Netherlands Antilles and Aruba
The two groups of islands that make up the Netherlands Antilles are separated by more than 800 km. To the north are the Dutch territories of Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba Island, and to the south are Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. Like other islands in the Caribbean, the Netherlands Antilles have changed hands repeatedly. The island of Sint Eustatius, which is full of goods, has been looted more than 20 times. Aruba is now the largest tourist island in the Dutch Leeward Islands. Its hotel-lined beachfront, casinos and busy cruise ship marina make Curaçao's second most tourism industry the envy of Curacao. The quiet island of Bonaire is one of the world's most famous diving destinations. On the Dutch Windward Islands, 800 km to the north, tourism has also become a pillar of its industry. Sint Maarten also continues to qualify as a duty-free enclave during the era of the Dutch West India Company.
●1. Sint Maarten ●
Sint Maarten, a small island in the region with an area of 96 square kilometers, celebrated the island's 350th anniversary of dual citizenship in 1998. The French occupied a slightly larger north. Although there are facilities to control the border between the two parts, the people on the island are proud of their different nationalities. Although small in size, Sint Maarten receives more than 1 million visitors a year. Philipsburg, the capital of the Netherlands, is the main gateway to the island and the largest cruise destination in the Caribbean, with shops offering a wide range of cheap duty-free goods. Sint Maarten is also known for its excellent beaches, which enclose the rugged interior with low jungle in the middle.
●2. Saba Island ●
From a distance, the tiny island of Saba juts out to sea, like a witch's hat resting on a 13-square-kilometer pedestal. However, if you look closely, you will find that the strangely shaped Mount Sinari is not a lone peak. It is surrounded by a group of low peaks and ridges, which together form a rugged jungle-covered interior. The rocks surrounding the island sink below the surface, creating an underwater world that is more magical than the scenery on land, and is known as the premier diving destination in the Caribbean. Life on Saba Island is calm and serene. The 1,100 Saba Islanders live in beautiful villages, and their white huts all have the same red roofs, and these red-roofed and white-walled dwellings are scattered on steep hillsides. The island's capital is Bolton, but most visitors continue along the road to visit the village of Winwallside on the highlands.
● 3. Sint Eustatius ●
Sint Eustatius, a remote island 56 km south of Sint Maarten, has never woken up after a thousand years of dreams in the shade of the huge volcanic cone "Güell". The island, also known as "Stiret Island", is a few curious tourists, and the rest are from Europe and the United States, who fancy the island because there are no trendy resorts, no shopping malls and discos, and no other large-scale tourist facilities. There is not a single decent beach on Sint Eustatius, but it is also the elusive charm of the island. Today the island is quietly developing diving.
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are located at the tip of the Lesser Antilles and occupy a corner of the Caribbean Sea. Antigua is the gateway to this horn, and the island has served as a gateway since the British established a naval base here in the 18th century. British influences can be found throughout the area, with famous monuments, the occasional red mailbox and, of course, the local love of cricket, all reflecting British traditions. The European country that has had the greatest influence on the Leeward Islands is the United Kingdom, but the local Caribbean culture also has a place here, such as the lively carnival events, reggey music, Rastafari worship, and carefully arranged leisure methods. There are many beaches, water sports centres, hiking trails and excellent accommodation facilities.
●1. Antigua ●
Antigua is the largest of the Leeward Islands, with an area of 280 square kilometers. Its coastline is jagged, forming hundreds of large and small fan-shaped bays. Locals claim that there are 365 beaches on the island for visitors to choose from, many of which are secluded coves surrounded by canopy trees and are accessible only to boats. There are enough beaches on the island for visitors to choose from, and even changing beaches every day of the year will not be repeated. There's also plenty of monuments to pay tribute to, a well-serviced bar with live reggai music and improvised dancing after nightfall. Saint Kitts and Nevis combines colonial history with romantic plantation resorts, allowing modern commoners to enjoy the life of ancient aristocrats. Antigua is strategically important with a naturally shielded port and at the tip of the triangle between the two main sugarcane-producing colonies of Barbados and Jamaica.
●2. Barbuda ●
After a 45-kilometre flight by small plane from Antigua, you will come to the island of Barbuda, which quietly stands out under the scorching sun, and the island is filled with a serene and detached atmosphere. This atoll covers an area of 292 kilometers, equivalent to two-thirds the size of its then developed sister island Antigua, but has only 1,500 inhabitants and relies mainly on fishing, farming and hunting. The most attractive places on Barbuda are the stunning white sand beaches and excellent diving areas where bird lovers come to see the frigate bird habitat on the Salt Lake of Cordlington. The island of Barbuda is almost completely surrounded by scenic beaches. A 22.5-kilometre stretch beach stretches from Cocoa Headland, the southernmost point, to the west coast, past the landmark River Fort Defence Tower, to Cape Poem, and then a turn at the Landmark, before extending to the outer bay of the Salt Lake of Cordlington.
●3. Anguilla ●
When the value of excellent beaches was far from being discovered, Spanish navigators took a look at this low, dry and northernmost island in the Leeward Islands and named it "Anguilla", which means "eel". The island of Anguilla is only 25 km long and 5 km wide at its widest point, but it has 33 dazzling white sand beaches with fine and soft sand and extremely thick sand layers. It only takes a day to get around Anguilla, but most visitors prefer to come here to see different views, even if the same beach changes from time to time. The capital and administrative center of Anguilla is the Valley, located in the center of the island. There are no important centers in the city, but there are some traditional houses with shutters that are very nicely painted and worth seeing. The island has some of the most luxurious and beautifully designed hotels in the Caribbean, and the quality of catering is comparable. There are also some very good independent restaurants that are located on the coast in a very romantic way, so that customers can hear the sound of the waves gently crashing on the cliff shore while eating.
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