Aruba’s minimum-wage change effective January 1, 2026, was a legislative change approved unanimously by Aruba’s Parliament on September 1, 2025, under the government led by Mike Eman. The change introduced a statutory minimum hourly wage of AWG 11.58 for employees aged 18 and older.

Workers doing 42, 44 or 45 hours a week receive higher minimum monthly pay than under the previous calculation, between Awg 121 and Awg 271 increase, depending on the number of hours worked.

I asked around and everyone agrees that this move would trigger additional inflation. In service reliant companies such as pool cleaning, housekeeping, an Awg 2,000 salary already means Awg 2,500 for the employer. Because margins are so minimal this will be charged back the consumer and prices will take a hike, further weakening our buying power. The cost of doing business is already too high on Aruba and small businesses are struggling, they will raise prices, then employees are again spending more, for less, and the cycle repeat.

A much better move would be to reduce the water, electricity and telephone rates which eat up big chunks of income. The state-owned companies providing these services are not supposed to make money, they should serve their communities instead of robbing their communities to feed the already inflated government machine. No more dividends to Cocolishi.

Many companies assured me they have very few people who earn minimum wages. Most companies supplement that to match CBS’s subsistence level according to each employee’s status – married or not, children, no children.

(The substance level in Aruba for one adult living alone Awg 2,697, two adults, with two children Awg 5,663. And it will go up the month following the minimum wage increase.)

It would be much more beneficial to take steps to lower the cost of living, by perhaps subsidizing healthy food, which would in turn influence the cost of healthcare. And healthier people are happier people. The BBO at the border and the cumulative BBO/AZV/BAZV levied on all goods and services makes everything on the island super expensive. It would be a genuine relief if the government lowered these two taxes and controlled the reduction, across the board, to verify it is indeed benefiting the people.

How about reducing the government’s expenses. Turn off lights, turn thermostats, limit travel, look at Arubus, the Post Office and all other semi-governmental agencies, to see where you can find savings, and use what you saved to invest in maintenance.

One of my friends writes: I can appreciate the desire to ensure a living wage but simply raising the minimum wage to a living wage does not accomplish that. First, we lack reliable data as to how many people actually only survive on minimum wages. Most minimum wage earners work in hospitality and take home a three- or four-digit amount in monthly tips (putting them over the minimum living wage).

Although well-intentioned, this suggested increase will inevitably have an inflationary effect, especially if government lacks the financial space to compensate employers for the increased expenses.

It’s also detrimental to our competitiveness as a country especially as the need to diversify our economy has never been greater. The previous and current governments are trying to develop an agricultural sector, matching the minimum wage to living wage will kneecap the burgeoning agricultural sector. To diversify the economy, government envisions the island as a hub for Latin America or European companies. The wage increase will kill our competitiveness, Bonaire has 0% corporate tax and Curacao will have a significantly lower minimum wage. That is not even taking into account the costs of production/operation in the region i.e. Panama, Colombia, Dominican Republic. Much better to reduce government costs and reduce or eliminate import tariffs, BBO at the border etc…

We are all aware of Ibersol Holding & Management VBA’s wish to build a hotel in the Hudishibana area, within the Tierra del Sol Golf community boundaries, and many have been protesting that plan, waving environmental flags.

While they do that, they do not really know the sequence of events that led us to the verdict in the case of the Government of Aruba Vs. Ibersol Holding & Management VBA.

When Tierra del Sol was first conceived as a planned community it included the construction of a hotel in the Hudishibana area. That was in 1995.

As you know the property was unlucky, owners came and went, one bankruptcy followed another, and finally the v/d Valks, who held the property were forced to COMMIT TO SELL the wreckage to FMV Holding, a local company. There was no money exchanged, FMV tried to rehabilitate Tierra del Sol FIRST by a suspension of payments granted for six months, THEN once things stabilized, they said, they committed to paying their bills.

That was the time the golf course got no water, remember? It was dying, WEB would not provide the course with water unless FMV showed WEB the money.

As FMV was struggling to ‘stabilized things,’ Ibersol Holding & Management VBA expressed interest in building the grandfathered hotel within Tierra del Sol and take that headache of land tax in arrear many years, and all other bills off FMV’s hands.

And that is exactly when the Government of Aruba asked Ibersol Holding & Management VBA to take over the whole kit and kaboodle, and that company for fear of being stuck with an upscale resort on a dying, derelict golf course, agreed to the deal, paid all unpaid taxes, cleared the books, pulled the owners association out of bankruptcy, pulled the real estate company out of bankruptcy and invested at least 10 million extra in rehabilitating the golf course, confident all along that the hotel construction will start any minute.

They put their money where their mouth was.

The government negotiated hard with Ibersol Holding & Management VBA, reducing the number of rooms, reducing the number of floors, refusing access to the beach at Arashi – yes, hotel guests will have to drive out of Tierra del Sol to get to the beach. The government nixed the all-inclusive idea and agreed to allow the construction of a super luxury, smaller property, issuing all permits.

Then for the last two-three years, the Government of Aruba has been unresponsive.

Ibersol Holding & Management VBA used the time to prepare a solid environmental plan, because the Natuurbeschermingsverordening, Nbv’s job is not to approve or disapprove development. The Nbv is design to investigate and plan how to deal with conservation, move plants, rearrange landscapes, with the aim of reducing environmental damages.

Ibersol Holding & Management VBA is prepared, it did its homework, it knows what to do with the 15 species of flora and 12 species of fauna in the project area, including eight protected species.

How do you know, you ask?

I know, because I live here and I see with what respect and diligence that company treats Tierra del Sol, its people, birds, and critters.

Ibersol Holding & Management VBA is a quality operator, and I do not want to see politics chase them out of the island. We know that all development on Aruba is like pulling teeth, painful and lengthy, I say, do not let a good fish get away. We already have a disaster of a refinery, abandoned, falling to pieces, don’t let it happen at Tierra del Sol.

The company invested millions in Aruba, since 2023, and must see a ROI, otherwise it will pull out, driven away by FALSE PROMISES.

Lincoln Gomez’ blog makes it clear that even GOA must operate within the law and cannot follow fly-by-the-seat-of-its-pants policies.

And while you put the policy into law, check how many condominium complexes are sprouting around the Eagle neighborhood – by far many more than what Ibersol Holding & Management VBA wants to build.

Attorney Dello Gomez: The Government may have a valid concern, but it must act according to the law

Attorney Lincoln “Dello” Gomez argues that the Aruba Government may have legitimate concerns about allowing another hotel to be built in the Tierra del Sol/Hudishibana area, particularly because of environmental and ecological considerations. However, those concerns do not give the Government the freedom to use whichever legal instrument it wishes to stop a project.

The case concerns Ibersol Holding & Management VBA, which already has a building permit and an excavation/construction permit for its proposed development. Because protected flora and fauna are present on the property, Ibersol also needed an exemption under Aruba’s Nature Conservation Ordinance (Natuurbeschermingsverordening, Nbv).

On September 30, 2026, the Court of First Instance annulled the Government’s previous refusals to grant the exemption and gave the competent minister three months to make a new decision.

A central issue identified by Gomez is who actually had the legal authority to make the original decisions. Although the Government reorganized its ministries and portfolios, the formal legislation transferring responsibilities had apparently not yet been adopted. Therefore, according to Gomez’s analysis, the minister who signed the refusals did not legally possess the authority to do so.

Gomez stresses that this is not merely a technicality. Government can reorganize responsibilities internally, but a power specifically granted by law to a minister cannot automatically be transferred simply because the Government has agreed internally to divide responsibilities differently.

The environmental issue

The Department of Nature and Environment (DNM) identified 15 species of flora and 12 species of fauna in the project area, including eight protected species. Concerns include the removal of vegetation and cacti with ecological value, water management, habitat connections, erosion, landscape impact and sustainable development.

Gomez says these are legitimate concerns that deserve serious attention. However, he argues that the legal question in this particular case is narrower: does the Nbv allow the Government to refuse the exemption on those grounds?

His interpretation is that the Nbv primarily protects individual protected plants and animals and their species. It is not a general planning instrument for evaluating every economic, social and environmental consequence of tourism development. Those broader considerations belong in other planning and permitting procedures—and Ibersol has already obtained its relevant permits.

The central message of his analysis is essentially:

Having a good reason is not the same as having the legal authority to act.

What happens next?

The court decision does not mean that Ibersol automatically has the green light to build the hotel. The competent minister must now reconsider the exemption legally and scientifically, including obtaining the required independent scientific advice and assessing Ibersol’s environmental management plan.

The minister can still refuse the exemption if a proper investigation and legal reasoning support that decision. Conditions could also potentially be attached to an exemption to reduce environmental impacts.

Gomez also raises concerns about transparency because the Government has acknowledged that it has an existing policy governing Nbv exemptions, but that policy is apparently no longer available on the Government’s website. In his view, citizens and businesses should be able to know the rules by which their applications are evaluated.

Ultimately, Gomez sees the case as being about something bigger than one proposed hotel: the Government itself must obey the law. A court decision may benefit a developer today, but the same principle can protect a citizen, business or environmental organization tomorrow when dealing with Government.

The popular Seaport Marketplace café hosted a weeklong celebration in honor of its anniversary, and all festivities were well attended by locals who have over the past decades met sweethearts, business partners, and mostly friends over coffee, beer, and cocktails, between its air-conditioned walls and on the al fresco terrace.

The café was originally opened at Swain Wharf, later Harbourtown, by an entrepreneurial Dutchman who arrived here in the late 80s, armed with some Food & Beverage expertise.

He opened a seafood restaurant under the pretentious Crazy Lobster name, and an adjacent Dutch style watering hole, Café the Plaza, a casual eating and drinking place that became an immediate hit among locals.

Remember, there were only a few places to go at the time, the Paddock was one of them, and as soon as Café the Plaza opened, it became the heart of town, the social hub, and meetings place, the one place where, if you go, you are guaranteed to run into people you know, or meet fresh faces — it was the place where everyone ended up.

Back to the Dutchman, Erick K. He spent much time with his mistress at the bar, and the bank came calling.

His two businesses were then sold by the bank to retired hotelier Roger D. Coster and two other business partners who were blown off the island of St Croix, by hurricane Hugo. The trio successfully replaced the Crazy Lobster by the Waterfront Crab house, but the bar, and the late-night goings-on, were not their cup of tea.

With the support of an investor Hans Nooter and Harry Koeman, Dutchmen who have been on the island for some time working for other F&B outlets, took over the place, they kept the name, Café the Plaza, and their touch proved golden, patrons appeared as if by magic.

The new owners took possession of the café in just one week. While they were painting and fixing their neighbor, Roger, from the Waterfront Crabhouse walked in to inspect their progress and express disbelief in their ability to open the following day. I will invite you all for lobster dinner, if you manage to open your door, he said, confident they would fail.

Harry reports they all enjoyed their lobster dinners, opening for business at a record time.

Café the Plaza really gave fair value, serving an all-day dining menu in a relaxed and very welcoming atmosphere. This still holds true, though there are a million other places one could hang out at.

Remarkably, everyone I talked to said they had fun working for the company, Jan Pieter, 9 years, Melushka, 7. They all agree, they worked hard and partied hardy.

In the early years, Café the Plaza became known for its outrageous and fun happenings. Who does not remember the weird Elfstedentocht? It was a team effort in barhopping in Oranjestad. Teams had to wear snorkels and flippers while bar hopping. Aruba had never witnessed anything like it before. Or after. The event was even written up in Dutch newspapers and it got television coverage as well. Other events included 19 editions of the Aruba Polesitting Championships, achieving record breaking results, fresh herring-eating evenings, tennis tournaments and legendary soccer matches, which were watched by hundreds of fans on big screens. The World Cup and European Championships in which the Dutch team, dressed in orange, inspires fans to dress alike, always features in everybody’s memory, and holds true today.

I met my business partner of almost three decades at Café the Plaza. My friends dropped into the arms of their partners and husbands there, later, they also met the second-round protagonists at the same place. They got engaged and divorced over cocktails, hired, and fired. I used to attend the weekly Quiz Night, on Tuesday evenings, religiously. When Hans Nooter passed away the annual commemorative Hans Nooter Golf Tournament, continued to draw big crowds.

Along the years the company which started with just one café ballooned into Aruba Wine & Dine and continues to grow having become one of the busiest, most diversified companies on the island.

The secret behind the company’s remarkable success was not Harry’s charm or personality. It was his ability to recognize hardworking, motivated, and ambitious young people with skills and potential, and to bring them into the business as partners. He is fearless about sharing. Because the recruits had a stake in the operation, they worked not only for Harry, but also for themselves. As the company grew, so did their own success, and Aruba Wine & Dine ultimately enabled many of the people who worked with it to become financially independent and successful in their own right, Evert Gerards, Kevin Slangen, Fabian Lantinga, just to name a few. There are many more across a network of twenty different businesses. Harry understood that success was not about relying solely on his own abilities. He was smart enough to recognize talent in others, give them the opportunity to grow, and bring their strengths together. In doing so, he built a company that became far stronger than the sum of its individual parts.

A generous check went towards the creation of a better drug addict halfway facility, while friends reminisced between beers. I heard a lot of fun stories, we live in a small community, and we are all raised by the village.

Did you notice I was off, a few days

It was in honor of a long weekend, family vacation, in Curaçao.

We booked Divi Divi Air and Kura Botanica for our stay and as far as these two companies are concerned, they delivered 100% on their promises.

No delays, no glitches, it all worked like clockwork!

We already stayed at Kura Botanica two years ago for the North Sea Jazz. The hotel was just taken over by new ownership, recovering from a fire and a bankruptcy, and we did not have a perfect stay. I looked at my blog from that trip. I did not even mention where we stayed, but this time I am full of praise. We loved it all, from super helpful front desk staffers to friendly housekeepers, a diligent bartender, and Miguel, an all-around charmer, a manager who is everywhere at the same time.

Kura Botanica. What opened in 1999 as Kura Hulanda by late Dutch philanthropist/billionaire Jacob Gelt Dekker as an 80 room luxury boutique resort housed in meticulously restored 18th and 19th century Dutch Colonial Caribbean buildings spread over several glorious courtyards, multiple pools, three award-winning restaurants, a cafe, and brand new spa and fitness center, was parred down and received a rewrite, a more sustainable format, in the form of a 40-room hotel, set in a specialty boutique and restaurant filled village. The village is open to the public, its tenants pay rent to the property, and I even met some life-loving residents who live, long term, on site. The hotel is enclosed within its gardens. Six gardeners, work around the clock to keep up with dropping leaves. We introduced ourselves to a few resident mousers, happy fat cats, hanging out at the Gelato corner, next to the band platform, and at the foot of the marble lions. Just one pool — stroll over to the village for all you F&B needs.

As I said, it was perfection, complete with new beds, and large pool towels.

The Kura Hulanda Museum has suffered in the transition from private loving ownership to financial independence, now paying rent to the property. The museum collections are not as complete and the air conditioning in one of the rooms has been out for three years. Nevertheless the museum is an especially important cultural component of any visit on the island of Curaçao. A gift to the island by the generous Dekker, a gift that keeps on giving, especially the Slavery Museum, as complete as I remember it from opening day!

I checked some prices to perhaps engage the services of a guide, to share with us what is new and what is happening. I was surprised how expensive tours got and decided to be the weaver of fact and fiction myself! My family members confirm, I did a decent job at explaining the sites, complete with dates and personalities.

There is a lot happening in Curaçao. A lot is good. But service is the Achilles heel, as the product diversifies and grows, while the service infrastructure has a tough time keeping up.

Luxury Taxi Service Curaçao took a credit card, which was helpful since I did not get any local currency upon arrival. Note to self, next time, do. On the other hand upon departure, the female taxi driver casually demanded cash, no change, no receipt of course. I am grateful the Kura Botanica crew came to the rescue, charging my card against cash.

We visited Flores Otrobanda, for several rounds of coffee and refreshments, at the Kura Botanica Village. A Cappuccino goes for 7 Xcg, and it is served with a cookie and a smile.

Viva Pizza and Pasta Bar fed us on two occasions, lunch. Their dining room is air conditioned. Did I mention Curacao is as hot as Aruba, in early October. Viva’s goat salad with pear, and chicken Xcg 42.

Gouverneur De Rouville left an extremely poor impression, when after being seated and given menus, we were asked to relocate, leave our front row table overlooking the bay, and Handelskade, because they had reservations, later. You should have seen the expression of disbelief on my face. The restaurant was not busy at all. You would think they “would cross the bridge when they got there,” and handle reservations as they come in, without throwing three lunch clients out. Their prices are reasonable, Poke Bowl Xcg 32.75, but they have zero common sense.

Very disappointing dinner at the second most expensive restaurant, Ocean House 19, Riff Fort Village. Zero effort at presentation. Staffers hurried, no attention to details or tiny requests. Dining terrace chaos. Every Thursday Curaçao throws a fireworks show over the abandoned Plaza Hotel tower. Restaurant guests get sparkler sticks, to swirl, which perfume the night air with Sulphur.

Very pleasant, mid-morning cocktails at Saint Tropez Ocean Club, Aperol Spritz Xcg 22. The gracious waitress tolerated my dissertation about French sex kitten actress Brigitte Bardot whose poster hangs on the wall. The Gen-Xer had no clue whose face she was looking at every day.

My third visit at Kome restaurant was tasty. Smoked Beef Brisket Xcg 60. Service was adequate at best. Plates arriving at the table before the previous course cleared. Minimal engagement with guests. I admire the staffers, up and down the steep stairs balancing ice buckets and cocktails. Desserts was out of this world. They are busy.

Caleo Crudos at Kura Botanica village delivered the most personable, caring service – our server, more like a hostess, made dinner a pleasant experience, and the food was particularly good. My bag hanger failed at its job. Must find another solution for ladies’ handbags.

When I first visited Mundo Bizarro in 2001, it was eclectic and Bohemian. Now it is just shabby and broken. Their kitchen is good. The cutlery could use a refresh. In fact the whole thing could use a refresh. Roti Xcg 34.50

As expected, lunch at the old market in town, Plaza Bieu, was stellar, Lunch x 4 Xcg 168.75. The iconic soul-food market is not air-conditioned, the dining-hall lined with food stalls offering traditional island cuisine. While renovated, it still looks the same. Memorable island food experience.

We loved walking over the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge and past the world-famous pastel-colored row of colonial merchant houses on the waterfront to the fruit & vegetable market. OK, some stalls offer souvenirs just like Aruba, but on others the variety of fresh fruit and vegetables is staggering. One of the vendors told us it takes 6 hours to Coro, Venezuela, to load up his boat, and that he makes the trip often, to feed Curaçaoënan with quality crops. He said he was hoping to expand his reach to Aruba in 2027.

We walked all over Punda and Otrabanda at all hours of the day and night. It is perfectly safe, and clean. Locals gathered at plazas on both sides of the bay to watch the National Soccer Team qualify for the quarterfinals in Panama at the nations league. Very cool to see, men, women, children, watching their heroes on giant screens.

Grote Knip was too crowded, and overpriced. Playa Kelki offered a better beach experience.

Numbers do not lie, the island must be doing something right, but must pay attention:

Curacao 578,814 / Aruba 1,152,109 = Stayover Arrivals YTD AUG 2026

Curacao 4,793,691 / Aruba 7,767,967 = Total Nights YTD AUG 2026

Curacao 590,829 / Aruba 628.511 = Cruise Arrivals YTD AUG 2026

Curaçao is heading to where Aruba is. Fast!

The airport is great, it is well roganized, yet extremely loud. The PA system blew our eardrums with frequent thunderous flight announcements.