Sun, sand, and diving into the depths of the Caribbean, ANDREW HITCHON sampled the delights of Aruba.

I WAS snorkelling in the warm water of the Caribbean, looking out for shoals of the brightly-coloured fish I had seen earlier, when I spotted a starfish on the sea floor.

I circled to get a better look, and saw that it had a star-shaped pattern on top of the middle of its body, its shape exactly the same as that of the creature itself.

Marvelling at nature's symmetry, I swam back to the catamaran from which I had leapt into the calm sea 20 minutes earlier.

I was half-way through my second full day on Aruba, an island relatively unknown to British holidaymakers, but a favourite destination for American seekers of sun, sea, and a friendly welcome.

Situated off the coast of Venezuela, this former Dutch colony measures 30 kilometres long by up to nine kilometres wide.

The South American side of the island is lapped by calm seas, so there lie the main settlements - including the capital, Oranjestad - along with hotels of various sizes and shapes, bordering its white beaches.

The northern coast has rougher seas, so tourists are not allowed to swim there. Unusually for a Caribbean island, Aruba has a desert in its interior.

The daily temperature of 28 degrees Celsius is mitigated by the constant influence of the Trade Winds, which bend all the palm trees in roughly the same direction.

My experience of Aruba also included meeting friendly people who speak many languages, including the local Papiamento, a mixture of many tongues ("bonbini" means welcome); eating lots of good food; driving across hot and dusty tracks in a Land Rover; and experiencing a means of undersea exploration where you don't even get your hair wet.

I chose to pamper myself from the start, and flopped in the First Class section of a GNER train, before spending the night before flying out at Gatwick Airport's Le Meridien Hotel.

The First Choice flight brought us to Aruba at night. At the island's Holiday Inn its commercial manager, Howard, strapped purple bracelets to our wrists, explaining these entitled us to free services throughout the hotel.

This "inclusive" package idea applies to many holidays to Aruba. Once you have paid for your break you don't have to keep reaching in your pocket.

I had to wait for the next morning to catch my first glimpse of the white beach from the hotel window.

The sea is an inspiration for much more than just sunbathing. First, you can nip on to the beach for a swim at almost any time. Then there is snorkelling, which my party did from the catamaran. It sailed to a variety of sites off the coast, including the wreck of a German ship which scuttled itself during the Second World War, when it's U-Boat supplying mission was halted by the Dutch military.

Wrecks attract shoals of multi-coloured fish, which is why a downed aeroplane forms part of the scenery during another activity altogether - Sea Trek.

This is done from Palm Island, which lies just off Aruba. Sea Trek involves putting on a wet suit (advisable because you go down far enough for the water to become slightly cold), then donning a heavy helmet, into which air is pumped at such pressure that it keeps the water out of the way of your face.

This activity is supervised, with scuba divers in attendance should anything go awry, and is an experience in itself for those who haven't tried other forms of diving.

For the experienced, there are more adventurous pursuits such as scuba to enjoy. But it wasn't all about the sea. One experience was on very dry land - the "shake and bake" drive across Aruba's desert.

This was done in Land Rover Defenders, with yours truly driving one vehicle, literally in the dust trail of that driven by Ed, our guide.

This brought an excitement quite different to the water-related activities - certainly my passengers became quite excited when I drove over the rougher ground.

To fuel all this physical activity we enjoyed lots of good food; I particularly liked the red snapper fish, and the biggest shrimps I have ever seen, which I encountered at Charlie's Bar in St Nicholas.

While I had many good meals, the best was certainly at the island's Papiamento Restaurant, which was the height of tropical elegance as well as excellent cuisine.

I should perhaps also mention that I saw nothing to suggest any serious crime problems, and the only insects I noticed were the magnificent specimens at the island's Butterfly Farm. Despite all warnings, I did get sunburnt, but you can't have everything.

Facts about Aruba

The U.S. dollar is universally accepted - you may get some Aruban florins in your change.

Be sure to take high-strength sun protector, the constant breeze disguises the sun's potency.

First Choice has two-week holidays in Aruba. All flights next year will be from Gatwick Airport, contact 0870 750 000.

The Aruba Tourism Authority in London can be contacted on 0207 928 1600, website www.aruba.com

Updated: 09:14 Saturday, September 13, 2003