirmed on Saturday 12th of July to Aruba’s Ministry of Tourism. The service is expected to start on December 15th of this year.

Copa Airlines has a modern fleet of Boeing 737s and Embraer 190s. It wasn’t announced which type of aircraft Copa is planning to use on this service. I scoured Copa’s website for some sort of a press release, but didn’t come across one. Perhaps details are still being sorted out, such baggage handling or airport fees. As far I’m concerned this news isn’t confirmed just yet.

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