Unspoiled Beaches & Colorful Towns: This Offbeat Caribbean Island Is Seeing Record Breaking Visitors
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Not Cancun and its jam-packed Hotel Zone, Punta Cana, and its bar-lined waterfront, and that is most undoubtedly not Jamaica with the reggae golf equipment and beachfront villas:
Fast-approaching the pantheon of Caribbean Greats, Curaçao is one of many fastest-growing locations within the area proper now, bringing in a report 1.57 million guests final 12 months and with a big 30 % enhance in U.S. arrivals.
If it does not sound like all that many, enable us to remind you it is a tiny island, solely 171 sq. miles in measurement and with a inhabitants of roughly 147,000: in different phrases, over 1,000,000 friends in a single 12 months is huge.
So, what’s driving this unprecedented development?
One Of The Caribbean’s Truly Unspoiled Gems
Curaçao could also be small, however it’s not at all missing in pure and cultural choices:
Belonging to the Netherlands’ Caribbean territories––as in, it is formally part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and its residents are Dutch––it’s markedly distinct from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and different Latin-majority islands.
It has a colonial capital in Willemstad, however not of the sort you’d anticipate finding round right here: as an alternative of ornate Baroque church buildings and Spanish-style plazas, anticipate rows upon rows of Dutch-inspired, Northern Mannerist facades, and canal-traversed heart.
Unlike Amsterdam’s, nevertheless, homes right here will not be constructed with darkish bricks and have brightly painted exteriors as an alternative: likewise, the road meals stalls lining the canal fronts are much more more likely to promote native pumpkin pancakes or papaya stew than stroopwafels and gouda cheese.
There are not any towering Gothic cathedrals both, although you’ll be able to marvel at a Seventeenth-century Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, one of many oldest within the Americas, established by Jewish settlers on the peak of the Transatlantic Trade.
It’s nonetheless the Netherlands, kind of, only a completely different taste of it.
What To See In Curaçao In 2025
Curaçao is related to unspoiled white sands and flamingos, and when you’re in search of flocks of the gracious pink-feathered creatures, the Jan Thiel flats are the place you will discover them.
For paradisiacal Caribbean seashores, a number of the high picks embody Carcasbaai, a deep-water bay hugged by teal seas, Mambo Beach, a stylish white-sand strip boasting many facilities, together with Bonita Beach Club the place nice seafood is served, and Playa Grandi:
Backed by a laid-back fishing village, it has a compact sandy expanse that hardly ever ever feels crowded, and it is a common hotspot for sea turtle hatching.
If you are primarily based in Willemstad and also you’re down for a little bit journey, we advocate you e-book this electronic scooter southeast tour, with stops in Carcasbaai, the historic Fort Beekenburg, an 18th-century Dutch stronghold, and many diving websites round Tug Boat Beach.
Nearby, you will additionally get to go to one of many island’s high sights, The Quarantine House, a former leper colony the place incomers who had fallen sufferer to the plague can be positioned (don’t be concerned, it is completely protected now)––and all of this from solely $59 per particular person!
Why Do Americans Love Curaçao
Cultural gems apart, Curaçao is primarily a resort destination, and that is why Americans are loving it on the minute:
What with the loopy world of politics again dwelling and the restricted paid trip days they get yearly, it is no marvel they’re favoring a Caribbean island like Curaçao: it is often a stress-free escapade, and there is lots of pampering concerned in these luxurious motels.
This February, an all-inclusive, week-long keep for two at The Rif At Mangrove Beach will set you again $3,523, in keeping with the common worth for five-star Caribbean stays.
There’s a much-cheaper, equally superb Tropical Breeze Curaçao for $639, that includes an out of doors pool surrounded by lush vegetation, a spacious bed room, and a hammock-equipped backyard, and the most effective half is that it has its personal personal beach.
Curaçao is not precisely an reasonably priced vacation spot, with the common value a price range week-long journey for 2 being $2,235 (comprising lodging, meals, transportation and sightseeing prices), however the expensiveness is basically offset by the better sense of exclusivity it provides, in comparison with a jam-packed Cancun, and delightful sights.
In truth, Americans find yourself staying a mean of 6.4 nights on the island, because the Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB) experiences, with most vacationers hailing from New York, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, and Georgia, so it is not like they’re in a rush to pack up and go away.
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This article initially appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed listed below are the writer’s alone, not these of any financial institution, bank card issuer, resort, airline, or different entity. This content material has not been reviewed, accredited or in any other case endorsed by any of the entities included inside the put up.