The Caribbean Heart
The Netherlands Antilles, previously known as the Netherlands West Indies or Dutch Antilles/West Indies, is part of the Lesser Antilles and consists of two groups of islands in the Caribbean Sea, Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire, the ABC Islands, just off the Venezuelan coast, and St. Eustatius-Statia, Saba and St. Martin, located southeast of the Virgin Islands. The islands form an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The islands` economy depends mostly upon tourism, international financial services, international commerce and shipping and petroleum. Willemstad is the territorial capital of the Netherlands Antilles.
The Netherland Antilles have no major administrative divisions, although each island has its own local government.
Aruba`s capital and largest city, Oranjestad, is on the island`s southern coast, pretty far to the west, where Mercury`s heel would be. The island`s hotels stretch along the back-to-back shores of Eagle Beach and Palm Beach, a couple of miles west of Oranjestad, or up the god`s Achilles` tendon.
Boomerang-shaped Bonaire is close to the coast of Latin America, just 81km, 50 miles north of Venezuela. Part of the Netherlands Antilles, an autonomous part of the Netherlands, Bonaire has a population of about 10.000 and an area of about 290 sq. km, 113 sq. miles. The capital is Kralendijk.
Unspoiled Bonaire is only gently touched by development. Although your options range from bird-watching to doing nothing, Bonaire is foremost a scuba diver`s delight and also offers some of the Caribbean`s best snorkeling.
Visitors come in Curaçao for its distinctive culture, warm people, duty-free shopping, lively casinos, and watersports. Fleets of tankers head out from its harbor to bring refined oil to all parts of the world. If you want grand high-rise resorts on spectacular beaches, head for Aruba. Curaçao has a few middle-bracket resorts on the beach, mostly along the island`s southern coast.
Because of all that early Dutch building, Curaçao is the most important island architecturally in the entire West Indies, with more European flavor than anywhere else.
In days gone by, the little Dutch island of St. Eustatius was the busiest port in the Caribbean, a kind of Pirates of the Caribbean scene with some 200 to 300 sailing vessels anchored in the harbor on any given day.
One of the smallest islands of the Netherlands Antilles, Saba is 240km, 150 miles east of Puerto Rico and 145km, 90 miles east of St. Croix. Most visitors fly from St. Martin, 45km 28 miles to the north. The official language of Saba is Dutch.
St. Martin and its neighbors Anguilla and St. Barts offer something for everyone: from pristine beaches and duty-free jewelry to amazing outdoors adventures and nocturnal life on the wild side.
ATRACTII
Aruba has the highest repeat-visitor rate in the Caribbean. When you tire of lolling on the beach, there`s scuba diving, snorkeling, great windsurfing, and all the other watersports you expect from a sun-and-sea vacation. On land, you can golf, ride a horse, hike, or drive an all-terrain vehicle over the island`s wild and woolly outback. Away from the beach, Aruba is a desert island full of cactus, iguanas, and strange boulder formations. Contrasting sharply with the resort area`s serene beaches, the north coast features craggy limestone cliffs, sand dunes, and crashing breakers.
At Aruba Music Festival 9-10 Oct 2009 annual, location Oranjestad. Catch stellar international headliners at the two-day Aruba Music Festival in the Aruba Entertainment Center. Past performers include Gloria Estefan, REO Speedwagon, Peter Frampton and Queen, with vocalist Paul Rodgers.
Heineken Aruba Catamaran Regatta 6-13 Nov 2009 annual, location in Palm Beach. Aruba`s Catamaran Regatta has become a highlight of the year, as champions and eager beginner sailors alike converge on Palm Beach for some serious sailing. With its temperate winds, conditions off the island are ideal for the vessels.
Bonaire is a bird-watcher`s haven, where flamingos nearly outnumber the sparse human population. There are about 200 different species of birds, not only the flamingo, but also the big-billed pelican, parrots, snipes, terns, parakeets, herons, and hummingbirds. A pair of binoculars is an absolute necessity.
Bonaire isn`t just surrounded by coral reefs, it is the reef sitting on the dry, sunny top of an underwater mountain. The road north is one of the most beautiful stretches in the Antilles, with turquoise waters on your left and coral cliffs on your right. You can stop at several points along this road, where there are paved paths for strolling or bicycling.
Washington Slagbaai National Park has varied terrain that includes desertlike areas, secluded beaches, caverns, a visitor center, and a bird sanctuary. Occupying 6.000 hectares, 14.820 acres of Bonaire`s northwesternmost territory, the park was once plantation land, producing divi-divi, aloe, and charcoal; today it functions as a wildlife preserve.
The largest of the Netherlands Antilles, Curaçao is 60km long, 37 miles and 11km, 6 3/4 miles across at its widest point. Because of all that early Dutch building, Curaçao is the most important island architecturally in the entire West Indies, with more European flavor than anywhere else. After leaving the capital, Willemstad, you plunge into a strange, desertlike countryside evocative of the U.S. Southwest. The relatively arid landscape is studded with three-pronged cactus, spiny-leafed aloe, and divi-divi trees, with their windblown foliage. Classic Dutch-style windmills are scattered in and around Willemstad and in parts of the countryside.
In St. Eustatius you can hike around the base of the Quill, an extinct volcano on the southern end of the island. Wandering through a tropical forest, you`ll encounter wild orchids, philodendron, heliconia, anthurium, fruit trees, ferns, wildlife, and birds, along with the inevitable oleander, hibiscus, and bougainvillea.
Saba`s siblings such as St. Martin are known for gambling casinos, beaches, and plush resorts, and little St. Eustatius remains locked in a time warp. Saba has no casinos, no beaches to speak of, and is a bit of a sleepy backwater and there in lies its charm.
In St. Martin you can stay in charming Creole cottages or world class resorts and you can dine very well indeed at casual beach barbecues or grand temples of gastronomy.
