Aruba

Aruba is becoming more and more popular with travelers to the Caribbean and for a lot of reasons, incluing its great casinos, beaches, and attractions—no one takes an Aruba vacation to get away from it all. The most-visited Caribbean isle other than Jamaica, from the attractions to the Aruba hotels, Aruba requires little preparation. English is spoken everywhere, the dollar is accepted and nowhere else will you find more fellow Americans. Whether these are selling points or not is up to the individual traveler, though it will go a long way to gauge how much you may enjoy an Aruba vacation. If you want to escape to a secluded cove or take a leisurely stroll along an uncrowded beach, you may want to look elsewhere.

But there are plenty of other good reasons that vacation packages to Aruba are among the best sellers to the Caribbean. Despite being one of the smallest islands in the sea, there are few things bigger than Aruba tourism. The beaches are exquisite and the southern coast is a bouquet of concrete and gentle trade winds. Most visitors stay around here, as the main roads are basically singular strips of hotels, bars and restaurants. Here, island beats pulsate into the small hours of the morning as revelers stagger into the night. The thriving nightlife makes sure that there is never a lack of things to do in Aruba. In fact, the party rarely gets started until well after midnight and party-goers often seem to be competing to see who can stay standing the longest. Don't worry - you'll probably have passed out long before then.

Another highlight of Aruba tourism is the extensive casinos located on the island. Though you can find casinos on many of the islands, including Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Dutch side of St. Martin, the casinos on Aruba are, generally, of a class all their own. Few Aruba vacations are complete without a little gambling, and there are plenty of options for both the high-rollers and everyone else. The Stellaris Casino is one of the most popular, along with the stylish Casablanca Casino. Both have games, shows and atmosphere to spare and even a short visit can be one of the more entertaining things to do in Aruba.

The northern and eastern coasts of the island, however, is a completely different story. Virtually untouched by the hand of Aruba tourism, this area is an unbroken landscape of jagged rocks and uninviting groups of cacti. Far removed from the bustling climate elsewhere, the dirt roads release you into the untamed deserts of the island. Though few stay here, a tour of the relative wilderness is still one of the most popular things to do in Aruba. You can even stop in on the Aruba Ostrich farm and see more of the giant birds than you ever thought possible.