ST EUSTATIUS Seducedbythecharmsof

Diving

St. Eustatius, or Statia as it’s often known, is blessed with some of the Caribbean’s best diving. Unlike many of the region’s other underwater hotspots, here you’ll never have to worry about crowds as you explore the treasure-filled shipwrecks in Oranje Bay or the aptly-named Blue Bead Hole, home to striking blue beads (a symbol of the island’s past), or the protected coral reefs that circle the island. Elsewhere, lava flows from recent volcanic activity create otherworldly underwater tapestries and three endangered sea turtle species are commonly sighted.

Adventure

It might only be eight miles square, but the island of Statia is home to over a dozen hiking trails winding around its jagged coastline or crossing lush, verdant hills. The most essential trail will take you to the peak of The Quill, the dormant, 2,000-foot volcano which dominates the island. A hike to the summit can be completed in under an hour, but you will want to leave time to explore the Quill’s inner crater, which is home to a spectacular tropical rainforest.

Tranquility

Statia is a place to unplug, relax and unwind. From the moment you land at F. D. Roosevelt Airport, the sound of small, single-engine planes taking off and landing, or the faint hum of the new Makana Ferry to and from Saba, St. Maarten, and St. Kitts are just about the only noises of note you’ll encounter on your stay. What you will hear are gentle crashing waves, braying goats and chirps from the more than 30 bird species that make their home here.

Experience

Statia has changed hands 19 times between the Dutch, English, and French, so has more historical monuments per square mile than any other Caribbean island. Its capital, Oranjestad, was once the region’s busiest trading port. In its ‘Upper Town’ are the remnants of Honen Dalim, the second-oldest Jewish synagogue in the New World. Steps away is the newly-restored Fort Oranje where, in 1776, Governor Johannes de Graaff offered the first international recognition of the newly-chartered United States, via an 11-gun salute to the USS Andrew Doria. A brass plaque, presented by Franklin D. Roosevelt to mark Statia’s pivotal role, hangs here.