Aruba

Aruba is not your typically lush margaritaville. Located deep in the southern Caribbean, just 15 miles off the coast of Venezuela and outside the hurricane belt, its arid interior landscape appears to be straight out of Arizona. But people sure do love it.

Like its sister isles of Bonaire and Curaçao (together, the three make up the "ABC" islands), Aruba has a character and architecture defined by its Dutch heritage and its proximity to South America. As a modern vacation spot, this Netherland Antilles island covers all the bases, with deluxe resorts, powdery white sands, 27 dive sites – including some noteworthy shipwrecks – and a striking championship golf course complete with iguanas and cactus.

Want more? There are nature sites, prehistoric cave drawings, and massive dunes at Boca Prins. (They're fun to slide down; just wear sturdy jeans.) Topping off this ultimate grown-up's theme park: casinos and discos with nonstop nightlife seven days a week.