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

Caribbean Island Vacation

Everyone has taken a vacation like this: going everywhere, seeing everything, doing all there is to do. . . in seven days or less. Here's how it really went: pack and unpack and pack and..., hurry to get in line, do more-enjoy less. The travel agent made it sound so. . . complete, and it was just that--completely exhausting. The staff and guests at Harbour Village Beach Club Bonaire have a better suggestion: a Caribbean Island Vacation on the Island of Bonaire.

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.

A Caribbean island vacation has all the best ingredients for a relaxing yet fascinating holiday. For one, you settle into a single accomodation as if it were a home-away-from-home. For another, you can focus on rediscovering you, your friends, and your loved ones, not every tourist attraction the Caribbean has to offer. Most important of all, you can make your vacation a w ork of art, take time to appreciate everything around you, and do what artists do: make more and more of less and less. That's what the people of Bonaire have done with their own island, and they'll gladly share it with you.

The island of Bonaire, one of the so-called 'ABC' islands in the Dutch Antilles, is only 24 miles long, but it couldn't be more completely satisfying. Bonaire enjoys an average daily temperature of 82 degrees, only 22 inches of rain a year, and is far off the very beaten path of seasonal hurricanes (in other words, come any time). It's trade winds are balmy, its waters are glass-blue, and its people are gracious and devoted to their home. Since the 1970's, the island's entire coastline from the high-water mark to the 200 foot depth contour has been protected in the Bonaire National Marine Park and almost 25% of its land is National Park or Sanctuary.

What that means is that Bonaire is a place of environmental beauty and diversity, and a great place to settle in. 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. Seeing them float above the white salt flats at sunset is truly unforgettable, an artist's muse.

Scuba divers flock to Bonaire, as well, to dive at over 80 top-rated sites in waters that are crystal clear because the island is well off the path of storms and hurricanes. 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, and Top Destination for Underwater Photography.

And you needn't hurry to see or do anything. One of the so-called 'ABC' islands in the Dutch Antilles, Bonaire has avoided the development and more hurried life of its sister islands, Aruba and Curacao. Only about five percent of the island is developed at all. With a population of only 13,000, Bonaire has only two population centers, Kralendijk (pronounced 'Crawl-en-dike' but locally called "Playa", meaning "beach") – and Rincon. Aside from five small villages, that's it. There aren't even any traffic lights (of course, many of the street signs are missing too, but it's an island--who needs 'em?).

Harbour Village is nestled on the western coastline within easy reach of all of this and more. The Club offers a Caribbean island vacation in luxurious accomodations including vacation rentals with excellent dining, package vacations, fitness centers, a pool, tennis courts, sailing, kayaking, and diving. Its beachside location is close to top diving sites, natural wonders, the airport, its own marina, the boutiques and art shops of Kralendijk, and the festivals of Rincon. Vacation rentals in Premier Villas with one, two or three bedrooms are especially appealing; you can settle in as if you were in your own home. The Clubs Caribbean vacation packages make planning no bother at all and suit those looking for romance – think torch-lit dinners by waters edge--and those who just want to get wet--think of everything the other side of waters edge.

The Bonaire Tourist Office describes Bonaire as "unhurried, unspoiled, unforgettable". It's all of that. And as a Caribbean island vacation destination, it has everything to make your holiday complete. . . completely relaxing.

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