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Closer view of Morgan’s Island Water Park

The construction of Aruba’s biggest water park, Morgan’s Island, seems to have taken a turn for the better. The construction has been put into the next gear as a lot of activity is seen there as of late. The big slides are now attached and landscaping is being taken care of.

The central section seems dedicated to kids, while the part in the back with the huge slides are intended for adults. Those things are wicked. I noticed last week that they put some sort of a fence on the east side of the construction. I’m not sure on the reason. I still managed to take a couple of close shots though. After the jump more pictures.

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Site of future Hard Rock Cafe Aruba

Finally, Hard Rock Cafe is coming to Aruba. After many years of anticipation finally Hard Rock Cafe is opening an establishment in Aruba. Normally I don’t get excited with “yet another development” in Aruba, however, this one is different. I’ve visited Hard Rock Cafes in Caracas, Amsterdam and Rome and always had a blast.

Hard Rock Cafes franchises don’t open abundantly, as they seem to have some steep requirements. Initial investments range between $3 million to $5 million for instance. Hard Rock Cafes are exclusive. In the Caribbean there are only 5 islands with a Hard Rock Cafe: Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic (Punta Cana and Santo Domingo), Jamaica and Puerto Rico. More images after the jump.

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The Village shopping area

Two years ago a piece of land in Palm Beach, in front of Radisson Resort, was cleaned up and made ready for seemingly construction. Many people, including myself, thought another mall was going to rise on that particular piece of land. We couldn’t be more mistaken. That was the site of an international Caribbean conference. A concrete floor was poured and movable tarp was setup there to house the conference attendees.

When the conference was over the tarp was broken down but the concrete floor remained. Do you feel it coming? Pretty soon after the conference the much expected mall came after all. The Village. This 5,700 sq meter (61,354 sq feet) property is expected to be a “Lifestyle Center - a mixed use commercial development that combines traditional functions of shopping mall with leisure amenities oriented towards entertainment and ambiance”. A mouth full, indeed. More pictures after the jump.

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Palm Beach area just after a rain shower

The weather has been very active the last few days in the Greater Caribbean and Southern US. Expect this unstable weather to continue throughout the next few days as well. Several different weather systems are to blame for the unstable weather.

Currently there is a very large and slow moving system crossing the Southern Caribbean, bringing with it heavy clouds and some scattered rain showers to Aruba. Another major effect it has been having on our weather is the wind. Aruba has an average wind of 20 mph, however, because of this system there barely a breeze, consequently it feels much hotter than normal.

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The Aruban Resort’s new titles at night

The Aruban Resort (ex-La Cabana Villas) is in the midst of a major renovation. Above picture shows the east wing, bordering the major road to Palm Beach. The south wing is currently not in use and is being totally renovated.

The Aruban Resort property was taken over by KL Holding Company with the intention to transform this timeshare resort to one of the most luxurious ones in the Caribbean, according to KL Holding. The property includes the resort buildings, neighboring casino and another building that is going to be the next, new casino.

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Left: Bucuti suite. Right: Marriott suite. [image by Bucuti/Marriott]

I’ve written several posts about travel deals to Aruba. I understand - I live here - that Aruba is not the cheapest destination in the Caribbean. That doesn’t mean you can’t find a hot deal out there when hotels and airlines want to fill respectively rooms and seats. Everything is better than paying full fares. I found a few in the Miami Herald.

Bucuti & Tara Suites offers a five-night package for two for $1,459 through December 23th. It includes room, breakfast each day, one dinner, day snorkeling or sunset cruise, and all taxes. Bucuti is small and popular 18-plus resort located at Manchebo Beach. Bucuti is especially popular with honeymooners. The rooms are exceptional and service is top level.

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