Visit Aruba once and you’ll instantly start planning your next visit. The island wins you over with gorgeous weather, serene beaches, exciting land and sea activities (ATVs in the outback, anyone?), and terrific nightlife, from restaurants to casinos and nightclubs. Don’t miss the live music scene, featuring Aruba’s own Tumba music.

Located 15 miles north of Venezuela in the warm waters of the southern Caribbean, Aruba is home to beautiful white-sand beaches, 82-degree days, and some of the warmest people in the world. It isn’t called ‘One Happy Island’ for nothing. Aruba is 19.6 miles long and 6 miles across, with a total area of 70 square miles. It’s located just below the hurricane belt, and unlike many islands in the Caribbean, the climate is dry, so it rarely has a rainy day. On the south and west coasts of Aruba, you’ll find Oranjestad, the capital city, and miles of beaches that have been named some of the best in the world. Here, you’ll find most of the hotels and all-inclusive resorts in Aruba, and Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA).

In the interior of the island, you’ll find Arikok National Park, a desert like preserve with a variety of wildlife, cacti and dramatic rock formations. You’ll also find some of Aruba’s most striking views, as the ocean crashes against the rugged shoreline below. On the northeast coast, along the windward shore, you’ll see the island’s unofficial mascots, the fofoti trees. The constant trade winds have permanently sculpted them into graceful, southwesterly bending forms.

The official language of Aruba is Dutch and the local language of Papiamento, but most Arubans speak a minimum of four languages including English and Spanish. Aruba’s currency is the florin but US dollars are widely accepted. If you are traveling from America or the Netherlands, you don’t need a visa to enter the country (other countries also apply, please check list first). Aruba lies within the GMT/UTC – 4h time zone and they do not observe daylight savings.