This just in: Aruba is going upmarket. Stroll through the Renaissance Mall in the capital, Oranjestad, and you'll find a brand-new Louis Vuitton store where McDonald's used to be, plus Gucci, Façonnable, Furla and Bulgari showrooms nearby. Paseo Herencia, the swanky new outdoor shopping mall that opened early this year in Palm Beach, features high-end boutiques, a mellow coffeehouse, a suave new club and a nightly water-fountain show. As a pared-down, contemporary aesthetic replaces dated décor and the strains of jazz mask the clink of slot machines, visitors will find plenty of new eateries, revamped hotels and posh night life on this Dutch Caribbean favorite.
RESORT REFINEMENTS The Westin Aruba Resort was remodeled last year, and now this Palm Beach fixture, which hosts the annual Food, Wine and Art Festival, is boosting its culture-vulture appeal with a new gallery that features local and international artists. Over in Oranjestad, the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino has unveiled its overhauled Okeanos Spa on the adults-only side of the resort's two properties. Meanwhile, the island's top boutique hotel, Bucuti Beach Resort, has gotten cyber-savvy with web cams that allow guests to s
end virtual vacation postcards home to their envious friends and family.
GOOD GRAZING Sleek, modern style is on the menu at several local restaurants. Diners at Divi's circular Windows on Aruba are wowed by a striking Dale Chihuly chandelier and 360-degree views of the resort's golf course and the ocean beyond. The food, described as Nouveau American with Caribbean flair, is great, too. Chez Mathilde, a French fine-dining favorite for 20 years, has been restyled with computer-generated art, a white piano and a new, pared-down name, Matilde. The cuisine's also been revamped, with the addition of more contemporary French specialties. In Papiamento (the island's official language), the word sushi means "garbage," but that hasn't affected Arubans' taste for the Japanese specialty, served with style at Paseo Herencia's Nobushi.
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT Entering Mr. Jazz (below), on the upper level of Paseo Herencia, is like stepping back in time to Old Havana's heyday - except that the tequila goes for $30 a shot. The bar and live-music venue ain't cheap, but the jazz, Cohiba cigars and Aruba's best-dressed patrons combine to create a sophisticated atmosphere.
SHOP TO IT Aruba native Percy Irausquin was named the Netherlands' Fashion Designer of the Year; check out his collection of sleek, flowing silk dresses at Gimmick in Renaissance Mall. Think fashion is only for the way-too-thin? Not at Trash by Ronchi, which specializes in stylish, plus-sized island wear. At Paseo Herencia, The Mask's creations include vases and boxes made of mopa-mopa, a tree sap that's stretched, dried and inlaid onto these must-have works of art. And smokers will want to indulge in one of the hand-rolled creations of artisan cigar maker Aruhiba.
EASY RIDERS Fasten your seatbelts; TomCars have come to Aruba. Originally designed for the Israeli army, they ride lower than a Jeep and are more stable than an ATV. Since February, Aruba has been the only Caribbean island where you can drive one. Slip on your goggles and driving gloves and rev up for a tour of Arikok National Park, Baby Beach, Guadirikiri Caves or the stunningly desolate north coast. Independent four-wheel suspension ensures a smooth ride and makes this the most comfortable vehicle for off-roading through Aruba's cactus-strewn landscape.
ARUBIAN NIGHTS The most exotic new party palace in Aruba is Maison Madruga ("House of Midnight"), designer Fernando Mansur's at-home restaurant, with décor straight out of the Arabian Nights. You set up a priv
ate evening for a party of up to 20 guests. Simple dinner menus start at $30 per person, but if you pony up $500 for the works, get ready to suspend your disbelief: A red carpet flanked by bowls of fire leads you inside, where servers costumed as walking tables proffer champagne, aloe-filled chocolates and hors d'oeuvres. A "fountain" burbling in front of a 19th-century Chinese opium bed turns out to be a singer. After dinner, sip cognac among pillars of spandex and lighting fixtures draped with boas. The grande finale: a fireworks display, the perfect ending to a perfectly bizarre evening.
ARUBA: THE AGENDA
STAY The Westin Aruba Resort 800-937-8461; westinaruba.com From $309 in low season ($499 high); Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino 888-236-2427; renaissancearuba.com From $245 in low season ($424 high); Bucuti Beach Resort 888-428-2884; bucuti.com From $250 in low season ($354 high)
EAT Windows on Aruba 011-297-581-4653; windowsonaruba.com Entrées from $28; Matilde 011-297-583-9200; matildearuba.com Entrées from $26; Nobushi011-297-586-2211Sushi rolls from $12.50; Entrées from $23
PLAY Maison Madruga 011-297-742-0969; Mr. Jazz011-297-586-3800; mrjazzaruba.com TomCar tours 011-297-585-0027; arubaoffroad.com Excursions from $79; SHOPGimmick 011-297-583-9244; Trash by Ronchi 011-297-582-6632; The Mask 011-297-586-2900; mopamopa.com Aruhiba 011-297-586-7833
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