Last Updated on April 27, 2023 by PowersToTravel
In July 2022 we decided to take a quick vacation to Curacao to celebrate three things: my 60th birthday, our 11th anniversary and the start of my pension. Ahhhhh, money at last!
Why Curacao? JetBlue was running a sale, and we had many frequent flyer miles with the program. Greg said, “Choose somewhere JetBlue flies. (from Providence)” Ummm, Charlotte, no thanks. Raleigh? Again, not birthday worthy, I’m sorry.
I found a non-stop flight from JFK to Curacao! What is in Curacao? I began to investigate and found enough exciting things to put my case forward. Let me tell you, it took a bit of effort because the drive from Providence Rhode Island to JFK is one terrible commute. Lesson learned: we will not do it again. We said that once before, in 2015 and somehow forgot it, for this trip. Definitely, don’t forget it ever again!
Where we stayed
Greg found a good deal from JetBlue Vacations for an all-inclusive resort – the Mangrove Beach Corendon by Hilton. Good deals scare me, and so do “all-inclusive resorts.” I’ve never been to one before! It is contrary to all I hold dear for travel – the excitement of finding new restaurants, new scenes. Mobs of people wearing little wrist bands… Somehow I can convince myself that I am special, that I have discriminating taste, if I am not in a crowd.
However, I tried to find an Airbnb or other non-inclusive resort on the island, I couldn’t find one that met my criteria: king-sized bed, air-conditioning, parking, central island location and restaurant access. The many places in Willemstad either didn’t have king-sized beds or didn’t have parking or had limited air-conditioning, if you can believe that! Other places in more remote areas had access to few restaurants and would require significant commuting over the course of a week. With that many vacation days available, I didn’t want to spend the trip constantly up and down the same road. Still other hotels were way beyond our price point.
So, I reluctantly agreed, the Mangrove Beach Corendon Resort it was.
The Mangrove Beach Corendon Resort is located within walking distance of Willemstad, right next to the cruise terminal. Hmm, that was suspicious. I’m not sure I wanted to be mobbed by cruise ship guests. I found a website which told me when the cruise ships docked. I found an entire week in August where we would not be bothered by the ships!
The Weather and When to Go
That in and of itself concerned me… why few cruise ships? I guess I’d better review the weather and seasons down there. Turns out mid-December to mid-April is their high season, probably due to the cold tourists trying to get warm! I checked out reliable Weatherspark for more details. While the temperatures are fairly consistent all year, we would be visiting in the hottest period. I should expected it to be consistently above 90 degrees Fahrenheit every day. If I had had the opportunity to go to Curacao at any time in the year, I probably wouldn’t have chosen August because snorkeling is a major draw for me, and it was forecasted to be cloudier during that period, and indeed it was. We ended up having only two successful days snorkeling. So that’s why people come in the winter!
How to get around on the island
To Scoot or not to Scoot
I was excited to find scooter rentals in Willemstad, and with our proximity to Willemstad it seemed an ideal choice. We own scooters in Providence, and love to scoot around all summer. We decided we would rent scooters for several days while we did local things, and then rent a car for several days to explore the rest of the island. I read up on the terms and conditions. Hmmm, some places won’t let you drive the scooters some places. What’s with this? Turns out there are some big hills in Curacao, just north of Willemstad. 50cc scooters aren’t powerful enough to go up the hills.
Hills? I started to Google the directions to the various beaches and found that there are hills everywhere! Still, it would be an adventure. So I contacted several scooter rental shops. While cruise passengers and other reviewers mentioned getting a ride home from the scooter shop afterwards, no one would deliver the scooter even to a downtown resort. We would have to take a taxi to the shop, rent the scooters and take a taxi home when our rental days were complete. One even required a deposit to be paid via international wire transfer to reserve the scooters. What? That costs a minimum of $50 just for the transfer. The other shop showed fully booked, even with no cruise ships in town. Well, so much for scooters – it was getting almost to the price of a rental car.
Scooters introduced several diabetic and logistical concerns as well. With a car it would be possible to pack everything we needed for an outing – the snorkel gear, the towels, the bottles of water, the granola bars, the gear to protect the pump, cell phone and wallet from water, oh the list goes on. I suddenly imagined us driving unfamiliar roads with snorkels and fins and towels (and even a blow-up noodle) in our little trunks, on our backs, in our backpacks…
A tiny rental car is best
We decided to rent a car. We did not regret that decision. It was just as well because the weather tended to pop up rainstorms from time to time. It never rained all day, and never ruined our outings, but each time it did rain, I’d imagine us scootering down the road with the rain pelting down and be glad for our tiny economy car.
Driving around the island was easy. Google maps was accurate and outside of Willemstad itself we experienced little traffic. Remember though, that we were visiting in August, not during the winter. Who knows what the traffic was like during the high season, and when a couple of cruise ships were in town?
Checking out the town of Willemstad
Most people have seen at least one picture in their lifetime of downtown Willemstad. People know this of Curacao: “Oh, it’s the island with the colorful Dutch houses!” For me, with my love of color and texture, wandering Williamstad was a priority, and one of the reasons I so easily succumbed to Greg’s choice of the Mangrove Beach Corendon Resort. I could easily see that it was a fifteen minute walk downtown. Fifteen minutes in 90+ degree heat? With little shade?
I began to fear for the health of my insulin, with plans to be out and about in such heat. Googling “How to keep insulin cold”, I quickly bumped into the Frio line of insulin and pump wallets. I am always looking for options for long-term, over 30 days travel, and with the expense of the Frio I knew I didn’t want to spend that much for a short-term solution. Believe it or not, we seldom go on a one week trip anywhere. Usually I’m planning a month or more to distant places. I could see that they sell a Frio container which would keep cold the amount of insulin I would bring on a six week trip. But then that wasn’t the problem I was trying to solve. I was trying to solve ME. That is, how to keep my insulin protected from high heat while I was wearing it. They had a solution for that as well – the Pump Wallet.
I splurged and bought both. They both worked excellently.
But please read my article Diabetic Travel Tips for International Travel for a gotcha about topping off the Frio case that I encountered in our next trip, to Jordan.
We walked from the Corendon to downtown along the shore. It was a pleasant, if hot, walk through the old Rif Fort, with its restored walls, restaurants and gift shops, devoid of cruise ship passengers. Arriving at the Queen Emma Bridge, we viewed the beautiful tropical Dutch buildings.
The city was all that I dreamed it would be – colorful! Cafes and restaurants mixed with murals and painted statues of ladies, large colorful signs announcing each neighborhood. I can’t say it had a very festive air because it was, after all, not high season. We were easily able to walk around, and get nice photographs, but the vibe was missing. For me, though, an unexpected birthday getaway had all the vibe I really needed!
One “problem” with staying at an all-inclusive resort is that meals are at fixed times, and of course, at a fixed location. We wandered Willemstad and were not free to stay all morning and choose a downtown cafe lunch location because, after all, we’d paid already for a lunch back at the resort.
This really didn’t negatively affect us because we were getting a little pooped in the heat. We headed back to our resort for lunch.
The Punda Vibe
I’d read about the evening in town with musicians and lights. I can vouch for the lights, but off-season there wasn’t a single musician or a single vibe to be found. We walked the fifteen minutes back to town in the evening and got some awesome pictures of the lights on the bridge. We walked throughout the town looking for the Vibe and it eluded us. Didn’t they know it was my birthday?
Our Best Adventure – Snorkeling with the Dolphins
Because this was to be my birthday trip, Greg was very much involved in researching not only our accommodations but also our entertainment. He found Snorkeling with the Dolphins. at the Dolphin Academy on Jan Thiel Beach.
We carefully considered our day. Many logistics about this trip were unusual for me. The resort was cancellable, up to one week before. We would be traveling to the Caribbean during hurricane season; we’d be traveling at a low season. We looked at the ten-day weather forecast on the day before the “drop-dead” date. Which would be the best day to snorkel with the dolphins? Because the season was low, it was not fully booked and we were able to book at, what to me is, the last minute in order to maximize our sunshine forecast!
I’m always stressed about logistics, especially regarding storage and protection of my pump. At the Academy they supply lockers that lock. That would be fine for my purse, clothes and sandals, but I decided to bring my pump, attached, with me until the very last minute before we would enter the water. I didn’t want any unexpected delays separating me from my pump for an extended period of time.
I carried my trusty zip-loc bag in which to place my pump, and tucked it in my tote, strapped on my nylon fanny pack with its bottle of juice, hung my underwater camera around my neck and I was ready to go meet the dolphins.
It was a tremendous experience. It was amazing to touch the side of the dolphin and swim with her. I’m very sad to say I don’t remember her name! Two dolphins swam with about eight guests.
Important note: They don’t supply towels at the Dolphin Academy. I don’t know why I thought they would and I don’t know why we didn’t bring any. Luckily my bathing suit has a little skirt, and Greg wears trunks of course, so we sat around in the heat for a little while, and went on our way back to the resort.
Snorkeling is the Best Thing to Do on the Island
I knew that and had studied all the websites, and all the forums to locate the best snorkel spots. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. Each day I would look forward to snorkeling and each day’s forecast would be for more clouds than sun with possible showers, especially over the snorkeling beaches.
The great thing about Curacao is that there is a lot to see and do that doesn’t involve snorkeling. That’s especially important when the sun doesn’t cooperate. Don’t let some of my pictures fool you – we had many sunny spells. We had a lot of overcast and stormy spells as well.
The National Parks in the Northeast
The northeast of the island is mountainous and rocky. No sandy swimming beaches to be found here.
Christoffel National Park
The Christoffel National Park is the largest national park in Curacao. I know, that isn’t saying much, when the entire island of Curacao measures only thirty-eight miles long and seven miles wide. But this park has quite a network of roads and trails to explore. It’s mountainous, and there are beautiful views to be had.
Unfortunately, as I keep saying, we were there in the hottest season. While hiking a national park seems like a great idea, in 90+ heat, scorching sun in an arid location, hiking just isn’t appealing. It was good news that miles of road meandered around. We drove from place to place, hopping out for a short hike
to a viewpoint,
and then hopping back in to our air-conditioned tiny car.
We spent only about an hour and a half in the national park because we had a lunch to get to! This day we had decided we would skip the resort “free” lunch and eat up at Westpunt, as distances are surprisingly long in Curacao. There were no restaurants between Christoffel and Westpunt so we needed to book it, to see everything before lunch!
Shete Boka National Park
Shete Boka is located up near Westpunt and I suppose we could have gone all the way to Westpunt and then come back for Shete Boka, after all, it would be only six minutes, but we didn’t. Greg likes to always drive forward, never in a circle, if he can help it.
While Christoffel is mountainous, Shete Boka is a rocky coastline, accented with pocket bays some of which provide protection for turtles. We saw no turtles, not that I expected to in full daylight!
Shete Boka also allowed us to drive many of the roads to reach a location from which we could then take a short hike to the point of interest. Some of locations featured volcanic rock. It’s hard to believe the wave action on these rocks hasn’t worn them down a bit more!
Other bays featured a bit of sand.
We chose to drive the dirt roads; we could have hiked if we could have stood the heat.
We had lunch on our minds! Ahhhhhh, the view from the Blue View Restaurant in Playa Forti.
and here’s a more typical view:
After lunch we headed back to our resort for siesta. After all, the entire west coastline from Westpunt to Willemstad is best seen in a bathing suit, and we were not dressed for swimming, but for hiking.
Other Enjoyable Non-Snorkeling Activities
While waiting for the good weather to arrive, I consulted my laundry list of sights to see.
Fort Beekenburg
Fort Beekenburg is located in the south, not far from Directors Bay. Originally I had planned to combine snorkeling at Directors Bay with a visit to the fort, however as I keep saying, the weather did not cooperate. We decided to visit the fort in the morning, before our afternoon Snorkel with the Dolphins since we were committed to the dolphins for a particular time.
The area is stunning and well worth the visit. The fort is imposing. Many cannons have been installed (left?) there, and you can climb the steps to the top of the fort as well.
Not surprisingly, it bucketed rain on us there. Luckily we able to take shelter in the lea of the fort and didn’t get too drenched. I don’t think the dolphins would have minded us looking like wet rats when we arrived, anyway.
Hofi Pastor
Hofi Pastor was our first foray into the rocky, mountainous north, before our trip to the National Parks. Home to an 800 year old tree, or is it a 400 year old tree? It all depends on who you read. The locale also offers hikes, and we actually took a hike in the 90+ degree heat, as the walk was mostly shaded. After an hour or so, we’d had it – happy to have experienced the land, but happy to return to our resort for siesta!
The Curacao Rif Mangrove Park
Right next to our resort is a new Mangrove Park with boardwalks. It is an oasis in the midst of commercial development, a beautiful wetland criss-crossed with boardwalks. Home to mangroves and many, many waterbirds. We spent an hour there, in the shade of the trees; I wished we had had the opportunity to return at either sunrise, or dusk, to see more.
Sint Willibrordus
Sint Willibrordus was a major disappointment, probably due to the season. We were led to believe we would see flamingos in a salt marsh there, but there wasn’t a flamingo to be seen.
The sign at the restored Plantation House Jan Kock said it was open but clearly it was not. It is the gallery of the sadly now-deceased local artist Nena Sanchez. Her art epitomizes Curacao and its colorful vibe. I was anxious to see the gallery. All we saw and took pictures of were the sign and gates. No explanation given, no alternate hours listed.
At long last, Snorkeling at Curaco
Finally the weather cooperated and we headed off to snorkel. But where should we go? Here is a list of all the places I had found in my Internet search, from North to South.
North of Willemstad
- Playa Kalki – It’s supposed to be remote, less crowded and very good for snorkeling. That said, we didn’t snorkel there. Why? Because I had my sights set on Kleine Knip…
- Playa Grande aka Piskado – It’s supposed to be where the fishermen clean their fish and a real draw for turtles, fish and pelicans. If we had wanted to see turtles we should have gone there, but not for coral, as I understand it. So we didn’t go there. It’s not that we don’t like turtles, it’s that we have seen turtles and would rather see coral and fish.
- Playa Forti – Oh, that’s the beach where we had lunch and watched the jumpers. While it is said you can snorkel and see eels, squid and sea turtles, the coral is deep underwater. Certainly we couldn’t see any promising locations when we ate lunch.
- Grote Knip – Is supposed to be ok for snorkeling along the side walls. Just ok? I wanted better since I had only limited snorkeling time.
Kleine Knip
Kleine Knip – is where we snorkeled. The road led down directly to the beach where a shop was busy setting out chairs. No car-separation for us. No long walks away from our vehicle. The area felt very safe as far as my theft worries were concerned. See my Curacao Diabetic Travel Tips for all my concerns in Curacao. I would feel safe leaving my pump, towel, etc. in my tote on the beach.
We put on our gear and headed into the water. I had read that the left side wall of the bay offered the best snorkeling, and indeed it did.
Just to be thorough, we also snorkeled the right wall, but it was less inspiring.
Continuing with the list of locations:
- Playa Lagun – not a good location for coral. They say that it is a good location for turtles, in the mornings, but we wanted coral and fish.
The Blue Room / Playa Santa Cruz
I was very enthusiastic to snorkel “The Blue Room”, a cave into which the sunlight casts a blue light. I’d read about Captain Goodlife and his boat trips. I’d also read about people who hike to the location. That would not be on my list as theft is a major concern for that undertaking, as well as difficulties I expected to have with the entry and exit to the water from the hillside. Definitely a boat is the way to go.
As I describe in my Curacao Diabetic Travel Tips, I have mixed opinions about that trip. The water (tide) was high. In order to enter the grotto we had to swim underwater about 15 seconds in a surging sea without surfacing. The water was so close to the ragged volcanic ceiling that it would be impossible to come up for air. I was terrified, even though I figured I could do it, just because the price for not doing it right was so bad.
Just now, I read TripAdvisor reviews for the Blue Room, looking for exactly how far I had to swim underwater, and searched for the words “High Tide” I was amazed at the scary reviews. I wholeheartedly agree with those reviews. I never should have attempted that snorkel, and I can’t recommend anyone else attempt it. It wasn’t nearly as beautiful as people have said. In fact, I found it extremely disappointing. Was it because the high water blocked so many of the suns rays? Or just because I was still hyper-ventillating? I don’t know, but enough said. That’s what happens when you don’t have enough time to fully investigate your trip options!
Captain Goodlife’s trip also allowed us plenty of time to snorkel a shipwreck and the outer right walls of the Santa Cruz bay, which were very nice.
Continuing the list:
- Playa Daaibooi – supposedly has good snorkeling and would have been on our list, if our time had not simply run out. There’s a restaurant on the beach and it appears to be a safe choice.
- Playa Cas Abao – is an ideal swimmer’s beach, with some snorkeling available. It too seemed a safe choice, but we had no time.
- Blue Bay looked good, and would definitely have been on our itinerary if the weather had been favorable for more days, and especially if we had rented scooters, as it is scooterable from Willemstad. But, people have said that while you can snorkel there, and there is a great restaurant, there are much better locations.
South of Willemstad:
- Directors Bay / Tugboat – decided against it due to theft concerns regarding my pump; besides, we’d already visited Fort Bleekenburg and seen the area itself.
- The other beaches, Jan Thiel Beach and Mambo Beach are definitely swimming beaches, not snorkeling beaches.
Map of Curacao Sights to See
The bottom line for Curacao?
Curacao is an extremely colorful and interesting place both underwater and above!
I feel we only scratched the surface.
