A single remedy
Curaçao – «cure» in Portuguese – is to be sought in the southern Caribbean, 50 kilometers off the coast of Venezuela and between two other islands, Aruba and Bonaire. With its dazzling underwater world, a series of spectacular beaches, and a capital city with a world heritage site, this little-explored Caribbean gem oozes elegance and good vibes. In the past, it was known as the Island of Healing, as scurvy-stricken colonists recovered by eating local fruits. For their part, the Curaçaoans, polyglot and empathetic, are good hosts and welcome visitors as if they were their own.
A paradise that offers much more than beaches
Two cities in one
Willemstad is divided in half by St. Anna Bay. On one side is Punda, on whose shores are the colorful buildings that make up the island’s most famous postcard. There are also surprises like the Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in the Americas still in operation, the bustling floating market selling fish and fruit from Venezuela, or the haunting Kura Hulanda Museum, which shows what the transatlantic slave trade looked like. as. Across the iconic Queen Emma Bridge is the Otrobanda neighborhood, once favored by Creoles, and featuring the RIF Fort, a sea-stone bastion built-in 1828 that has been converted into a leisure and dining center.
The Caribbean with bays
And if the colonial past is well preserved, the island’s beaches will remain in their pure state as they were centuries ago, many of them protected by intimate coves. A series of 35 white-sand beaches and crystal-clear waters follow one another along the southern coast, each with its charm, some of them fee-paying, but all equally heavenly. For party lovers, Mambo Beach, which turns into a big disco at night; for those looking for dreamy postcards, Kenepa Beach, which has been voted the best beach in the world on several occasions; and for divers, Kalki Beach Bay with a seabed full of reef fish, mushroom corals, eels, lobsters and green moray eels.
Beauty from every angle
On the north coast overlooking the Atlantic, the waves break hard on the rocks of Shete Boka National Park, some 200 hectares of bays and inlets where three species of turtles lay their eggs. Beyond the beaches and the sea, there are natural treasures such as the Hato Caves with impressive stalactites and stalagmites and drawings from 1,500 years ago or the Christoffel National Park with trails to explore its exotic fauna, bird watching routes, and historical tours.
Thanks to this island paradise, it has never been easier to enjoy the Dominican Republic, its colors, and its culture at the same time.
