Aruba: Island of abundance
Want team-building activities?
De Palm Destination Management Services can send attendees on a scavenger hunt through the arid interior of Aruba in a rock-climbing Land Rover, arrange a beach Olympics or challenge them with a rickety raft building competition. If it’s watersports you’re after, contact Red Sail Sports, which can arrange sailing, scuba and snorkeling lessons or trips for attendees, including those with special needs. Or engage Eco Destination Management Services to arrange a sandcastle-building contest or amazing race challenge.
Want group activities?
Charter the Kukoo Kunuku party bus (capacity: 20) to shower attendees with flower leis, carnival beads, refreshments and Caribbean music; sightseeing and bar hopping tours are available. At the Aruba Aloe Museum & Factory, attendees can learn about the island’s 160-year-old history of aloe cultivation, watch farmers harvest the gel and learn how it is made into Aruba Aloe products. The island is compact enough for bicycle tours, which can be organized by all-inclusive hotels and Oranjestad outfitters. Gold Mine Ranch and Rancho Notorious offer guided horseback tours along the coastline and through Aruba’s rugged countryside; be sure to visit one of Aruba’s natural land bridges. More than 35,000 different kinds of currency from more than 400 countries are on display at the Numismatic Museum of Aruba. Shopping tours of Oranjestad’s downtown and Seaport Village are another option, but try to avoid times when cruise ships are in port. Hire a dealer from a local casino to teach your group black jack or another game.
Want to shake up a meal function?
Serve breakfast in the tropical gardens of Wilhelmina Park. Take a brewery tour before dining in Balashi Brewery’s Beergarden. Have attendees ride horses through the Arikok National Park’s trails past Arawak petroglyphs and the remains of an early Dutch settlement to a candlelit outdoor banquet. Plan a progressive dinner through downtown Oranjestad. Charter a luxury catamaran for lunch, dinner or a sunset reception cruise.
Want unusual venues?
Cas di Cultura is a theater with a conference room, exposition room, café, foyer and patio, all of which are available for private events. Aruba’s arid climate makes it possible to hold outdoor functions year-round, and most hotels can set up meetings or meal functions on the beach or by the pool. Aruba Adventures has two party boats: the 80-ft. sailboat Mi Dushi and dinner cruiser Tattoo. Take attendees on a tour of the Aruba Ostrich Farm before holding a banquet at its Afro-Caribbean Savannah Lodge, Bar and Restaurant.
Want golf?
The Tierra del Sol Resort, Spa & Country Club has an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones II and an outdoor reception space for 500 people adjacent to its clubhouse. The Divi Aruba All-Inclusive Resort has a 9-hole golf course and golf lessons provided by instructors from the Johnson & Wales Golf Academy in Miami.
