Exploring Curacao: What to do with one day in this Dutch island paradise?

Nestled in the southern Caribbean Sea, Curacao boasts Dutch-inspired architecture, breathtaking landscapes, and crystal-clear waters teeming with marine life. We arrived in Curacao on our second stop of the Sunsets in the Lesser Antilles Virgin Voyage and embarked on a journey of discovery as we explored the centuries-old forts, wandered through colorful streets, and experienced the untouched marine life in Curacao’s beautiful waters.

Arriving in Curacao:

We arrived in Curacao at 9 AM and I booked a morning snorkel Shore Things (excursion) via Virgin.  As I have mentioned in prior posts, Virgin sources local tour operators and professionals for unique offerings and I feel that they did an amazing job with Hetty Van den Ouweelen. (contact me for her info).  This lady knew her stuff, knew the island, loved the island, people, culture and offered knowledge and lots of humor as we ventured to our destinations in a large charter bus.  (Very nice, air-conditioned…a little too much. 😂 We were all very cold after snorkeling and they had to turn the air off!)

Part One: Snorkeling Adventure

Travel More Tip:

I was the only person prepared with a “pen” in my bag, lol.  You will likely have to fill out ppw, so pack a felt tip one that’s easy to write with and become the most popular person on the tour. 😉

As we ventured to the first stop, Hetty offered great info on the island.  We headed to Playa Grandi aka “Turtle Beach” and if you want to relax, watch our YouTube video of the turtles above.  I even spotted the elusive “Quasimodo” resident who is a paraplegic turtle that likes to hang out in the bay and below fishing nets.

After that, we went to a Cas Abao Beach Club where we had a private area with loungers to store our personal items.  There were nice restrooms and a bar and grill if you are hungry or want to order drinks.  We opted to take advantage of the snorkel time on this shore-diving island, and spent about an hour in the bay!  There were amazing brain coral formations and the water is a crystal turquoise blue.  This island is famous for its diving, but it also has such a cute commerce/downtown scene so I decided NOT to book a dive on this cruise.  This is one we will come back to and stay longer (perhaps a few days in Aruba, and then just ferry over to Curacao for the remainder of the stay.)

Part 2: Exploring Downtown Curacao

After the snorkel excursion we headed back to the boat, changed clothes and then hit the streets!!  Downtown Curacao (an urban area on UNESCO’s World Heritage List) is simply charming, adorned with Dutch-inspired architecture and colorful buildings.  We first walked though the Marriott Renaissance area and historic Rif Fort.  One spot we could not miss was the famous "Queen Emma Bridge," (we are standing on it in this post's highlight pic) a pontoon pedestrian bridge offering picturesque views of the bustling harbor.  Be sure to plan for around a 15-30 minute delay if a boat comes through on your way back to the boat - we got stuck for a bit!!

The famous Punda Love Heart Sculpture in Curacao is located here too and a great spot to put your own love lock in the mix.  This bridge is inspired by the famous Pont des Arts Bridge in Paris.  We walked around and admired all of the local art installments literally everywhere, then posted up at a nautical themed restaurant for drinks and snacks before heading back to the boat. 

Travel More Tip: 

From downtown and the main street thoroughfare you can spot the tallest bridge in the Caribbean (background of middle picture above), opened in 1974 and named after the Queen of the Netherlands at the time: The Queen Juliana Bridge.

Ready to experience Curacao?  

Go to the “Contact” page now to easily schedule an initial discussion with us to get things started!  Thank you for reading and following our travel adventures!  Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel and to follow along @travelmorewithkristin on Instagram for the latest travel tips, tricks and our newest locations visited.  

Thank you!

Kristin & Will

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