search.noResults

search.searching

note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
DESTINATIONS BONAIRE & CURACAO CARIBBEAN


LEFT: Washington Slagbaai National Park, Bonaire


RIGHT: Bonaire’s salt pans


w BONJOUR, BONAIRE See: Bigger than Aruba, but with a fraction of its population, Bonaire has a sleepy, desert island vibe, but there’s still plenty to do. You can divvy the island up into two halves: the pancake-flat south and the undulating north. The jewel of the north is


Washington Slagbaai National Park. At the entrance, a museum gets you up to speed with Bonaire’s political and social history, flora and fauna, before you buckle up for a roller-coaster drive on dirt roads through paradise. Parakeets, yellow warblers


and orange-breasted troupials dart across your path, and the flashes of colour continue with flocks of flamingo wading in the salt pans. Biking and hiking trails also appear, and a 45-minute climb takes you to the summit of the island’s highest peak, Mount Brandaris, at 784 feet. Afterwards, cool off at


snorkelling spot Wayaka, where giant parrot fish gather. Bonaire’s west coast has more than 50 shore dives – one of its biggest selling points. Sign scuba fiends up for an accommodation package that includes tank and truck rental, and they can independently pick their dive sites and times without the need to book boat trips. For windsurfing, there’s the east


coast. At Jibe City, a clapboard beach shack on a glorious arc of white sand, you can hire


Salt pans change hue with the light of the day from pink to violet, contrasting with the blue sky


equipment or sign up for lessons. It’s ideal for beginners or children, as the water is waist deep and protected by an offshore reef. In the south of the island, salt


pans stretch for miles, changing hue with the light of the day from pink to violet, and making a striking contrast to the blue sky. Life on Bonaire exudes ease


and freedom even in the capital Kralendijk, where an oceanfront promenade leads past shops, restaurants and pavement cafes, where folk gather for sunset. Stay: Until recently, self-catering apartments were the staple. The first brand-name hotel – a 140-room Courtyard by Marriott – opened in 2016, a short drive from the capital. For all-inclusive, the 126-room Divi Flamingo Beach Resort, a short walk from Kralendijk’s promenade, will oblige. Another commissionable option is the neighbouring 50-room Harbour Village Beach Club, a Small Luxury Hotel of the World (see Tried & T


ested, right). 58 travelweekly.co.uk 18 January 2018


w CURACAO TIME See: Willemstad, the colourful, cosmopolitan capital of Curacao, is reason alone to visit. One of the most walkable and interesting cities in the Caribbean, time slips away here as you wander past the floating produce market, admire


the Dutch colonial architecture, and marvel at Queen Emma Bridge, which links the two sides of the city, Punda and Otrobanda. To allow ships to pass through


to the inner harbour, the pontoon bridge disconnects from one bank and rotates until parallel


HARBOUR VILLAGE BEACH CLUB


Tried & Tested Set on a quiet peninsula, the


property’s exquisite gardens frame Bonaire’s only private beach – and what a beach; possibly the best on the island. A thicket of palms draped with double hammocks provides seclusion for romantics, and gently shelving sand makes it a relaxing choice for families, as do the beachfront two-bedroom suites. While everyone wants an ocean-view room, their budget doesn’t always allow. It’s not a


problem here, as the marina-view rooms also overlook the blue. The on-site dive shops offer a concierge service that preps and cleans clients’ gear, while the coral conservation programme ensures the surrounding shallows are teeming with fish. You can even watch them as you dine at the over-water restaurant. Happy hour goes on for two hours, and a candlelit table on the sand comes as standard at the weekly beach barbecue.


PICTURES: TOURISM CORPORATION BONAIRE; WE SHARE BONAIRE


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96