Curaçao
Curaçao is a part of the Dutch Caribbean within the Southern
Caribbean Sea and approximately 65 kilometers north of Venezuela. It is a
constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is comprised of the main island and the
uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao. The capital is Willemstad, and it
is a world heritage site. The climate is semi-arid with minimal rainfall mostly
during the wet season from October to December. It is outside of the hurricane
alley. It is nearby Aruba and Bonaire.
Getting to Curaçao
The two most common ways to visit Curaçao are via flight to the island and via cruise. Flight into Curaçao International Airport (Hato International Airport). This airport is on the northern aspect of the island and is about a 14 km or approximately a 20-minute drive. You can also take a Konvooi bus or minibus for $1-3 respectively which will take around 40 minutes. Cruises that operate in this region will also stop at Aruba and Bonaire. Also if you are visiting one of these close islands you can do a smaller cruise between the islands.
Rive day itinerary in Curaçao
Day One- Arrive Curaçao
Today we flew into Curaçao International Airport (Hato International Airport) and we elected to take a taxi to our hotel. The cost was about $40 USD for the taxi ride which took around 25 minutes. We booked our stay at Hotel ‘t Klooster which we loved. It is near the downtown area and walkable. There are so many options to explore. This day we walked to the main part of town. We went to the Handelskade, Queen Emma Bridge and down Breed street. This Street is very local in we did not see any other torus. We got some drinks at Plein Café Wilhelmina and ate dinner at Old Dutch Café.
DAY TWO-Mambo Beach
Even though we went in dry season, we were blessed with a full day of rain on this day. The locals just kept repeating that “this never happens” which I am not sure made us feel any better. We decided to walk down to Mambo Beach which was approximately 2 miles (45-minute walk) away from our hotel towards the east. We drank at a covered tiki bar and watched soccer. There are so many awesome little bars and restaurants in this area. When the heavy rains stopped, we walked back to town. We had dinner and it continued to thunderstorm all night.
DAY THREE-Curaçao downtown
We had breakfast at the La Bohème Café and then proceeded to the Avila Beach Hotel. You can get a day pass to enjoy the beach at this hotel for $18 local or approximately $10 USD per adult. It is a great little beach near the downtown that is easily accessible. We walked around the Handelskade and Queen Emma Bridge in the evening at sunset.
DAY FOUR-Klein Curaçao
We went a boat tour to Klein Curaçao the uninhabited island of the country. If you have the time, I strongly encourage this trip as it was a complete highlight of the stay. We used Mermaid tour which is a full day tour starting at 6:30 AM and return from Klein Curaçao at 4 PM arriving back around 6 PM. On the island, we explored old shipwrecks, a lighthouse, and we swam and snorkeled with fish and sea turtles. Don’t forget to pack an underwater camera and your sunscreen.
DAY SIX-western Curaçao exploration
We did another incredible tour with Irie tours to the western part of the island. This tour picked us up in town but then proceeded to the cruise terminal to pick up cruise guests. The first stop was the National Park of Shete Boka which has incredible coastline views and the Boca Table Cave. After that we headed to Playa Porto Marie to snorkel and swim and where we got to see some awesome pigs on the beach. Next, we headed to Playa Piskado where you can snorkel to see sea turtles and watch local fisherman. Finally, we stopped at Playa Kenepa where we got to swim, cliff jump, and watch the sunset as we headed back to town.
more Curaçao
There is so much more to explore in Curaçao. It was such a friendly and beautiful Caribbean island. I would definitely go back. Next time I might try to check out the Hato Caves, Curaçao Liquor Distillery, Christoffel National Park, Dolphin Academy Curaçao, Cas Abao Beach and more beaches. You will have to add this incredible place to your bucket list!
