At the top of the Eastern Caribbean chain, and despite covering just thirteen square kilometres,
SABA has plenty of small delights. Its quaint villages are neat and attractive places, its main road swept clean daily and largely free of the traffic that plagues nearby islands. Even more appealing, the island's volcanic origins and limited development mean that spectacular vegetation and scenery is within easy reach of the main villages, and an even more spectacular world of coral and fish just yards offshore.
Unless you're visiting St Martin, in which case you should at the very least make a day trip here, the main drawback of visiting Saba is the difficulty and cost involved in getting there. If that doesn't put you off, and you aren't looking for an island with busy action and nightlife, Saba's a great choice
The Island
Saba's tiny
airstrip is at the island's northern end. From here, the dramatic road - known as the Road - rises sharply towards the small village of Hell's Gate. Just outside the airport, a left turn off the Road takes you along Cove Bay Road towards a sign pointing to
Flat Point , where you can see the remains of an abandoned boiling house, used during the eighteenth century to produce molasses from sugarcane grown on the island. Today Flat Point is a desolate place, with cacti and sea grape scattered around the coastal bluffs and plenty of good tide pools for hunting crabs and sea urchins.
Back on the Road, after a dozen or more switchbacks you reach Hell's Gate . Souvenir-hunting apart, there's no great reason to stop here. The main landmark is the Holy Rosary Church, which was built in the 1960s; behind it, Saban women at the community centre (weekdays 9am-noon & 2.30-5pm) sell traditional Saban lace, woven into handkerchiefs, napkins and tablecloths.
