Netherlands Antilles: Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten/St. Martin

FEATURE (Category: Americas | Antilles | all seasons | water | islands)

Netherlands Antilles: Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten/St. Martin

The Dutch Caribbean islands of Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten each have a very different character. On St. Maarten you can enjoy sun-baked, sandy beaches. On Saba one can follow the trail to the top of a dormant volcano, 877 m. high Mt. Scenery, covered by a magical cloud forest. St. Eustatius, finally, offers peace and quiet, and a rich history.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.465] 'Mountain island.' Its volcanic top shrouded in clouds, Saba rises above yachts moored near the coast of neighbouring island St. Eustatius. The island is situated 250 km east of Puerto Rico. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[ANTILLES.SABA 25.468] ’Red roofs.’ Red roofed cottages of Windwardside surround the Anglican Holy Trinity Church, built in 1877. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[ANTILLES.SABA 25.472] ’Climbing Maskehorne Hill.’ A climb to Maskehorne Hill is rewarded with a view of Windwardside and the Caribbean Sea. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[ANTILLES.SABA 25.479] ’Scout’s House-2.’ The porch of Scout’s House in Windwardside is richly decorated in ‘gingerbread style’. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[ANTILLES.SABA 25.483] ’Cutting permit.’ Despite his permit, it appears that it has been a while since Cletus Johnson has cut any grass in this Windwardside field. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[ANTILLES.SABA 25.489] ’Ecolodge.’ At the Ecolodge, an ecological oriented accommodation in the rain forest of Mt.Scenery’s southern slope, the simple wooden cottages are grouped round a small swimming pool. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[ANTILLES.SABA 25.494] ’Colourful salad.’ A colourful salad has been created with vegetables and flowers which grow around the restaurant of the Ecolodge, a small hotel on the southern slope of Mt. Scenery. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[ANTILLES.SABA 25.499] ’Turtle cottage.’ The simple wooden cottages at the Ecolodge have been decorated by local artist Heleen Cornet. The Ecolodge is an ecological oriented accommodation in the rain forest of Mt. Scenery’s southern slope. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ANTILLES.SABA 25.467] ’Windwardside.’ Windwardside lies wedged between Booby Hill (left) and the southern slope of Mt. Scenery. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[ANTILLES.SABA 25.469] ’Floral Cottage.’ The historic core of Windwardside with Floral Cottage in the foreground. Saba’s village architecture has been highly influenced by the Irish, Scottish and English colonists who settled there starting in the 17th century. They brought with them wooden cottages typical of the English countryside. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[ANTILLES.SABA 25.475] ’Scout’s House-1.’ Scout’s House in Windwardside was built around 1890 by Captain Thomas Hassel. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[ANTILLES.SABA 25.482] ’Letter box.’ This letterbox in Windwardside is in the form of a typical red roofed Saba cottage. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[ANTILLES.SABA 25.484] ’View on Mt. Scenery.’ Some houses in Windwardside have a glorious view of the slopes of Mt.Scenery, Saba’s 877 m. high dormant volcano. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[ANTILLES.SABA 25.491] ’Tropical dining room.’ At the restaurant of the Ecolodge, a small hotel on the southern slope of Mt. Scenery, the rain forest just ends on the doorstep. Inside the dining room the tropical atmosphere is continued in the murals by local artist Heleen Cornet. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[ANTILLES.SABA 25.498] ’Ecolodge reastaurant.’ Surrounded by its own vegetable garden, the restaurant of the ecological oriented Ecolodge lies surrounded by the rain forest of Mt.Scenery’s southern slope. Photo Mick Palarczyk.