In the 1400s and 1500s, this Caribbean island that would become Aruba lured prospectors for its legendary oro ruba, or red gold.

Today, abandoned mines harkening to the 1823 gold rush, churches dating to the early 1800s, white-sand beaches, a world-famous butterfly conservatory, restaurants internationally celebrated for fresh-daily seafood, sunset-cruise weddings, golfing and casino gambling are foremost among Aruban attributes.

The culture is eclectic, reflecting 40 ethnicities around the world. You’ll see most of them in the arts, crafts, clothing and other goods sold the last Sunday of each month at the central flea market.

“Aruba is a very small island,” said Cathie Barile, co-owner of Travel Emporium of WNY Inc. of the Town of Tonawanda. “You can rent a Moped for a day and see the whole island and meet some of the world’s most fantastic people, many of Dutch and Venezuelan extraction. Venezuela is just 15 miles off the coast of Aruba.”

Barile visited Aruba in 2004, finding the Natural Bridge a must see.

“It’s a famous piece of rock eroded in the center and you walk on top,” she said. “It’s beautiful to see what nature has done.”

While the island may be small in size, it warrants a large chunk of time in terms of sightseeing.

“Absolutely, you could spend a week there,” Barile said. “There’s a great PGA golf course at Tierra del Sol Restaurant and Country Club. You can have your own three-bedroom condo with private pool for slightly more than $2,000 a week.”

As one of the ABC (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) Islands, “this one never has been hit by a hurricane,” she said. “That’s a big part of the popularity of the ABC chain.”

Casinos are a major attraction.

“A big one is La Hambra,” Barile said. “Many visitors like it because it’s unattached to any property — its only thrust is being a casino.”

Reggae music played by island musicians in most clubs and restaurants is as common as the decorative windmills and wooden shoes reflecting Aruba’s Dutch heritage.

Local cuisine is based on such catches as wahoo, crab, shrimp and mahi mahi, served at such popular tourist restaurants as the Driftwood, where the owner harvests his own fish every day; the Flying Fishbone, featuring Carte Blanche, a three-course surprise chef’s menu; and the Rumba Bar and Grill, judged by a guest poll on the Internet as serving the best and the worst rack of lamb by an equal number of respondents.

Aruba’s cosmopolitan complexion is mirrored in its other culinary choices: American, Argentinean, Caribbean, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Indonesian, International, Jamaican, Japanese, Mexican and Spanish.

You can go ordinary with a selection of steakhouses and fast food. There’s even a Hooter’s.

Contact Sharon DeMarko-Gordon at 693-1000, Ext. 107.



IF YOU GO

• WHERE: Island of Aruba.

• COST: Highest in winter-spring season, Dec. 15 to April 15. All-inclusive between $1,600 and $1,800 per person per week.

• LANGUAGE: Papiamento, a native dialect made up of Dutch, Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, many African languages and Arawak Indian. Nearly everyone speaks English, Spanish and Dutch, the official language.

• CURRENCY: Aruban florin is standard, but American dollars are accepted everywhere.

• MORE INFORMATION: Call Cathie Barile, co-owner of Travel Emporium of WNY Inc. at 832-0183, or visit geographia.com/aruba/.



Top Aruba attractions

Beaches

• White sand and calm waters, considered by seasoned travelers to be among the world’s best.

• Hadicurari, south of the lighthouse, known for snorkeling.

• Palm, famous for calm waters, located in front of the luxurious high-rise hotel stretch.

• Eagle, public for locals, replete with shaded picnic areas and plenty of parking.

• Rodgers, features a slightly rough surf. Close to Baby Beach, offers shady areas and showers.

• Baby, in Seroe Colorado at the island’s southeastern tip. Name reflects calm and shallow waters. Snorkelers will admire gorgeous coral heads in the channel.

Gold mines

• Bushiribana. Now abandoned, this was the center of Aruba’s gold rush during the 19th century.

• Balashi. On the drive to Pos Chiquito, hang a left through historic Frenchman’s Pass, a narrow rock canyon with hundreds of chattering parakeets and exotic birds. Balashi gold mill ruins lie at the tip of Spanish Lagoon.

• Butterfly farm. A tropical garden teems with butterflies from around the world. Observe the life cycle from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly on guided tours.

Museums

• Fort Zoutman/Willem III Tower. In Oranjestad, Aruba’s oldest building, this historical museum shows articles from the island’s earliest times through early Spanish and Dutch periods to the present.

n Numismatic. Next to the central bus station in Oranjestad, showing 30,000 historic coins from around the world. For more information, e-mail info@museumaruba.org.

• Archaeological. J.E.Irausquinplein 2A, Oranjestad, on Zoutmanstraat across from the bus stop in Oranjestad. Five rooms contain giant earthen jars of which a few contain the remains of Aruba’s original inhabitants. Also displayed in glass boxes with descriptions are ancient artifacts, pottery tools and art.

• Rococo Plaza of Antiquities. Louis XV antiques and curiosities are inside a complex built with antique building materials from the 17th century. The roof and the onion shaped towers in red copper house 23 showrooms of unusual items from Aruba and South America. The museum exhibits the 160 year-old history of Aruba’s Aloe.