Travel to Curaçao – Episode 654

Hear about travel to Curaçao as the Amateur Traveler talks to Wendy Blumenstein-Elliott from adventurousretirement.com about her favorite Caribbean island.

Wendy says, “My husband and I went to Curaçao 15 years ago and we have been back 10 times since. We just got home from 6 weeks in Curaçao. Curaçao is a beautiful multicultural island and it’s outside of the hurricane belt. The weather is, I think, perfect. It ranges from 75 to 86 degrees (Fahrenheit) almost every day. It’s partly cloudy, partly sunny. You don’t want it to be sunny all the time, you’re so close to the equator. You’ve got those beautiful ocean breezes. It’s a great balance between the sea and the activities around the sea as well as wonderful places to hike with mountains. The food is excellent. It’s a combination of dutch, creole, African. There are just so many things about Curaçao that I love.”

Curaçao is part of the ABCs (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao) which are Dutch-owned islands. These islands are close to the coast of South America.

Wendy recommends basing yourself in one location and doing day trips since the island is only 40 miles (64 km) from end to end. They had always stayed in the furthest west part of the island but on their most recent trip, they stayed closer to Willemstad which is a UNESCO world heritage site. “That’s the place to stay if you want to see the island in a week”

Wendy makes recommendations for the best beaches. She recommends spending 2-3 days exploring the western beaches including the westernmost Playa Kalki which is on “Alice in Wonderland” reef, so-called because of its mushroom-shaped coral formations. It is a great dive spot. The Watamula dive site just offshore is one of the best dive sites in the world and Wendy’s second favorite.

According to Wendy, the most beautiful beach is Grand Knip and nearby Little Knip is a great beach for snorkeling.

We get recommendations for the best restaurants and the best foods to try like African peanut soup with bananas, coconut sea bass, and chicken saffron.

For non-beach days she recommends going early in the morning to Christoffelberg and hiking to the top of the mountain for the best views of the island. Hofi Pastor is another great hike.

Savonet Museum is a great place to learn about the history of the island. You can also tour some of the old plantation houses. The Slave Museum in Willemstad is also good as is the Maritime Museum. There are also a number of good galleries in Willemstad.

Fort Rif and Fort Nassau line the entrance to the bay and both offer great views. 

Give this episode a listen and see what keeps drawing Wendy and her husband back to this colorful island.

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Show Notes

Adventures in Retirement
Curaçao
Curaçao
Willemstad
Playa Kalki
Alice in Wonderland
Watamula Hole
Beaches in Curaçao
Beaches in Curaçao
Go West Diving
Playa Piskado or Playa Grandi
Playa Kenapa
Playa Jeremi
Playa Lagun
Playa Porto Marie
Cactus Cafe
Karakter Curaçao
De Buurvrouw
Blue Bay
Maps.Me
Christoffelberg
Hofi Pastor
Shete Boka
Savonet Museum
Plantation Houses
Hato Caves
Kura Hulanda Museum
Maritime Museum
Nena Sanchez Gallery
Landhuis Kabaai
Landhuis Jan Kok
Fort Nassau
Rif Fort
Queen Emma Bridge
Curaçao Ostrich Farm
Serena’s Art Factory
Snorkeling Tugboat
Jan Thiel Beach
Caracasbaai
Mambo Beach
Madero Ocean Club
Ocean Encounters
Sol Food
Substation Curacao
Seaquarium Beach
Royal Sea Aquarium
Klein Curaçao
Mermaid Boat Trips
Breeze Curacao
Cas Abao
Pietermaai District
Piscadera Bay
De Visserij
Funchi
Why Visit Curacao

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