Don’t worry, most of us don’t! A is for Aruba, and this fairly well known Caribbean island is in many respects, not that well known at all. One largely unknown fun fact – Aruba is part of an amusing, ‘ABC ISLANDS’ marketing slogan with Bonaire and Curacao making for an interesting Caribbean island trio.
Located in the Caribbean Sea’s most southern boundaries, Aruba is just 18 miles off the coast of Venezuela. The island is one of the Dutch Caribbean islands along with Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten – with citizens of these islands considered Dutch nationals. While both Dutch and Papiamento are the official languages of the island, the creole-type language is the predominant one with English commonly spoken to accommodate the large number of North American vacationers visiting the island. Spanish is also widely spoken due to the proximity of Venezuela and Columbia, two Latin American countries whose citizens enjoy vacationing in Aruba.
Aruba is a unique Caribbean phenomenon. Unlike much of the Caribbean, Aruba has a dry climate with a desert-like, cactus-strewn landscape. This arid climate has fostered a tremendously successful vacation destination with vacationers reliably counting on warm, sunny clear skies year-round. Vacation-making bonuses like the island consistently recording the least amount of rainfall in the Southern Caribbean and it’s constant cooling trade winds, makes Aruba a perfect destination any time of the year.
Plenty to do!
Now for the fun stuff! After you’ve checked into one of the many luxury resorts – several with dazzling casinos, and hit the beach for a couple of days, it’s time to experience the island’s fantastic attributes. From enjoying classic Dutch architecture in downtown Oranjestad, to discovering Caquetio Indian cave paintings, to the Caribbean dances and rhythms of ‘Carnival’ celebrations, there’s plenty to see – and do, in Aruba.
On the western side of the island, the Caribbean Sea is perfect for sailing days, snorkeling trips, even a real submarine offering spectacular views with the biodiversity painting beautiful undersea landscapes. And if you’re an avid scuba diver, Aruba is known for some of the best wreck diving in the Caribbean. Along the eastern coast, the dry, desert terrain offers plenty of off-road adventures on powerful ATVs to discover Dutch windmills, Caribbean lighthouses, coral bridges and cliffs, the Arikok National Park nature reserve, and pristine white beaches.
Super easy to return home!
Aruba also offers a terrific travel amenity to U.S. travelers that was instituted back in 2001. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has a full pre-clearance facility in Aruba’s Queen Beatrix International Airport. This means passengers heading to the U.S. actually go through U.S. Customs before boarding their flight, arriving in the U.S. airport as a ‘regular’ passenger – no immigration or customs lines required!
Aruba is indeed a top-notch, interesting, and fun Caribbean destination. Amstar DMC just recently announced that we have begun operations on the island, making Aruba the 30th fantastic vacation destination where we offer our well-known world-class customer service. We’re excited to be in Aruba and hope to see you there soon! For more info on airport transfers and excursions, login to: www.amstardmc.com
Now you know you’re A,B,C’s….. well, at least A for ARUBA!
Did you know about this Dutch Caribbean Island? Have you ever vacationed in Aruba? Would you consider Aruba a potential vacation destination? Let us know in the comment section below!
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