January 16th, 2006 Aruba Also Top Hot-Spot for Hollywood A-List Celebrities in 2005
Aruba continues to rake up the accolades as the Caribbean oasis ends 2005 with a bevy of awards and a roster of celebrity fans. The island was the recipient of international recognition throughout the year from honors for its incredible accommodations to the marvel of the underwater treasures to the attention-grabbing trade show displays, Aruba’s a bona fide winner! The sugar-white sand beaches also hosted some of Hollywood’s A-list celebrities, solidifying the tropical paradise as one of the hippest and hottest vacation spots.
Aruba is renowned for miles of exquisite beaches. In 2005, the island garnered a number of awards including best family-friendly beach in the world by The Travel Channel’s “World’s Best Beaches” for the island’s famed Palm Beach. While Aruba’s pristine Eagle Beach was touted as the number one Caribbean beach by newspaper giant USA Today, after a survey of travel writers, travel agents and frequent travelers. MSNBC also named Aruba as the number one family travel destination for Thanksgiving 2005.
A longtime favorite for sun-seeking honeymooners, Aruba launched the first-ever Online Destination Bridal Registry in 2004. The huge success of the registry, coupled with the island’s innovative One Cool Honeymoon program which offers vacationing lovebirds a bevy of exclusive offers and discounts island-wide, led to Aruba being recognized as the eighth best all-around honeymoon destination in the world (with 50 other competing destinations) by Modern Bride magazine.
The authority on travel, Conde Nast Traveler, gave Aruba the number seven spot on its Top Ten Caribbean island list for the second year in a row in the Reader’s Choice Awards. Conde Nast Traveler listed five top Aruba hotels, Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino, the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino, Wyndham Aruba Resort, Spa & Casino and the Marriott’s Ocean Club, on its Gold & Reserve lists. The island was also among the “World’s Best Places to Stay” in the January issue of the magazine.
Caribbean Travel & Life magazine readers presented Aruba with a plethora of awards for excellence, six in total! Aruba was given top honors as having the friendliest people, the best nightlife, the best restaurant (Madame Janette), best all-inclusive resort (Divi Aruba), best mid-size hotel (Bucuti Beach Resort) and best small hotel (Amsterdam Manor Resort).
Aruba’s underwater marvels also received high praise from the experts. Sport Diver Magazine honored Aruba with a top spot on its Top Dive Sport list. The scuba experts at Scuba Diving Magazine named the island the Top Wreck Diving Destination in the world.
Aruba is also a hit in Latin America, where the Aruba Tourism Authority’s Latin America Area Director was named as one of the 44 best managers by top Venezuelan business magazine, Publicidad y Mercadeo. And Aruba’s eye catching tradeshow display featured in Argentina’s largest tourism tradeshow nabbed the award for the best international stand by the Feria Internacional de Turismo.
2005 also marked the year Aruba joined the reality television circuit with the filming of one entire episode (one hour of primetime television) of ABC’s hit show, The Bachelor. Aruba was the host location for all three overnight dates for the first time in the show’s history. Additionally, The Aruba International World Poker Tournament not only brought the poker craze but also acclaimed Hollywood actress Jennifer Tilly to the island to participate in the tournament. Uber-celebrity Paris Hilton spent a few days soaking in the famous Aruban sunshine as well. Other notable names who vacationed in Aruba in 2005 include musical heavyweights, Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Queen plus Paul Rodgers, Peter Frampton, Carlos Vives and more.
