"CURACAO IS.... JUST OK" a Curaçao Travel Page by Frisbeeace

As usual, I prepared this trip very thoughtfully, gathering lots of information and printing more than 30 pages with reviews, tips and recommendations posted on Internet by other travellers. I thought I did have a very accurate idea of what I would find but I was wrong. The real thing (for me) differed somewhat from I what I expected. It is clear that everybody has different travel habits and perceptions so I hope that VT will include a personal profile in the future so we only consider tips from travelers with similar tastes and expectations.

Curacao is a dry, rocky and windy island, with desert type vegetation and very hot weather. One of its advantages is that it has plenty of sunny days and it is located below the hurricane belt. Along the perimeter it has over 30 small and narrow beaches mostly on the western coast where the sea is calm. The eastern side has a very rough sea with almost no beaches. There are no long stretches of sand but small coves with some decent beaches. No music, no trendy scene... just a relaxing and quiet atmosphere.

The island is poor with very humble homes and cabins, and no commercial areas worth visiting outside Willemstad. Some houses are picturesque but the general feeling is of great poverty. No residencial neigborhoods or mansions to talk about. It is striking to find some industrial areas around Willemstad (mostly oil refineries) with huge chimenies smoking into the blue sky and dirty surroundings. They certainly disrupt the paradise feeling that one expects at the Caribbean.

I had planned activities for each day during our trip but the hot weather made us select among them and choose only the must-dos. So, we did not take a boat, visit the Ostrich farm, the caves or any museum.

Like many girls, Willemstad looks beautiful in the distance but it's somehow different when you reach there. The city is interesting and colorful but somehow dirty and smelly. We felt safe all the time everywhere though.

Contrary to most reviews I read, I did find it attractive and worth visiting. The dutch condiment adds to its flavour. Besides the well know riverfront architecture I enjoyed more the tiny typical homes in the interior streets of the Punda side.

We visited it three times during the day, including some shopping and 4 times for dinner (check my tips) .

As said before, beaches are small and picturesque but nothing spectacular. The sea, of course, is turquoise and water is very clear. Most swimming areas are rocky but that means good snorkeling so it is okay with me. The best snorkelling we found was at the Marriott beach, followed by Cas Abou.

The beaches I recommend to visit are:
1. Marriott beach which means "stay there, if you can"
2. Porto Marie
3. Cas Abou
4. Grote (Big) Knip
5. Playa Kalki

Playa Forti is not nice and Little Knip is nothing special.