ISLE BE THERE
Caribbean’s safest island has direct UK flights and 30C winters
You can fly there with BA and TUI
IF you're wanting a Caribbean holiday without the worry of safety, then safety experts have said Aruba is the best option.
The pretty island has direct flights from the UK, after British Airways launched the twice-weekly Gatwick-Aruba flights back in 2023.
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While you will have to stop in Antigua, thankfully you won't have to get off the plane.
And according to travel safety website Aruba came out on top of Caribbean islands.
Scoring 90 out of 100 - compared to the lowest being 34 for Puerto Rico - it is ranked one of the safest across the islands.
In fact, it is only beaten by four other destinations, which includes Iceland and Denmark.
Read more on the Caribbean
Not only is it known for it's safety, but it is also dubbed 'One Happy Island' by locals.
Expect 30C highs even in winter, and a unique dry climate, compared to the other Caribbean tropical climates.
This means it also avoided the hurricane season that plagues other islands, sitting just outside the hurricane belt.
Also famed for it's white sand beaches, it is Flamingo Beach which is most loved - because you can see the famous pink animals relaxing there.
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Expect locals to speak English, as well as Spanish and Dutch, although the local Creole language is Papiamento.
Despite being colonised by the Dutch in 1634, they were also colonised by Indonesia - which is where much of the food is influenced from.
New Airport opens at Caribbean island
This means you can expect nasi goreng - a rice and egg dish - as well as the national dish of Keshi Yena, similar to a casserole.
Make sure to visit in May if you want to see Soul Beach Music Festival, the largest of it's kind in the Caribbean, or in December for The Dande Festival, another music festival.
And make sure to go to Charlie's Bar, one of the most famous on the island and run by locals for three generations.
The cheapest flights with British Airways are found in March, with return fares for around £508pp.
Or you can book a TUI holiday which starts from £1,144pp, which includes return flights and seven hotel nights.
Want to go all-inclusive? Thomas Cook have seven-night deals from £2,223pp.
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The airport is even undergoing a huge expansion, after welcoming 1.5million tourists last year.
Called Gateway 2030, the airport is adding new check in facilities as well as more gates which will allow double the capacity to three million tourists.
Some of the newest hotels on Aruba include the St Regis Hotels & Resort, which opened last week with infinity pools, private cabanas and a 9,000sqft casino.
Another new resort was the JOIA Aruba by Iberostar, with 240 rooms and rooftop infinity pool.
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The Sun goes to Aruba
The Sun's Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski visited Aruba - here's what she thought.
Just north of Venezuela and a little below the Dominican Republic, Aruba may share the same sea and lush landscapes as its neighbouring countries, but it certainly has its own unique identity.
The island is a mishmash of culture, where worn buildings painted with bright street art meet isolated beach bars with steel drum players swaying to their own soft melodies.
A couple of kilometres inland is the capital Oranjestad, where you’ll find yourself wandering among Dutch colonial buildings that are a complete juxtaposition to the white sands and coconut palm trees.
Each shop and cafe in the capital is painted in pastel shades of pink, green or blue and outlined with a lacey white trim. It looks almost fairytale-like in the light of the beating sun. And, in a way, the country is a kind of Neverland, geared up for travellers in search of complete escapism.
The Sun's Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey recently visited Barbados - here's what she thought.
We've also revealed which is the safest African country to visit - and its a beautiful island known for its beaches.
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