Aruba: The Lifestyle Issue

ATheRU BA Lifestyle Issue

it’s carnival time!

In any given January, while we are in the midst of winter hibernation here in the UK, over in Aruba people will be having an altogether different experience. This is their Carnival time, when jovial crowds party in the streets day and night. And they do this for three months; January, February and March. Just as we thought our gloomy start to the year couldn’t get more depressing…

Landing in a destination like Aruba, you’ll be greeted by stunning Caribbean beaches and some much needed R&R. Unfortunately; you’ll also be greeted by temptation.

The temptation to indulge in the island’s finest cuisine and exotic cocktails. Non-stop.

Now, basking on the beach whilst we slowly slip into food or alcohol induced holiday comas is exactly how we like to spend our days in the Caribbean. However, we appreciate that some of you worked incredibly hard for that

beach body and don’t want to blow all of that effort in just one week.

Sensible thinking.

To help you guys out, we’ve come up with a neat little list detailing a 20 minute exercise routine.

Squeeze this in to your ‘busy’ beach schedule twice a day and you’ll be guilt-free when you find yourself glugging that Sex on the Beach. We know – holidays are thirsty work.

a ca rribean snack attack Just because you can’t be there at this moment in time, it doesn’t mean you can’t fill your life with beach treats to keep you going until the next time your daydreams become reality. We love nothing more than pumping up the central heating, slapping on our favourite holiday tunes and hosting a (rather predictably) themed soiree. And what better place to transport yourself than the Caribbean? A place where rum punch is drunk like water

and menus are stuffed with fresh fish, we’re going to help you party Aruba-style.

Where our Spanish amigos make croquettes, and the mamas in Italy serve up arancini, in Aruba you can gorge on Balchi di Pisca; their answer to deep-fried deliciousness.

These little balls made from salt cod (or salmon) and, served with a punchy cocktail, are a sure fire way to give your next party a tropical twist. Here’s how to make them.

i n gredi ents 1 salted cod, or bakijow Discard the water.

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced 1 tomato, peeled and chopped 1/2 green pepper, chopped 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 1 clove garlic, slivered 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce, or minced hot pepper Dash of nutmeg Salt and pepper to taste 1 egg

c ooking instructio n s Soak the salt cod for twenty-four hours, then discard the water.

Place the cod in saucepan, with fresh water to cover it, and simmer gently until the fish flakes easily. Strain the fish, reserving a bit of the watery broth. Next, de-bone the cod and set it aside for later use.

Put the potatoes in a saucepan with water and bring to boil. When they are tender, drain them and add the cod to the potato. Mash the two thoroughly together.

In a blender, mix the prepared tomato, green pepper, onion, garlic, Tabasco, nutmeg, salt and pepper. After a few seconds of blending, pour the sauce over the fish mixture and combine the ingredients well, with the egg included. Once the mixture is stiff enough, mold it into balls that are about one and a half inches in diameter (if it’s too dry, add the fish stock a tablespoon at a time). Fry the balls in hot, deep fat until golden brown and crispy.

Beat the B ulge on your C aribbean Getaway Landing in a destination like Aruba, you’ll be greeted by stunning Caribbean beaches and some much needed R&R. Unfortunately; you’ll also be greeted by temptation.

The temptation to indulge in the island’s finest cuisine and exotic cocktails. Non-stop.

Now, basking on the beach whilst we slowly slip into food or alcohol induced holiday comas is exactly how we like to spend our days in the Caribbean. However, we appreciate that some of you worked incredibly hard for that

beach body and don’t want to blow all of that effort in just one week.

Sensible thinking.

To help you guys out, we’ve come up with a neat little list detailing a 20 minute exercise routine.

Squeeze this in to your ‘busy’ beach schedule twice a day and you’ll be guilt-free when you find yourself glugging that Sex on the Beach. We know – holidays are thirsty work.

5 minute warm up jo g across the sand 50 jumping jacks 2x30 second plans 20 lunges 10 push ups 50 jumping jacks 30 crunches Cocktail

how to be a billionaire Sorry – that title may be a little misleading. This isn’t a fool proof guide to making your millions. Actually, it’s quite the opposite… it’s more of a guide to procrastinating, as we dream of what sort of things one can do when money is no object and you’re planning a trip to the Caribbean.

Oh well, you’re here now, so you might as well join us as our minds wander to gold plated yachts

and magnums of champagne sipped under a bright Aruban sun.

Seriously, you won’t believe that some of these things even exist…

Disclaimer – if any of us were actually billionaires, we’d never spend our money on any of this. It would all go to charity, obviously…

1

3

Charter the Gulf Stream G650 private jet from London to Aruba and you’re looking at a hefty £105,000 price tag. But we’re billionaires remember, that’s nothing.

The interiors are incredibly swish – think leather lounge chairs, large beds and a fully equipped kitchen. Long haul never looked so good.

Everyone loves taking pictures on holiday and when you’re somewhere as beautiful as the Caribbean; your snap-happiness might well go into overdrive. So, how to take the perfect photo, billionaire style? With a £30,000 camera, obviously. The Hasselblad H4D 200MS boasts a mind boggling resolution of 200 million pixels (this thing has to be better than our actual eyes, surely?!) and so the images you capture will be perfectly coloured and astoundingly detailed. But just imagine if you dropped it…

2

4

Honestly? We’d just be happy to spend a week on your bog standard, metal yacht. A yacht is a yacht, after all. But when you’ve got money to burn, we guess upping the ante to a gold plated version is standard practice. The yacht in question is called The History Supreme and had around 100,000 kg of the precious metal poured into its manufacture. Inside you’ve also got rooms adorned in platinum and, of course, a genuine T-Rex dinosaur bone on display (we were going to wonder why, but then we remembered this is a gold yacht and figured nothing is too strange). Yours for three billion pounds. Sounds reasonable, right?

After a week sailing from beach to beach, eating in Aruba’s most incredible restaurants and relaxing in the island’s most revered spas, you’ll want to make sure you end on a high. Moor up at sunset and go grab the bottles of Goût de Diamants, Taste of Diamonds Champagne that you’ve left cooling in the fridge. A great refresher after a day in the sun, these tipples will only set you back 1.2 million a bottle. That averages at around £200,000 a glass. £200,000.

And on that note, we’ll end the feature here. We sincerely hope we haven’t ruined your day.

1

2

3

4