Ahoy, Matey! Arr you in search of some pirate lore? Avast ye to my marooning on the island of Aruba back in August of 2019.
(clears throat) Okay, no more pirate voice for the rest of the article.
As I’ve mentioned in previous travel blogs, I’m a writer and my wife Julie is a travel advisor, so when I explained that I’m writing a book set in the Golden Era of Piracy, she rolled up her sleeves to find me a great destination. I tried to avoid cliches like Tortuga, and she tried to avoid islands with modern day pirates, so it came down to a few destinations: Bermuda, Bahamas, and Aruba. While Bermuda had the triangle thing, and the Bahamas were prime pirate waters, she convinced me that Aruba might be the best bang for our buck.
Landlubber
If you’re unfamiliar with Aruba, it’s one of the southernmost islands of the Caribbean, just offshore of South America (you can almost see Venezuela). If a pirate wanted to really hide some loot, this island is out of the way, which makes it a fun modern day destination also. It's a small island with a big mountain smack dab in the middle, and from the beach, you can pretty much see half of the island from north to south. While we simply wanted a sandy beach and palm trees, a rental car will allow you to take day trips to any end of the island you’d want. From hiking up the mountain to exploring the rocky caves, it has quite a bit to offer.
Letters of Marque
It’s not a vast treasure trove of legends and lore, but it does have some complicated history. This little island got passed back and forth between empires like poker chips in Las Vegas. Its predominantly a Dutch colony, but without a lot of natural resources, it was pretty much left alone until recent times. Because of this, most of Aruba is modern, from the streets to the buildings. In fact, it reminds me of a very clean Las Vegas, with nightclubs and shops filling the resort area. Since one of my pirate characters had strong connections to Holland, it did spark some ideas for my book.
Batten Down the Hatches
The surprising feature of Aruba to a neophyte like me was the climate. It was hot! Granted, that should be expected in August, but with its being so close to the equator, this little island has no problem giving pale Vikings a great beach experience. Yet even with a cool drink and the shade of a palm tree, Aruba can still crank up the heat, which is why its strong winds are so refreshing. It is known for its winds, which makes for great beach fun, but for bums like me, it helped keep the heat under control.
Walking the Plank
Aside from good palm trees for writing, my favorite feature of Aruba was the beach. With a slightly concave shore, you could see for miles in both directions, and you had two great options for walking. Walking the sand meant traveling from one resort to another, which gave a great sense of security. You certainly want to do this early in the morning since the heat and the wind come up by the afternoon. But walking the beach lets you see all the activity out on the water. The other option is the impressive walkway system. Knowing the importance of tourism, Aruba installed a rugged walkway system in front of the resorts, allowing you to walk under the shade of the palm trees as you take in the “modern” side of the island.
Three Sheets to the Wind
There is money in Aruba, and it didn’t take me long to figure out that a higher class of vacationer visits Aruba. The dining, entertainment, and shopping is top notch and all conveniently within walking distance of the resorts. Most of the clientele would work off their hangovers under a palm tree, feast at the resort, and then go take in the nightlife.
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