Trip Report: Curaçao

Bon Bini (Welcome) to Curaçao!

*Snorkeling off the coast of Coral Estates in St. Marie, Curaçao*

In March 2021, we were ready for some sunshine but unsure where we would get said sunshine. So we opened up Explore - Google and spun the virtual globe. And just like that: Curaçao.

While it wasn't on our travel lists, we were excited to go somewhere totally new with 0 expectations.

What we would discover was a pleasant, relatively non-commercialized, diverse paradise.

Curaçao

The "C" in the "ABC islands," Curaçao is 40 miles off the coast of Venezuela. Along with its neighbors, Aruba and Bonaire, it has the luxury of being outside the hurricane zone. It generally has excellent tropical weather and, of course, iconically beautiful water. Curaçao is part of the "Dutch Caribbean" and was long a colony of the Netherlands until gaining its status as the Country of Curaçao in 2010.

We spent most of our time on the island's western side, where calm, secluded beaches dot the coastline. The eastern side, on the other hand, is much rockier and windy as it faces the Atlantic coast side (more on that below).

*“The Best Smoothie in Curacao” is a great establishment to kick your feet up at during your road trip around the island.*

What's the vibe?

Curaçao is a beautiful little island to work remotely in and explore for a week. It's about a 1-hour driving distance end-to-end. It has many natural beaches, two national parks, a colorful & historic capital, and great restaurants! Overall, Curaçao felt unique in landscape and culture for the Caribbean. It felt authentic and low-key/chill. It's easy to avoid tourism from cruises and resorts, which is a big plus.

Top Beaches we visited

Grote Knip - Simply gorgeous, not to be missed!
Daaibooi Beach - Bar, chairs
Playa Porto Marie - Great amenities including a bar/food, lounge chairs, a small store, and some resident pigs! Good for a full afternoon to sunset
Playa Forti - Get ready to spot a Sea Turtle! Not the nicest beach to relax on, but more of a working dock, and the fish remains in the water attract the wise and majestic sea turtle. I saw my first one there and was simply blown away! Don’t forget your snorkel

Where We Stayed

Coral Estates in St. Marie

*Walk to the waterfront at Coral Estates*

We had selected Coral Estates because it was a 15-30 min drive from the top-rated beaches I had read about (above). Proximity to these beaches made it easy to squeeze a snorkel and sunset it at the end of the work day.

Our resort also had some decent snorkeling which I took advantage of in the mornings or during a lunch break. A morning swim in the ocean is fabulous! Had I been prepared, I would have also enjoyed the highly-rated Scuba diving here.

There were also several places to eat within the resort community, making it easy to pop out for a bite during the workday. Also, within the resort/housing complex, there were great roads for running without worrying about much traffic, which I loved.

*View of the park near our Airbnb. The bells of the church rang on the hour and offered some nice background noise during work calls.*

Willemstad - Airbnb in the Punda District

Punda was the right choice for us because of its great location. We could experience the main areas of town and could be anywhere by walking in ~20 minutes.

We stayed on the top floor of an old building in a newly renovated apartment overlooking the colorful rooftops with sunset views. I enjoyed listing to live music in the nearby park during the day and the church bells.

At night, and sometimes during the day, it felt sketchier walking in the empty pedestrian allies, but that was the only time we felt more alert during our time in the country. Stick to populated areas and you’re fine. Parking was free everywhere!

Dining in Curacao

*There’s a mix of renovated historic buildings next to abandoned buildings & residences in* Pietermaai, *the main dining and nightlife district in Willlemstad.*

A few things we learned while dining in Curacao:

The fish special of the day is Red Snapper nearly everywhere.
A Chef's "Surprise" menu is typically a selection off the main menu rather than a tasting menu style you may think it is. It's a great value if you want to get some surf and turf and have apps, mains, and a dessert.
Curacao is a popular spot for college students in the hospitality industry to go for internships, so many servers were European, mainly Dutch.
"Eat" is "Kome" in Papiamentu, the Spanish Creole used in the ABC islands.

Restaurants Around the Island :

Karakter Restaurant - Right on the water within Coral Estates. Lovely atmosphere and beautiful, delicious dishes
Eetcafé De Buurvrouw - Fun Atmosphere, good music and dishes. Great place to go for dinner after a day of exploration.
Restaurant Playa Forti - The view and breeze are amazing, go for a drink at least to enjoy it!
Sol Food - There was a long wait for lunch on a Saturday was a good sign we were definitely missing out! Next time!
Cactus Cafe - excellent seafood, relaxed vibe with a post-scuba diving crowd (within a small hotel/dive shop)

*The view outside of BijBlauw a boutique hotel & restaurant in the* Pietermaai district, *Willemstad.*

Restaurants In Willemstad:

The Wine Cellar - White table cloth, extensive wine list, date night!
Kome - modern American, relaxed, environmentally conscious, local sourcing - all the good things!
BijBlauw Restaurant - waterfront, upscale, wine pairings, dress up or down, feel the breeze. within a local resort
Restaurant & Café Gouverneur De Rouville - Dine with a view, opt for sunset!
Fish & Joy / Fishalicous - Had a cocktail and app here while speaking with the owner. Wish we had gone for a full meal here over some of the other placese we went - highly recommend based on what we tried/saw coming out of the kitchen!

Bars in Willemstad of Note:

Mundo Bizzaro
Ochenta Cocktail Bar

Additional Things to Do:

Curaçao’s National Parks

Shete Boka National Park

Walking around Boka was a fun afternoon. The powerful Atlantic pounds the east coast of Curaçao creating explosive blowholes and ruggedly cut edges, windows, and inlets along the way. There is a small entrance fee and you can pay by card. Don’t miss it!

*Enjoy the varied landscape of Shete Boka NP on foot.*

Christoffelpark National Park

I don’t have much to show here other than plan ahead to do the big hike in this park! We missed the boat on this due to lack of planning.

Scuba Diving

We did not take advantage of the diving here, but it is highly rated, as the neighboring island of Bonaire.