While Bonaire is everybody's beloved baby, and Curacao is its budding offspring, Aruba for years was the estranged stepchild in the ABC islands of the Netherlands Antilles.
It's not that Aruba is particularly homely. Goodness knows, all three islands are flat, dry and cactus-ridden, in contrast to the lush mountains and tropical rain forests of the French West Indies, their northeastern neighbors. It's just that with all the hype spread over the years for tourists to "sojourn in Bonaire and Curacao," nobody paid much attention to the neglected cherub.
But things are changing now as Air Aruba extends its service into 12 major cities in the United States and Canada. More people are trying the small, arid island in the southern Caribbean and finding it very attractive, so much that hotels averaged close to 90 percent occupancy throughout 1993.
Aruba's beaches can hold their own with any in the Caribbean; there's a seven-mile stretch cordoned by coconut palms and white sands on the northwestern coast.
Other attractions include year-round average temperatures of 82 degrees, little rain (20 inches per year), blue skies, few bugs, a fetish for cleanliness and no slums. Aruba lies outside the hurricane belt, and its conditions are so stable local newspapers don't even bother to publish weather reports.
Water sports abound, including water-skiing, fishing, jet skiing, parasailing, windsurfing and scuba diving. The leading windsurfing destination in the Caribbean, Aruba offers year-round breezes and shallow waters that are perfect for flat-water slalom racing. From the end of May through the first week of June, sailboarding enthusiasts converge on the island for the annual Aruba Hi-Winds Pro-Am Windsurfing Tournament.
Most of the windsurfers congregate at Palm Beach and Eagle Beach along the hotel-lined northwest coast, while advanced hot-doggers favor Bachelor's Beach on the northeast coast. Lighter surf for beginners is on Roger's Beach or Grapefield Beach along the eastern tip of the island.
Most hotels and many outfitters offer equipment rental and instruction. For starters, try Red Sail Sports in the Harbour Town Shopping Center in downtown Oranjestad. Red Sail also operates out of the Aruba Americana and Hyatt Aruba Regency Resorts.
Castro Perez, a diver with 16 years' experience, is my guide on a drift dive that takes us over delicate coral formations in crystal-clear seas. Purple gorgonians and fanning plate coral are peppered among 4-foot-high star coral structures. The reef is a garden of color and texture that harbors an assortment of curious inhabitants.
Foureye butterfly fish and indigo hamlets cruise among purple sea anemones whose soft tubular bodies cling to rocks nestled in patches of sand. Glasseye snappers and dusky squirrelfish peer out from cracks in the coral where V-shaped feelers confirm the presence of spiny lobsters. Butter hamlets and yellowtail damselfish seem to play tag on small plateaus along the sloping reef while wrasses and rock beauties feed on algae colored in vibrant reds and greens.
Safety first is the rule of thumb at dive operations scattered along the coast, and the guides are cordial. Colorful reefs, an array of shipwrecks and an underwater rendezvous with a tourist submarine are included in a choice of more than two dozen excursions for beginner, intermediate or experienced divers. Buddy Person of S.E.A. Scuba or Terry Schwarzenback of Antilla Divers are experienced operators who will cater to your needs.
More than two dozen beachfront hotels line the northwestern coast, starting with the Holiday Inn near Hadikurari and stretching seven miles south to the Best Western near Oranjestad, the capital of Aruba.
The island's hotel capacity grew to 7,800 rooms in 1993, with several new hotels under construction. When these are completed, a five-year moratorium will be imposed.
Accommodations vary from the 47-room, Dutch-styled bungalows of the Hotel Amsterdam to the 500-room high-rise, Aruba Concorde.
The hotel strip on the northwest shore has the standard Holiday Inn, Hyatt and Best Western, plus the Sonesta Hotel. A six-story contemporary structure with a coconut palm atrium, the hotel provides boat service from its lobby to Sonesta Island, just offshore.
While other guests wait for taxis outside their hotels, Sonesta patrons saunter past the check-in desk to their awaiting water transportation. It's a strange sight to behold, even if you aren't staying at the hotel. A shot of the boat pulling into a Venetian-style canal -- in a hotel lobby -- provides great conversation for a slide or video show back home.
Hotel rates range from $85 to $225 for a double-occupancy room during the off-season (April 17 to Dec. 20). These rates almost double in the winter.
Arubans are noted for counting things, and just as they tally hotel rooms, they advertise "100 restaurants to choose from," featuring French, Indonesian, Italian, Mediterranean, Chinese, Dutch and island dishes.
Gourmets flock to Chez Mathilde, a refurbished 19th-century home in the middle of Oranjestad, where fine French cuisine is served in two intimate dining rooms and a garden pavilion. Escalope de veau Estragon, juicy slices of grilled veal served with a glazed tarragon sauce, is a house specialty.
Rijsttafel (sounds like heist-waffle and means rice table) is ppTC culinary adventure savored by many visitors. A smorgasbord featuring 10 to 15 dishes for two or more couples (the dish originated with 15 to 40 dishes), rijsttafel is available in some Aruban restaurants.
With whole rice as a base, portions of pork, shrimp, chicken, beef, fish and vegetables are served fried, stewed or broiled with condiments to pick and choose from. When people hear that rijsttafel is on the menu, they often strike while the iron is hot because it's not offered everywhere.
Try Warung Djawa for rijsttafel, Rigoletto's for Italian food, Kowloon's for Chinese, Sandra's for steaks and ribs and the Buccaneer for seafood. Prices for entrees are $12 to $15 at many restaurants, and $15 to $25 at the fancier establishments (where coats and ties for men are preferred).
After dinner, night life begins in the casinos, 11 of them altogether. (Remember, Arubans like to count!) The Concorde, Holiday Inn, Americana and Golden Tulip feature Las Vegas-style revues, complete with acrobatic dancers and sequined showgirls. Be sure to call for reservations in advance.
These same hotels and others on the beach strip feature festive theme parties, each falling on a different night. Tuesday is Amateur Talent Night at the Bushiri Beach Hotel; Wednesday is Tropical Night at the Manchebo Beach Resort; Thursday is Limbo Night at the Aruba Palm Beach; and Friday is Carnival Night at the Holiday Inn.
Discos are hot in Aruba, where the Visage remains the "in" place, attracting locals and visitors. Desires, L'Esprit Club and Contempo Disco are hot spots, the latter staying open to 3 a.m. Other attractions, times and places can be found in the News and Aruba Today, newspapers that are distributed free at hotel tour desks.
In addition, Oranjestad's shopping centers offer merchandise from all over the world. Les Accessoires features leather purses from Florence, Italy, and hand-woven shawls from Venezuela. La Pomme has the latest suits, bags and accessories from the couture line of Escada. Ciro's displays the latest international costume jewelry, while Spritzer and Fuhrmann specializes in Lalique china. Watches, cameras, perfumes, dolls, silks and more remain good buys in Aruba.
Prices for these and other duty-free items rank with the best in the Caribbean, offering discounts from 30 percent to 50 percent off American retail prices. American dollars and major credit cards are widely accepted.
For rustic tastes, there's an abundance of handmade pottery, baskets and other examples of Aruban artistry in open-air markets along the waterfront.
Because the island is small, a three-hour sightseeing tour takes in many historic and scenic attractions. The rugged northern coast, where constant trade winds bend the divi-divi trees to a right angle, features the ruins of an 1824 gold mineand a lagoon where pirates used to repair their vessels. It's also the site of a natural bridge carved from the coral cliffs by pounding seas. Not far away are caves housing ancient Indian hieroglyphics. In the southwest, the hill of Hooiberg, 168 meters high, has 600 steps leading to the top, where those hearty enough to make the climb can see the Venezuelan coast on a clear day.
Although the island's history and language is a tale of varied influences including Spanish, Dutch and Arawak Indian, one saying remains constant. "BonBoni," meaning "Welcome," rings true today as it did years ago when cool trade winds and warm greetings became symbolic of Aruba.
ELLSWORTH BOYD is a free-lance writer from White Hall, Md.
IF YOU GO . . .
Location: Aruba, 20 miles long and 6 miles wide, is one of the islands in the Netherlands Antilles, sometimes called Dutch West Indies. It is 12 degrees north of the equator and 18 miles from Venezuela.
Climate and dress: Temperatures average 82 degrees year-round with low humidity. The average rainfall is 20 inches per year, occurring in showers of short duration during November and December. Northeast trade winds of 15 to 20 knots blow continually. Although the dress code in daytime is casual, the evening attire at some hotels becomes "smart casual," a little bit dressier.
Currency: Local money is the Aruba florin (AFL), also called guilders. American dollars are widely accepted and in some places are preferred.
Getting there: Direct flights from major cities in the United States and Canada are available through Air Aruba, American, ALM, Delta, Aeropostal, Viasa and Avensa Air Lines. The average air time is 2 1/2 hours from Miami and four hours from New York. Aruba's airport departure tax is $10.
Travel documents: For proof of identity, residents of the United States and Canada may show a valid passport, voter's registration card with a picture identification, birth certificate or a certificate of naturalization (if born outside the United States or Canada).
Languages: Most Arubans speak English, Dutch and Spanish. Although Dutch is the official language, Papiamento is the local one. Described as "melodic," Papiamento is comprised of Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese with a sprinkling of Indian, English and French.
For more information: For a free brochure, call (800) TO-ARUBA, or write: Aruba Tourism Authority, 1000 Harbor Blvd., Weehawken, N.J. 07087.