Caribbean Villas trip to Saba

I wanted to see the smaller and lesser known islands of the Caribbean for my next Caribbean holiday, and contacted a friend in the travel business for his suggestions. As a result after a couple of flights finishing up in St Maarten, one of the Netherlands Antilles, I went by boat from Phillipsburg to Saba, a tiny island secluded and out of the main stream of tourism. Arriving by sea was incredible – no beaches, just a huge peak rising to 2,754 feet coming sheer out of the sea. The jetty at Fort Bay was certainly not built to take cruise ships! I set off to walk to the capital village, The Bottom. This turned out to be a charming village of quaint, colourful, red-roofed houses surrounded by steep hills. I found the people incredibly friendly and eager to tell you about their unique island home. Prior to my arrival, I had done some research and knew that there were four villages, The Bottom, Hellsgate, Windwardside, and St Johns, and that they were connected by one road. I was now told that the road had been built by the people of Saba and that it had taken 21 years to complete after surveyors from both the Dutch and U.S. governments had advised that, due to the terrain, it was not practical to build the road. What a road – it will probably outlast the pyramids. Saba will never be swamped with tourists due to the difficult of getting there - the airport is on a promontory to the north of Hellsgate, and can take only very small aircraft with a daily service from St Maarten. The hotels and guesthouses are small and personal, but as this is one of the best diving areas in the world it attracts the diving enthusiasts. Each village has several restaurants serving a wide choice of cooking with fresh seafood including lobster being a speciality. I was advised to climb Mount Scenery, 2,754 feet high, and after following a “stairwell” taking me through tropical rain forests, I eventually reached the peak from where I enjoyed a panoramic view over the whole 5 square miles of Saba, and could also see the neighbouring islands of St Maarten, St Barths, St Eustacius, and in the distance, St Kitts. It was well worth the effort. No visit to Saba would have been complete without purchasing some Saba Lace and sampling Saba Spice, a rum-based liquor with spices made in local kitchens. This was a unique visit to a unique island thanks to just caribbean villas. I must point out that the hotels in Saba are not the usual luxurious Caribbean hotels which I had found on other islands, but saying that they were ideal for Saba and totally acceptable and eco friendly for a Caribbean holiday on this totally unique island.

Take a look at the Just Caribbean website on www.thejustgroupuk.com/justcaribbean or call on 08707.557799 to obtain details of special offers. Their U.K. offices are open from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily including Saturday and Sunday