Wed, 12 April 2017
On Episode 82 of One Happy Podcast, I am fortunate enough to be joined by two guests, Gae and Charlie Bailey. The Bailey’s have been traveling to Aruba for 14 years and are absolutely in love with the island. You could call their introduction to the island and act of divine intervention but you’ll have to listen to know what I mean. Over time they have increased their time spent on Aruba with each visit. This last trip the Bailey’s were able to stay for a total of six weeks, which is an absolute dream for most of us.
In this interview, Gae and Charlie take us on a trip to their Aruba, which is filled with friends, fun, and adventure. Six weeks on Aruba is a long time and needs to be treated differently from your standard vacation. Gae and Charlie clue us in on how it’s possible to vacation for that long without breaking the budget. Over the course of their trip, they stayed at 5 different properties and tell us about each of them. Additionally, Gae and Charlie tell us about their incredible Carnival experience, some excellent and budget friendly Aruba restaurants and how they like to spend their days on the island.
This episode is awesome because it gives you a different perspective on how to do Aruba. For many of us, an Aruba vacation ends up being days on the beach, dinner in an expensive restaurant and then the casino at night. That’s style of vacation isn’t sustainable for most of us over a long period of time. This podcast episode is about an alternative method of Aruba vacation that emphasizes the island’s natural charm, incredible people and a sense of adventure, all of which are free. If you are someone who has wondered what it would be like to stay on the island for an extended period of time you are definitely going to want to listen to episode 82 of One Happy Podcast - 6 weeks in Aruba with Gae and Charlie Bailey. On this episode of One Happy Podcast, you will:
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Wed, 5 April 2017
Joining me for Episode 81 of One Happy Podcast is Kristina Tisellano. Kristina is a repeat guest on the show (Episode 33) where we learned that she has been visiting Aruba since she was 4 years old. Kristina is an owner at the Playa Linda but her timeshare weeks are in the summer. This time around Kristina was on the island for Carnival. However, unlike most of us, Kristina wasn’t on Aruba to watch Carnival, she was there to participate. In this interview Kristina shares the story of her latest adventure which took place this February. The main focus of this trip to Aruba was to participate in Carnival but the two of us discuss so much more. Kristina shares with us, this awesome apartment she rented for the week. Also, Kristina and I talk about a couple of topics I receive inquiries about on a weekly basis; healthy eating and nightlife. Having basically grown up on the island Kristina is thoroughly in tune with the after dark festivities that go on around the island and as a self-described pescatarian she can speak to that a lot better than my meat loving ass. This episode of One Happy Podcast was a lot of fun to record and also pretty inspirational if you are someone that has some trepidation about doing something on the island. Kristina had a dream of wanting to be in Carnival, and she set out to make it happen. During that same timeframe I was also on the island and went skydiving, making a dream of mine happen. I’m sure you dream about something, we all do, go out and make yours happen. On this episode of One Happy Podcast, you will:
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Outtro music is called INSIDE THE THING by 'N FUZION FT. BUDDY the full video can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsA1ZlKkrM8
Also a very special thank you to Empire Carnival Group (Clary and Darren) |
Wed, 29 March 2017
Today on Episode 80 of One Happy Podcast, I am being joined by a couple of Aruba-lovers who just returned from their 13th trip to the island. Bev and Bill Flood first visited the island via cruise ship but very quickly they stopped window shopping. The couple’s second visit to Aruba would be a full blown vacation, rather than a cruise stop. By the end of that second trip, Bill and Bev would purchase a timeshare at the Marriott. This interview is the Flood’s taking us on a journey to their Aruba. Not only do we hear about how they discovered the island, but we also get to hear about their most recent visit. Having just returned from the island literally earlier that week, Bev and Bill were full of enthusiasm and also information. Additionally, we talk about an excursion they did on a past trip that still rings out as one of the biggest highlights of all their vacations to Aruba. This episode of One Happy Podcast is a back to the basics episode, featuring a conversation with two fun-loving Aruba vacationers. We talk about how they first discovered Aruba, where they stay, what they like to do and of course they visit the eye of the hurricane. Then entire episode lasts about 50 minutes and it is chock full of good times and Aruba vibes. On this episode of One Happy Podcast, you will:
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Direct download: EP80_-_Bill_and_Bevs_13th_Trip_to_Aruba.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT |
Wed, 22 March 2017
On episode 79 of One Happy Podcast, I am lucky enough to be joined by Canadians Peter and Amal Kasouf, the proprietors of Alfie’s in Aruba. Peter and Amal discovered Aruba thanks to his father who had been a visitor for many years. After visiting Aruba for a few years, the couple decided that maybe it was time for a change. So, after booking an appointment to see a bar that was for sale, there live’s would be forever changed.
If you, like many visitors, don’t visit the downtown area very often, you may not be familiar with Alfie’s. Alfie’s is a new-ish bar in the downtown area that in my opinion is going to be a destination. Alfie’s isn’t the easiest place to find, but once you do turns out to be a real treasure. Known for their juicy burgers and delicious poutine, to me the personalities of the owners is the real star of the show. This is the realization of a dream by two crazy canucks who relocated and brought a bit of Canada to One Happy Island.
Not only is this episode of One Happy Podcast full of personality, there is also plenty of wisdom. It’s not often you get to sit down and talk to someone who actually made the move from conventional four season life to 365 days of Summer. If you've ever thought about purchasing a business and relocating to Aruba, you will want to listen to this latest episode of One Happy Podcast.
On This Episode of One Happy Podcast you will:
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Direct download: EP79_-_Alfies_in_Aruba_with_Peter_and_Amal.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT |
Tue, 14 March 2017
On this “Super-sized” episode of Aruba’s number one podcast, “One Happy Podcast”, I am being joined by my partner in crime Maggie. We will be going over our most recent trip to Aruba which took place from February 25th through March 6th. If you haven’t heard any of these recap episodes before, we basically go over everything we did on our visit. We start from departing our home all the way through boarding the plane to return home.
During this hour-plus long episode of the show we go over several activities we participated in down on the island. Some of these activities include Aruba Ray’s Comedy at the Marriott Stellaris Hotel and Casino, the brand new Kukoo Kunuku Wine and Tapas tour, watching the Grand Carnival Parade, beach hopping, bar hopping and skydiving. We also talk about the restaurants we visited during the vacation. Among the restaurants we discussed are some of our old favorites like Quinta Del Carmen and Azzurro as well as places we visited for the first time like Legend’s and Aflie’s. All together I think we talk about more than 20 different eateries. I’m not sure how you eat at more than 20 different places in 10 days, especially since we repeated a couple and packed lunches at times.
While ten days is a nice length of time to be in Aruba, for some reason it still was not enough. The need you feel for wanting to get back into your Aruba routine directly clashes with wanting to try new things. For an island that is so darn small, no matter how many times or how often you visit there is always something new to discover. Maybe that’s just one more reason why we all keep coming back.
Maggie and I had a lot of fun on the trip and continued that fun during this podcast episode. We opened a bottle of wine, turned on the microphones and this is what happened. Thank you so much for supporting the show. Also, please excuse my congestion going from Aruba to Baltimore clogged me up for a couple of days so I do sound a bit more nasally than normal.
On This Episode of One Happy Podcast you will:
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Direct download: EP78_-_Aruba_Curt_and_Maggie_Feb_2017_Recap.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:17am EDT |
Sat, 25 February 2017
Episode 77 of One Happy Podcast welcomes back Aruba Ray Ellin to the show. Ray as you probably already know is the comedian responsible for bringing Aruba Ray’s Comedy to the Marriott Stellaris. Aruba Ray’s Comedy is basically a New York City comic club transplanted down to the island of Aruba. In fact, it is actually listed as the number 1 show on Aruba.
Ray comes down maybe 3 times each year and currently is currently selling out shows at the Marriott. Here are some of the comedians that will be joining Ray.
Facebook.com/onehappypodcast Eduardo’s Beach Shack Scott’s Brats
Direct download: EP77_-__Aruba_Ray_Ellin_-_Aruba_Rays_Comedy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT |
Wed, 15 February 2017
On this episode of Aruba’s number one podcast, “One Happy Podcast”, I am being joined by fellow aruba-phile Regina Crusan. Regina first discovered Aruba about 14 years ago. For her 40th birthday she decided to visit the island she would eventually come to love. However, unlike many of you listening Regina didn’t initially feel the pull of Aruba. After that first visit it would be an entire decade before she would once again set foot on Aruba. Now, 4 years ago Regina came to her senses and once again visited the island and ever since then she’s been hooked.
Regina has a unique visitor perspective on the island as she has stayed in two distinctly different areas of the island. Initially Regina enjoyed the ever popular Palm Beach experience at the Occidental Grand Aruba all-inclusive. However, she also enjoys the downtown Oranjestad area when she stays at the Renaissance Aruba resort. During the interview we spend quite a bit of time talking about the downtown area and of course Renaissance island, which is a fantastic experience.
In addition to conversing about the properties where Regina has stayed we also talk about touring the island and restaurants. During the course of this nearly hour long episode of the show, Regina and I discuss plenty of topics. I had a lot of fun recording this one as it was more of a conversation between two friends catching up (even though we’ve never met before), then an interview. From discussions we’ve had since this was recorded I’m pretty sure Regina had fun, and I hope you guys have a lot of fun listening to One Happy Podcast Episode 76.
On This Episode of One Happy Podcast you will:
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Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode of the show:
Direct download: EP76_-_Getting_Happy_in_Aruba_with_Regina_Crusan.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT |
Fri, 10 February 2017
On this episode of One Happy Podcast, I am being joined by my partner in crime and favorite co-host Maggie. Being that we are preparing for another trip to Aruba, we figured this would be a good time to do our pre-Aruba vacation special. So this is the show where we talk about what we plan on doing this next trip to Aruba.
Being that our trip is being put together so last minute, plans are a bit sparse for now. However, instead of this being looked as a hindrance, it's actually an opportunity. A lot of times we can get too bogged down in planning and end up with something that looks like one of those cruise ship itineraries. You know, be here at 4pm and then at 7pm we are going to do this. Its cool to be organized and all but it can turn a vacation into something that ends up not being very relaxing. So this is a great opportunity for us to just jot down a few “must dos” and let everything else just fall into place.
So on this episode of One Happy Podcast Maggie and I start out discussing our pre-flight night before plans. After that we talk about those couple of absolutely must-do activities and attractions. While the list of potential activities may be small the potential for excitement is pretty much through the roof. Of course, we also talk about restaurants. What would an episode of One Happy Podcast be without food related discussion?
As always I had a lot of fun hanging out with the Magg and you guys. Hopefully you guys enjoy the banter as much as I did. Also remember to stay tuned for what is sure to be an incredible adventure in all of our favorite playground… Aruba! On This Episode of One Happy Podcast you will:
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Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode of the show:
Direct download: EP75_-_Curt_and_Maggs_Feb_2017_Pre_Aruba_Special.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT |
Wed, 1 February 2017
On this episode of One Happy Podcast, I am lucky enough to be joined by friend of the show and Aruba veteran Tracey Beaver. Tracey first appeared on the show way back in episode 8. During that episode, we learned all about her discovery of Aruba and how she’s grown from newbie to seasoned vacationer. Now nearly two years later we check back in to see how her love for the island has evolved. Fresh off a trip to Aruba Tracey has now stayed at a half dozen different properties. Additionally, Tracey has accumulated a whole list of amazing restaurants to recommend.
Over the course of this info-packed hour-long episode of the show, we touch on so many topics you may want to listen twice. It’s not often you have the opportunity to sit down with someone with such a diverse understanding of so many resorts. I ask Tracey which resort is best suited for couples, families, budget travelers, etc. She also takes the time to school me on the procedure for renting a timeshare. Also, Tracey fills me in on some of her newly discovered restaurants, as well as a few excursions she has experienced in the past.
All in all, this was a fantastic conversation about a subject near and dear to all of us. Tracey’s love for the island really shines through during this interview. Also, the knowledge she’s gathered from her experiences on Aruba taught me so much. Hopefully, you guys enjoy this interview as much as I did.
On This Episode of One Happy Podcast you will:
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Direct download: EP74_-_Talking_Aruba_Resorts_with_Tracey.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT |
Wed, 18 January 2017
Joining me today on Episode 73 of One Happy Podcast is Marie Geerman of Aruba Flight Volunteers and the New Life for Paws. Marie has been a guest on One Happy Podcast a couple of times before on episode 15 and episode 30. Just to catch you up Marie has been traveling to Aruba for 30 years and even lived there for just about a decade. Her husband is Aruban and she even has an Aruban born son. In other words, Marie has a connection to the island as strong as any. When you combine that connection to Aruba with her love for animals what you get is some extremely driven to impact the quality of life of the animals of Aruba.
This drive Marie feels to help the animals started back when she lived on Aruba and now continues on here in the United States. Marie is part of the animal rescue organization “New Life for Paws” which helps care for and nurture stray dogs on the island. Also, she founded “Aruba Flight Volunteers”, which helps set up and organize transport of adopted animals from Aruba to the United States. Recently both of these organizations hit significant milestones. While it has been legally registered in Aruba since 2015 New Life for Paws has recently received 501c3 status as a not for profit organization in the United States and Aruba Flight Volunteers just surpassed four thousand members in its Facebook group. Both of these organizations are at the forefront of changing the lives of so many animals on the island.
In this interview, Marie and I catch up on what has been happening on the island in the area of animal rescue. She tells me about the team of wonderfully caring individuals that make up New Life for Paws, and the strides they’ve made over the last year. She also tells me about the struggles they have endured as a fledging organization and what it will take for them to reach that next level. I hope you all enjoy this episode of One Happy Podcast as it is centered around a subject that is near and dear to my heart. For those of you who may not be animal lovers (if there are any of you out there), I am sure you can appreciate the passion and work ethic of someone trying to make a difference.
On This Episode of One Happy Podcast you will:
Links and resources mentioned on this episode:
Direct download: EP73_-_Checking_in_with_Marie_Geerman_of_Aruba_Flight_Volunteers.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT |
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