Aruba is quietly turning into the Caribbean’s culinary overachiever. For a tiny island roughly the size of Washington, D.C. located an athletic swim from Venezuela, it welcomes around two million visitors a year. So, there’s huge demand for seriously good food packed into very little land.

Part of the magic is how many cultures cook here: as a Dutch Caribbean island where kids grow up learning four languages in school—English, Dutch, Papiamento, and Spanish—the whole place is a living melting pot, and you taste that mix everywhere from beach shacks to white-tablecloth spots.

Among select Best Dining spots included in the blog, Infini

At Infini, dinner feels like theater—and the stars are what’s on the plate. You’re welcomed with champagne, then ushered to a bar-height chef’s counter facing the open kitchen, basically courtside as Chef Urvin Croes and his team move in quiet sync all night. Aruba’s first “Iron Chef” winner, he’s big on local ingredients and modern techniques, using both to tell the story of the island through food. Course after course from the long, luxurious tasting menu lands in front of you while he talks through the flavors and ideas behind each dish. It’s intimate, immersive, and one of those meals you’ll keep talking about long after vacation.

The Aruba Police held a general control of cars and traffic on Saturday during most of the day and the evening hours, until late at night.

They collaborated with the Department of Public Transport (DTP) that helped inspect cars with O & T license plates as well as TX, namely busses, government owned, commercial transport, and public transport vehicles plus taxis.

They reported their findings Just recently. Almost 40% of cars/driver stopped exhibited an irregularity warranting a fine.

A total of 194 motor vehicles were checked, out of which 73 drivers were fined. The fines were imposed for not having compulsory insurance paid, not having the vehicle inspected, not having a current, paid, license plate, or not being in possession of a driver’s license. Besides official documents, the police also checked whether drivers were wearing seat belts, and whether the headlights, and taillights were working, license plate lit up and visible.

One person was arrested during the inspection for possession of drugs.

The DTP staffers issued 17 reports during this inspection, directed at minister Dowers, Minister of Justice, Integration and Public Transport, who just recently promised to join the efforts to combat traffic violations and consequent injuries and fatalities on our roads.

Same day, a protest organized by a group of families and relatives of traffic hit & run accident victims, congregated in front of parliament, objecting the lenient punishment imposed on offenders.

Driving at high speed under the influence of drugs or alcohol often results in tragedies and many of those attending the protest have been paying the price for unsafe traffic. They all agree that the current law does not impose severe enough punishments, to deter drivers and prevent this type of irresponsible behavior on the road.

The family group initiated a signature collection, resulting in a manifesto calling for concrete changes in traffic law. The document and signatures were presented to parliament, with the aim of achieving law changes, in handling hit& run cases.

Another protest over the weekend was organized in honor of the landmark “Bonaire Climate Case” against the Dutch State. The ruling is expected tomorrow, January 28, 2026. It is a critical lawsuit that could definitely also apply for Aruba.

Greenpeace Netherlands and eight residents of Bonaire are the plaintiffs while the Dutch kingdom is the defendant,

The plaintiffs argue that the Netherlands is violating its duty of care, and ignoring human rights obligations to Bonaire, its colony in the Caribbean, by failing to adequately protect Bonaire’s residents from climate change impacts. They claim there is unequal protection within the Kingdom, with Bonaire receiving less protection than the European Netherlands, despite facing more severe and immediate climate threats.

Bonaire is suffering from Specific Climate Threats such as Rising Sea Levels, where research indicates up to one-fifth of the island could be submerged by 2100, and Extreme Heat, linked to health problems among residents. Most importantly Environmental Degradation, as the island suffers from stronger storms and its coral reefs die-off. The plaintiffs are asking the court to order the Dutch Kingdom to develop a concrete and feasible climate adaptation plan, specifically for Bonaire, and urgently step-up efforts to reduce Dutch carbon emissions to zero as quickly as possible, aiming for 2040.

The case is being heard in the Dutch capital, Den Hague, and there will be a ruling tomorrow. Follow the verdict on Rechtspraak.nl

The case is closely watched internationally. A ruling in favor of the plaintiffs could force the Dutch Kingdom to take unprecedented concrete measures and set a global legal precedent for climate adaptation.

This week, the Dutch Supreme Court overturned a 2024 ruling by the Court of Appeal in a long-running commercial dispute over the Tierra del Sol resort project in Aruba, involving Van der Valk and Iberostar/FMV-related entities.

What does that mean? It means the Supreme Court ruled that the Court of Appeal should never have heard the appeal, because Iberostar was not really a side in the dispute between the two previous owners of the property.

The sides, V/D Valk and FMV, must go back to a lower court to resolve their differences.

It was one of those verdicts that get lawyers paid well, and warring faction miserable and frustrated.

I thought that that chapter of v/d Valk/ FMV is done. I am happy Iberostar picked up the distressed real estate assets and made them a functioning property, something to be proud about!

BUT… the past keeps haunting us because somewhere there is still an unresolved conflict.

I asked around for some clarifications, I wanted to know what the real commercial dispute was, but no one wanted to talk. So here is what I know for sure. There’s money involved. Probably around 20 million.

TDS was developed in 1995 by Sun Development, and it was declared bankrupt in 2000. In 1999, after an auction by the mortgagees, a company by the name of RDM Holding acquired most of the assets and created two companies Tierra del Sol Real Estate and Tierra del Sol Golf Course. The buyer was determined to run them well because both entities have been in trouble for quite some time. In walks Joep v/d Nieuwenhuyzen, as the new owner. He was affiliated to a well-known hotel chain in the Netherlands, v/d Valk, and when they decided to expand their hospitality empire, Joep headed to the Caribbean. His company, Valor International, purchased the property from the bankruptcy proceedings

As I said, the past continues to haunt us. Years earlier, brother Jeroen had loaned Joep about $7 million so Joep could buy a helicopter company, and when that venture went sideways and Joep’s legal challenges in Europe exploded, the only meaningful collateral left was TDS.

While Joep was trying to pay his brother back, the loan and the interest accumulated. He tried an escape route, selling the company to Michael Belfonte, a New Yorker, specializing in distressed assets. His finance company tried to buy the property, and entered into tentative negotiations, but the sides could not agree on the price.

In late 2006, when the deal with Belfonte collapsed. Jeroen only had one way to protect himself, and that was to take control of TDS, as a form of payment, not to develop it, not to hold it forever. Simply try to recover his money.

That is how Jeroen ended up holding the keys. He was never a visionary like his brother, Jeroen was never the guy pushing big resort dreams, and never the one trying to run the business well. His involvement was financial, and the property continued to suffer.

Enter Bas v/d Nieuwenhuyzen, grandson of Gerrit v/d Valk. While Jeroen wanted out — quickly and cleanly — Bas had a different vision, and he sold it to his v/d Valk uncles: Why sell TDS to outsiders when the family can own it?

(At the time, a number of serious buyers with structured deals and upfront cash, debt absorption, professional governance, and downside protection, were also interested to buy.)

But at the eleventh hour, those deals were pushed aside, instead, the v/d Valk family — through v/d Valk International — stepped in and paid roughly $20 million to buy TDS back, effectively bailing out Jeroen and closing the chapter on his involvement.

The resort stayed in the family and Bas became its managing director.

From late 2008 through 2013, TDS steadily deteriorated. Financing never stabilized. Development stalled. Costs ballooned. Whatever institutional discipline serious buyers would have imposed simply was not there.

By 2013, the project collapsed into bankruptcy.

The v/d Valks, who had paid $20 million only a few years earlier — were forced to COMMIT TO SELL the wreckage to FMV Holding for a fraction of that amount.

There was no money exchange, FMV tried to rehabilitate the company FIRST by a suspension of payment granted for six months, THEN once things stabilized, they said, they committed to paying for it.

That company’s name is an acronym of three names, Ed Frieman, Michael Mattalo and Martijn Van Romondt, the first is a NY investment expert, with no digital footprint, the second a Canadian HR and admin specialist, and the third our very own local businessman, with the deep pockets.

They did a few good things for TDS. They started a turnaround plan but burdened by creditors, and extraordinarily little investment the property continued to suffer and deteriorate.

Most of us remember the golf course never got any water, and WEB insisted on collected past due amounts. BUT FMV negotiated with the tax collector and managed to acquire an option for TDS for the issue of land for the development of a hotel.

A hotel was always in the master plan, it was the centerpiece of the Sun Development’s vision, a world class, five-star, luxury resort and spa, with 200-250 rooms which remains unbuilt till today.

In January 2023, an announcement sent around stated that TDS, Real Estate NV, and TDS Golf Course NV., had exciting news to share: The Iberostar Group assumed ownership of both companies, which brings, and I quote, a deep commitment to Aruba, backed up by an unparallel track record in the industry. Iberostar Group is a leading tourism company that is committed to developing a responsible, tourism model, focused on caring for both people and the environment. It has more than one-hundred, 4 and 5- star properties in the most popular holiday destinations in Europe Africa and America. And they are planning to build 450 rooms, 250 hotel rooms, 50 dwellings, and 150 timeshares, beside totally rehabilitating the property.

(Which I personally think they deserve to build in view of their enormous investment, here.)

That is where I got lost. Who paid the v/d Valks for the resort they sold. FMV? FMV just managed, it was not a real estate deal, they just agreed on the sale, but no money change hands, as far as I know.

So interesting. More than a decade later, v/d Valk is still in court, still appealing, still fighting to recover pieces of that lost investment. Courts overturn rulings. Cases get sent back. Lawyers keep billing. The money, however, never came back.

Good news: TDS is a healthy company again.

No job is done until the paperwork is done.

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/no-job-is-done-until-the-paperwork-is-done/

The man at the heart of one of the biggest financial scandals in the Caribbean, dies.

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/the-man-at-the-heart-of-one-of-the-biggest-financial-scandals-in-the-caribbean-dies/

The road to hell is paved with political intention

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/the-road-to-hell-is-paved-with-political-intention/

Rules are Rules

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/rules-are-rules/

Don’t worry be happy

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/dont-worry-be-happy/

The St Regis Aruba Resort celebrates its first anniversary

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/the-st-regis-aruba-resort-celebrates-its-first-anniversary/

The St Regis Aruba Resort threw a swanky party on January 23rd to commemorate its opening just one year ago. The party was enthusiastically attended by tourism movers, and shakers.

The resort showed off its culinary excellence and entertained its VIP guests in great style, in line with its storied legacy.

The St Regis international hotel chain embodying upscale luxury is almost 100 years old.

It’s first hotel in NY was built by multi-millionaire John Jacob Astor in 1904. He made his fortune through animal fur trade and real estate investments. Imagine, each room had its own telephone which was the height of technology. Over the years it was home to the NY rich and powerful who dropped in for high-tea, and sipped champagne.

Astor’s wife, Carolina, a true diva, the Queen of New York high society, during that Gilded Age, allowed only 400 of her richest friends to attend the glitzy parties she hosted at the hotel and her legacy of glamour lives on today through many of the St. Regis exclusive partnerships with world-class couture designers and global tastemakers.

The modern version of the St Regis brand was launched in 1998, in Colorado.  Then in 2016 the Marriott chain took over the St. Regis brand as part of its acquisition of Starwood, which is how the idea of building a St Regis, in the empty lot to the left of the Riu Antillas, was born.  

The St Regis Aruba is a gorgeous beachfront resort. As you recall, the terrain is privately owned by the developer. The spectacular views are framed in oversize glass windows, on almost every floor, offering 252 rooms including 52 suites. Guests enjoy all that Aruba has to offer, plus, plus — private cabanas at the infinity pools, the St Regis Spa, with sauna and Hamam, and the exclusive rooftop Akira Buck restaurant, delivering a super-luxurious experience.

The resort delivers traditional St. Regis practices, with great passion and excitement. An Evening Ritual featuring champagne, opened with a saber, which involves hitting a very cold bottle neck with a sword, to dramatically slice off the cork part of the neck, unfolds every day.

The cork flies open if the properly chilled bottle is hit it at the right angle at the right place — on the almost invisible bottle seam.

That tradition hails back to Napoleonic soldiers, who used their swords to open bottles in victory.

The French also repeat a Napoleonic quote: “Champagne: in victory, one deserves it; in defeat, one needs it.”

The original Bloody Mary cocktail was created at the famed hotel, at the King Cole Bar, in NY in 1934, perfecting the relationship between vodka and tomato juice. It stayed a signature cocktail in over 40 St. Regis hotels and resorts around the world and is prepared and served at the St. Regis Aruba, as Bon Bini Mary, with elaborate garnishes for breakfast, and during the day. After more than 80 years, the iconic Bloody Mary is still bold, spicy, savory, and the cure for hangovers.

The St. Regis Aruba Resort’s additional dining experiences include Eskama, an Italian-accented Mediterranean restaurant, and Nuba, an Aruban-inspired pool and beachside restaurant. In addition to the property’s restaurants, The St. Regis Aruba Resort features two bars, The St. Regis Bar and Ventura, in the casino, and a coffee shop, Grano Café.

The St Regis Casino has in just one year become a local gaming favorite.

The resort’s 20,000 square feet of elegantly appointed indoor and outdoor function spaces combine with exceptional service, have been hosting a great number of executive functions and celebrations. The Astor Ballroom is a quintessential venue that suites every occasion.

We wish the St Regis Aruba Resort grace by timeless glamour with a vanguard spirit, continued success in its second year!!