Better Late than Never ...... My April Adventure

[Arubalisa]

Originally Posted by Andrea J.

one of our favorite restaurants was Eleanora's Crazy Grill was located there....as was a ben and jerrys and a restaurant called dynasty (?).

Aruba Destiny Delicious sangria, reasonable prices and wonderful cashew cake. One of dd's first restaurant visits in Aruba

my suggestion for the windmill is that it becomes a visitors center run by the tourism authority.

Excellent suggestion

[jeffnev]

Our first visit to Aruba was our honeymoon back in 1973 and I think the windmill was a restaurant called "Ye Olde Molen" back then. Hard to remember exactly since the Palm Beach area has changed so much. We stayed at a beautiful hotel call the Aruba Caribbean which is now the Radisson and it was one of only 2 high rise hotels on the island. Below is a picture of the restaurant that I found in the web-not 100% sure it is the same windmill.

[cooliecanpro]

jeffnev: your photo "may' be an original of the days when the windmill was a restaurant, with the lighted walkway. Looks nice. I am attaching a photo of the windmill taken from the roadway in April 2010. Not sure exactly when the structure was abandoned. If there was ample parking out front for guests, my photo shows part of a small structure ...... one of several ...... now occupying this space. (Real Estate, Rentals, Cigar Store, etc). Why they didn't renovate the windmill for such retail must be a mystery?

And Andrea J suggested an Aruba Tourism location. Fine, but they ruined the parking but putting these small buildings in the parking area? I don't think it's "out of the way" or a "poor location". People rent a vehicle to drive miles to go see a small beach or rock?
And there is a correct statement. Sidewalks do not exist in front on the Mill Resort, to this property. But if you cross the street, there are ample sidewalks starting at the Westin, all the way to North Palm Beach. It may be interesting to see/hear the history of this windmill, even if started on another post.

[Andrea J.]

the reason the whole complex failed is LOCATION.

there are no sidewalks leading up to the area.
that road has overgrown scrub shrubs along the side making for safe walking almost impossible.
at night it is very dark.
lots of folks do not rent vehicles and once they get as far as the mill on the left and the westin on the right, they go no farther on foot.

in the late 90s and early 2000s that windmill complex area had a fair amount of drive in traffic......barely anyone on foot. most of the activity at palm beach area is "foot traffic". juggling fish and the bar upstairs in the windmill was well visited.......but that soon died in mid 2000s.

it failed due to location as well as economy, but the location played into it a lot.

there is a history posting on the post at the windmill, tells where it was made and its history.

Originally Posted by cooliecanpro

jeffnev: your photo "may' be an original of the days when the windmill was a restaurant, with the lighted walkway. Looks nice. I am attaching a photo of the windmill taken from the roadway in April 2010. Not sure exactly when the structure was abandoned. If there was ample parking out front for guests, my photo shows part of a small structure ...... one of several ...... now occupying this space. (Real Estate, Rentals, Cigar Store, etc). Why they didn't renovate the windmill for such retail must be a mystery?

And Andrea J suggested an Aruba Tourism location. Fine, but they ruined the parking but putting these small buildings in the parking area? I don't think it's "out of the way" or a "poor location". People rent a vehicle to drive miles to go see a small beach or rock?
And there is a correct statement. Sidewalks do not exist in front on the Mill Resort, to this property. But if you cross the street, there are ample sidewalks starting at the Westin, all the way to North Palm Beach. It may be interesting to see/hear the history of this windmill, even if started on another post.

[jeffnev]

Andrea- I agree that the location is problematic, but look at the success of restaurants like Madame Janette's which is not especially convenient to get to unless you have a car. If the property were developed and the food good, people will come. It such a unique building that I do think it could attract business. It's a shame that a piece of Aruba's history is just an abandoned building with a few retail outlets in it's parking lot.