Sat, 28 October 2017
I'm back with Maggie to catch you guys up for the 3rd part of our October trip report. Right now we're at Arashi beach on location to recount what happened after where we left off last time.
So the 1st part was all about arrival day which was Sunday, followed by the 2nd day which was Monday, and now we are going to talk about Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
At the end of the 2nd part, I was preparing to go to One Happy Podcast's 3rd Anniversary Party over at Legends Pub. First of all, I sincerely want to thank everyone who came. The party was great and we had a really nice time. Around 70 people turned up, or maybe closer too 100 at some point. It exceeded all my expectations so I have nothing but gratitude for everyone who took the time to swing by.
We stayed at the party until about an hour before midnight, and afterwards we went back to our house to just zone out while sipping some picklebacks.
The next day, we had Don Pastechi's for breakfast which is one of our favorite places to eat in the island. If you're planning to head over there, you should come relatively early because the good stuff runs out pretty fast.
After that we headed over to Eagle Beach to just hang out. It was pretty busy for a Wednesday. We also had lunch at the Eagle Beach Food Truck. As usual, their food never disappoints.
We met up with our good friend Marlene later in the day at the Local Store, which in our opinion has the best burgers in Aruba and makes these amazing deep fried pickles. They also have an extensive craft beer selection — possibly the largest in the island — so if you have a love for craft beers, you should definitely stop by the Local Store!
We originally intended to spend the rest of our evening at Matthew's to watch a live performance, but when we got there it was already jam-packed and there were no seats left for us so we opted to just relax at home instead and play a card game.
Bright and early the next morning, we finally decided to climb Mt. Hooiberg for the first time. It took us around 20 minutes to reach the summit, which will probably take a much shorter time for folks who are in better shape. I did a Facebook live of my climbing experience if you were able to catch it. The view is phenomenal at the top. Do try to climb it if you're up for the challenge! The view is worth it.
The descent went much faster than the ascent, which took only about 5 minutes. We swung by Bright Bakery for some delicious pastries before heading to the Animal Shelter. All the animals were in very good condition which made us feel happy. It's such a good place to be in, and I urge you all to make a donation if you can. The animals and the workers will truly appreciate every single dollar. One day we vow to to bring a kitten back home with us.
So now we're back to Arashi beach which we went to following the Animal Shelter. It's now time for sunset and whoa, I really have to take a picture of this. Well you know how Aruba sunsets are. They're absolutely breathtaking. It looks like I'm getting mesmerized by the view again. Well, until next time! Be sure to stay tuned to the next episodes!
ON THIS EPISODE OF ONE HAPPY PODCAST, YOU WILL: - Know about this 4 year old kid who was with us climbing Hooiberg. If a little kid can do it, we can to! - Hear about the jet ski incident. - Hear why purple food is not for me.
ESTABLISHMENTS AND RESTAURANTS MENTIONED:
Direct download: Episode_98_C_-_Part_3_of_October_2017_Aruba_Trip_Report.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:52am EDT |
Fri, 27 October 2017
To pick things up from where we left off last time, I'm here in Eagle beach on record for the 2nd part of my October 2017 Aruba Trip Report.
It's a perfect day out here with minimal clouds, warm but refreshing temperature, lovely breeze, and most of the all, the water feels great. I got out of the water to record this episode but I'm gonna hop back in again after I'm done.
Now for the recount of our experiences yesterday or day 2 of our trip. It was a Monday morning filled with busy work and errands. We rented a house instead of a timeshare so we had to take care of stuff for that. Afterwards, I went grocery shopping on Super Food and headed to the digital hotspot center to get my pocket Wi-Fi reactivated.
We headed over to Eduardo's for a well-deserved snack. If you haven't tried their Acai bowls, I definitely urge you to get one the next time you swing by Palm Beach. It's basically made up of some kind of puree at the bottom, granola in the middle, and assorted fruits on the top with coconut shavings.
Most of the day was spent at Arashi, which was bizarrely empty for long stretches of time so we had the pristine beach to our ourselves during the first and latter parts of our stay. Paradise on earth.
We intended to head out earlier for dinner but we opted to relax first at home after coming back from Arashi for some downtime with just us listening to music and sipping wine.
Later on we ate at Chihuahua's Fiesta and Grill for some good ol' Mexican food. It has the best shrimp ceviche I've ever tasted on the island and is definitely one of the best, if not the best, Mexican restaurants in Aruba.
Topping the day off were some ice cream sundaes from McDonalds which was a pretty decent way to end the day if you ask me.
So back to Eagle beach, I'm mostly just relaxing for the fun part later in the day — One Happy Podcast's 3rd Anniversary Party. The party will be at Legends Pub, which if you've never heard of, is the brain child of the geniuses behind Eduardo's Beach Shack and Scott's Brats. It's a cool sports bar that I totally recommend.
Be sure to stay tuned to the next episode to hear all about the happenings in the party!
ON THIS EPISODE OF ONE HAPPY PODCAST, YOU WILL: - Get an heads up on why you should always carry an I.D. with you while you on the island. - Know an inventive way I came up with to open beer bottles at the beach. - Hear about me being a world class beach napper, or at least I think so.
ESTABLISHMENTS AND RESTAURANTS MENTIONED:
Direct download: Episode_98_B_-_Part_2_of_October_2017_Aruba_Trip_Report.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:52am EDT |
Mon, 23 October 2017
I'm down here on location in Aruba with my ever loyal sidekick Maggie for our October 2017 Aruba trip. This time, Maggie brought her daughter Jess along. The three of us have so much planned for this trip and we can't wait to show Jess what the amazing island of Aruba has in store.
What I'm planning here is a blow by blow recap of our experience in this trip. We started it with leaving Delaware for Newark where we stayed on the Courtyard Marriott for the night before heading to the airport in the morning. We arrived smoothly on the island at an ideal time, which was followed by probably the fastest transition we've had from airport to car rental company to our rental house.
Like the last time we stayed in Aruba, we opted to go for Royal as our car rental of choice. But don't get me wrong, I like to switch things around with car rentals for the podcast so listeners will get a perspective for each of them. We got an SUV instead of the usual jeep because there's three of us with a lot of luggage.
Upon arriving on the island, we wanted to eat at Don Pastechi or Pika's Corner but unfortunately they were both closed so we ended up at... you guessed it, Wendy's. One really has to wonder why Wendy's is so popular in the island. It's always so crowded. But I digress. We had a nice, pleasant, and quiet evening after that at Así es mi Perú, where the food is excellent. We recommend it.
To wrap up this episode, we have so many plans for the duration of this trip like mentioned earlier, including One Happy Podcast's 3rd Anniversary Party that I'm hosting at Legends Pub on the 24th of October. Do swing by at 7:00 p.m. if you're up for it! I would love to see you there. It's going to be a blast.
Don't forget to stay tuned for the next parts of our October Aruba trip!
ON THIS EPISODE OF ONE HAPPY PODCAST, YOU WILL: - Hear a funny story of how we initially wanted to rent a Chevy Trax, thought we were getting a Chevy Equinox instead, but ended up with a Kia Sportage - Know Royal's bait and switch tactic for customers
SERVICES, COMPANIES, AND RESTAURANTS MENTIONED:
Direct download: Episode_98_A_-_Part_1_of_October_2017_Aruba_Trip_Report.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:40am EDT |
Thu, 12 October 2017
How many years have you been going to Aruba? Have you explored Aruba during those years you've been there? On this episode of One Happy Podcast, Maggie and I discuss why we encourage people, especially the Aruba lovers, to go out and explore the island. There is so much to see and do!
It all started from a post I saw on the Aruba Forums of someone taking a picture of the menu of Fermin's. One comment read that they have been going to Aruba for more than 50 years but have never even heard of Fermin's. It made me kind of sad. To me, the experience of Aruba is not complete if you haven't seen all the wonderful things that island has to offer outside the resort areas.
I know that there are some people who just wish to decompress and relax, and that's perfectly understandable. It's your vacation. Your time. Your call. But you may never know what you're missing out on if you never step out of that comfort zone.
Bottomline is, I urge all of you who are tuning in right now to take chances and see what the entirety of Aruba has to offer. Rent a jeep. Just take off. Find a little nook or cranny of Aruba that you can call your special place. We've found ours. And it's our wish that you will find yours too.
On another note, if anyone will be down in Aruba on the 24th of October, come join us at Legends Pub at 7:00 p.m. for One Happy Podcast's 3rd Anniversary Party. We would absolutely love to meet you there. Come, let's chat, drink, and be merry!
ON THIS EPISODE OF ONE HAPPY PODCAST, YOU WILL: - Know the positive points of visiting Aruba: under the hurricane belt, everyone speaks English, everywhere in the island is easily accessible to travel - Discover an awesome blog from someone who moved to the island and started a tourism-based business - Hear about our good experiences with all the car rentals companies we've had business with - Find out the different kinds of properties in Aruba for you to stay on as well as our personal preference of accommodations - Know more about the Carubian Festival - Hear why we think San Nicolas will be the next 'hotspot' or trendy place in Aruba
RESTAURANTS AND COMPANIES MENTIONED:
Direct download: EP97_-__Get_From_Under_the_Palapa_and_See_Aruba.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:04pm EDT |
Mon, 2 October 2017
Coming up is a delectably exciting event on One Happy Island. For the entire month of October starting from October 1-31, the island of Aruba will celebrate Eat Local Aruba Restaurant Month. This is an event which encourages tourists to explore the culinary heritage of Aruba with locally inspired dishes. On this episode, Maggie and I talk about what we know regarding Restaurant Month. Basically, it's a partnership with the tourism bureau to drum up more business for the participating restaurants. The entire goal is to draw in new customers who haven't been in the restaurant. They will do lunch and dinner specials with reduced prices in a pre-fixed menu. I would have to say that some offer a pretty good value for your money, and some not so much. But don't quote me on that, you would to check for yourself to see. All the menus are available online on the website (link provided below). So before you walk in a restaurant, you'll know exactly what to expect. During the podcast, I highlighted several places which I think nailed the idea of what Restaurant Month should be: providing value, having multiple selections, and well thought-out choices. For around 30 to 40 bucks, you will get a full meal for your money with an appetizer, an entrée and a dessert. Lastly, next month marks the 3rd anniversary of One Happy Podcast. I'm inviting you all for a party on the 24th of October at Legends Pub. The details aren't set in stone yet, but I'll make sure to update all of you in future episodes so stay tuned! On this episode of One Happy Podcast, you will: - Get an idea which restaurants on Restaurant Month will give you the best bang for your buck. - Get a rundown of the specific menu offerings from the aforementioned restaurants. - Here what some restaurants do wrong - Hear an announcement about One Happy Podcast's 3rd Anniversary celebration Restaurants taking place in Eat Local Aruba Restaurant Week: Participating restaurants include:
Direct download: EP96_-_Eat_Local_Aruba_Restaurant_Month_2017.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:06pm EDT |
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