All started in my 30’s Birthday, I wanted to open a
new decade of my life; I like to do something different and here began my trip
planning. I enjoyed do much so I came back with a friend to celebrate the New
Year.
Curaçao es a
small island located to 50 Kms of Venezuela, in Caribbean Sea. It has belonged
to Netherlands Antilles until 2010, and the official language is Papiamentu,
but any person in the island speak English, Spanish and Dutch. The currency is
the Netherlands Antillean guilder and the rate exchange is about 2 dollars. The
Curaçao’s Capital has been declared UNESCO World Heritage since 1997.
Well, first I
booked my plane ticket and then, the hotel book. I stayed in Plaza CuraçaoHotel twice because is in Capital Center. This hotel offer the best Quality –
Price relation and it is very good located. You can sightsee the Curaçao’s
Center walking. Also, I recommend you hire the Hotel Breakfast Buffet, it is
very good and the cost is 7.5 dollars per person all your stay.
I recommend you to rent a car because you could visit
the entire island and get to beautiful beaches. For me, the best rent a car
company is AVIS, the average is 50 dollars per day and it isn’t require cash
deposit or car insurance. Curaçao is a small
and accessible island, so I remember paid 50 dollars for half tank, and is
enough for 5 driving days.
Now, we are going to introduce Curaçao. The plane
lands in Hato Airport, located in Hato Zone, there you can have a taxi or
collect your car rented. You have to go to WILLESTAND (Capital), it takes you
about 15 minutes and the ways are marked. In Curaçao, the rent a car companies
don’t rent GPS, you have to move with a Country Map, but is very simple to do
it.
WILLESTAND is divided by a watercourse in two places,
one is PUNDA and the other place is OTRABANDA. You can get to both places
crossing the QUEEN EMMA Bridge; It’s a beautiful floating bridge who let pass
to the Cruisers and Oil Ships.
I’d like to mention some places’ recommendations that
you could visit in Curaçao:
PUNDA-OTRABANDA:
Firstly, I want to talk you about sightsee near from
the Hotel. In Otrabanda, just in the corner of the watercourse and in front of
the Plaza Hotel, are the Renaissance Hotel, Mall, RIF Fort and Casino. In the
second floor of the Renaissance Hotel, is a artificial beach, it’s visual
connected with the sea and offer a excellent sunset picture.
The Plaza Hotel is built on AMSTERDAM Fort, and there
are good and elegant restaurants, you could dinner looking the sea and the
sunset.
In Punda, you can also eat in Iguana Cafe, they offer delicious
dishes and the best: Pinas Coladas. They are so good, that we were going all
nights by them. The local is in front of the watercourse and night, you can see
the lights of the bridge and Otrabanda. It’s open until 1 am.
Shopping, you can go to shopping in Punda, you can
find any store that you want and you can find also fast food stores, but All
the stores close at 6 pm, except Restaurant and Stores located in the Rif Fort.
Thursdays are THE SHOPPING DAY, so all the store close
at 9 pm.
PLAYA SEAQUARIUM:
Is located in OOSPUNT, to West of the island with
reference to Punda. It’s
very near in car. You can enjoy:
1.- SEAQUARIUM: it’s a big aquarium and the
cost ticket is between 8 and 18 dollars, I don’t remember exactly. The ticket
cost includes a Dolphins Show and a Sea Lions Show. You could pay 150
dollars and swim with dolphins.
2.- Just next to the Aquarium, is located MAMBO BEACH.
You have to pay 3 dollars to enter and include chairs, but you ought not to
bring foods or drinks, you have to buy them there. The Beer cost is about 1.5
dollars. It’s very beautiful beach and at night, is the best disco in Curaçao
and it’s in front of the beach, it’s divided in two zone: European zone and
Latin zone, you’ll see the difference.
3.- By car, go head from Mambo Beach, you can find
Caracas Bay, there is a Castle and you could walk to the top. We didn’t get
there because, that day was very hot.
HATO
AIRPORT
Just near to HATO AIRPORT are Hato Caves. The ticket
cost is 8 dollars and include a person who guide you in the caves route. The
guide speech depends of the most visitor languages. You can get here only by
car.
WESTPUNT
The best Curaçao Beaches are in WESPUNT, It takes you
about 45 min for get there from PUNDA. Some of them are free and the others you
have to pay. We took two days to know all beaches. We took a small cava, and
before to go out from the Hotel, we went to the Hotel kitchen and we asked some
ice. In a small supermarket in Punda, we bought some snacks.
By car, we went to the North-East place in the island,
and we went down on the way.
You should find this free beaches:
1.- KENEPA GRANDI Y
CHIKI
2.- JEREMI BEACH
3.- LAGUN BEACH
4.- SANTA CRUZ BEACH
Also, you should find CAS ABO Beach, we paid 12
dollars by car and it includes chairs, but you have to be there early because they
are few chairs.
Another Recommendations:
1. The WESTPUNT roads aren’t in good conditions, I
recommend you be careful.
2. You have to be careful with the time. Just I said,
the stores and restaurants close early.
3. I defenitely
recommend you celebrate the New Year there. Curaçao celebrates with good parties, beautiful fireworks at 12 pm. Some
options are pay a dinner in a restaurant, my friend and I paid to enter in RIF
Fort, they offer good music, but we had to pay all the drinks. The cost was 25
dollars.
4. From December 31st to January 2nd, whole stores are
closed. Curaçao tradition is off fireworks in front of the stores, they thank
for a good year and they wish good sales in the next year.
5. If like us, you are there on January 2nd and is Sunday,
I recommend you have a small food stock, because nothing will be open.
6. One thing we couldn’t do was take a Sailboat to
Bonaire, because wasn’t a working day, but we find out isn’t expensive to take
it. You can find out in Punda, just in front of the Bridge, There are a Turism
Office.
7. I recommend you know Curaçao’s people, they are
kind persons with a smile in their faces. If you lose, you can ask them and they’ll
always help you.
Bon dia...
Mi stima Kòrsou!!!