The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
WHERE THE DUTCH GO
Wander past the tall, pastel-hued houses of Curacao’s capital Willemstad and you could almost be in Amsterdam – albeit a hotter version. The distinctive architecture of the Unesco World Heritage Site creates a familiar backdrop for Dutch travellers who head to this independent island that still celebrates its ties with the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Take the cuisine, for example. “Specifically Dutch food would be our snacks like kroketten and frikandellen, and we also eat our fries with mayonnaise,” says Marieke van Hamond, co-owner of Restaurant Nultwintig, who recommends trying keshi yena – a ball of Dutch cheese stuffed with meat.
A mix of cultures isn’t only limited to dinner plates. Along with Dutch, the local Yu di Korsou learn English, Spanish and Papiamentu as official languages at school. Beach bars serve cans of Heineken alongside cocktails made with Curacao (the island’s namesake blue liqueur made with dried peel from a locally grown citrus fruit), while speakers blare a mix of jaunty European pop and sultry merengue-tinged ritmo kombina.
Ease of access with daily flights from Amsterdam on KLM, who have connections across Europe, was one of the factors influencing hotel giant Sandals to launch a new resort here last year. “As an island community with Dutch food, beer, supermarkets and a relaxed atmosphere, we made it so easy for the
Dutch to visit over the years that it became a ‘home away from home’,” explains Nathaly Harms, a manager at Sandals Royal Curacao. Sitting below the hurricane belt, the island also has reliably good weather year-round.
“Culture is a big part of this island,” says Marieke, who fills her free days with boat rides to Fuik Beach on the east coast, where everyone comes to party on the first Sunday of the year. “We appreciate and celebrate the joy of life like nowhere else on this planet.”
Aruba, also part of the Dutch-influenced ABC islands, ups the sunbathing stakes by claiming to have more sunny days than any other Caribbean destination. Once dismissed by the Spanish as “isla inutil” (useless island) for a lack of precious resources, its volcanic shores, cactus-studded interior and endless golden stretches like Eagle Beach have made it a hit, packed with hidden delights. “For Aruba’s best photo spots, try the colourful murals in downtown San Nicolas, along the cliff of Mangel Halto with the blue shades of the water in the background, or the classic Fofoti tree at Eagle Beach,” suggests local tour guide Jacky Boekhouwer.
But be aware that word is already spreading among Brits, with a new, weekly direct service to the UK launched by BA earlier this year.
Whether it’s down to a fondness for familiarity, a stubborn love of country or an unwillingness to deviate from the norms, the French like to travel in France, with less than half of them owning a passport. Luckily for them, there are French departments all over the world and several can be found in the Caribbean. Billionaires’ playground St Barts has swanky hotels; Martinique is a haven for the arts; and Guadeloupe feels wild, and rustic.
Connected by direct flights, the French take advantage of the same language, currency and even an almost carbon-copy road system. There are no nasty roaming mobile phone charges and – perhaps most importantly – patisseries sell decent baguettes.
Yet these islands are much more than a slice of France. “There’s no place like home, my beautiful country with its high sesame shores,” wrote Aimé Césaire, Martinique’s famous poet who took great pride in his African roots and criticised the ills of colonialism and slavery. His island’s natural beauty has certainly inspired artists over the years – 19th -century painters Paul Gauguin and Charles Laval eulogised its tropical landscapes in several works, and today there are several excellent art galleries. From 80 different types of orchid to views of the conical Carbet Mountains and images of rainbow-hued yole sailing boats carved from pear trees, there’s plenty to fill a canvas.
Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles, 74 miles north, is similarly focussed on culture, with a calendar of events spanning jazz, classical and gwoka – Creole singing accompanied by Ka drums.
Rhythms pulse through Pointe-àPitre, certified a City of Art and History by the French Ministry of Culture and home to the Mémorial ACTe, which reflects on slavery and indigenous people.
On St Martin, the French half of an island shared with Dutch Sant Maarten, people are even more openminded. Orient Bay Beach is considered one of the top official nudist beaches in the Caribbean. Perhaps a little too much for us bashful Brits, it’s a laissez-faire spot to let it all hang out.