Tierra del Sol had just been awarded a 4 1/2 star rating in the 2008-09 edition of Golf Digest’s “Best Places to Play,” which this year rated nearly 6,000 courses in North America and the Caribbean.

“The course was evaluated by approximately 20,000 Golf Digest readers on a five point scale,” reports the elated head professional at Tierra del Sol golf course, Oliver Riding. “The laurels,” says Managing Director Ann Brown, “are being shared between our head professional and the course’s tireless, Aruba-born superintendent, Haime Maduro.”

At the end of the rating questionnaire some of the comments made by those rating the course for Golf Digest included: “It’s hard not to have a wonderful experience with these breathtaking views.” Another golfer raved: “It’s a spectacular combo of desert and ocean,” while a third one summed up what many felt: “Ranks up there, as one of my favorites.”

The 4-star rating explains Riding, is a great accomplishment for Aruba and the Robert Trent Jones II design which relies on 1,800m3 of desalinated water, and a crew of twelve dedicated maintenance men to daily manicure its 110 acres of grass, featuring 6,811 yards of golf. With only one 5-star golf course in the Caribbean, Riding and Maduro are confident that their 5th star is in the making, hopefully for next year.

Tierra del Sol, Aruba Resort, Country Club & Spa opened in 1995, flaunting 18 holes of golf, on a resort course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. The desert-style course features sweeping vistas of Aruba’s coast, sand dunes and the California lighthouse. While the average green fees are about $150, reduced fees are available weekdays and at twilight, also for juniors and seniors.

The course accepts tee time reservations 365 days in advance, and is open year round, from January to December. Tierra del Sol mandates carts, and does not offer a walking option. Riding and Maduro report the fairway turf grows Bermuda grass and that a grass practice range is available. The course, they add, is graced with more that 100 bunkers and best of all, the facility includes a full service gourmet restaurant in the club house named Ventanas del Mar, and a casual grill and bar at the highest elevation, the Look Out Bar & Grill, facing Palm Beach and the high-rise hotels.

Maduro who worked on the course since opening day and who planted each blade of grass on the greens is proud of “his baby” and credits all accomplishments to his team for their consistency and great attention to detail. Riding who last weekend helped organize the successful Aruba Pro Am in its 14th edition, also credits his crew, complemented by golf pros Heath Henrich, and Adam Williamson.

The rating, explains the Golf Digest website means that Tierra del Sol is perfectly positioned between the four-star “outstanding golf, good enough to plan a next vacation around it,” and the five-star “Super. Golf at its absolute best. Pay any price to play at least once in your life.”

This story submitted by Rona Coster-Kahan

Top right: Haime Maduro and Oliver Riding
Bottom: Tierra del Sol, Resort, Country Club & Spa Golf Course

Aruba as pre clearance hub to the United States

On August 25, 2008 Surinam Airways flight nr. from the Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport in Surinam arrived at the Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix in Aruba. Though Surinam Airways is a regular and long time guest at the Aruba airport, flight nr. was a very special one for the Aruba Airport Authority as new transit procedures for non US destinations to US destinations were introduced.

The procedures, as developed by AAA in close cooperation with Aruba Customs and Immigration authorities and the US Customs and Border Protection resulted in a smooth process for both the passengers in transit from Surinam and the passengers originating from Aruba. The first flight of this morning arrived in Aruba with a slight delay carrying on board 115 passengers from Surinam, and departed with a total of 127 passengers to Miami. Surinam Airways will be offering this service twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays.

During their short stay at our airport Surinam Airways’ crew members were welcomed and congratulated on this first flight of many to come. Surinam Airways also had the pleasure of having Surinam’s Minister of Transport, Communication and Tourism, Mrs. Apinsa on board of their first transit flight to Miami, via Aruba. “We’re very pleased with this increased service from Surinam Airways,” said Peter Steinmetz, Managing Director of Aruba Airport Authority N.V. “ With the operation of these flights Surinam Airways will contribute to the growing demand on Aruba for competitive flights to Miami.”

Radisson Hotels & Resorts is pleased to announce the appointment of Karl Wentzel as northeast regional sales manager for Aruba and St Martin flagship resort properties. Based in Pittsburgh, Pa., he will provide group and incentive sales support throughout the northeastern United States.

“Karl Wentzel will be a valuable asset to our sales team as momentum builds for the scheduled fall opening of Radisson St Martin and the success of Radisson Aruba continues,” states the resorts’ Director of Sales and Marketing Francis Purvey.

Wentzel brings over 20 years of sales and marketing experience in the hospitality industry to Radisson, representing resorts in both the United States and the Caribbean.

The Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa is situated on the best 14-oceanfront acres on Aruba. The AAA Four Diamond-rated property features a white sandy beach, lagoons, waterfalls, manicured gardens and 353 guestrooms including 30 luxurious suites and exclusive Plaza Club accommodations. The resort also features sumptuous cuisine; two free-form pools; 16,000 square foot casino; 13,000 square foot award-winning Larimar Spa; PADI watersports facility, and over 15,000 square feet of meeting space.

Top Right: Karl Wentzel

We Have Lost A Friend, A True Dutch/Aruban Celebrity

Aruba’s sweetheart, the “darling of Dutch couture,” fashion designer Percy Irausquin, who just recently celebrated his 39th birthday among friends and family members on Aruba, was found dead in his house in Amsterdam, The Netherlands today.

His spokesperson made the announcement to the press in The Netherlands today, after family and friends had been notified on the island. It was reported he had slipped in the bathroom and hit his head on the floor, the blow was fatal.

Dutch police stated to the press, “There are no indications that a crime has taken place, but to determine the exact cause of death the public prosecutor decided to have an autopsy done.” According to Amsterdam police, the accident happened this morning, a spokesperson said that police were informed around 1:30 in the afternoon (Dutch time) that he was being resuscitated. No further details were available at time of print of this NEWS edition.

Percy Irausquin won the prestigious Frans Molenaar young designers’ prize in 2001, propelling his career, with countless milestones following. His most famous work includes designs for Disney Princess Belle for Disneyland Paris’ anniversary auction, Dutch star Katja Schuurman’s wedding dress, a t-shirt for Designers Against AIDS, a bag for ArtBag, the design on the roof of a BMW Mini, the dress that was worn to the Oscars by Academy Award Winner Suzy Templeton, and many more. A particularly nice highlight in his career were the 31 pages that magazine Beau Monde dedicated to him recently, having traveled with him to Aruba to experience his take on the island he so much loves and to photograph models wearing his creations at various of his favorite locations.

His Summer 2009 collection, presented at the Amsterdam International Fashion Week recently, was the last time Percy presented his creations to his fans, with “beautiful dresses and coordinated sets,” and was much praised. “His passing is an enormous loss for the Dutch fashion industry, a dark day for our branch,” spokesperson for ModeInt expressed.

Percy Irausquin, as fame came his way, remained the demure, beloved son, brother and friend to all. He expressed more than once as his career was taking off that his sisters were his great sources of inspiration. He mentioned often the colors of the island, Carnaval, the fabrics, feathers and sequins that would be lying around in the house and the love for fashion of the women in his family…

Staff and management of THE NEWS wish Mamai and Percy’s brother and five sisters and their families and friends much strength. May Percy rest in peace.

This story submitted by The News

Top right: Percy receiving the Dutch Fashion Designer of the Year award.

Bottom: Percy with Aruban models, including one of his nieces, at the first presentation of his designs on Aruba.

On August 21 and 23, American author Daniel Putkowski will be signing his novel An Island Away at Samsom Bookstore, Oranjestad, Aruba. In July, readers lined up at Charlie’s Bar in San Nicolas for copies of An Island Away and a chance to meet author Daniel Putkowski. Since then, the entire first shipment of the book to Aruba has sold out. More books arrived last week and two new events have been added to the author’s schedule. This week he will be signing books at the Samsom Bookstore located in the Antraco Retail Center, L.G. Smith Boulevard 126, Oranjestad (near Wendy’s, The Jungle Furniture Store, and the traffic circle by the container port). Ample, free onsite parking is available. The first signing will be Thursday, August 21, from 1 to 4 pm. A second event will be held on Saturday, August 23, from 3 to 6 pm. For directions, call the bookstore at 297-582-3434.

Putkowski sets the stage for a compelling read with the opening line of An Island Away, “Charlie lived in a place where some people’s fantasies were other people’s realities.” As the story unfolds in the heart of San Nicolas, Putkowski makes one thing clear — he is a keen observer of the human condition. Before deciding to live in Aruba, he was a frequent visitor. It was during those visits that he gathered material which became An Island Away. The novel is set mostly in the shadow of Aruba’s refinery, with some real-life characters like the late Charlie Brouns, Jr. of Charlie’s Bar. Readers will recognize other locations including the California Lighthouse, Palm Beach, and the fishing village of Savaneta.

Here the author answers some commonly asked questions:

When did you first come to Aruba and why? I was invited to Aruba in 1994 by friends who lived here. I investigated the possibility of building artificial reefs for sport divers along the northwest coast. At the time, I owned a business in the States that was building reefs in New Jersey and Delaware by sinking ships and concrete pipe.

Why did you choose San Nicolas as the setting for your book? During that first visit in 1994, I went to San Nicolas with the people who invited me to the island. The oil refinery looming in the background reminded me of my own pier in Philadelphia. We stopped at Charlie’s Bar for a drink, met Charlie, Jr., himself, and I thought, “This is my kind of place.”

Your novel is very realistic. How did you conduct research? I had the good fortune to become fast friends with people who were born and raised in the Seroe Colorado Colony at the height of the Esso days. These guys not only told me their stories, but also took me to the places where they happened. My visits to Aruba became more and more frequent and each one was like another episode in a sort of grand soap opera. In some ways, these adventures were like reconstructions of the good old days. Soon I was a friend of their friends, people who ran the gamut of jobs, nationalities, and backgrounds.

Charlie Brouns, Jr. is a featured character in the book. Why? Charlie was a good friend, may he rest in peace. In many ways he was like the ringmaster of a circus. Whether at his bar or his pavilion in Savaneta, he kept the good times going, encouraging everyone to enjoy themselves. At the same time, Charlie had a wit and wisdom that taught life’s lessons to anyone with the patience to listen. I only wish I had spent more time with him before his untimely passing in 2004.

When did you start writing stories? My earliest writing efforts began when I was about ten or eleven. During college, I started a few novels but never finished them. After a long break, I took up the pen again and completed a novel in 2000. That gave me the courage to work seriously and by 2003, I’d finished another one.

Were they published? No, those first two books were practice. They helped me hone my skills and prepared me to take on a story as big as An Island Away.

How long did it take you to write An Island Away? About two years. There was another year of rewriting and editing.

What would you like your readers to take from the book? The characters in my story discover that, for better or worse, life is full of detours. My own life has been the same way. I started out in film school, ended up working in the marine industry for 17 years, and then returned to the creative arts. However, without that detour I might never have written An Island Away. As Charlie always said, “You have to improvise.”

Top right: ‘An Island Away’ book cover

Bottom: Daniel Putkowski (white shirt)

Savaneta is slowly shaping up as Aruba culinary heart.

First there was Brisas del Mar, featuring seafood with a Caribbean flair. Then the Flying Fishbone arrived on the scene triumphantly serving seafood with a Continental flair, and now the Old Man and the Sea, with an American-born chef, laces its creative seafood dishes with contemporary flair, and romance, naturally.

The just opened Old Man & the Sea is simply gorgeous. Set in a former residence in Savaneta, two houses down from the Flying Fishbone restaurant, on a private, pristine beach, it is made up of just a handful of beautifully set tables, nestled between coconut trees under the moon and the stars.

The crisp white linens and the hand-decorated show-plates are part of the artistic décor with teak-wood deck furniture, colored throw pillows, potted plants, an ivory grand piano, bric-a-brac found objects and a private dining area, under a thatch palapa at the end of a wooden pier where an antique canopy bed serves as the majestic dinner table.

The owner Jonathan Vieira is one of Aruba’s most famous musical prodigies. His mom Osyth is an equally famous silk painter, and ingenious decorator and designer. The Old Man & the Sea Restaurant is the family residence turned most charming seaside eatery with an exhibition kitchen. “Try the shark fin soup,” said Osyth, “it is outstanding.”

The restaurant deserves a visit, soon, for the complete experience, from a pre-dinner aperitif at the small side bar to dessert, coffee and cordials. The Old Man and the Sea flaunts a state of the art wine vault, I saw some boxes of Almaviva, with over 1,000 bottles to complement Chef Gary’s cuisine.

This story submitted by Rona Coster-Kahan

This really sounds like “Don’t Stop the Carnival,” book II. A modern day version of Herman Wouk’s comedy about living out fantasies in the Caribbean, having quit the NY rat race. But this is no fiction. This is a true story, unfolding right here, as we speak.

Arias Schwartz, a visitor from NY, came on vacation to Aruba with his family staying at the Radisson Aruba Resort Casino & Spa, when he left the resort on Palm Beach and went exploring, driving himself all over the island.

At a certain moment he paused, and found himself staring at Savaneta 123K, on the main road, past the Valero gas station. He was looking at an old fashioned tropical home on a sizeable piece of property.

When he went back to the resort he told Sherry, his art-teacher mom, he was buying the real estate. He was in love with a yet to be conceived project, taking shape in his head.

We visited Club Arias this week, it is almost ready to open as a ten-room boutique hotel clustered around a beautiful swimming pool, a rock wading-pond with Jacuzzi, waterfalls and a swim up bar.

The rooms of Club Arias are all impeccably decorated with the beds occupying center stage. They are showpieces, draped in clamboos and heaped with soft, odd-shaped pillows, colored-throws, summer down-comforters and 600-count cotton sheets in subdued floral designs which are tastefully reflected on the wall trims and on the carved cabinet doors, even on the light-switches, all hand-painted, you guessed, by art-teacher mom, Sherry.

Flory, Arias’ wife is the interior decorated. The diminutive gorgeous woman, has amazing taste, after all she married Arias.

Arias, the developer and builder extraordinaire, is coming down from an intense construction and design spree. His entrepreneurial spirit, his artistic drive and his courageous approach to life, gave Savaneta its first boutique hotel. It’s tremendous. Really something to be proud of.

Club Aria is visible from the main road, see the sign in our picture. It will be open for business in a few days. With a gorgeous garden, contemporary accommodations and a genuine Caribbean feel, it is a true escape and most suitable for a large family who wants to vacation together or a large, happy, group of friends.

This story submitted by Rona Coster-Kahan

Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa has earned accolades from the readers and customers of two leading travel authorities. The landmark resort was the only Aruba property selected among the “Top 20 Hotels in the Caribbean, Bermuda & Bahamas” for Travel + Leisure’s prestigious World’s Best Awards. Additionally, the resort was named to Expedia’s exclusive annual Insiders’ Select™ list for the second year in a row.

“Our team at the Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa strives to deliver the highest level of service possible for guests, many of whom return year after year,” explains General Manager Gary Jutz. “Recognition of our resort by these two leading travel entities confirms our commitment to service as we strive to continually exceed expectations.”

The Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards were determined by the 13th annual readers poll, which lists favorite hotels, spas, airlines, cruise lines, outfitters, cities, and islands around the globe. The Expedia Insiders’ Select list is an annual award based on thousands of customer reviews, recognizing experience and value.

Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa is rewarding men and women serving in the United States military with a special 2008 Military Rate of 50 percent off both Garden and Partial Ocean View rooms. Promotion travel dates are now through December 18, 2008, with rates beginning at $149.50 per room. All those interested in taking advantage of the discount must request the Military Rate (promotion code: MIL08 when booking online) and present their military I.D at check-in.

“The team at Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa looks forward to providing superior service to our guests from the United States Armed Forces,” states General Manager Gary Jutz. “Our resort features a variety of activities both families and couples can enjoy and we look forward to offering them a much needed vacation experience.”

The perfect backdrop for families with tikes in tow, children traveling with their parents can experience afternoon parties with pirate and under-the-sea themes. Moms and dads will enjoy lounging under a newly added poolside cabana or a thatched palapa on Aruba’s best beach. The oceanfront Larimar Spa provides signature treatments including a special couple’s aloe and rum massage.

Three on-site dining venues are located at Radisson Aruba. For a more casual experience, the whole family can enjoy a tempting dinner buffet at Laguna, where kids under 12 eat for free with a paying adult. Gilligan’s, an open-air beachfront dining destination, is a favorite island-wide for its live music and Caribbean cuisine. The award-wining Sunset Grille features fine dining indoors and out with a menu centered on prime beef, fresh seafood and newly unveiled spa cuisine.

Vacationers who want to get the most for their money need look no further than the Divi & Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusives. Offering a wealth of dining options, activities, services and amenities at two adjacent beachfront properties, there’s no better value around!

Both indoors and out, there are plenty of ways to have fun around the clock at Divi & Tamarijn Aruba. All guests are welcome to simply relax on the sandy beach or at one of three large freshwater pools. More active types can use the well-equipped Divi Winds Sports Center, which features an air-conditioned oceanfront fitness center with the latest equipment as well as a 30-foot outdoor rock climbing wall on the beach. Non-motorized water sports including snorkeling equipment, snorkel clinic and tour, sunfish sailing, floats, kayaks, beginner’s windsurfing equipment and “Learn to Windsurf” beach clinic are all available for guests to enjoy. Out of the water, guests can choose to get active with tennis, beach volleyball, beach olympics, bikes and bike tours, tennis clinics, casino table games, arts & crafts, dance lessons, beach soccer, billiards, board games, darts, basketball, Papiamento lessons and much more. The Links at Divi Aruba golf course is an optional amenity just steps away. The properties feature nightly entertainment and also provide guests with a ticket each to the Bon Bini Festival (seasonal) and a Funbook! with coupons for the adjacent Alhambra Casino.

Unlike many all inclusive properties, dining options at the Divi & Tamarijn Aruba abound. A total of ten different dining outlets* from stylish beachfront restaurants to casual poolside grills serve everything from fine quality steaks or hearty Italian fare to chic Asian-fusion cuisine or simple pizza and snacks, making it easy for guests to find something to suit their tastes. Indulge in something to eat or drink anytime, since all stays at the Divi & Tamarijn Aruba include all means, snacks and beverages.

To stretch the savings even further, guests have the option to book one of the Divi & Tamarijn Aruba’s packages. Honeymooners, families with kids and those simply seeking a good deal can find seasonal and year round specials that offer such bonuses as the option to bring up to two kids under age 18 completely free when sharing a room with two paying adults. Taxes and service charges are also included with every guests’ stay at the properties, whether booking a package or not. Further, whether a guest stays at the Divi Aruba All Inclusive or the Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusive located just a stretch of sandy beach away, the facilities, amenities and services of both properties are at the guest’s disposal.