Monday, January 5, 2015

BEAUTY AND THE BEACH


BY JANET STEINBERG

Turquoise!  Although it is not my favorite color, to me this aqua-blue hue connotes two things of exceptional beauty…a brilliant aquamarine gemstone and a brilliant Caribbean sea.  For all intents and purposes, when winter’s frigid breath paints it frosty picture up North, I prefer the latter.

On one of my cruises to the Southern Caribbean and Lesser Antilles, we began with beautiful beaches and ended with beautiful beaches.  And, in between, I was treated to an island that showcases the unspoiled beauty of nature.

ARUBA: Bon bini: Welcome to Aruba. Wherever you wander in Aruba, you’ll find beaches…beaches that are secluded, sexy, windswept, or historic.  As to where you choose to throw your towel down, that’s another story.  As the saying goes: ‘you pays your money and you takes your choice’. 
 
THROW YOUR TOWEL DOWN IN ARUBA



Palm Beach, the world-renowned stretch of sand located in front of the high-rise resorts, offers excellent swimming in very calm shallow water.  The Fisherman’s Huts, where you can rent surfboards, kite-boards, and kayaks, is located just north of Palm Beach.

Eagle Beach, located south of Palm Beach is a 2-mile area of pure white sand.  The long and lovely beaches are perfect for walking sunning, and water sports.  There is also a shaded picnic area.

Arashi Beach and Boca Catalina in Malmok, just south of the lighthouse near the northwestern tip of Aruba, are both perfect for snorkeling.  The shallow waters and tiny bays are home to a plethora of fish and corals.

The perfect beach for families with small children is the kid-friendly Baby Beach, located in Seroe Colorado. The waters are warm and shallow, and closed off from a deep, choppy area by a rock barrier.  Within walking distance from Baby Beach is Rodger’s Beach where the pounding sea is conducive to open-air napping or surfing, whatever is your thing.

If you think the sun shines brightly on Aruban beaches, wait until you stroll the streets of Oranjestad. You ‘ain’t’ seen nothing yet.  You’ll practically be blinded by a golden glow, but it’s not from the sun.  Dazzling rays of light stream out from the windows of the jewelry shops that line Main Street as far as the eye can see.  A veritable pirate’s treasure of gold, diamonds and gemstones, offers a mind-boggling choice of jewelry that is practically irresistible.  Believe it or not, I resisted!
 
GLITTERING JEWELRY SHOPS LINE MAIN STREET IN ARUBA



If you’re really not into beaches or baubles, how about bridges and butterflies?  You can head to the Butterfly Farm or to a pair of the island’s most popular attraction, the Natural Bridges.

Sculpted by wind and the sea (as are the divi divi trees you pass en-route), the Baby Natural Bridge and the Natural Bridge were carved out of natural coral by the relentless forces of nature.  Unfortunately, the original Natural Bridge collapsed in September 2005.  Only the ruins remain on this charming Dutch island of Aruba.

DOMINICA: Mid-way between our beach-y island stops was the island of Dominica (pronounced dah muh NEE kuh). Dominica is a 290 square mile island that lies between Martinique and Guadeloupe.  One does not go to Dominica, called “The Nature Island of the Caribbean”, for beaching.   The reason for going to Dominica is to enjoy the beauty of nature.

The island, some 29-miles long and 16-miles wide is a wild one, with towering mountains, dramatic waterfalls, and a luxuriant rain forest.  It is also home to the remaining descendents of the original Caribs who settled the island sometime around 1000 AD.


 A WELCOME TO SINECOU, THE CARIB INDIAN TERRITORY

Some of the more adventurous passengers on my  cruise to Domenica, chose the excitement of exhilarating river tubing on the largest and longest of Dominica’s 365 rivers. Those passengers, who opted for the breathtaking journey down the Layou River, felt a rush of excitement as they cascaded downward and maneuvered through the challenging rapids.

The less-adventurous tourist can take a mini-van ride to the World Heritage Trois Piton National Park, home of the Emerald Pool.  The winding path to the small pool, fed by a cascade of water plunging off a fern-encrusted cliff, was my introduction to the rain forest.   Or you can ride on Dominica’s Rainforest Aerial Tram that glides you over the treetops, while admiring the verdure of the forest.  It has been said that if Columbus were to return to the Caribbean today, Domenica would be the only island he would still recognize.

EMERALD POOL IN TROIS PITON NATIONAL PARK

GRAND TURK: Back to beaches!  When one hears about the Turks and Caicos Islands, situated some 575-miles southeast of Miami, one immediately thinks of Providenciales (aka “Provo”), the most developed and most glitzy of this group of islands.  However, it is not at Provo’s Grace Bay that most ships dock but at a  developed beach area on the southern end of Grand Turk, the tiny capital island of the Turks and Caicos.

A $40-million cruise center opened in February 2006 on what was once a U. S. Air Force base. It has a spectacular beach, a free-form pool, shopping, dining, and a world-class Margaritaville where you can get “wasted away again” on 52 different flavors of margaritas. Taxis or rental cars are available to take you into Cockburn Town some 3 miles away.
 

MARGARITAVILLE IN GRAND TURK’S CRUISE CENTER

At first glance, a walk down Cockburn Town’s historic Duke and Front Streets reveals a bunch of old buildings in need of paint and repair.  On closer inspection, one is immersed in the history of the islands as you stroll along streets lined with 18th century buildings constructed from local limestone and timber salvaged from ships.  Many believe that Grand Turk, a mere 7-miles long and 1-mile wide, was the first landfall of Columbus in the New World.  My time spent in Cockburn Town revealed no shops, no glitz, or no fancy restaurants…just a glimpse at what I felt the real Caribbean once looked like. 

 FRONT STREET IN COCKBURN TOWN...A SHARP CONTRAST TO THE CRUISE CENTER

JANET STEINBERG is an award-winning Travel Writer and a Travel Consultant with THE TRAVEL AUTHORITY.

No comments:

Post a Comment