Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Dutch island of Curacao, which sits fairly close to Aruba in the Caribbean. I spent four nights on the island, splitting my time between the Hilton Curacao and the Sunscape Curacao All-Inclusive Resort. As a Caribbean enthusiast, I have to say I was extremely impressed with the island, its culture, its people, and its beauty. The hotels are superb, the island offers a ton of stuff to do, and the beaches in Curacao are absolutely to-die for.
Here are five things I absolutely loved about the island, and why I want to go back:
You can feel the island culture.
While I love the Caribbean in general, I do feel like some of the islands struggle to offer an authentic local culture tourists can see and feel. Curacao does not struggle in this area at all. In fact, I often felt as if I were the only tourist on the island.
While Curacao is a popular tourist spot for land vacations and cruise stops, you can feel the local culture and see local people everywhere you go. The downtown area of Willemstad is extremely authentic and inviting, but also flush with local shops and people peddling their wares. Willemstad even has a floating market where you can buy fresh fish directly from a boat. You can also buy the biggest avocados I have ever seen, along with fresh produce the locals use to make amazing dishes.
While I love the Dutch island of Aruba, I felt like Curacao was like Aruba on steroids when it came to authenticity and culture.
There are so many fun things to do.
Curacao offers all kinds of fun things to do for all ages. One of the best days I spent was in the Mambo Beach area, where locals and tourists can dine at local restaurants, shop, and sit on a gorgeous protected beach with crystal clear waters that hardly move. Another day, we rented ATVs from Eric’s ATV Adventures and drove all over the island. We went off-roading, stopped at caves and natural pools, and stopped in for an authentic local lunch at popular Jaanchies Restaurant, which features iguana on the menu, baby cow heads on the wall, and delicious local cuisine.
We also checked out Substation Curacao, which lets you go up to 500 feet underwater in a tiny submarine. I was too chicken to do it, but one of my travel companions did and she had a blast.
Last but not least, I tried to learn how to kiteboard at Nix Kite School. I’m not very good, but I tried and I actually had a lot of fun out in the water learning how to control the kite and the wind.
Curacao is also very well known as a diving destination, although we didn’t dive or even snorkel on this particular trip.
The beaches really are amazing.
As a beach snob and Caribbean expert, I definitely have my favorite and not-so-favorite beaches. However, the beaches in Curacao did not disappoint. The sand is fine and white, the waters are crystal clear, and the water is warm. I loved all the beaches we visited and would go back for the beaches alone. If you know my travel style, that says a lot.
It’s safe and easy to get around.
I really liked Curacao because it’s safe and easy to get around. I drove all over the island in an ATV, for heaven’s sake. It’s definitely the kind of place where you could feel safe renting a car to explore the sights of the island. Since I prefer not to be trapped at a hotel, this is a big plus.
How to Get to Curacao
While Southwest Airlines doesn’t fly to Curacao quite yet, there are still plenty of ways to get there. You can fly with American AAdvantage miles or jetBLUE, for example. United is another good option when it comes to using airline miles to get from the U.S.
If you fly American, you can expect to fork over at least 12,500 AAdvantage miles per leg plus taxes and fees, or 15,000 miles per leg for a SAAver award during peak travel times. With jetBLUE, you could easily get from New York to Curacao for 25,000 miles plus taxes and fees just by picking up the JetBlue Plus Card. On United, you’ll pay 17,500 miles plus taxes for a one-way saver award.
In terms of hotels with the big brands, I had the privilege of staying in the Hilton Curacao for a few nights. It’s not a huge hotel (less than 200 rooms), but it had a great beach and I absolutely loved it. I’ll write a separate review of the hotel in the next week.
Another points hotels you can book is the Renaissance Curacao Resort & Casino for 30,000 Marriott points per night. And let’s not forget about all the hotels you can book through the Chase travel portal, or with a flexible travel credit card like the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard.
If you haven’t planned a trip to Curacao yet, you should go.
Have you ever been to Curacao? Why or why not?
No comments:
Post a Comment