The unspoiled Caribbean endures in an overlooked corner of the region occupied by the tiny Netherlands Antilles isles of Saba and St Eustatius .

 

Home to just 600 people and little known even to seasoned travellers to the area, Saba is a true pleasure to visit. Priding itself on showcasing the "Caribbean as it used to be", Saba's superb diving and great hiking more than compensate for the absence of a decent beach. Most refreshing of all - particularly after St Martin, from where nearly all visitors come - is the lack of tourist development that has kept the island "the unspoiled queen" that the tourist authorities avow.

Similarly, St Eustatius (or Statia), 27km to the northwest, moves to the slow pace of island life, with good diving and hiking to be had, the latter especially the case inside the crater of the Quill , the island's dormant volcano.

As in much of the Caribbean, the islands are year-round destinations; however, the best time to visit is between mid-December and mid-April when rainfall is low and the heat is tempered by cooling trade winds