Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya to
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama…
So sang the Beach boys in 1989 as they crooned to lyrics about where they wanted to take a beautiful woman. Little did they know that the Aruba that they knew of at that point was destined to explode into a major tourist destination.
As an island in the lower southern Caribbean, Aruba is only 18 miles off the coast of northern Venezuela. Unlike much of the Caribbean, Aruba has a dry climate and an arid, cactus-strewn landscape. This climate has helped tourism as visitors to the island can reliably expect warm, sunny weather. In addition, because it’s below the hurricane belt, visitors can plan for their vacations without the worry of a hurricane destroying their plans.
We first visited Aruba in 2002 – – fell in love with it – – and have been back pretty much every year since. With warm people, great restaurants, beautiful beaches, lots of lodging options and friends who we meet there each year, we are goners for returning to this place time and time again.
Need I say More?
So what does Aruba look like? Divi trees (scruffy little trees that are seen all over), white sandy beaches, blue-green water, romantic sunsets, picturesque skyline, continuous trade-winds, —see some of the following pictures and decide for yourself:
A Lonely Divi Tree
Beautiful Beaches
Can The Water Turn Bluer?
A Beautiful Sunset and A Glass of Wine! More Fun?
Loveliness, As Far As The Eye Can See!
So what do we do when in Aruba? A little of this and a little of that! Reading, sleeping, going to the casinos, swimming and snorkeling, taking long walks on the beach, eating far too much, laughing, relaxing – – for me, all the things that make for a wonderful relaxing getaway. Note: there really is lots more to do even though I’m generally pretty much a slug when I’m there! Many folks go windsurfing, off-roading, scuba diving, horseback riding, hiking and other more strenuous activities.
My Favorite Pasttime!
By day or by night, Aruba really is a magical place. In terms of geography, the whole island is only slightly larger than Washington DC. It has a population of about 96,000 and three major towns – – Oranjestad (the capital), Santa Cruz and Saint Nicholas.
Although people live all over the island, most of the tourists are concentrated between the capital city, Oranjestad, (in the center of the island on the western coast) and the California lighthouse located at the northern tip of the island. Between these two areas, there are low-rise and high-rise hotels and most of the shopping and building have been the concentrated here during the past 10 years. Note: Saint Nicholas, which is home to the beautiful “baby beach”, is located at the southern tip of the island. This town really has been adversely affected by all of the growth in the northern part of the island as seemingly very few resources have been allocated to this area.
Less I delve into the politics of developing one area versus another, I’ll simply say that when David and I frequent Aruba, we make an effort to visit all over the island. We have our favorite bakery in Santa Cruz, our Thursday night neighborhood celebration (Carubian Festival) in Saint Nicholas and our Dutch coffee shop in Oranjestad. We are always anxious to try the latest local restaurant and we love hearing about the latest additions to the families of locals we’ve met over the years.
Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya… YEAH, I really do love Aruba and I think you may too if you’re into relaxation, warm people, good food, pretty beaches and fun. In the words of “Mikey”— if you’re old enough to remember that commercial, “Try It, You’ll Like It!”
It Can’t Get More Romantic Than This!