Curacao is the Caribbean island that rewards preparation. It's not a fly-and-flop destination where the resort handles everything — the best beaches require a car, the best food hides in markets, and the best snorkeling is off unmarked shore entries.
I've been twice and learned enough to save you money, sunburn, and frustration.
Go to dicardcuracao.com before your flight. Fill out your info, get a QR code. Immigration at Hato Airport will be 5 minutes instead of 30. I didn't do this the first time. I did the second time. The difference was dramatic.
The best beaches (Playa Kenepa, Cas Abao, Porto Mari, Lagun) are 30-45 minutes from Willemstad with no public transport. Without a car, you're limited to the hotel beach and walking-distance Willemstad spots.
Car rental: $30-50/day. Drive on the RIGHT. Roads are good. The island is 61 km long — end-to-end drive is about 50 minutes. Book in advance during peak season.
Many of Curacao's best snorkeling beaches have rocky entries — sharp coral fragments, urchins, and rough limestone. Playa Lagun, Playa Kalki, and some Willemstad shore dive sites are tough on bare feet. Water shoes ($10-15) save your vacation from a foot wound.
Cell coverage is good in Willemstad but spotty on the western coast near the best beaches. Download Google Maps offline for the island before you arrive. Several beach access roads are unsigned — you'll need navigation.
Curacao uses the Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ANG), but most tourist-facing businesses accept USD. The exchange rate is roughly 1.78 ANG to 1 USD. Paying in USD sometimes means a slightly worse exchange rate, but the convenience is worth it for short visits.
Credit cards are accepted at hotels and most restaurants. Beach fees and small vendors prefer cash.
The Old Market in Punda serves massive Creole plates for $7-12. Stoba (stew), kabritu (goat), karni (beef), with funchi and plantain. This is where working locals eat lunch. The women behind the counters have been cooking these recipes for decades. Point at what looks good. You won't be disappointed.
Unlike some Caribbean islands where all beaches are free, many of Curacao's best charge $3-6 entry (includes basic facilities like showers and parking). A few are free — Mambo Beach boulevard (the beach itself, not the beach club), Playa Kenepa, and the shore dive sites in Willemstad.
Bring small bills and coins. Card payment isn't always available at remote beaches.
Most bars and restaurants run happy hours from 5-7PM. Cocktails drop from $10-12 to $5-7. The Pietermaai neighborhood has the best bar scene — Mundo Bizarro, Netto Bar, and Miles Jazz Cafe.
A double reef starts 30 meters from shore. The first reef is shallow (2-4 meters) with parrotfish, trumpetfish, and anemones. Swim past it and the bottom drops to a second reef at 8-10 meters with larger fish, octopuses, and frequent sea turtle sightings.
Entry ~$6 including loungers, showers, and restaurant access. Bring your own gear or rent for $10.
A tiny cove where hawksbill sea turtles are near-guaranteed. They surface to breathe within meters of snorkelers. The cove is small enough that you'll encounter them simply by floating in the water for 20 minutes.
Free entry. Rocky entry — water shoes essential. A small restaurant at the top of the stairs serves drinks and snacks.
The island's most famous beach gets crowded by 10AM when tour groups arrive. The parking lot fills and there's no overflow. Arrive by 8AM. The steep staircase down to the beach is rough — not ideal for mobility issues. No facilities at the beach. Bring everything you need.
Near Caracasbaai, south of Willemstad, a tugboat sits in 5 meters of clear water. Swim out from the rocky shore (water shoes!) and you're floating above a wreck covered in coral and surrounded by tropical fish. Free. Not well-signposted — search "Tugboat Curacao" on Google Maps.
The Queen Emma bridge connecting Punda and Otrobanda is a floating pontoon bridge that swings open for ship traffic. Walking across is free and the experience — floating on the water while crossing between colorful districts — is unique. When it opens for ships, a free ferry operates across the bay.
Formerly derelict, now restored with boutique hotels, restaurants, and bars in colonial buildings. Street art on warehouse walls. Cocktail bars in former slave quarters. It's gentrification with Caribbean flair, and it's the best nightlife area on the island.
Housed in a restored slave quarter in Otrobanda ($10 entry), this museum covers the African slave trade, Caribbean anthropology, and Curacao's multicultural history. One of the best museums in the Caribbean. Allow 2 hours.
Curacao's reefs are its primary natural asset. Chemical sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate damage coral. Bring reef-safe mineral sunscreen (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide based). The island may implement a ban — getting ahead of it is the right thing to do.
| English | Papiamentu |
|---|---|
| Good morning | Bon dia |
| Good afternoon | Bon tardi |
| Good evening | Bon nochi |
| Thank you | Danki |
| Please | Por fabor |
English is widely spoken. But these five words change interactions. Shopkeepers smile. Waiters warm up. Locals appreciate the effort more than you'd expect.
Same as Aruba — the windward (north/east) coast has dangerous currents and crashing waves. Shete Boka National Park is spectacular to watch. Not to swim. Only swim at leeward (south/west) coast beaches.
Direct flights from Miami (3.5 hours), New York JFK (4.5 hours), and Fort Lauderdale via American, JetBlue, and Spirit. Prices range $250-600 round trip from the US East Coast. Also well-connected from Amsterdam (KLM, 9 hours).
Landhuis Chobolobo (the blue curacao distillery) is only open Mon-Fri 8AM-5PM. Weekend visitors miss it entirely. Plan accordingly. Tours ~$10, tastings included.
Most tourists stay in Punda and photograph the Handelskade from the waterfront. Otrobanda — across the pontoon bridge — has the Kura Hulanda Museum, quieter streets, cheaper restaurants, and murals that rival any street art city in the Americas. It takes 30 minutes to walk through. It changes your understanding of the island.
If you're exploring more of the region, Barbados offers a complementary experience worth considering.
If you're exploring more of the region, Belize offers a complementary experience worth considering.
Curacao is the Caribbean island that gives back what you put in. Stay at the resort, eat at the hotel restaurant, lie on the closest beach — you'll have a fine time. But rent the car, drive to Kenepa at dawn, eat at Marshe Bieu, snorkel at Porto Mari, and walk through Otrobanda's murals — and you'll understand why the people who live here chose this island over its flashier neighbors.
