ABC Islands – the least-known Caribbean Islands, to the average British tourist…..

Most people don’t know what the ABC islands are…when you say the full names of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, people may have heard of the distinctive Blue drink that bears the name of  the third island, but may still struggle to pronounce it correctly!

These islands are some of the most interesting in the whole Caribbean.  Being of Dutch colonial heritage, they have liberal policies enabling casinos, but they are notably low-key and relaxing places to visit, boasting some great beaches, and some of the best snorkelling and shore-diving in the World.

Thanks to KLM, you can access all 3 islands directly from Europe by air, but a cruise gives you a great opportunity to visit more than one of the islands in quick succession, combined with other destinations, so as a first visit, you could sample the islands without the need to commit to a full 2-week holiday…you could always do that next time!

If you ask me, Aruba has the best hotels and beaches (namely Palm and Eagle beaches), whereas Curacao has the best shopping and most interesting town (Willemstad) to explore.  Bonaire is the less-developed island out if the 3, but makes up for this with beautiful scenery and vast flock of pink flamingos that inhabit the salt flats in the south of the island.  Bonaire is also the diving and snorkelling ‘Mecca’, where you can hire your gear and do diving straight from shore in a multitude of locations, even from the main town of Kralendijk.

Don’t expect the mountainous terrain of St Lucia or even the hills of St Maarten, these islands are pretty flat for the main part, which means they avoid many of the tropical downpours that hit the more rugged islands.  They’re also conveniently out of the ‘hurricane belt’, so are a safe bet all year round!