Some Caribbean islands are shaped by beaches, resorts, and easy shorelines. Saba is shaped by edges — sharp cliffs, climbing roads, and an island silhouette that doesn’t resemble anywhere else in the region. It’s the sort of place travelers hear about long before they ever meet someone who’s actually been, a huge volcanic peak rising out of the water with a handful of villages tucked into its slopes.
What draws people here isn’t a checklist. It’s the feeling of stepping into a place that has stayed small, intentional, and unhurried, where daily life moves through hillside homes, family restaurants, and paths built by hand over generations. Saba doesn’t try to compete with beach destinations. It has its own identity, and visitors embrace it the moment they arrive.
If you’re looking for a classic beach vacation, turn away. This is not the place for you. This is about finding somewhere different, somewhere unique. And that’s what you get in Saba. It’s lovable, personality-filled and without analog.
The Island
The road that winds from the harbor leads into a landscape of switchbacks, stone walls, and views that seem to open in new ways every few minutes. The villages — The Bottom, Windwardside, St. Johns, and Zion’s Hill — are compact, colorful, and full of details that give the island its character: red roofs, tidy gardens, and small shops that double as gathering places.
Saba’s terrain is dramatic. Trails follow old footpaths through rainforest, ridges, and volcanic slopes, connecting one part of the island to another in ways that feel almost storybook. The climb toward Mount Scenery, the highest point in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is a steady ascent through lush vegetation and stone steps, leading to views that change with the clouds.
There are no natural beaches, but the coastline tells its own story — cliffs dropping into deep blue, rock formations shaped by centuries of wind and water, and coves reached only by boat. The absence of shoreline crowds is part of the appeal. Life unfolds inland, on the trails, in the villages, and along the terraces that look out across the sea.
Where to Stay
Queen’s Hotel sits along a hillside overlooking the water, a small, polished property with suites and cottages arranged to take advantage of the island’s elevation. It has a calm, grown-up feel — spacious rooms, a strong restaurant, and an atmosphere that fits Saba’s sense of quiet independence. It’s one of the island’s most comfortable bases, especially for travelers who want easy access to Windwardside while still feeling tucked into the landscape.
Juliana’s Hotel offers a more intimate, village-centered stay, set among gardens and pathways with quick access to trails, restaurants, and the heart of Windwardside. The rooms and cottages vary in style, giving travelers options that range from simple and practical to more residential and private. It’s welcoming, unfussy, and well-suited for visitors who want to feel woven into daily island life.
What We Like
Saba’s scale works in its favor. You can explore the island without ever feeling rushed, moving from village to trailhead to café in minutes. Restaurants are small and personal, often run by island families who know every visitor by sight by the end of the week. Lodging follows the same approach, with modest inns, hillside cottages, and small hotels that feel like part of the community rather than separate from it.
Diving is a major draw. The Saba Marine Park protects a rich underwater world filled with pinnacles, drop-offs, and volcanic formations that make the island one of the most distinctive dive destinations in the region. The reefs here are protected, healthy, and strikingly vertical — a completely different underwater experience from shallow-water Caribbean islands.
Saba is so quiet, and so charming. It’s not like anywhere else. That’s what makes it cool — but also not for everyone, either.
How to Get There
Travelers typically reach Saba by Winair from nearby St Maarten — or by ferry from St. Maarten. The journey becomes part of the experience — a short hop or a coastal crossing that sets the stage for the island’s dramatic terrain. Once you arrive, getting around is straightforward, with taxis and short drives connecting the port, the villages, and various trailheads. When you get here, especially on the ferry, you feel like you’re in a movie.
Lori Chase
2025-12-13 00:56:00