How to Spend the Perfect Week in Curacao
We just recently returned from a weeklong stay on the amazing island of Curaçao. Home to 150,000 people, Curacao is the largest of the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao). The climate is hot year-round and rain fall is typically only about 30 days a year. For this reason, Curacao has many “thorny” plants and cacti. Although it is very warm, most of the time the northeast winds provide a nice breeze. Being in the Caribbean, Curacao is surrounded by picturesque clear, turquoise water.
We love the Caribbean and after visiting the island of Aruba, we knew we had to go to Curacao! Our week-long stay was at the new Sandals Royal Curacao resort. This was our 9th Sandals property to visit, and it was immaculate.
Bon Bini to Curacao! (Welcome to Curacao!)
Island Tour
Prior to visiting Curacao, I booked a full-day private tour of the island with Gone Caribe. On the day of our island tour, we were picked up at the resort shortly before 9am by our guide. We then headed downtown to Curacao’s main city, Willemstad. After arriving downtown we walked over to the Queen Emma floating bridge, which is right by the colorful buildings Curacao is known for. Right outside the entrance to the bridge, we had the opportunity to put our “love lock” on the original Punda Love Heart. From there we walked through the downtown streets, admiring the old shops and history. We saw several murals and learned about the meaning of Dushi as well as the how the Chichi doll came about.
After we left Punda (downtown side), we crossed over the large bridge to Otrabanda (the other side). Our guide took us to the Jan Thiel salt flats, which is where salt extraction once occurred. There’s an inland lagoon where flamingos are often spotted. Visitors can park and walk through a small clearing on a narrow trail to see the nature and maybe catch sight of flamingos. On the day we visited, there was one flamingo off in the distance.
The next stop was to Playa Kenepa Grandi beach, also known as Grote Knip in Dutch. This particular beach is located on the northern part of the island. Playa Kenepa Grandi features pretty turquoise water along a natural white sand shoreline. At the beach, guests can rent an umbrella with 2 beach chairs underneath for $15. There’s also a restroom and outdoor shower along with a small snack bar. We spent our time here swimming in the warm, clear Caribbean water.
Now we were on to Restaurant Playa Forti for lunch. Located on the western part of the island, visitors can expect to see fishing boats scattered throughout Playa Forti beach. The restaurant was built on a fortress and still has the original cannons out front. Some people come to this spot to leap off the cliff into the crystal clear water below. While dining at the restaurant we were able to try popular local dishes, including their fresh oregano punch, keshi yena, grilled conch, tutu, and funchi. We ate with our tour guide and learned more about the island, while taking in the incredible postcard views.
One thing we learned is that Curacao natives speak 4 languages – Dutch, Spanish, English, and Papiamentu (language used among locals).
The tour continued as we made our way back towards Willemstad, the island’s capital. On the drive we passed by the small community of Sint Willibrordus, which was formerly known for the grand church that dates back to the 1880’s. Today, the town is known as Williwood, after the large attraction that is now the monument of the town. Similar to the iconic “Hollywood” sign in California, you can’t miss the Williwood sign right off the main road.
The final stop of our tour was to Landhuis Chobolobo, which is a 19th century mansion that is home to the Curacao Liqueur Distillery. The distillery is where the world-famous blue Curacao liquor is made. Our tour provided information on the distillation process as well as the history of Curacao. We were able to sample some liquors, browse through the gift shop, then enjoy a frozen cocktail in the courtyard area.
Curacao is a tropical paradise! The island tour was an unforgettable experience. It was the perfect day of sightseeing and learning about this lovely island.
Golf
During our time in Curacao, we had an early morning tee time at Old Quarry Golf Course. This 18-hole course is on the Santa Barbara Plantation and is open to the public. The Pro Shop is actually located on the back side of the Aolos Restaurant at Sandals. Although we were only playing the first 9 holes of the course designed by Pete Dye, we were able to catch breathtaking views of the Caribbean sea as well as the backdrop of Tafelberg mountain.
Resort
Sandals Royal Curacao provided an amazing vacation! It’s an incredible resort that features a large double infinity pool. There are also two additional pools and a small beach area. They were all perfect areas to relax and enjoy a tropical beverage. After all, we are on vacation!
As far as our resort stay – we couldn’t have asked for a better experience! All of the staff members were kind, friendly, and helpful. They truly wanted to make sure guests were enjoying their stay! The grounds were kept pristine and throughout the resort there were bicycles which guests could use to get from one place to another on this large property.
Beach Cabana Day
On the day of our 10 year wedding anniversary, we rented a beach cabana. We were greeted by our cabana butler at 9am in the morning. She brought us a cooler of water and fresh towels, and took our drink order. Then we received a fresh fruit plate to snack on later in the morning. Our drinks were often refilled and before we knew it – it was time for lunch. The butler took our lunch order and brought it to our cabana so we could relax and enjoy! Once 5:00pm came around, we ended our cabana time and headed to our room. This was the first time that we have had a cabana at a Sandals property and we highly recommend it!
The resort has a number of restaurants. We enjoyed the food trucks when we first arrived, along with Gatsu Gatsu for sushi on our first evening in Curacao.
We ate at Butch’s for a la carte breakfast twice as well as for dinner one evening. Zuka is a new concept at Sandals, with Latin fusion cuisine. We enjoyed the ahi tuna, pork quesadilla, and the red snapper at Zuka.
Strand offered beachside dining with seafood items for lunch and dinner. For lunch at Strand, we loved the Bitterballen appetizer as well as the fish sandwich. And for dinner at Strand, the mahi mahi tacos, crab cake, and Surf & Turf were all delicious!
Several mornings we had breakfast at Aolos, which had an a la carte menu along with the best french press coffee. The open air dining along with impressive views of the ocean & golf course made Aolos a perfect place to enjoy breakfast!
Another morning we had the breakfast buffet at Pietra, which was delightful. Pietra also has brick oven pizzas for lunch and late night snacks. We enjoyed their pizza one day for lunch!
The last night at the resort we had reservations for Vincent’s, which is European inspired cuisine. The escargot at Vincent’s was phenomenal!
In summary, we enjoyed fantastic food and service in each of our dining experiences at Sandals Royal Curacao.
Sunset Catamaran Tour
On our final evening in Curaçao, we took a 2 hour sunset catamaran tour through different bays enjoying views of a marina nearby along with the beautiful coastline.
Our time in Curacao was remarkable! Not only were we able to explore this beautiful island, but we were also able to create long-lasting memories in a magnificent place.
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