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The island is dominated by The Hills and The Quill, volcanic cones, now extinct. Climbing to the peak of The Quill (1,800 ft.) with a verdant rain forest in its crater is a not too strenuous 80-min. hike. An old Dutch command post, Fort Oranjestad, built on French foundations in 1636, is a neat little 16-cannon salute to colonial glories. This and several other of the island's 17 original forts are on a walking tour laid out by Statia's energetic historical foundation. One of the best beaches is on Tumble Down Dick Bay, apparently named after Oliver Cromwell's son and ill-starred successor as Lord Protector of England. The beaches on the brooding, windswept Atlantic side are more for roving than for swimming.
Statia has two of the pleasantest inns on the islands, the Moushay Bay Publick House and the Old Gin House, facing on Gallows Bay. They are in fact a single entity, across the road from each other, with guests flowing to and fro, and a total of 23 rooms. Four-course dinners deftly blend West Indian, Continental and American cuisine. The owners plan to expand their Inns of Gallows Bay with three additional connected buildings. Other hotels are sure to follow. Also with an eye to tourism, the Dutch government is funding restoration of historic ruins. As they say on Statia, "Our past is our future."
Saba: Talking Rock. After the white-knuckle landing on Saba's mini-airstrip, navigating the island's single tortuous road provides more sustained excitement, particularly if the cab driver is Bobby Every, whose red taxi carries the bumper sticker: ISLAND TOURS, REASONABLE STORIES. Everyone has stories to tell, many about the far corners of the earth to which Sabans have voyaged as sailors. Though anecdotes, reasonable and unreasonable, are the island's main crop, fishermen, farmers and craftsmen also do well.
Saba (pronounced Say-buh) is a Dutch colony, half white, half black (pop. 1,020); its original white settlers were mostly dispossessed Scots. The island, a lush volcanic rock soaring 3,000 ft. from the sea, has no beaches or sports facilities, though some visitors find the hike up steep Mount Scenery worth the risk of a heart attack. The big excitement comes on Saturday night in the village of The Bottom, where the Soul Redemption provides rockalypso loud enough to raise the dead. There are several attractive inns, with a total capacity of 25 rooms. Sabans call their home "Unspoiled Queen." It is.