Category Archives: caribbean

April 15, 2011 · 1:19 pm

beautiful boka santa cruz & the blue room

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boka santa cruz - awesome!

after watching cliff jumping it was time to relax! if you are looking for some R&R – boka santa cruz is a great place to stop off. c’mon…look at this picture!  who couldn’t be lulled into relaxation here? local fisherman come up onto the beach with their nets and buckets & giggling children enjoy peering in to see what they’ve caught. nice caribbean music is playing in the background for extra ambience! i think i’m in love.

lookout down below - the blue room!

post – R&R i was off for a little trek in search of topping my lovely day at cas abao beach.  luckily, i made some friends who insisted there is something very unique to Curacao that cannot be replicated just anywhere…the blue room. i agree! after a short and easy hike you reach the end of the island where it’s rocky and there are all these beautiful impressions of shells and sea life fossilized into the rock. just below is a cave that has the most incredible blue water because of the way the sunlight shines into it. a la the blue room! the sea life viewing isn’t too shabby there either. i should mention half way through the hike is another very nice beach – santu pretu – which means black sand. the blue room/cave is listed as one of the top 10 dive sites on Curacao – FYI. masha danki dushi  to my new friends for this amazing trip tip and guided tour to the blue room!

my day closed with a wonderful meal at the boathouse. very close in proximity to the Hyatt, this was the perfect place to have a delicious dinner and end my trip as i had to be up bright and early the next morning for a full day of traveling back home. the boathouse has a beautiful view over the Spanish Water bay and the marina there.  i had skewered grilled shrimp with yummy indian curry and chili garlic mayonnaise. even upon arriving close to the kitchen closing – we were greeted with friendly and accommodating staff.

my impressions of Curacao are if you have the chance – you should go. with only 200,000 visitors per year – it is still very unspoiled. on top of that, it’s very affordable and the people are so welcoming – you really feel as though you have gotten away. Ayo Curacao – i look forward to returning as soon as i can!

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· 11:54 am

amazing west punt/playa forti

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playa forti and the cliff jumping!

off again to the far end of the island – west punt. the water, beaches and views are stunning and definitely worth the drive. i had lunch at playa forti in an open-air restaurant. it felt almost like being in capri, italy…loved every minute. watching people take the big plunge 40 feet below was thrilling and terrifying all in one. i wasn’t so adventurous!

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· 11:42 am

ahhh – cas abao, mundo bizarro & cafe old dutch

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named one of the top 10 beaches of 2011 - cas abao

my throne at mundo bizarro

what a relaxing and wonderful day at cas abao beach – no wonder it’s one of the top beaches to see and be seen in 2011. i had the BEST pina colada there and enjoyed a local favorite – french fries with peanut sauce – tasty! if you’re interested, you can dive, snorkel, etc. here as there is a shop set up to help you along with these water sport activities. i chose to swim to the floating dock and watch the tropical fish swim all around in the crystal blue water – amazing! you can make an entire day out of visiting cas abao with the built-in snack stand, bath house, mini-outdoor spa & water sports outfitter.  after visiting this top beach destination it was going to be tough to be further impressed…

the evening festivities included a return trip to mundo bizarro for dinner this time – lobster risotto – YUM! the duck was also a huge hit – the table was raving! again, terrific atmosphere and live music! then darts around the corner at cafe old dutch.

TRIP TIP – pick up k’-pasa for the latest and greatest happenings in Curacao – it comes out weekly!

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· 11:19 am

wonderful willemstad

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looking over to punda from the gouverneur restaurant

a little latin dancing with a local curacaoan at de heeren!

as mentioned before, i did not check much off my to-do list this visit. my first day i spent relaxing at the Hyatt & familiarizing myself with the island.  the Hyatt did an excellent job with greeting guests at the airport & upon arrival to the resort gave you a little blue curacao cocktail – how festive! staff were welcoming throughout the day & made sure that you knew they were there to make your stay all it could be. i, in particular, loved that i could rent a car onsite at the Hyatt to get myself into town. they provided me with directions & all tips i would need to make this transaction seamless (ie – it’s the yellow handled gas you need to put in & stations don’t accept credit cards, you will need local coins for the parking meters in town) driving really wasn’t too difficult on Curacao!

next i made my way into willemstad and enjoyed watching the queen emma pontoon bridge open for the various cargo and tanker boats as well as the beautiful sailboats.  it amazed me how something so simple could be so fascinating! after that, i decided to grab a meal & needed to cross the bridge while it was opening – also a fun treat! i had dinner at the Gouverneur de Rouville – a colonial mansion on the otrobanda waterfront. i had a trio of local fish as well as the banana soup (a local favorite they claim people come all the way from holland to enjoy). i really liked everything about eating at the Gouverneur – especially how all the staff made me feel so welcome.

from here i made my way back to punda & then had a pit-stop at mundo bizarro before going out at de heeren. mundo bizarro has live acoustic music many nights and a really cool vibe AND excellent mojitos i must add. de heeren, located in a historic landhuis, also had live latin music & it truly felt as though i were mixing it up with the locals. their tag line is “the place where you feel at home” – so fun!

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April 14, 2011 · 8:21 pm

bon bini – welcome to curacao!

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hello down below!

on the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge 1/2 way between Punda and Otrobanda - Willemstad, Curacao

OK OK i have to confess – #1 i LOVED Curacao – an adorable dutch island in the caribbean with a diverse history & population – bring it on! #2 it’s a looong trip from the east coast & i could have used 2 more days. bottom line, you need some time – my pre-planning was a bit aggressive , most of my list i didn’t come close to tackling. having said that, i really thought Curacao to be an incredible island & cannot wait to return & discover more about it (if that’s any indicator because i’m totally going back). really the beaches are a gem & that’s where my time was spent so no regrets! it may sound ridiculous – yes…it’s an island but it’s kinda big and the infrastructure makes it a little time consuming to get from point A to point B.

here is the low down:  the people are wonderful!  very international – if you like that sort of thing.  you don’t feel like a tourist – you are out & about with the locals.

where i stayed – the Hyatt Regency – newest resort on the island (a spanking one year old) was very nice & the staff were superb – very Americanized & could accommodate any request BUT really out of the way. i stand by my choice…i had never been to Curacao & was traveling alone so a certain amount of comfort came in knowing i was staying somewhere that could accommodate my every whim. next visit i think i will consider something centrally located & in town like Avila Hotel or Kura Hulanda Hotel.

QUICK TRIP TIP – Jetsetter is having an AMAZING deal on the Hyatt in Curacao so if you are tempted to go – you should seriously consider this deal. Yahoo! also posted a deal on the caribbean this week & listed in it’s 10 best beach destinations for 2011 is none other but Cas Abao beach on Curacao – one of the beautiful beaches i visisted!  DO IT!

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