Cuppa Connections Episode 9: The Experience of a Lifetime

I can't say about my time visiting Aruba. It feels like home, and I wanted to share with you my personal life changing experience on this tiny Island. 

I hope you enjoy it!

Transcript

Portia: 0:00

Hey guys, welcome to Cuppa Connections. I'm Portia, and we're here coming to you from our virtual cafe, Better with a Cup of Coffee. We are savoring relationships with coffee lovers around the world and sharing their experiences that have been better with a cup of coffee. Today's episode is about the community in Aruba. So, we arrived in Aruba the 13th of September, and we stayed in the community of San Nicolas beforehand. Kate and I had been around Aruba, and staying in various Airbnbs. From a lovely home in Savaneta with our friends Wanda and Klaus. And then we moved on to a airstream in Matividiri, which is just special in his own right. So we wanted to try something different. We always like to try Airbnbs versus a hotel. And, it's all about the best experience, the most fun, to do something different. So we looked up places to stay in San Nicolas, and we found a lovely Airbnb. The reviews were phenomenal, and they specifically spoke about the host Renato, and how he was just a gem. So, I thought, well you know what? Let's let's do it Kate. Let's go ahead and see what San Nicholas is about because we wanted to also see where we wanted to live. We want to move to Aruba. Aruba feels like home to us. So we want to stay in various places to get a taste of where we want to call home. We WhatsApped Renato and from maybe a couple of months out started communicating with Renato, and he was so lovely and his, personality came through the WhatsApp, you know, it's just filled with joy. So anyway, when the time came, we took the COVID test beforehand, but it wasn't the right COVID test. We didn't realize that until we get off the plane in Aruba, and we have to take another COVID test, but we have to stay inside until we get the test results. We couldn't go anywhere. So, we rented the car, we always do, from the airport. We drove to our destination, which we're pretty familiar with that side of town anyway, since we love that side of town, Savaneta, Mangel Halto that area versus Orajenstad and up where the tourists are. We get to our place. Our host meets us, and we told him that we had to stay inside. We couldn't go out to go grocery shopping. We were going to test it, but they said, no, don't do that because there have been times when the authorities, check you out. They will find out if you have left. So we just decided, okay, we're going to just hang tight, but then the question was, what are we going to do? Where are we going to eat? What are we going to eat? Don't, you know, the sign of a great host, just a wonderful human being Renato said, do you know what. What do you want? Matter of fact. I know this great spot. And I'm going to pick you up something for dinner. I'll bring it home after work. And sure enough. Knock, knock! Here comes Renato. He has this big two plates of food. It was this beautiful rotisserie chicken with rice and potatoes, and oh my God. So, he gets us that, and that just kick-started the trip. He made a cargo container into a little tiny house. So when we stayed there, it was private. We had our own section. His yard was pretty large so there was enough room to roam. It was our own resort. He had a pool. So the pool was there for us. He had various seating areas. We could use the grill if we wanted to. And, it just became so intimate that we have rarely went anywhere. And, the creme de la creme was climbing up on top of the place where we stayed. It was the best view. You could have a great view of the sun rising and the sun setting. And every morning, that's exactly what I would do. I would wake up, hear the roosters roost or whatever you call that noise that they make, make my coffee, and I would walk up this ladder on top of the roof and just sit there and watch the sunrise, have my cup of coffee, and filling this beautiful, warm tropical breeze. I couldn't have had a better start to my morning. That was the first great experience for that vacation. If you ever want that community feel, that's where you go, Savaneta, San Nicolas. Renato had told us that they call it the village. It's a lovely community. I would go for runs. I would feel extremely safe. The locals, they would wave at me. They would say good morning to me. We stayed from the 13th through the 21st. So we were there for about eight nights, and I didn't think nor Kate thought, that it could get better. And, we actually didn't want to leave. Renato and his wife, they were just such lovely hosts. I cannot say enough about the experience there, because it just cemented that the people in Aruba are so warm and inviting that you can't help but fall in love with it, in love with them. They don't call it one happy island for no reason. Their energy. Their love. They're joy makes you feel good? Again. I didn't think it could get any better. But I booked another Airbnb. And this is for our anniversary. So I knew that my wife, she loves the ocean. She's a Pisces. So the pictures showed that you had a view of the ocean right there in front of you, and you can see it from your apartment, but you also walk across the street and there it is. So, we bid our goodbyes to Renato. And, we're super excited about this day. We arrived and our hosts, Marie, was wonderful. She was so nice and welcoming, explaining everything. And so, we get to our room, and it was a lovely room. It was very intimate. It was beautifully designed. Nice size bathroom. Actually, lovely shower, all that stuff. Everything you would imagine, but we were both disappointed because when I booked it, and this is on me. You know, I was assuming it had, they had various apartments. So I was assuming that it had a place to cook because we like to cook. Yeah, of course, you know, to save money, but also we just love to cook just to experience, just to do what the locals do. You know, we're not about going out to restaurants all the time. We want to just relax, make that Airbnb or that location where we're staying feel like home, and that's the way we want it. Needless to say we were pretty disappointed. I was this close from calling Renato and saying, Hey, can we come back? But then Kate said, you know what? Just give it a night, just give it a night, and. I said, all right. Fine. I'll give it a night. Marie, when we checked in, she was telling us, you know, what was around there, and she told us about this place that her friend had opened. She and her husband lived in this house behind Marie's property. Her friends had turned their living room into a little restaurant. I said, all right, well, I'm going to take a look around. Kate and I walked back behind the property. We crossed this dirt road. And, we came right when there was nothing happening. They were getting ready for dinner. So it wasn't open. We'll come back the next day, because you don't need a reservation for breakfast or lunch, but you do need a reservation for dinner. So I said, you know what, I'll come back. The next day came. And of course, what I said I was going to do. Gave it the night to get a feel of the place. We woke up around seven o'clock I think. I made my coffee. And they had lounge chairs for us. Walked across the street. And, let me tell you. All of the colors on the blue spectrum, we saw. You're looking at a sea of blue. Generally, you know, in Aruba you have the beaches. They're flat, and you just walk onto the beach. Well, this particular section, it was only a small section, was a cliff. We set our chairs underneath this tree. And, we sat there for hours having our coffee, watching the sunrise and we were at peace. You remember in the movie Eat, Pray, Love this guy brought up the art of doing nothing? That's how I felt in that moment. When I was sitting in my chair, and watching nature unfolding in front of us having the coffee, It was the most magical moment I have experienced. But of course, stomach is rumbling. Okay. So it's time to eat. Hadn't had breakfast or anything. So I said, all right, I'm going to check out this restaurant. I'm going to go back there and sure enough, it was open. And then I met the owner. Her name was Ana. Ana is so warm and inviting and, I knew instantly that I was going to have a great experience. She was explaining that she and her husband thought well, let's convert our living room into this restaurant. You have two tables. One closest to a window, one right in the middle. And then you walk out of that area on to a patio and it was a long table, and it's like a communal table, you know. It could probably seat eight to 10 people. And it was just lovely. Her husband is an artist. He does a lot of wood carvings and painting like that. So it was a beautifully decorated. Then Ana was saying. You know, what would you like to eat? She had suggested empanadas. I didn't want anything big and neither did Kate. So, I chose a pork and fish. And then I said, you know, I don't normally drink cappuccinos or lattes that much, but. I said, you know what? I want to try a cappuccino. Honey. Why did I try her cappuccino? I'm telling you right now. It blew my socks off. I am not kidding. I'm not over-exaggerating. It was made one, with love. And two, believe it was a Mexican coffee that she, she chose. And, it was just lovely. It was the best cappuccino one, that I have ever had in my life. Two, it was the best coffee that I've had on the island. And, I've been to other coffee shops and, and not to knock any other coffee shops, So, she and her husband have created such a wonderful environment not only for them, for her family, because it's her husband, herself, her daughter, her mother and her father. And, they're all there. And they came from Venezuela, she was saying. They have been in Aruba for a number of years and they, they have just created this wonderful home environment for themselves, for the locals, for people like yourself who want to try something different. But it's different because the restaurant it's like the glue. Ana and her husband's special place, Anate, is the beach apartments to the left. They're two. They're lofts. They have a beautiful pool in the back and then they have a restaurant, but That restaurant to me is the glue for the community, for the guests, because you have Ana's location. And then you have Marie's location, the apartments that we stayed in. Then next door to Marie's, you have these beautiful eight apartments, but that restaurant ties it all in. You know, if you were in Aruba, and you just want to spend a weekend where you can go and just chill. Relax. You have the beach there. You have your apartments of choice, and you have a restaurant. I said to Kate. It felt like a community like Friends. You know, the show Friends? You know, where they're in the coffee shop, and it's just that family atmosphere? That's how it felt to me. When I experience that atmosphere that Ana and her husband created. And you walk into this restaurant. It just ties everything up in a bow. It's a community of love, joy, of happiness. It's a safe place because you know what Mangel Halto, it's in the Savaneta area. It's right below the airport. You're going away from the hustle and bustle, and you're going into a quieter area, So, you're getting all of that experience in a nutshell. It was the most amazing experience of my life. Not only because of the beach that serenity, that. It gave us. But that local community, homey vibe that you don't get too many places. That's what I want to share with you guys. So, that was just one day. That was just the day after I thought it was a disaster of actually staying there. I couldn't have been more wrong and thank God I was wrong because it was just surreal. Then, the next day, I made the dinner reservation in the morning. We specified what we wanted because she asked and, we wanted something light. The menu was already laid out for us for dinner. And so we do go back for dinner around seven, which that's kind of late for us, but it's the experience, right? That's what we wanted. I take Kate back there. And, Kate's a energy feeling person. If energy's not right, she doesn't feel right. And, instantly she got it. We sat outside under the stars and, it's just a very romantic place, especially in the evening. And we had a salad, sweet red peppers stuffed with quinoa and mushrooms, mahi fish, and baby potatoes. And, we just sat there and listened to the Bossa Nova music. We chilled so hard. We had a smile on our faces from beginning to end. You know, we were smiling while we were chewing. You know what I'm saying? It was just one of those things. It was one of those experiences where, as I said, you couldn't think that it could get any better? And we felt that. And more importantly for me, I always love when my wife has a great experience, That just makes it even better for me. You know, she's yin to my yang. You know how, how that goes when you have a wonderful partner, you just want to share everything with, but you want the best for them? You want them to have a better experience than yourself. And that's how I felt. And when I saw her face and how she was taking it all in. The love and appreciation of this family, how they've opened their homes to us, for you, if you were to choose to go. I think this is what takes your vacation to the next level. And why am I telling you all of this? Because, It is about having the best time that you possibly can. And we did that. And again, I didn't think he could get any better. The last day of our trip, we go back to the restaurant and have breakfast, some coffee. And, we're sitting at the big table outside. And then all of a sudden, these four ladies come. Right. And you could tell they are friends. They've known each other it seems like for decades. They sit down at the table with us. We introduce ourselves and, we just chatting it up. And they tell us that they live in the community, and they come to Mangel Halto every morning. How cool is that? I mean, who wouldn't want that? They meet at this beach, go for a swim, laugh, talk, or what have you. Then, they go to Ana's, and they have breakfast. It was Friends all over again. You know, they just felt like friends. That's what Aruba gave me. It gave me a sense of love that has been unmatched. You know, people just wanting to know how you're doing. You know, where are you from? And then, they share about their life and, you know, that's the whole beauty of growth, right? It just opens up a whole nother experience of learning about other cultures. Kate and I, were just so happy to go deeper into the community and the culture of Aruba. And I tell you. I wish that everyone could experience that for themselves. Aruba is a special place. Aruba has a special place in my heart, and I wanted to share that with you. I hope when you go on vacation, when you go out of your environment, hope that you embrace the love that's around you. I bid you a great day my friends. It wasn't a podcast with a guest this time because I wanted to share something personal with you. And I hope you enjoyed it. Bye-bye. I am Portia White, and I hope you've enjoyed today's conversation. I'd like to give a special thanks to our sponsor, betterwithacupofcoffee.com. If you like what you heard, please rate and review our podcast, and join us again soon at Cuppa Connections.