Aruba, part of the Dutch/Netherlands Antilles, is known for its water clarity and great beaches. Together with Bonaire and Curaçao it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands the southern island chain of the Lesser Antilles. The tours boast of a Dutch town and also gambling. This is my second visit to Aruba – and both times it has been only for a few days. To get to Aruba is a longer flight then to some of the other islands – it’s way south – so south that it’s 18 miles north of the Coast of Venezuela. To my cab drivers amusement – I stopped and looked at every hotel along the coast and deemed the Hyatt the best option. The Radison would have been a second runner up, but I found The Hyatt rooms newer and the grounds lush and well landscaped creating a beautiful environment for a few days away. The one downside to the beautiful beaches is that they are very active with boating activities that take place very close to shore, so having a relaxing swim is not often an option. While I didn’t find the town as great, or as Dutch, or as interesting as my research originally suggested there are plenty of nice off property dining options and some with ‘on the beach’, or ‘cliff top dining’.

Next trip, Curacao.