Overview

Aruba may be the smallest of the ABC Islands, but its southwest coast is a tourist favorite thanks to white sand beaches, aquamarine waters and vibrant casinos. Stirred by trade winds, the air is clean, dry and temperate, with a daily average of 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Palm Beach, the center for all activities on the island, offers resort-quality hotels, numerous casinos, and a variety of restaurants whose cuisines range from Belgian and German to Caribbean and Brazilian. Nightlife is just as varied, furnishing visitors with beachside barbecues, steel-drum bands and a Carnival-esque atmosphere. For those seeking physical activity, Aruba provides primo dive sites, an ATP-sanctioned tennis club, horseback riding, and championship-caliber golf courses. Since Aruba lies outside the hurricane belt, it gets less rain than almost any other Caribbean island and doesn't offer a lush interior. However, nature lovers can still enjoy over 100 species of birds at the Bubali Bird Sanctuary and nature walks through Arikok National Park. A visitor must is taking a few snapshots of the famous divi-divi trees, which are permanently bent by trade winds at a striking 45-degree angle. Aruba's Dutch heritage inspired the early 20th-century architecture along Wilhelminastraat, and Fort Zoutman and the Willem III Tower museum will draw history buffs. Aruba is a definite match for travelers who seek world-renowned hospitality and an island paradise that remains pristine and wary of over-development.

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