A large, full-service beach between Playa Porto Mari and the beaches of San Juan, Playa Cas Abou is not a recommended destination when you feel like getting away from it all. But if you want an easy day on the sand, with food and drinks readily available, you could certainly do worse.
Without a doubt, Curaçao's most popular hike is to the top of the Christoffelsberg. Practically speaking, it's the island's only popular hike. But as we've learned, there are plenty of other trails which merit attention. One of the best is also within the National Christoffelpark: a rarely-used path which leads through a region called the Zevenbergen (Seven Peaks) and to the summit of Seru Bientu, where a unique type of palm tree grows.
Four beaches can be accessed from a single entry point near the northern town of Soto. At the former Landhuis of San Juan, you'll be asked to pay a small entry fee before continuing along a set of dirt paths that lead to the sea. It's up to you which path you take.
Every Sunday morning in the northern town of Barber, the market hall is converted into a food court where you can find every type of Curaçaoan specialty imaginable, from fish soup to stewed papaya, along with a wide variety of baked sweets and homemade drinks. Show up hungry, because you'll likely want to sample a little of everything.
Carved out over the course of millennia into the region's limestone landscape, the Hato Caves are found next to Curaçao's international airport. In the past, these caves served as a shelter for the Arwak Indians and a hiding spot for runaway slaves, and are now a popular tourist attraction.
As you might expect for an island nation, fish is a popular meal on Curaçao. And as you might expect for a Caribbean island nation, fried fish is where it's at. I'm sure there are others, but we found two local seafood joints that we can recommend.
This year, we celebrated Jürgen's birthday at Playa Forti. I wouldn't be so crass as to reveal how old he was turning, but please let me reiterate that this birthday celebration was at Playa Forti. It was a wonderful spot to spend the morning, swim, snorkel... and to mourn the loss of fleeting youth.
Of all Curaçao's former Dutch fortresses, our favorite was destined to be Fort Nassau. Fort Amsterdam might have the most fascinating history and Fort Beekenburg the coolest atmosphere... but Fort Nassau has the food nailed down. And food beats history or atmosphere every time.
The region north of Saint Joris Bay goes by the intriguing name of Koraal Tabak. "Tobacco Coral"? What could that mean? It was a mystery, and so when we learned about a hike in the area, we had to check it out. Spoiler: there was no tobacco.
We had such a fun time diving with Scubacao, that we would have liked to get back into the water the very next day. However, Curaçao has a lot more to offer than scuba diving, so we forced ourselves to be patient. But after a month, we could wait no more. So we called up Anton and Marc, and were soon rumbling in Scubacao's truck toward Directorsbaai.
