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Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is not like France, it is France- a French Overseas
Department, something like Hawaii’s relationship with the US.
This island has served as a French West Indies administrative
centre since the 1700s. In 2003, however, St Barts-more formally
St Barthelemy- and St Martin separated from Guadeloupe but
retained their affiliation to France.
This butterfly-shaped island – actually two isles – is one of few
Caribbean places where tourism is not king. Sugar is. Since Gua-
deloupe is essentially an oversees department of France, expect
fine cuisine, tasteful surroundings and a clothing-optional beach
or three. The central market in bustling Pointe-a-Pitre is a bee-
hive of people bargaining and buying piles of papayas, tomatoes,
breadfruit and assorted other goodies.
Zouk is the French Caribbean’s popular in music. You hear its
double beat and hypnotic West African rhythm in buses, bistros,
discos, bars—all over the place.
Locals call their island “The Pearl of the French West Indies.”

Aruba

This semi-arid island outside the Caribbean hurricane belt has
it all. “Black gold” in the form of oil refineries made Arubans
among the wealthiest people in the Caribbean, if not the world.
Aruba’s wealth provides the best in education and other govern-
ment services, as well as special status as an entity within itself
within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Dutch roots run deep in
Aruba, and islanders celebrate the Dutch Queen’s birthday with
serious vim, verve and vitality.
Despite not being entirely dependent on tourism, Arubans seem
to have totally accepted their annual one million visitations by air
and cruise ship. They remain a friendly lot, embracing with equal
aplomb tourism and the piles of Euros and Yankee dollars that go
with the territory.
Arubans are a serene, contented people-as they should be, with
a near-perfect climate, no hurricanes, and some of the cleanest,
widest and most scenic beaches in all the Caribbean

The Bahamas

This semi-arid island outside the Caribbean hurricane belt has
it all. “Black gold” in the form of oil refineries made Arubans
among the wealthiest people in the Caribbean, if not the world.
Aruba’s wealth provides the best in education and other govern-
ment services, as well as special status as an entity within itself
within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Dutch roots run deep in
Aruba, and islanders celebrate the Dutch Queen’s birthday with
serious vim, verve and vitality.
Despite not being entirely dependent on tourism, Arubans seem
to have totally accepted their annual one million visitations by air
and cruise ship. They remain a friendly lot, embracing with equal
aplomb tourism and the piles of Euros and Yankee dollars that go
with the territory.
Arubans are a serene, contented people-as they should be, with
a near-perfect climate, no hurricanes, and some of the cleanest,
widest and most scenic beaches in all the Caribbean

102 CNM | CARIBBEANNETWORKMAGAZINE.COM