Bon bini! Which means, “welcome” in Papiamentu. That is the native language spoken in Curacao. But you will also hear a lot of, English, Dutch and Portuguese. I recently travelled to Curacao for the second time. It confirmed, in my mind, that it is the best island I have ever been to. Curacao is the “C” in the ABC islands. It is off the coast of South America and is located below the hurricane belt.
The only downside, for me, is how to get there. There are no direct flights from Orlando. Now that the Brightline train is available, we took the train to Miami, the day before. The next morning we flew directly to Curacao.
Brightline is not a high speed train. However, you can avoid the traffic and have a stress free trip to Miami. We went first class, on the Brightline and it made the trip very enjoyable. We didn’t have to deal with traffic, there were snacks on board and wifi. It was not crowded, and the staff was helpful.
The flight from MIA to CUR took about 3 hours. Before you land, you should fill out an ED Card Digital Immigration Card Curaçao (dicardcuracao.com). This will expedite your entry. It is a small airport but it can take a while to get through immigration.
Next, you should have already booked a rental car. You will need one. Unless you are the kind of traveler who likes to stay at an all-inclusive and never leave the resort. (In that case, why not have a staycation and save money?) Fyi, many gas stations only take cash, so make sure you bring cash. U.S. dollars are accepted.
We stayed at the Marriot Beach Resort, in Willemstad. It is family friendly, but not too kid-centered that it makes it unenjoyable for people traveling without children. It has 3 restaurants, a bar and a market/coffee shop. We stayed there all but the last night. On our final night we stayed at the Renaissance Wind Creek Curacao Resort. The Renaissance also has shopping, a casino, movie theatre and is within walking distance to downtown Willemstad.
The main reason that people go to Curacao is for the beaches and snorkeling. We went in July and here are the beaches we snorkeled at.
Playa Lagun is a small cove surrounded by rugged cliffs. You can snorkel close to the rocky edge and see coral, sponges, lots of reef fish, eels and maybe a turtle. There are 2 restaurants, a snack shack where you can get smoothies too and a dive shop. The Bahia Beach Bar is on top of the cliff and gives you a spectacular view of the water, while you eat. The food and drinks were delicious and reasonably priced.
Playa Piskado is where you have the best chance to swim near turtles. Fishermen clean and sell their fish and throw their remnants into the water, attracting the turtles. Although you can swim near them, do not touch or harass the turtles since they are endangered. This beach is more crowded and touristy so you can rent chairs and buy souvenirs.
Tugboat Beach was the best area I snorkeled at. You can rent lounge chairs, buy snacks, paint your own souvenirs, take a dive class and rent an underwater scooter, which I did. It was $45 for about 20 minutes. I attached my Gopro onto it and went out to the sunken tugboat, which is about 15 feet below the surface. It was worth it. I had already been out there a couple of times, but this was much faster, and I was able to get better video. You will see lots of tropical fish, brain coral, sponges and barracudas. The only thing that ruins the view is the large oil drilling platform.
We had lots of good food in Curacao. We tried small, local places and all of the restaurants at the Marriot Beach Resort. Make sure to also try one of the omnipresent smoothie stands. My favorite was the watermelon.
The best meal we had was at Baoase. It is located inside the luxury resort, of the same name, in Willemstad. It was a little difficult to get into, but well worth it. We had a delicious, several course meal, on the beach. The food and service were outstanding.
If you want to take a break from the beach, check out the Hato Caves. They are open 7 days a week from 9 am to 3 pm. The tour is given in English, Dutch, Spanish and Papiamento. You can also request additional languages. The tour is about 45 minutes and you will learn about the slaves that hid in the caves, see bats and how the caves were formed. There are only 2 spots, inside, where you can take pictures.
The sad thing about Curacao are the stray dogs. It was heartbreaking to see so many. We bought some dog treats and plastic containers to feed and water some of them. Some are very skittish and have obviously been mistreated. Since the island is predominately Catholic, apparently, they view sterilizing animals the same way as humans, unfortunately. I found this online rescue that helps animals in Curacao. rescuepawscuracao.com Consider donating and helping them with their cause.
Trek with Kim 