Aruba is the smallest and most westerly of the " ABC " ( Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao ) islands. Just 15 miles ( 24 km ) north of venezuela, it has an exceptionally dry climate that is considered one of the most desirable in the Caribbean. Aruba's arid interior, marked by surreal, wind-bent divi-divi trees, sprawling stands of cactus and aloe vera, and hugh boulders strewn like marbles contrasts sharply with the more tropical, palm-lined southwest coast. It is perhaps as much the desert landscape as the active nightlife that gives Aruba the reputation as the Las Vegas of the Caribbean.