One Happy Podcast

Joining me for this week’s episode of One Happy Podcast are Marcia and Ray Frost.  Marcia and Ray have been married for 35 years and have been in love with Aruba since they got married back in 1980… but they have only been visiting Aruba for 5 years.  You may be asking, how can that be, but it really is a demonstration of the power of Aruba. 

Since celebrating their 30th anniversary in Aruba in 2010, Marcia and Ray have been back 3 more times, most recently just about 2 weeks ago.  During their 4 trips they have stayed at many different properties ranging from all-inclusive to off the beaten part bed and breakfast.  They have been all over the island and seen many places most tourists never visit.  In short Marcia and Ray have quite a story.  Luckily they were kind enough to spend an hour with me discussing their various adventures in Aruba.

If you are the sort of traveler that enjoys discovering new experiences while on vacation you will really enjoy this episode.  If you aren’t that sort of traveler the good news is Ray and Marcia have such fun loving attitudes that you will have a ball just listening to them tell their Aruba stories.

On this episode you will hear about:

A first timer’s reaction seeing a place they have been dreaming of for 30 years

Aruba’s Red Light district through tourists’ eyes

What a local taxi driver thinks about the cleanliness of food trucks

What happens when a tourist gets to drive an ABC tours Land Rover

What’s behind the secret door labeled 402C that only locals seem to know about?

Where the governor of Aruba eats when he wants to mingle with his people

Restaurants mentioned this episode:

Pinchos

Reflexions Beach Aruba

Sidebar

Sushi-Ya Sushi Bar

Waka Waka

West Deck

Zeerover

 

Links and Resources mentioned this episode:

ABC Tours

All Things Aruba! – Facebook Group

Casa Del Mar

Caribbean Palm Village Resort

Divi Dutch Village

Aruba Marina Surfside

Renaissance Island

 

Waunter Brooke – Taxi Driver 306

Direct download: EP23_-_Marcia_and_Ray_Frost.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

This episode of One Happy Podcast, Aruba's Officially Unofficial Podcast features Sue Basler.  An avid scuba diver and golfer, Sue first discovered Aruba in 2004 and immediately fell in love.  On that trip to Aruba, Sue and her husband purchased a timeshare from a fellow diver at the Renaissance Ocean Suites.  Since 2006 they have been returning to paradise annually, staying 3 weeks at a time.

Those of you interested in getting off the Palm Beach strip and enjoying other parts of Aruba will love hearing about Oranjestad, the capital city of Aruba.  Being that the Renaissance is located in the downtown area Sue points out some of the highlights that so many visitors of Aruba fail to experience. 

If you are a diver or aspire to be a diver you will gain additional value from this episode.   In addition being an Aruba diver for more than a decade, Sue also dives all over the world.  Here she discusses what makes diving in Aruba so different and special compared to other dive sites.

On this episode of you will hear about:

·         What makes the Renaissance Ocean Suites so special

·         An awesome dive excursion provider located just steps from the Renaissance

·         A seldom played Aruban golf course that’s a bit off the beaten path

·         Some of the great restaurants located in the Oranjestad Area

·         A couple of incredible resources for planning your next trip to Aruba

Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode

·         Aruba.com – The Official website of the Aruba Tourism Authority

·         Mermaid Divers Aruba – A fantastic Diving Operation

·         Renaissance Ocean Suites Facebook Group – The #1 resource for those looking for information about the Renaissance Ocean Suites.

·         Divi Links Golf Course – The premiere golf course on the island of Aruba

·         One Happy Podcast  Share your Story  - Be a guest on a future episode of the show

 

·         iTunes Review – Leave a review for One Happy Podcast

Direct download: EP22_-_Sue_Basler.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Joining me this week on One Happy Podcast is comedian Aruba Ray Ellin.  Some of you may remember Ray from his first appearance on episode 7 “Aruba Ray Ellin Brings Comedy to One Happy Island”.  During that show we learned all about how Ray discovered and subsequently fell in love with Aruba.

 

 

On this episode Ray is back to discuss his comedy show which is taking place June 9th through July 9th in the Amsterdam Ballroom at the Marriott Stellaris Casino.  During this half hour episode we talk about the comedians coming down this time around as well Ray’s take on a couple of about excursions and restaurants.

 
Direct download: EP21_-_Aruba_Ray_Ellin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Joining me on this 20th episode of One Happy Podcast the Officially Unofficial Podcast of the Island of Aruba is a guest many of you are already familiar with, Andrea James.  Andrea was a guest on episode number 2 of the show and there she shared the story of how she fell in love with Aruba.  Well, Andrea is just back from a trip she took in May and is here to share that little adventure with the rest of us.

Normally Andrea stays at one of the resorts on the island but this time she switched things up by staying someplace off the beaten path, Banana Apartments.  Over the course of this episode Andrea tells us all about Bananas, a couple of different restaurants and a few activities she and her husband Paul enjoyed during their two week stay.

Andrea has 35 years of experience visiting Aruba and being able to tap into a bit of the knowledge she has accumulated over the years is definitely a treat.  The first episode with Andrea got great feedback and I am positive you all will enjoy this one just as much, if not more.

On this episode you will hear about:

Another option for you to stay if you want to try something a bit different

One of the best places on the island to snorkel

A bit of advice if you are going to be going into the water at Arashi

Some tried and true restaurants that still deliver an excellent dining experience

Advice from a 35 year Aruba veteran about what newbies should not do

 

Links and Resources Mentioned this episode:

Aruba.com forums - the Official website of the Aruba Tourism Authority

Banana Apartments

Barney's

Bully -  Aruba's most popular taxi Drivers

Madame Jeanette's

Sole Mare Ristorante Italiano

 

Direct download: EP20_-_Andrea_James.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:43pm EDT

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