Review of Caribbean islands

Nassau, located on New Providence Island, is the capital of the Bahamas. The Paradise Island in its close vicinity forms a twin island famous for its tourist oriented culture. The city of Nassau has a rich colonial history and the same has been meticulously preserved in the beautiful mansions, churches and cathedrals, a fortress dating back to 18^th century and the must visit Queen’s Staircase with 66 steps.

Places of Interest

Paradise Island, the heart of tourist district of Bahamas is connected to Nassau with two 600 foot bridges. The place is an exclusive tourist delight with finest of hotels, resorts, shops and even a modern casino to try your luck under the sun. The Blue Lagoon Island, just 20 minute sail away is the dolphin paradise; you can even swim with them after a little familiarization. The Cable Beach, located in the West of the city of Nassau has miles of white sand beaches with many top notch hotels and luxury resorts. The nightlife and rows of casinos add to the pomp and glitz of the city. 

Things to Do

Any tour of Nassau would preferably begin with the main street, the historic Bay Street. It transports you to a bygone colonial era with brick sidewalks and historic buildings. The Rawson Square is another historical place, not to be missed during your Nassau visit. Then you have a number of museums, botanical gardens, national parks etc. The unique cultural sites Arawak Cay, Over the Hill, Pirates of Nassau, Potter’s Cay Dock and the Festival Place offer a wholesome edutainment to a visitor. So why not fly direct to the Nassau International Airport, just 10 miles away from downtown Nassau, to have a glimpse.

The Grand Bahama International Airport is located at Freeport; it being one of the two in the Bahamas, equipped with lights for night landing. The visitors have many more options of reaching Grand Bahama Island in style from the Coast of Florida; charter flights, cruise ferries, cruise ships, private boats and even private fixed wings. The Bahama skies are sparkling clear and the breathtaking view from a low flying fixed wing would be a heavenly delight. So decide your way and hop on for an exciting fun-filled wholesome sojourn in the land of Lucayans.

The highly developed tourism infrastructure caters for all kind of travelers; ritzy seven star hotels to low priced inns or fishing lodges. The Westin Grand Bahama Resorts, the Sheraton Resorts, the Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach Resort and Pelican Bay Resorts and Suites are few grandiose staying options. All these resorts are constructed over tens of acres of beautifully sculpted land. Some have the Taino flavor and some with contemporary cosmopolitan but all the modern facilities are abundantly available to make your stay a memorable and comfortable one.

The fourth largest island of the Bahamas, just 55 miles from the coast of Florida is a unique tourist destination with a cosmopolitan vacation on high tech beach resorts or the plain charms of the fishing villages and eco-tourism. The Grand Bahama Island has world’s largest cave systems, fascinating marine flora and fauna, white sand beaches and the emerald green sea. The colorful night life, casinos, fun filled carnivals, a leisurely swim with the dolphins or cruise boat or a private plane for a bird’s eye view; the Grand Bahama has all that a visitor desires; in fact there is so much to do in here that one visit would not suffice.

The Wrecking Reefs

The name Grand Bahamas originated from “Gran Bajamar”, a term coined for the great shallow reefs surrounding the island. The pirates thrived on the geography of the island, wrecking the ships on these reefs. The British claimed the Islands of Bahamas in the end 1600 and by 1720 tamed the pirates. The Islands of Bahamas were a sleepy British colony till the mid-nineteenth century with very few people.

The US Influence

The American Civil War changed the scenario and smuggling thrived, though it was short lived but it tied the future of Bahamas with USA. The next was the prohibition era in US, which again led to smuggling from West End. The tourism came up in the 1960s as a viable industry, and just with the vision of Wallace Grove, an American financial tycoon.

History of Bahamas

The history of Grand Bahamas goes back to the Stone Age Siboney Indians who settled in the Caribbean about 4000 years ago. The next to come were the South American Taino, later known as the Lucayans. The European entered the Bahamas in 1492 and forced the locals out to West Indies and many died of the European diseases. The Lucayans did not have a written language so little is known about their culture except from some rituals handed down by the word of mouth and artifacts excavated in heritage sites.

Palm Beach, the white sandy marvel of land, is located in the northwestern region of Aruba. The name palm signifies the variety of palm and palapas trees dotting the beach and giving it a heavenly picturesque setting, honeymooners long for and the rest admire. The beach is located amidst the Aruba’s most visited tourism region and would not fit the bill for a quite getaway.

Beach Nation

The beaches in Aruba have different characteristics; the South has quiet and mellowed beaches whereas the North and Northwest beaches have typical wind surfing conditions. Palm Beach is the most visited water sports beach of Aruba. You can indulge in snorkeling, scuba diving, wind surfing, swimming, fishing and even kite surfing. The sport of kite surfing is very popular with tourists who would not like to spend too much time learning the nuances of wind surfing.

Attractions at Palm Beach

Palm Beach is just not sun and sea; there are a number of attractions just a short walk away. The Butterfly Farm, Pedernales, a natural attraction and the Bubali Bird Sanctuary are within a mile from the beach; actually you can just jog it down. The Santa Ana Church, Antilla Shipwreck, Alto Vista Chapel and California Lighthouse are worth a photo shoot especially the famous trick photo of the Lighthouse.

Hotels and Accommodation

The Palm Beach has a number of fine hotels and accommodation options. The Marriott Aruba Surf Club, Mill Resorts and Suites, Wyndham Aruba Resort and Hyatt Regency Aruba are located right on the edge of sea, overlooking the beach. The accommodation is in plenty and you can find that room with a view that you so desire, all the year round.

San Nicolas, a small town in the southeast of Aruba found its existence as a small village in the end of 19^th century. The advent of mining industry primarily phosphate brought home the fruits of industrialization and development of San Nicolas Bay. The Lago Refinery put it on road to development. The place is now home to some twenty thousand Arubans. The name Sunrise City was in honor of the enterprising people and the economic contribution they made to the fledgling industrialization of Aruba.

The Sunrise Life

San Nicolas had been home to the wealthy and stylish; the accoutrements included social activities like night clubs, bars, music clubs and sports arenas. The Charlie’s Bar, Chesterfield Bar and the Chinese Club were the hotspots of the rich and famous. The legend of Charlie’s Bar, especially his enormous tool still lives on and calls for a visit, if you happen to be in San Nicolas.

What to do in San Nicholas

You have a gamut of options in San Nicholas; the quiet and undeveloped beaches of the South, pristine caves, water wading bird sanctuaries and the magnificent fauna of the Island nation. The Guadirikiri Caves, the Tunnel of Love,  the Cayenne tern nesting sites at San Nicholas Bay Keys, the Cave Dwelling long nosed bats of ABC islands and the protected rattle snake species; all invite a visitor for that rare glimpse into the nature and the ecological balance which man can not recreate but only protect.

You can also go for a golfing session on the nine hole Aruba Golf Club amid variety of cactus, sands and try your longest drives on the six hundred yard hole. And if you want to be on the beach, try the Baby beach with the young ones for the taste of your forgotten childhood

The beautiful beaches and plenty of sun are the guaranteed bonanza of Caribbean island nations. Aruba has an added charm, the year round temperature of around 82 degrees, though noon can be really scorching, not because of heat but the equator sun. Aruba with its location evades the path of the hurricanes and any time is the best time to visit.

The Nature’s Galore

The other attractions of this small island nation are the coves of Dos Playa and Andicuri, the Chapel of Alto Vista, the old Churches and graves of original settlers; the California Light House, a man made structure and the sand dunes & cacti a-la Wild West. The Natural Bridge, which collapsed in 2005, was one of the most photographed places in the Caribbean. The list of natural and manmade structures is endless; the Grotto of Guadirikiri, the rock formations of Ayo and Casibari, the Indian Petrographs in the Fontein caves or the nature’s wondrous Arikok National Park. The kids would be the happiest in the Butterfly Farm, the Ostrich Farm, the Donkey Sanctuary or the Tern Islands of San Nicholas.

The island nation has a state-of-the-art modern airport, the Queen Beatrix International Airport. Almost all the airlines fly you to Aruba. It even has US Customs facility and the US flights from Aruba get the status of domestic flights in the US. The Oranjestad Port caters to the cruise passengers and thousands of them enjoy the Cruise tourism each week. It is estimated that up to half a million tourist use the cruise ships to reach Aruba each year, so why not you; just grab that seat on the luxury liner for an out of the world experience.