Thu, 15 June 2017
Joining me today on One Happy Podcast is an Aruba visitor who has been coming to the island for 45 years. After being introduced to the island by her parents at the age of 4, naturally, Ginny O. developed an unbreakable bond. That bond which was forged as Ginny was growing up was one she would hope to one day share with her family. Now that the dream is a reality Ginny travels to the island with her family and they now all share that same deep connection with the island.On this episode of One Happy Podcast, Ginny takes us for a trip down her personal memory lane that encompasses countless Aruba trips spanning four and a half decades. This is an awesome episode for you long time visitors with memories of the Aruba from yesteryear. However, short-timers will also appreciate Ginny’s love for Aruba and everyone will be able to appreciate the family aspect of this podcast.On this episode of One Happy Podcast, you will:
Properties and Services mentioned this episode:
Restaurants and Excursions mentioned this episode:
Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode of the show:
Direct download: EP87_-_Visiting_Aruba_for_45_years_with_Ginny_Ohl.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:32pm EDT |
Wed, 24 May 2017
Episode 86 of One Happy Podcast is one in which we tackle the subject of renting a vacation home in Aruba. As you already know I’m a bit of a veteran when it comes to vacation rentals, but to make certain I got the absolute best info for you guys I went out to get professional help. So, I reached out to Liz Ginocchio of myarubadreamvilla.com to provide her expertise in Aruba vacation rentals.
Although private vacation rentals have been around forever, with the explosion of AirBnB over the last few years, they are finally coming to the forefront. People are seeing the value and personalization that comes along when you decide to explore what’s out there and they are getting curious. Anytime I am asked where I stay (and answer “in a private home”) it kicks off a conversation about what it’s like renting a home in Aruba. Those questions and conversations were the inspiration for this episode of the show.
My Aruba Dream Villa is one of the top property management and vacation rental agencies on the island. During this interview, we talk to Liz about not only her rental agency but about renting in general. This episode isn’t about trying to sway anyone’s opinion as to which is the better vacation option. Episode 86 is all about providing information so you as the consumer are informed about all of your options. On this episode of One Happy Podcast, you will:
Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode of the show:
Direct download: EP86_-_The_Ins_and_Outs_of_Aruba_Vacation_Rentals_with_Liz_Ginocchio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:20pm EDT |
Tue, 9 May 2017
Joining me for Episode 85 of One Happy Podcast is long time Aruba visitor Donna Dubrink. How long has Donna been visiting Aruba? She has been visiting for 24 years and still loves the island just as much as she did the first time.
Recently Donna was in Aruba staying at her beloved Playa Linda Timeshare and was nice enough to stop by to talk about it. Now, just because Donna stays at a resort on a prime location on Palm Beach don’t think she only stays around the resort. Donna is an explorer at heart. This love for exploration has led her to discover countless nooks and crannies around the island.
So, on this episode of the show Donna takes us back 24 years to when she first stepped off the plane onto the tarmac of the airport. Over that time she has experienced many different accommodations but the Playa Linda is home, and also the place where her most recent trip is centered. We talk about that trip and how someone who has been visiting Aruba for more than 2 decades still finds a way to enjoy the island and discover new aspects of it. On this episode of One Happy Podcast, you will:
Properties and Services mentioned this episode:
Restaurants and Excursions mentioned this episode:
Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode of the show:
Direct download: EP85_-_Exploring_Aruba_with_Donna_Dubrink.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:42pm EDT |
Tue, 2 May 2017
Joining me on Episode 84 of One Happy Podcast is Michelle Kalina. Michelle is a yoga instructor, health and wellness coach and a fellow Aruba lover. Last month Michelle had the unique opportunity of teaching a sunset yoga class at the Aruba Renaissance, a class that some of you may have had the opportunity of participating in.
I intended to reach out to Michelle prior to the class taking place, but there just was not enough time. However, after hearing just how awesome it was, I decided to reach out after the fact to see if Michelle would be willing to come on the show… she was.
So, this interview is Michelle Kalina sharing her Aruba story. The main focus of this episode was the trip she and her family just returned from. We talk about the Marriott where they stayed, some of the activities they experienced and many of the restaurants they enjoyed on their vacation.
What I really love about this episode is not only does it feature an awesome Aruba story, but also has an underlying theme. This was a very active and fitness-focused vacation with the highlight being Michelle’s sunset yoga class. I don’t know about you guys, but for me, when on vacation it’s sometimes hard to maintain any semblance of restraint. Hearing the Aruba story of someone who lives such a healthy lifestyle not only provides inspiration but also gives me ideas on what I can incorporate into my next vacation. Hopefully my interview with Michelle Kalina of Michelle K Yoga on episode 84 of One Happy Podcast resonates with you in a similar fashion.
On this episode of One Happy Podcast, you will:
Properties and Services mentioned this episode:
Restaurants and Excursions mentioned this episode:
Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode of the show:
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Mon, 24 April 2017
On Episode 83 of One Happy Podcast, the officially unofficial podcast of the island of Aruba, I am being joined by Melissa Rose. Having just returned from her second trip to the island, Melissa is already a full-fledged Aruba-holic. Now Melissa was just in Aruba a couple of weeks ago and was nice enough to stop by One Happy Podcast to share her Aruba story. In this interview, Melissa tells me all about her family vacation spent with her husband and two teenaged boys. Being a first-time vacation home renter, I was curious to hear about her experience with “Vacation Rental by Owners” (VRBO). I was also curious to see how the rental life compared to her previous stay at an Eagle beach resort. Melissa walks me through her family vacation including her trips to the various beaches of the island, as well as an excursion that she absolutely loves. The reason why this episode is a favorite is because not only does Melissa do a great job of providing useful information but she does it in a way that places you there. By the end, I almost felt like I tagged along with them on their family trip. Even though Melissa is relatively new to the island, this interview proves that everyone has something to teach. I learned quite a bit from my talk with Melissa and I hope you will as well. At the very least I guarantee you will be entertained and warmed by the love she shows for One Happy Island, on episode 83 of the Officially Unofficial Podcast of the Island of Aruba. On this episode of One Happy Podcast, you will:
Properties and Services mentioned this episode:
Restaurants and Excursions mentioned this episode:
Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode of the show:
Direct download: EP83_-_Melissa_Rose_and_the_Aruba_Gold_Coast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:00pm EDT |
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:
Properties and Services mentioned this episode:Restaurants and Excursions mentioned this episode:
Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode of the show:
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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:
Properties and Services mentioned this episode:
Restaurants and Nightlife mentioned this episode:
Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode of the show:
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:
Properties and Activities mentioned this episode:
Restaurants and places mentioned this episode:
Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode of the show:
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:
Restaurants and places mentioned this episode:
Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode of the show:
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:
Properties and venues mentioned this episode:
Restaurants mentioned this episode:
Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode of the show:
Direct download: EP78_-_Aruba_Curt_and_Maggie_Feb_2017_Recap.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:17am EDT |
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