Sharing the ins & outs of our magical Sustainability Tour

For Boardwalk sustainability is not a trend, it is a way of living, deeply rooted in Aruba’s island rhythm and respect for place. We’ve long dedicated our efforts and energy towards initiatives and operational practices that support and protect our local environment and community, while creating meaningful guest experiences. During the Sustainability Tour, which is a guest experience by itself, you’re invited on a journey through our gardens and learn about various other meaningful experiences along the way.

Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba introduced exclusively curated local experiences and precious on-island addresses in 2014, which over time evolved into five themed Treasure Maps. Our number one goal right from the start has always been to engage our guests in experiencing the island. This is based on our fundamental belief that Aruba is the destination, not the hotel where you are staying. For our guests to truly experience Aruba the way locals do the Boardwalk team went out of its way to turn that mission into reality. Of the five Treasure Maps, themed Romance, Wellness, Exploration, Culture and Do Good the last-mentioned focuses on volunteer work and community service our guests can participate in. At the start of the Sustainability Tour every participant receives a printed Do Good Treasure Map, as a meaningful keepsake and a reminder that giving back during your stay can be very easy, purposeful and rewarding.

With the Do Good Treasure Map already in the pocket, the Sustainability Tour makes a first stop in the Lobby Shop, filled with handmade jewelry, knitted gifts, arts and crafts (some made by Boardwalk’s own staff members) and a selection of locally produced products varying from Aruba Aloe beauty products to the local brew Balashi and a canned version of the national cocktail, Aruba Ariba. Why we carry all these locally made and produced gifts, potions, lotions and crafts? It is another way of supporting our local small entrepreneurs and artists and giving back to the local economy, which fits our sustainable promise.

Once outside in the bright morning sun the very first bites come out of a cute picnic basket. The Sustainability Tour is in that regard a stimulation of all senses: you will feel the wind in your hair, smell the sweet scents of blossoming plumeria, taste a wide variety of local fruits and nuts that grow in Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba’s lush garden, hear the exotic sounds of bird song while your eyes wonder through a kaleidoscope of colors. During close to 10 stops there is a tiny tasting involved of everything that grows on Boardwalk’s grounds, from fresh almonds from the tree, cracked before your eyes, to tamarind, dragon fruit,

mango, kenepa fruit, and fresh coconut. The tour also shares local wisdom and practices to cure and sooth wounds, burns, scars and sickness. There’s a demonstration how to cut and apply fresh aruba aloe gel and you’ll learn of its healing benefits and capacities. During our tour we were also served a tasting of calabash syrup which has equally healing powers.

During the Sustainability Tour participants are also educated on the history of Palm Beach, the palm-fringed area filled with long stretches of white sand beaches and the special location of Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba. From the late 1800’s until the mid 1950-ies, the grounds of Boardwalk served as a working coconut plantation. The only dwelling that was ever built on these grounds, prior to the conversion into a small surfer retreat in 1989, was preserved and is one of Boardwalk’s 49 different casitas to choose from. The tour guide makes a stop at this historic casita and the information board that shares in-depth information on Boardwalk’s history as a coconut plantation. 

Other remnants of the former plantation days is the still existing coral stone wall that runs alongside the wooden boardwalk towards the main gate. Till this day Boardwalk integrates its history as a former coconut plantation in guest experiences and names, such as The Coco for its onsite bar and restaurant, the Coco Colada as a signature drink, and a fresh coconut filled with delicious coco water during the Sustainability Tour. 

Let me tell you ‘bout the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees. That song is so applicable to this Sustainability Tour at Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba. Not a treetop, blooming flower or bird nest remains unspoken. On the tour I participated in for this blog we were lucky enough to spot two burrowing owls, or ‘shoco’ as they are called in our native language Papiamento. The shoco is Aruba’s national symbol and an endemic, endangered species. Only 200 breeding pairs are still alive and Aruba is the only place on earth where you will find this tiny owl. We spotted a pair of shocos in the protected wetland, a saliña, adjacent to Boardwalk. Other unique sightings during past Sustainability Tours were nests of hummingbirds and viewings of the rare santanero, a harmless yet also endemic and endangered snake in Aruba. Multiple sorts of lizards and geckos, stray cats, troupial birds and bananaquits can also be spotted while touring the grounds, along with other 3,000 plants and trees, most of which are local.  

Another stop during the Sustainability Tour zooms in on ways to support the environment and alleviate the use of local resources. Guests are informed where and how they can dispose of waste material, and how to separate it for recycling purposes. Further stimulation of lending a hand to collect waste and unwanted plastics or non-degradable materials is pointed out in the form of some empty buckets dangling over the recycling station. Guests that bring an empty bucket with them to the beach or island excursion and fill it with collected waste, receive a bucket of local Balashi beers upon their return to Boardwalk as a thank you. The composting stations on the parking lot, disguised in hot pink hues, show off their ‘adorable’ qualities while being super useful at the same time. Each casita’s kitchen is equipped with a small composting bin and guests are encouraged to drop their organic waste in it. 

Housekeeping staff then collects and drops the daily proceeds in larger composting bins where the waste material turns into excellent fertilizer for Boardwalk’s lush gardens. These are just some examples how hotel guests are encouraged to help recycle and restore. And what’s for certain: after this Sustainability Tour our guests that participated in the tour looked at Aruba’s nature, its precious flora, fauna and natural resources with different eyes and a deeper understanding. Hoping you will join us in person soon, too!