Jaunted

Windsurfing / Aruba Travel / Active Travel / Sports / → All Tags

Aruba Welcomes Windsurfers Near And Far For Hi-Winds 2009

If Lewis Black hasn’t convinced you to travel to Aruba yet, then maybe the annual Aruba Hi-Winds windsurfing competition will get you there. We realize this is a pretty active endeavor, but since there's the option to take it all in from the shore, you won't have to sacrifice any precious beach time.

From July 1-6, windsurfers and kiteboarders will try their best to tame the island’s trade winds for their own pleasure and bragging rights, competing in different categories like long distance, course racing, and slalom. Amateurs and professionals alike will then gather at island haunts like Fisherman's Hut and Boca Grandi to strut their stuff.

Our pick for best battle has to be Freestyle Windsurfing, but we aren’t the flip and spin type, so you’ll catch us happily sunning ourselves as we them wrestle the winds for title of “King of the Huts.” Just make sure you don't overdo it at the welcome party at Moomba Beach Bar on the first night—those daiquiris go down easy and you've got days of sitting in the sun to do.

Related Stories:
·Aruba Hiwinds 2009 [Official Site]
·Aruba Travel: The Island's Best Dive Bar [Jaunted]
·Windsurfing [Jaunted]

[Photo: Official Site]

Travel Deals / Aruba Travel / Passports / → All Tags

Aruba Woos Visitors, if They've Got Passports

Revamped passport rules that make it harder to travel aren't usually the kind of thing that excite us. But a group of clever hoteliers in Aruba plans to make the best of an otherwise bad situation. You see, starting on January 8, 2007, all travelers leaving the US will need a passport, even if they're headed to countries like the Bahamas, Panama or--you guessed it--Aruba. Previously, you only needed a photo ID and maybe a birth certificate to get back into the US. What's the big deal? Well, aside from the monumental headache involved in filling out the forms and waiting up to eight weeks, it now costs $97 to apply for a passport. All this for a little book containing an easily hackable microchip!

Now the good news: To combat what they expect will be a drop in tourism from the US, five Aruban hotels are offering up free food and car rental vouchers for guests that get down to Aruba before the end of 2007. The goodies run in the $25-$75 range, so they won't cover the cost of your passport fees, but if you've already got your little blue book, take advantage of the situtation. Details available from the hotels: Westin Aruba Resort, Spa & Casino, Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino, Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort, MVC Eagle Beach and Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba.

[Photo: atomicshark]

Related Stories:
· New Requirements for Travelers [Travel.State.Gov]
· E-Passports: Snazzy, Useless, and Coming Soon [Jaunted]