Recommend August 2013 - (Page 50)

anyone can do this info for you We did some quality lounging on both the beach and the deck of the adults-only H20 Oasis Swimming Pool, then arose one day to watch (watch) a beach volleyball game, a power-walking pack of earnest guests, a tennis clinic for kids, and a hobie-cat whose skipper did an accidental jibe that almost up-ended the whole shebang—probably the most entertaining incident in sailing since “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Just north of the Marriott, the Vela Windsurf Center offers paddleboard yoga. Instructor Rachel Brathen is an excellent teacher—well-prepared, observant, and encouraging—not to mention easy to look at. Paddleboard yoga is now trending on other islands, but Brathen was there at the get-go. Beach Tennis Aruba, at the nearby MooMba Beach Club, welcomes beginners and regulars alike to the four courts there. Beach tennis, which has been gaining in popularity, has its Caribbean beginnings in Aruba. The sport features a beach volleyball court (a sand court with a high net) and short-handed paddles. “No need for lessons!” exclaims manager Sjoerd de Vries, and it’s true, because the shape of the paddles make it easy for beginners to make contact. And short of learning Papiamento, playing beach tennis is one of the most Aruban things a visitor can do. In addition to offering non-motorized watersports such as sailing, windsurﬁng, and kite surﬁng, the Aruba branch of Red Sail Sports, located on the Marriott’s beachfront, offers diving instruction and day-trips, evening cruises, JETLEV ﬂights (ﬂying above the water in a jetpack), and even jeep tours and a bar-hopping party bus. Some of these activities, such as kite surﬁng, require either lessons or skills; others do not (e.g. bar hopping, although it does help to be able to negotiate bus steps after serial lagers). No matter how athletic a visitor may or may not be, one activity that should be a must for almost everyone is a snorkeling cruise to the Antilla. During World War II, this Nazi craft in search of petroleum (lest we forget, Venezuela is just a few miles from Aruba) was discovered by Allied forces, and rather than surrender the ship, the captain sank it in shallow waters just a couple of hundred feet from the northwest coast of Aruba. Today, this is the third largest wreck in the Caribbean, and thousands of parrotﬁsh, angelﬁsh, trumpetﬁsh, and other squatters have moved in. The result: A combination of major wreck and teeming marine life that offers snorkelers an experience normally accessible only to certiﬁed scuba divers—and an only-in-Aruba experience. The Aruba Marriott pays commission rates of between 8 percent and 10 percent. Marriott International has just updated its Hotel Excellence! (HE!) continuing education program; agents who complete the course will enjoy Fam-Tastic rates beginning as low as $44 ($105 for the Aruba Marriott) at more than 3,400 hotels worldwide, invitations to industry events, the Reserved for You eNewsletter, and 10 Continuing Education Units. dining adventures The food at this Marriott might seem a bit less adventurous than learning a new sport, insofar as the resort gives its huge Ruth’s Chris Steak House top billing. Your clients can eat at Ruth’s Chris when they’re back in the States, so while in Aruba, they’ll have a far better experience if they dine barefoot on the beach at the Aruba Marriott’s Simply Fish. Each dish, from scallops risotto with creole sauce to the Arubian triangle, is carefully seasoned and timed, and the ambiance—beachside at night—can’t be beat. Another culinary must at this hotel is Sunday brunch, where the adventure lies in ﬁguring out how to taste everything. 50 august 2013 49-51 CB ArubaMarriott.indd 50 aruba certified expert The Aruba Certiﬁed Expert (ACE) program provides in-depth knowledge on Aruba for you to conﬁdently sell this Caribbean destination and its myriad vacation opportunities. ACE graduates earn continuing education credits; have access to ACE quarterly newsletters; and other beneﬁts. Visit edu.recommend.com. ● contact information Aruba Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino: (888) 236-2427; travelagents.marriott.com; growwithmarriott.com (for information about HE!) Beach Tennis Aruba: beachtennisaruba.com Red Sail Sports Aruba: (305) 454-2538; aruba-redsail.com  WHAT TRAVEL AGENTS ARE SAYING... “Aruba is one of the safest, cleanest tropical locations we have ever been to,” says Mark Brown, chief getaway ofﬁcer, Island Breeze Travel in Jackson, MI. “Right down to their public bus system, the island is well organized and easy to explore, with tons to do and see.” Among his recommendations, a dune buggy or ATV tour of the island. “It’s a great way to see quite a bit of the area,” he says. “Just be warned: you will get dirty!!” Brown also likes the Bugaloo Beach Bar. “Sunset watching doesn’t get any better than right there on the end of the pier, drink in hand, listening to live music from the bar stage.” Brown ﬁnds Aruba’s climate distinctive, too, even within the context of the Caribbean. “I’m not a weatherman, so all I can go on is averages,” says Brown. “The Bahamas in February can be wonderful, or it can be chilly, but with Aruba being close to the equator, you are almost guaranteed 80 degrees year-round on average.... Plus, you are largely outside of the hurricane belt. So if we have a client who wants to have their best shot at a warm, sunshine-ﬁlled vacation, we recommend Aruba.” He also recommends Marriott. “One of the things that strikes me is their management,” notes Brown. “They have been very receptive and helpful with information, and when we are recommending a resort, we want to know the management will be there for us should we need their assistance with client requests. “These days, it’s not enough just to book a room for a client. You have to be there for them if they need you during travel as well.” recommend.com 7/23/13 7:58 AM MAMC http://edu.recommend.com http://travelagents.marriott.com http://www.growwithmarriott.com http://www.beachtennisaruba.com http://www.aruba-redsail.com http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend August 2013

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk: Dan Hotels, Israel
Tour Talk: Jacada Travel
Avalon Expression
Cruising the Rivers of Southeast Asia
Girls & Guys Getaways in Las Vegas
Kimpton Takes Center Stage in San Francisco
South Africa: Bicycles, Horses & Wonderful Experiences
A French Twosome with SLH
Bogota, Colombia
Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta
Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto
Westin Grand Cayman
Grand Case Beach Club, St. Martin
Aruba Marriott Resort

Recommend August 2013