Sun, sand, surf — all on a little island in the middle of a blue-green sea. Aruba is an island in the Netherlands Antilles and it is a wonderful destination for a vacation or a honeymoon.
Located about 15 miles off the coast of Venezuela, Aruba is the “A” in the “ABC” islands, which also include Bonaire and Curaçao, and is a popular tourist attraction. The island is about 19 miles long and six miles wide, which means it can be traveled over in a day.
Visitors will find the island a bit different that what they usually imagine a tropical Caribbean island to be. Aruba is, essentially, a desert island. Instead of sporting lush, jungle-like vegetation, Aruba’s landscape is filled with cacti and other succulents, such as aloe. It is none the less beautiful, but it is a different kind of beauty.
For such a small island, there are a lot of things to see and do on Aruba. A visitor can be as active — or as inactive — as he or she chooses. Tourism is the number one industry, and the island does it very well. There are numerous hotels, casinos, shops, restaurants and other attractions to make a visitor feel welcomed. Many of the hotels are all-inclusive, and most are as nice as any hotel chains one would find in the United States.
Oranjestad, the capital city, is where the traveler will find himself when the plane lands at the Queen Beatrix International Airport. Oranjestad is a modern city, but has the air of an old-world Dutch capital. This is evidenced in the beautiful architecture of even the shopping centers, and in wonderful details, such as the lion’s head fountain in a little plaza in the city center. The capital features world-class shopping on J.E. Irasquin Boulevard, the main drag, but step back behind the shops and walk down Wilhemena Street, and see a different world, one changed little from the 1960s. There are small stores, local markets and a general homelike air one would not expect to find in the back of the boulevard.
There are many companies that offer numerous activities for tourists. Visitors can take a Jeep tour of the island, or settle back in an air-conditioned tour bus. Bicycles and scooters are available for rental everywhere, as are cars, but be warned — driving in Aruba is a combat sport. Know the rules of the road! However, there are numerous taxis everywhere, just waiting to take a tourist somewhere, and for a mere US$1.50, a visitor can hop a regular bus and go anywhere on the island. The buses that stop at the hotels usually have placards in the front announcing they stop there, but the visitor should ask the driver to make sure.
Aruba also features golf, mountain biking and the usual variety of water activities, like windsurfing. Many hotels offer free lessons, so be sure to ask.
Some of the attractions to see on a tour, whether guided or not, are the Santa Anna Church, the Alto Vista Chapel, the Casibari rock formations and Natural Bridge. Natural Bridge is on the windward side of the island, where the breakers crash up to 30 feet high, and the waves always churn. Baby Beach, on the island’s southern end, is a small inlet, where the water comes softly on to the shore.
Nightlife in Aruba crackles. Some companies offer the famous “booze cruises,” where visitors can take a sunset cruise, with alcohol, music and food provided, and party the night away. There are also “hoot and toot” tours that stay on land, but provide transportation for those wanting to hit all the nightspots. Casinos offer shows from Latin America and the U.S. Music festivals are held year-round, and many hotels offer spectacular floor shows. Visitors are sure to find something they want to do at night.
Of course, Aruba’s number one attraction is its beautiful, wide beaches. The indolent tourist may want to invest in the large-economy-size bottle of sunscreen and simply lie on the beach all day, or all night. The water is warm and calm on the island’s leeward side and sunsets there are always spectacular.
Aruba has many wonderful advantages to recommend it as a destination. English-speaking visitors will get the feel of being in a foreign country, but it is one where English is spoken everywhere, and U.S. currency is as common as the Aruban florin. Arubans also like Americans, and a U.S. visitor will feel welcomed. This island also has a practically non-existent poverty, unemployment and crime rate. The residents are well-educated, and most speak and write at least four languages fluently: Papiamento (the native island language), Dutch, English and Spanish. Many also speak French and German as well, and most can switch among their languages with amazing ease.
Arubans are friendly people, but like people the world over, they respond with delight to good manners and to those who obviously appreciate the beauty and graciousness of their country.
U.S. residents do not need a passport, but will need a driver’s license and birth certificate to enter the country. They also do not need visas, but will need to show their return plane ticket to the U.S. More information is available at the country’s Web site, aruba.com. A travel agent will also be able to work these issues out.
Aruba is a safe, beautiful, friendly island and one well worth putting on a travel agenda. Any visitor can find something that will appeal to whatever he or she wants to do on a vacation.
