5 february days in curaçao

every winter mat and i block out a chunk of days to travel somewhere warm with a good beach, because we’re from california and don’t know how to deal with the long-ass winters of new york. the wonderful thing about being a nurse (well, one of the many wonderful things) is that i can make my schedule have long periods of time off without taking any vacation days. yas. this year i told mat how many days i had, and after some researching (really just talking to our friend christine) we opted to visit the island curaçao. it was everything i look for in a beach vacation and more: beaches. warmth. culture. good food. veggie friendly. not super expensive.

eat & drink

(note: mat and i hardly make reservations anywhere, but we did come across several restaurants that they were needed. so if you’re planning on visiting, i would recommend attempting reservations, even if you call the day of, which we did once)

• Restaurant Gouverneur de Rouville: we ate here for our first dinner because it was very close to our hotel and we were very hungry. we got lucky and scored a table on the deck looking over the water where you can watch the pontoon bridge open and close.

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    the wine was cheap and the food was very good.

  • try the cuban banana soup- sounds odd but very unique and worth it!
• Scuba Lodge: i wish wish wish we had stayed here, too.
  • so cute. so hip. relaxed atmosphere right on the water with the quintessential colorful facade.
  • the restaurant had the most veggie options i saw in all of curacao (and a couple vegan ones, too).
  • lava cake. we accidentally ordered 2 and were not sorry in the slightest.
• Ginger:
  • delicious asian caribbean fusion food
  • located on an adorable small street decorated with string lights
  • set back from the street- don’t accidentally go to the bistro in front of it like we did on our first attempt at going there.
  • jamaican bread pudding.
• Hemingway:
  • we came here twice for the mojitos. they are so good.
  • ate lunch here after our morning dive. i had a grilled cheese with tomato soup. was it the right weather for such a meal? no. was it hearty and soothing and delicious? yes.

to do

• spend the day at baoase luxury resort: we did this at the recommendation of christine and it was the best way to spend a first day.
  • we did actually make reservations for this one.
  • it’s a fancy hotel that we’d never be able to afford staying at, but you can rent chairs for the day for about $50 each, and that comes with loungers and towels, water, a morning snack, and an afternoon snack.
  • delicious cocktails and food for purchase.
  • swim in the pristine lagoon
  • i did get lost trying to find the bathroom and the employees will politely chase you down and redirect you so you don’t get in the way of the paying hotel guests. the bathrooms, btw, were impeccable.
• go diving with ocean encounters:
  • super friendly and helpful staff (our dive master was, of course, from the bay area)
  • we signed up for 2 dives: tugboat and underboat/between piers
  • liked: you didn’t have to spend too much time on the boat. it’s a relatively short ride from the dock to the dive site.
  • disliked: they gave us short suits and i was so cold after the first dive that i didn’t go on the second one. most people we were with were seasoned divers and had brought their own long wetsuits, so i wish i had one of those.
  • equipment rental is not included in the diving price. i didn’t notice that when signing up but is good to know.
• check out kleine knip beach
  • about a 40 minute drive from willemstad, the main town of the island
  • less touristy but still popular
  • good snorkeling spot
  • chairs and umbrellas available for rent
• spend the day at mambo beach
  • can get very crowded as it is close to most resorts
  • chairs available to rent with wait staff who are very attentive
  • shops and restaurants around if you, say, forgot your hat or feel like eating a crepe
• wander the streets of historic downtown willemstad:
  • the good people at the curacao tourism board treated us to a guided tour of the area and we learned a ton!
  • many cute shops and art pieces to browse
  • find the nena sanchez gallery tucked away in a small alley. i loved that she paints women blue to be inclusive of all skin colors.
  • have a drink or a coffee and listen to local musicians play in the sunshine