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Curaçao Tourism

Tips and photos for Curaçao vacations and tourism, posted by real travelers and Curaçao locals.
Local Time 8:22 pm Thursday, December 4, 2008
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Popular General Tips | Other General Tips Tips | All Tips (20)
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Walking about and shopping in Punda
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  • Map of Punda and Otrobanda - Curaçao
    Map of Punda and Otrobanda
    by dlytle
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    Consider stopping at a hotel or rental car place and picking up a Curacao map. I have one from Avis Car Rental and it is excellent for planning out walking tours of Punda and Otrobanda. Let me give you a few suggestions.

    You’ll be drawn to explore Punda because of the startling beauty of its crayon-colored buildings. So one of the first things to do is to find the Pontoon Bridge if you are on the Otrobanda side of the harbor.

    Enjoy the uniqueness of walking across a floating bridge. There are a number of photo opportunities along both sides of the bridge. Don’t just look forwards as you walk, look behind you also.

    Reaching Punda, you’ll have some decisions to make - namely which way to go?

    My suggestion, walk down the main street, Breedestraat, to Columbusstraat. There are a number of nice shops to visit and shop, as well as photos to take, on both sides of the street. At Columbusstraat, turn left and walk and shop the street down to where De Ruyterkade comes in from the right and you can see the Queen Wilhemina Draw-Bridge on the left as well as the floating market along Caprileskade Street. Work you way over to Caprileskade Street back towards St. Anna Bay.

    From here there are many ways to go. I’d suggest that you walk down past the major street of Keukenstraat to Heerenstraat Street. This is a pedestrianized street and if you turn left onto it, it will take you all the way back to Breedestraat Street where you started from.

    Another option is to take Keukenstraat Street to the left, shopping along the way, until it takes a hard left bend. Past this turn is Da Costa Gomez Plein. If you turn right onto this street it will take you back to Breedestraat Street from where you started. You might also consider taking a street off of Da Costa Gomez Plein to the right and wander back down to the waterfront.

    At some point you must walk along world famous Handelskade Street, along the waterfront, just to taste the ambience of the place if nothing else.

    Enjoy.

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    Colors of the Rainbow!
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  • You may wonder how Curacao came to have so many brilliantly painted houses and buildings. We were told that an former governor complained that the sun glare bouncing off the many whitewashed houses and buildings was hurting his eyes. So he declared that entirely whitewashed buildings were forbidden and that other color paints must be used. It just so happened that the Governor also owned the island's paint factory. Fact or fiction, there seem to be no entirely white buildings!

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    Wonderful trade winds and beautiful skies
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  • Enjoy the weather because it's fantastic, and you can't beat the location. One thing for American's visiting Curaçao, this is a very european island, so you must behave!!! No disrespect to Mexico, but American's visiting the Netherland Antilles should act like they have some common sense.

    The weather, the people, beaches, and the Amstel Beer Factory tour. Also, please note that it's a very expensive island.

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    A Place Not to be Missed
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  • If you are a snorkeler, I highly recommend the Animal Encounters Adventure at Seaquarium. The fee is $34 and includes the $15 entry fee to the aquarium. You get a bucket of bait fish and an hour to swim in an enclosure with some really neat fish. You can feed sharks and turtles through a plexiglass fence. Look around for the puffers - they like being fed too!

    I loved the people - especially the staff at our resort (Sunset Waters). I loved the colours of the ocean - gorgeous. I loved Willemstad. The colourful buildings are really a treasure to see. We found the prices in Willemstad extremely reasonable.

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    ...take along some postcards...
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  • ...take along some postcards or a calender with views of Curaçao by the naieve painter Fred Breebaart! Before even ever having been to Curaçao this dutchmen painted our island out of books and pictures. By now he visited several times. Also by him we have a painting at my workplace. The vivid colours always make my day! Postcards in most book stores and souvenir's shops. Enjoy his impression of one of our most famous landhouses at Knip.
    For more local art and artists, click on
    arte '99

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    ...try and go when Carnival!...
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  • Members of Carnival Group 'Globo' - Curaçao
    Members of Carnival Group
    'Globo'
    by tuti_plaate
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    ...try and go when Carnival! Next year 2008's Carnival Grand Parade is on Sunday February 3, and the Farewell Lighting Parade on Tuesday February 5. But behold! Carnival season starts already in January with a jump-up each and every weekend to which EVERYONE can participate! This is just for you to get in the mood by the big day!
    For more information about how to participate in the Grand Parade go to
    Curacao Carnival

    ...the music, the singing and the dancing! And, wow, will you have a chance during the Grand Parade! Starting around 11 a.m. you will be dancing in the streets untill sunset. As i warned: be prepared to be surprised...mostly of yourself!

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    ...try the art galleries and...
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  • ...try the art galleries and look for Hortence Brown's women! One of my favorite local artists, the human body is the main theme of her work. We have one of her sculptures at our office, and i enjoy it every day. The inner feelings of the human being come to expression in movement and attitude. That is what she expresses in her work. Feelings like sadness, happinesss, fear and despair reveal themselves in the body language. Even when a person is seen from the back, his essence can be read. She uses both natural as well as man made material for her sculptures. Natural material: marble, limestone, Curaçao limestone, alabaster.
    Man made material: bronze, cement composites.
    For more of her sculpures, click on:
    hortence brown

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    Pacho's portraits...
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  • Pacho's portraits! This charming artist makes paintings and especially portraits of all well known Curaçaoan persons, like the Carnival Tumba Queen, our Prime Minister, our Queen Beatrix, and more. He believes art has to be close to the people. He made a lot of tourists happy with a unique Curaçao souvenir: your portrait on an authentic oil barrel lid!

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    So you’re getting married………...
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  • So you’re getting married……… The Ideal Place for an Outdoor Wedding!

    Well, now we will look at options for an ideal outdoor wedding. I love outdoor weddings, especially if you find a beautiful location that introduces nature as part of the celebration of this wonderful occasion. Curaçao is blessed with temperate climate all year long. What we call the rainy season are occasional downpours during the months of November, December, and January. With the exception of these months, planning a wedding outdoors is relatively safe. The only factor that one may have to consider is the ‘heat’, which during the summer months can be quite uncomfortable. If you do not mind the heat, there are many options.

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    Carnival: Party Time!
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  • Yep! This is me singing with a band during the 1992 Carnival Parade. I've been dressed like that from 8 in the morning till after midnight, when we had a party with our Carnival group.

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