Honeymoon to...Curacao

Update!
Curacao was voted one of the Top Destinations for 2008 by Trip Advisor.

Curacao (pronounced cure-a-sow) is a beautiful island in the Caribbean, located 30 miles off the coast of Venezuela. It is one of the ABC islands in the Caribbean, Aruba and Bonaire being the others. My husband and I had the privilege of visiting this wonderful island last April and we loved every minute of it. The people on this island are so incredibly friendly and laid back. I didn't meet a single rude or hurried person, everyone was so friendly and fun! Here are some pictures we took and some information of things to do and how to get there.


Where to stay: Although there are many wonderful hotels in Curacao, we stayed at the Marriott in Piscadera Bay. We LOVED it. We had the all inclusive package which I highly recommend! The hotel is right on the beach and about 15 minutes from the airport and 10 minutes from town. Besides having a top location, great restaurants and a wonderfully friendly staff, the hotel itself is breathtaking and fairly reasonably priced compared to the other hotels on the island. For more information on the hotel visit their website. (Above is the front of the hotel, below is looking out of the open air lobby to the pool and beach)



The capital is Willemstad and is divided into two halves by an ocean bay. The capital is nicknamed "Little Amsterdam" due to its architecture. The island is Dutch owned and the currency is the Netherlands Antillean Guilder.


The floating market is an array of schooners that come over from Venezuela and sell produce. This takes place Monday-Friday and is a great place to get local fruit and some great pictures!


The Jewish neighborhood is a fun place to visit. When the island was first established it was primarily used for slave trade by the Jewish settlers. The old homes are now being restored and are so beautiful. Above is a picture of whats called The Wedding Cake House! The man's wife wanted a house that looked like a wedding cake and she got it!


The Curacao distillery is where they make the genuine Curacao Blue liquor. It's a fun place to visit (even though I don't drink) to see how its made and all the other colors and flavors they offer! Plus, you get to sample what you like and buy it too!


Little Knip beach is one of the many breathtaking beaches in Curacao.


Be sure you eat at one of the many wonderful restaurants in Curacao. We took an island tour and ate at this little place pictured above. It was the best spaghetti I have ever had.


The Hato Caves are such a historic and interesting place to visit. Discovered by slaves, they were used by the slaves as a hideout. The neatest thing about them? Besides that they were formed underwater, you can still see the black ceilings from the slaves torches. It is so fun to see and you can actually feel that these people were there hiding out at one point in time. Also, a colony of long nosed fruit bats live in the caves, which you can see on your tour. =)


The countryside is fully of wonderful sights such as these cute houses pictured above. Old plantation homes are also interesting to see, as well as the very first house on the island built by slaves for slaves pictured below.


Some basic information
Language: The locals of Curacao speak Papiamentu, a native language. The official language is Dutch and English is widely spoken. In fact we didn't meet anyone who didn't speak English. The children in school there are taught English, Dutch and Papiamentu, so most people there are tri-lingual!
Island size: 38 miles long and 3-5 miles wide.
Currency: Netherlands Antillean Guilder, but the U.S. dollar is also accepted at some locations.
Temperature: Its hot! The average temperature is 80 but it is extremely humid, as a tropical island would be and the sun is very hot. When we were there in April, a few days we had cloud cover and it was nice, but then the sun would peak through and it was hot! Being close to the equator the sun is a lot stronger!
How to get there: We took a flight out of LAX to Miami International Airport, and from there flew directly to Curacao. All flights going to and from Curacao fly out of Miami so you will need to connect there, if you don't already live there. The flight from Miami to Curacao is about 2 hours, since it is located in the southwestern part of the Caribbean.
Renting a car: This is a really easy task and I would recommend it. Although driving can be an adventure! Unlike in the United States, drivers honk at other drivers to say hello! We thought we were making a lot of people angry until we realized what was going on!

All in all, I would HIGHLY recommend Curacao as a honeymoon or travel destination. If you are considering going, or have any questions I would love to answer them for you! I have nothing but good things to say about this place. =)
Picture credits:
All pictures were taken by my husband and I.