It's no secret we loved Bonaire but as much as I love a place I prefer to see somewhere new rather than going back to somewhere we've been so after a little research about islands with decent snorkeling that are not in the hurricane belt I landed on Curacao! It neighbors Bonaire so although I had read the snorkeling wasn't as good in Curacao, the island offered a variety of other things to do so we decided to give it a try! Booking a flight last minute like this wasn't cheap and to make matters worse, Delta doesn't fly there so we prayed American Airlines would prove to not be as terrible as people have said. Thankfully aside from a major drop in altitude on the return out of Miami, all went smooth!
First stop: The villa at Piscadera Harbour. Booking on short notice makes for some quick decision making when it comes to accommodations. This place was perfect! Although it wasn't ocean front it was new and modern, had great views and Sage loved hanging out in the pool each night!
We spent our first full day heading to the north west side of the island. First stop was Shete Boka National Park. I wasn't sure what to expect but had read it was best to come here in the morning before it got too hot. We actually spent a lot more time here than I had anticipated which was a good thing! It meant everyone was enjoying it! There were four main lookout areas. The natural bridge was our fist one:
The next stop involved walking through a grove of trees before hitting the ocean. We could have left Ty here all day to play in these trees!
The third stop was quite the hit! Who doesn't love a blow hole?!? Everyone loved the Boka Pistol!
The last stop was a cave and another outlook point. It was a big creepy sliding down into a cave at sea level when you could hear the water crashing against it and see the waves. I lasted about 30 seconds down there...
After a yummy lunch of pizza and smoothies at Sol Food, which I had read about on Trip Advisor, we headed to our first snorkeling spot, Playa Kalki. It was no Bonaire as far as fish count but instead of the beaches being mostly rock theirs definitely had more sand which was nice and the water was also very clear. At our next snorkel spot (Playa Forti) their were a couple people jumping from a 40 ft. cliff. Well, the highlight of the day for the boys definitely had to be this...
Our next day was all about snorkeling the west side! Our first stop was Playa Portomari. We all loved it here. The snorkeling was decent and we enjoyed exploring from the water some of the alcoves along the cliffs. It just had a nice vibe to it here! For some reason my underwater camera got switched to a weird setting by accident so some of these photos have some crazy color to them!
After leaving Portomari which is a private beach with an entry fee so doesn't get too busy we hit up a few of the public beaches I had read about. Well we learned quickly we'd be saving those beaches for a weekday! Sundays at the public beaches were a zoo! Parking was a madhouse and forget about finding a place on the beach to even drop a bag. The locals pretty much take them over and between their barbecues and their canopies you'd be lucky to see the sand on the beach so we decided we'd spend the remainder of the day exploring the island. On the way back to our hotel we came across this gated community that we decided to peek into. We also were curious to see what their new beach bungalows were selling for so we quickly toured one. They had their own private beach with a restaurant and dive shop right there. It was really nice so we put this beach on our 'must return to later in week' list!
After a swim in the pool and a quick clean up, we went to check out the downtown scene and grab some dinner. We found a place right on the water overlooking the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge and although the food wasn't the greatest, the view was! It's pretty cool to see the bridge swing open to allow for boats to pass through.
On Monday morning we checked out the Hato Caves! At first I think I was the only one excited because I had read the good reviews beforehand but by the time we had finished everyone in the family would tell you they exceeded expectations. We were the first to arrive that morning so we had our own private tour and our guide was phenomenal. He was funny, knowledgeable and not too long winded. The only bummer was they don't let you take photos in the main chambers where you can find the ceiling covered with hundreds of bats (a bit creepy) and cool formations but there were a couple less exciting chambers they allowed you to snap a shot.
After that, Jack and I dropped the kids off at the villa and went into Willemstad. I loved how colorful it was at night so wanted to see it during the day but knew the kids would probably be bored. So off we went! My favorite part aside from the waterfront area was the floating market. Although the actual stands of produce and fish aren't on water, behind them sit the boats that belong to the stand owners who come over to Curacao from Venezuela to sell their produce. It use to be that they sold directly from their boats, hence the name 'floating market'.
Afterwards it was time to throw our stuff together and move from the villa to the Marriott. I had purposely booked us at two different places because as nice as it is to stay in a villa with all the space, there is something to be said for staying at a resort where you have all the amenities. I had read a lot of great things about the Marriott and worried that if the villa didn't meet expectations I'd been bummed so decided not to gamble but instead experience both! We were glad we did. The grounds at the Marriott weren't massive but were very nice. They had a great beach and pool area and the food was good. My favorite part though is being able to look outside the sliding doors to that beautiful ocean...
I had to crack up when the bar manager commented that in all her time at the resort she had yet to see anyone reach down and pick up an iguana! Clearly as a bunch of Dutch tourists gathered around to watch him...lol! In the meantime Sage was just fine feeding them cherries that the bar was kind enough to keep her stocked with!
Ty had really been wanting to give scuba diving a try so the next morning we signed the boys up for a discover scuba course. They loved it and now want to get certified. We made a deal that they get straight A's then they can get certified on our dime! Otherwise it can be a birthday or Christmas present! Of course Sage was disappointed she just barely missed the age cutoff but they did offer a free "bubbles" course at the pool that she tried out and enjoyed...so much so that she kept going back for another try!
Later that day we decided to head out to a snorkel spot called 'Tugboat'. It was located in an industrial area and we had to laugh when we pulled up and saw we'd be entering the water right next to a ship, not a boat, but a ship that was docked right there for maintenance. Luckily the sunken tugboat isn't far from the shore and there were a ton of fish! At one point they were swarming me which makes me think they were used to being fed by divers and snorkelers. It was a fun spot!
The next day we were going to head back to the west side in hopes of finding emptier beaches than we had seen over the weekend! Our first stop was Playa Kenepa Grandi (or Big Knip as it is also referred to). When we pulled up here I was amazed by the water. It truly reminded me of the water in Bora Bora. It was stunning! The boys had been looking forward to returning here too because they had seen locals jumping off the cliffs and were anxious to try! Of course it required some inspection to make sure they wouldn't kill themselves...
Next it was time to go back to Playa Forti as promised so the boys could jump from the cliffs their once again. They would have done it all day had we let them! The boys had given Jack a hard time for not jumping the last time so this time he showed them...haha! Although Sage didn't jump it was very sweet to see her out in the water waiting to greet the boys as they landed. Of course I was completely content taking photos...lol!
After that we headed to a beach just up the road. Sunshine from Sol Food had recommended this as a place to see turtles which immediately caught Sage's attention! It felt more like a fishing port than a beach but indeed we got to see turtles! Apparently in the morning it's a hot spot for fisherman and that is the reason it makes such a great snorkeling spot because of all the fish guts, etc. the fisherman drop in the water that attract all sorts sea life! Here is just a small sampling of what we saw!
On our way back to the hotel we stopped at Playa Lagun. I had read a lot of great stuff about this beach and it's snorkeling and had we been there first thing in the morning before all the crowds I have no doubt it would have been amazing as there was pretty good snorkeling but even mid week, it was a busy spot with all the Dutch tourists. I'd say this spot is where we saw the most squid. There were tons! In fact it seems every island we go to has a common fish. For Bonaire it was the French Angel fish and for Curacao it would definitely be squid! At this stop Ty managed to find something to jump from too...
On Thursday it was over to Cas Abao Beach. It comes in 2nd on Trip Advisor for things to see after Big Knip which we had seen the day before. When we first arrived we could see a manta ray in the shallows right up along the beach that I quickly snagged a photo of but he was just too fast for the kids to snorkel with. The water was beautiful here! It's interesting because all the beach areas in Curacao have a very similar look with the limestone cliffs on each side, the gorgeous blue water and the sandy and rock beaches.
Our next snorkel spot was Daaibooi Beach, just down the road a little bit! Another beautiful spot...
By this point we were ready to get some lunch so we decided this would be a great day to head over to Coral Estates and have lunch at their beachfront restaurant while also checking out the snorkeling in front of their beach. For being a place I hadn't read much about, perhaps because it's in a gated community, we were surprised to find the snorkeling to be as good as it was. We really loved it here.
After another fun day it was time to head back to the hotel. Standard protocol was the boys would usually race back to the room to shower and chill while Sage and I would race down to the pool...or the 'Board Room' for a pina colada...
A night swim always leads to a better night's rest for this cute girl...
On our last full day in Curacao we began our day by heading into town with the kids. It was a nice break after having spent so much of the week in the water! We also finally figured out what dushi means! Every once in a while a local would call one of the kids dushi! At first you weren't sure you heard them right. I mean how dare someone call your child a dushi!!! Well it turns out dushi means "sweetie or sweet"... lol. And clearly it's a favored word since they have a whole statue dedicated to it!
So while on our trip into town we came across this store that had a sale rack of clothing out front. On one of the rounders Ty was intrigued by what appeared to be a cross between a "European swimsuit" and a pair of boxer briefs. He was certain it was a swim suit and I was pretty certain they were underwear but admittedly, it was hard to tell. Ty begged us to buy him a pair and they were pretty cheap so we did. Well he could hardly wait to get back to the hotel and that's when it became clear that he was serious about wanting to fit it with the Dutch when it came to swimwear. We all nearly choked on our pina coladas when he came marching down to the pool in this...I don't know if I was more embarrassed for him or myself but it was bad. I can say after about fifteen minutes he was back in the room changing...lol!
So after a good laugh, a nice lunch and some pool time we decided to head back to our favorite place...Coral Estates. Sage had left her rash guard there the day before so I was hopeful they had it but apparently they had set it out hoping the person who owned it would come by for it but clearly someone who didn't own it came by for it because it was gone. Thankfully it was the last day of the trip or I would have been really bummed as Sage wears it non stop when snorkeling to protect her from the sun. We ended up renting a kayak for the boys so they could follow beside us as we snorkeled back along our favorite area. The kids enjoyed exploring a beach they kayaked to and we enjoyed our last hours of snorkeling on this trip.
For being last minute Curacao turned out perfect. We had warm sunny weather the whole time, got in plenty of snorkeling, enjoyed some good food, and made memories that I pray will stay with me for a long time. Here are just a few random shots of things I captured, including the traditional driving course for the boys in the rental car... Time to get working on the next trip!!!
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