The mountainous island of Saba in the Caribbean's Lesser Antilles.
Saba Tourism BureauSaba was never the island that travelers thought of first when they considered a Caribbean jaunt. But that’s now an advantage for this Dutch Caribbean island in the Lesser Antilles 28 miles southwest of St. Martin/St. Maarten. Uncrowded and somewhat out of the way, this tiny island—just five square miles- presents the opportunity for a respite in a remote, lush, natural setting. And it reopened on May 1st with no quarantine required (but still a negative PCR or antigen test) for vaccinated travelers; the island itself has a vaccination level of 85%.
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, famous for its short runway leading to the sea. photo by M.Torres
gettyLanding here is an experience in itself, even more of a thrill ride than the famous airport landing in St. Bart’s. Since it contains the world’s shortest commercial runway (1,300 feet) built between cliffs and Cove Bay, the island allows only a few airlines to land here. Winair has scheduled flights; SXM Airways based in St. Maarten can now also be chartered privately. Flying either promises a pretty dramatic beginning.
A lionfish swimming past coral in Saba,
gettyThat drama continues underwater; an island wide zone extending down to a depth of 200 feet was established as the Saba National Marine Park and has been drawing divers since the 1980s. The panoply of sights usually visible on dives or snorkels organized by licensed dive centers (which are required; diving isn’t allowed offshore) include coral formations described as coral encrusted boulders, Green and Hawksbill turtles, conch, Saba lobster and crabs, an abundance of fish including parrotfish, Nassau grouper, wahoo and angelfish and visitors such as manta rays and whale sharks. Adding to the natural sights are two manmade ones just discovered by the Saba Archeological Center: two 8.2 ship cannons possibly ditched to minimize weight.
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Cove Bay, the site of a small manmade beach for swimming
Saba Tourism BureauThe island’s focus is really on active watersports instead of hanging out at the beach—there are no natural beaches. But for those who want to do a little swimming from the shore, there is a man made curve of sand at Cove Bay behind a breakwater to calm the currents. Locals use it for a morning swim but the same operators who run the diving and snorkeling trips can also take guests out to prime swimming spots.
Halfway up to the peak of Mt.Scenery, the plants change to cloud forest varieties and the views are ... [+] stunning.
gettyAbove the waterline, the other main activity here is hiking with an extensive trail network that navigates the various climate and vegetation zones ranging from the cloud forest atop Mt. Scenery, the island’s highest point at 2877 feet, to dry evergreen forests and rainforest farther down. Bird fanciers can spot 60 different species and fish and sea urchins can be viewed in the Tide Pools. New developments over the shutdown include the addition of boardwalk planking and steps to make the trails easier to navigate and the completion and connection of trails.
A Captains' Suite at Juliana's Hotel
Saba Tourism BureauHotels on the island, simpler in general than in the marquee names of the region, also used the shutdown period to introduce improvements. Among them: Juliana’s Hotel which features several secluded cottages plus four new expansive Captains’ Suites with contemporary blue and white furnishings and terraces overlooking the Caribbean. (The hotel’s poolside bar The Tipsy Goat also makes a mean pina colada.) And for even greater seclusion, Saba Island Premier Properties has a range of villas from former sea captains’ gingerbread cottages dating from the 19th century to villas with pools that feel like boutique resorts to one built on the edge of a cliff-definitely in sync with the island’s topography.
The villa Hidden Garden built by a sea captain in 1890 and available to rent.
Saba Tourism Bureau