Caribbean Resort Home > Caribbean Vacation Tips and Information > Caribbean Vacation

Caribbean Vacations

Caribbean Vacations – the phrase almost seems redundant. Tropical climate, clear waters, gentle breezes, sandy beaches--how can a trip to the Caribbean not be a vacation? And the list of things to do there seems endless. Take away winter sports--and who wouldn't – and the Caribbean offers everything from gaming to scuba diving, beachcombing to dancing. You can even climb a mountain without taking another step – islands are mountaintops, after all. The Caribbean just seems to embody all our fantasies of wanderlust and romance.

The bright side of all of this, if it needs one, is that the Caribbean is so accessible and there is an army of professionals ready to help plan Caribbean vacations. The dark side is trying to decide where in the Caribbean to go and what to do when you get there, and, army of travel planners or not, that all depends on you.

If the people of Bonaire in the Dutch Antilles were reading this, they'd be chuckling to themselves. The Bonairean Tourist Office describes Bonaire as "unhurried, unspoiled, unforgettable". It's all of that, but the people there know there's something behind the island's fascination. In the 1970's they created the Bonaire National Marine Park protecting their coastline from the high-water mark to the 200 foot depth contour. And just to top it off, they set aside nearly 25% of their land, as well, mostly in the Washington Slagbaai National Park which includes the northern coastline. Ever since, they've been very careful that the kind of development found throughout the Caribbean doesn't spoil their little secret.

Their plan has worked to your advantage. With only two population centers, Kralendijk (pronounced 'Crawl-en-dike' but locally called "Playa", meaning "beach")--and Rincon, plus five small villages, only about 5% of Bonaire's land area is developed. There are no traffic lights. And the island is a naturalist's dream. All together, over 170 species of birds are found in Bonaire at one time or another, including heron, osprey, frigate birds, cormorants, and others. Pink Flamingoes breed in only four places and Bonaire is one of them; they live there in the tens-of-thousands feeding on brine shrimp and larvae found in the salt ponds to acquire their pinkish hue. (If you'd like to take on a pinkish hue yourself, there is always Sorobon Beach, Bonaire's naturalist resort (clothing optional) just south of Lac Bay, one of the Caribbean's premier windsurfing locations.)

Scuba divers flock to Bonaire, as well, to dive at over 80 top-rated sites. Over 355 species of fish have been counted by researchers in the waters around Bonaire and groves of stoney corals like Fire, Elkhorn, Massive Starlet, and Boulder Brain corals are common. In 2005, readers of Scuba Diving Magazine rated Bonaire Top Caribbean Dive Destination for the third year in a row in addition to Top Marine Life, Top Shore Diving, Top Snorkeling, Top Destination for Underwater Photography and Top Beginner Diving.

Bonaire enjoys an average daily temperature of 82 degrees and only 22 inches of rain each year. Because it's off the very beaten path of hurricanes and stormy weather, its waters are glass-blue and no one has to schedule Caribbean vacations to Bonaire around the hurricane season. Come any time.

The Harbour Village Beach Club is nestled on the western shore of Bonaire providing gracious accomodations in Club Suites and Premier Villas to visitors arriving by boat or plane. It's located within minutes of Flamingo Airport (did we mention that tens-of-thousands of pink flamingoes live on Bonaire?), and the Harbour Village Marina provides anchoring, chandlery supplies, full-service, and fine dining at four restaurants and bars. The club is footsteps away from top diving sites and offers a Great Adventures program for divers, sailers, and kayakers.

So there, Caribbean vacations aren't all that hard to plan, after all, and the staff at Harbour Village Beach Club are ready to narrow your choices down to most unhurried, most unspoiled, most unforgettable of them all.

Click on the links below to find out more about Caribbean vacations :