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a8 local
Tuesday 23 July 2024
Aruba Tourism Authority honored loyal visitors at Divi Dutch Village!

The Aruba Tourism Authority recently had the United Kingdom
great pleasure of recognizing Goodwill Ambas-
sadors of Aruba. The honorees were respec- Mr. Jorgino Willems representing the Aruba
tively honored with a certificate for their years Tourism Authority, and staff members of Divi
of visits, loyalty, and love for the island of Aruba. Dutch Village bestowed the certificate upon
the honorees, presented them with gifts, and
The honorary certification is presented on be- thanked them for choosing Aruba as their fa-
half of the Minister of Tourism as a token of ap- vorite vacation destination, as their home away
preciation and to say “Masha Danki” to guests from home.
who have visited Aruba 10, 20, or 35 years or
more consecutively. The top reasons for returning to Aruba provided
by the honorees were:
The three levels of honor are as follows: • Aruba’s people.
Distinguished Visitor (10>years consecutively vis- • Aruba’s beaches.
iting Aruba) • Aruba’s weather.
Goodwill Ambassador (20>years consecutively • Aruba’s turtles.
visiting Aruba) • “The ambiance of the Island”
Emerald Ambassador (35>years consecutively
visiting Aruba) On behalf of the Aruba Tourism Authority, we
would like to express our sincere gratitude and
The honorees were: appreciation to the honorees for their contin-
Goodwill Ambassadors ued visits to the “One Happy Island”.q
Mr. Malcolm & Mrs. Jayne Sibson from Leicester,

The Bali Restaurant: a touristic hot spot and lost gem on the island

to other owners, and since
then suffered from unstable
pillars underneath the foun-
dation, resulting in various
leaks and overflowing of
water into the restaurant.
And as most great things
come to an end, so did the
survival and maintenance
of the Bali Restaurant.
However, folks today still
reminisce its legacy, and
it’s now considered a lost
which it underwent various also expanded to host a monument.
(Oranjestad)—Once lo- guests. Yet, 4 years later, it renovations and rebrand- total of 85 guests. This was
cated in what is now the was named the best res- ing. “The New Bali”, who had its Be apart of the conversa-
Renaissance Marina, the taurant in the Caribbean In 1964, the restaurant was official (re)opening in 1972. tion: if you or any family
Bali Restaurant was once by the Caribbean Tourist taken over by Karel “Carl” member of yours have a
both a touristic and local Association. Schmand. Over the years, After 1972, when Ronny memory of the Bali restau-
hot spot, and nowadays The restaurant was proba- the restaurant needed Schmand took over, the rant, whether it be a pic-
it’s considered a forgotten bly most iconic for its Java- constant renovation and restaurant saw yet another ture or just a story, share it
gem on the island. nese-inspired exterior with repair, mainly due to its vul- expansion; this time com- with us! We would love to
its pointy, slanted roofs. nerability to leaks and the plete with a long bar and see this legendary hot spot
Known as “the floating res- However, the first version of unstable pillars underneath dance floor, where guests through the lens of our visi-
taurant”, Bali first opened Bali did not look like that at the foundation. However, enjoyed live music from tors!
in 1955 by Willem “Bill” all but was still considered the biggest change made legendary Aruban musi-
Strijland, who had experi- as one of the most popu- to the restaurant happened cian and composer, Toti Source and pictures credit
ence in Javanese cuisine. lar restaurants on the island in the year 1970—still under Arends. to: “De Kolibrie op de Rots
At the time, the restaurant at the time. The restaurant the ownership of Schmand, (en meer over de geschie-
was pretty exclusive— saw three different owners when it got its iconic pointy After 1989, the restaurant denis van Aruba)” by Evert
with space to host only 25 during its existence, during roofs. The restaurant was was again handed over Bongers. q

Aruba to me

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