Aruba - Aruba's brawny trade winds have a way of altering the stature of just about everything -- from the gnarled divi-divi trees on the beaches to the eerily sculpted boulders in the center of the island. Don't be surprised, by the way, if you find yourself tilting at a 45-degree angle.

Once you've adjusted your posture, however, you'll discover that Aruba is among the livelier, more developed islands in the region, with high-rise resorts, great restaurants and glitzy casinos lining its white-sand beaches. You'll find plenty of things to do, too: sunbathing, world-class windsurfing and waterskiing by day, and discos, cabarets, dinner shows and high-stakes gambling at night. What you won't see is an abundance of natural attractions. Nor is Aruba covered in lush foliage. It's about as close to a desert island as you'll find in the Caribbean, with stands of cacti and aloe vera dotting the dusty terrain. In fact, it is so dry, the goats eat the cacti in search of something resembling leaves.