Attracts some one million visitors and cruise passengers per year, most from North America and nearby Venezuela, and it ranks as one of the Caribbean's most popular vacation spots. So what's the attraction? Miles of beaches, to start with some quiet and smooth and others with stiff winds and a choppy surf, as well as first-class resorts, gambling casinos, shopping, and dozen of opportunities for fine dining. For the visitor looking for glamour, glitz, fine beaches, and plenty to do, choose Aruba.
Approximately 50% of the annual visitors to Bonaire are drawn by the scuba diving. What about the other half? And, for that matter, what do divers do when they're not diving? Bonaire, while not highly developed for tourism-that is to say, it's not a slick and artificial sort of place-offers a number of activities, from hiking and sightseeing in the enormous Washington-Slagbaai National Park, to shopping, swimming, birdwatching, and just hanging out. It's an island with great potential to get busy having fun, or to relax and luxuriate in the lack of choices. That choice is yours....
After you get yourself outside of the sometimes busy Willemstad, driving around to find the sights of Curacao is easy. You'll find plenty to see and do in the cunucu (countryside). Just north of town, near Hato International Airport, are the Hato Caves, The caves, gouged out of limestone cliffs ages ago as the island emerged from the sea, are still forming, albeit by one drop at a time. You'll see water dripping from the walls and massive stalactites that hang from the ceiling.