Telephone and Fax
Try to avoid making international calls from your hotel, because you can have a shocking surprise when you receive the bill. Always use booths and public telephones. At post offices and at the Cables & Wireless offices you can buy phone cards to use at the different booths. Likewise, you will find offices with public faxes.

Traveling with Children
Little Antilles people like children, and it is well known that children love the sun, the sea and the sand, so a family trip is ideal. Most resorts offer all kinds of facilities for tourist with children.

Disabled Travelers
Generally in the Caribbean there are few hotels and public places prepared for disabled people, with slopes and elevators. However, modern restaurants, malls and resorts have the adequate infrastructure to facilitate access for disabled. Some resorts have also rooms specially adapted for them. Ask for information before making reservations, and if the hotel is not equipped for these cases, then be sure your room is on the ground level.

Religious Services
All religions are present in the islands, also some less known. The local tourist offices and some free publications may inform you about schedules for the different religious services.

Tips
Most of the restaurants and hotels use to add in their bills some 10 to 15% for service. So it’s not necessary to leave tips, unless you are very pleased with the service. If you are not sure the service is included in the bill, then ask. If it is not included, you better leave a tip equivalent to the 15 or 20%. Taxi drivers will always welcome a similar amount.

Courtesy Rules
Good manners are welcomed in the islands as in every place. Be friendly and kind when asking for something, and you’ll be given a kind and warm treatment. Relatives, friends and people walking down the streets, salute each other with words like hello, “good bye”, “good morning” or “good night”. If you’re looking for some address or advice, say hello before asking. It is recommended not to take pictures of the people before asking for permission, and avoid talks about colonialism when talking or to refer to the islanders as “natives”.

TRANSPORT

By bus
Most of the islands have bus services, which residents use for transportation. Though they are not so comfortable as a taxi or a rent car, they are a cheap way of going anywhere, and allow you to know more about the islanders. Hotels, tourist offices, and police stations provide information about itineraries and timetables of buses. Drivers and passengers use to be kind and help people needing some help.

At all the islands there are also organized tours for busses, vans, jeeps and “community taxis”.

By car
The islands have many car rental agencies. Going by car gives you more freedom to explore the most remote places but please have in mind the following. Many of the islands are mountainous with narrow roads, and driving here could be a dangerous challenge. Because of the lack of rains, roads are covered by a subtle oil mantle; so when raining slippery roads are even more dangerous. Therefore drive cautiously using the horn, as recommended by the tourist offices, specially at curves. Rules for driving licenses are different from one island to another.

By taxi
Taxis are in great demand. They are not expensive, if you realize that for the same price you can have a talk with the taxi driver, who is an authentic expert about life in the island. Most of them will help you find places you are looking for, and even places you weren’t looking for but you’ll be glad to discover. It’s usual to find taxi drivers offering a tour through the island in fact, some of them are well prepared for that.

Another good thing about going in a taxi is that prices for each route are already fixed. Many taxis have the price list, and you can find it also at the tourist offices and in the island’s entrances. If you are going to use taxis frequently, be aware.

Generally, taxi drivers are very nice and always glad to help you. If you receive a good service, return the favor with a good tip (15% or 20% will be ok).

Connection Between Islands
As you can imagine, in these little islands region (some of them diminutives) separated by the sea, there are many options to go from one to the other. Those wanting a fast trip (and perhaps experience a seaplane flight) have at least twenty companies flying between islands. One of them, LIAT is the biggest and most known , though ALM (Dutch Antillean Airlines) has the monopoly between Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire and St- Martin.

Islands are connected by sea thanks to numerous ferries. Also there is a ferries service going regularly through Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire and Venezuela. Some of them are the typical iron ships with chimneys . Those enough curious and adventurous will also find aerial slippers, schooners and others sailing on these waters.

“The tiger”, for instance, is a catamaran of 20 meters of length, sailing daily between St. Barthélémy and St- Martin. Travelers can also deal with fishermen and little ships owners for tours to the smaller islands.