An almost entirely submerged cave found in the cliffs of the western coast, the Blue Room is one of the island's most famous snorkeling spots, second perhaps only to the Tugboat. We visited it during our last week on Curaçao, and found it to be just as beautiful as advertised.
Klein Curaçao, a small, uninhabited island found a few miles southeast of Curaçao, has become a popular destination for day trips, thanks to its pristine beach, excellent snorkeling, and atmosphere of forsaken solitude. We booked an excursion which brought us to the island on a catamaran, and spent the day checking it out.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We carefully made our way along an overgrown path, which, according to my calculations, had last been used by the Arwak Indians sometime in the late 1400s. Our mission was to find the legendary Playa Hunku, a place rumored about in whispered conversations across the island, but which no living man or woman had yet laid eyes upon. Our expedition was fraught with danger (cacti! mosquitoes!) but after a wearying trek of twenty entire minutes, we saw it: the fabled beach of Playa Hunku. And it was ours... all ours!!
Crystal blue waters, soft white sand, a laid-back atmosphere in a gorgeous natural environment... you know, it feels like I've been using this description a lot, doesn't it? It's getting boring. Come on, Curaçao! Why don't you surprise us with an ugly beach?! Actually, on second thought, scratch that. Just keep the beauty coming and we'll try not to complain. Next up: Playa Jeremi.
Playa Piskado's name translates to "Fisherman's Beach," which is an apt description. Locals keep their tiny boats anchored just off-shore, here, and bring their daily catch to the small dock. But it's not just fishermen that you're likely to see at Playa Piskado; this is also a favorite haunt for Curaçao's sea turtles.
We were overwhelmed by the beauty of the underwater world we discovered at Directorsbaai. Pristine coral just a couple feet below the surface and legions of fish oblivious to our presence... if there's better snorkeling anywhere on Curaçao, I'd be surprised. In fact, if there's better snorkeling anywhere in the world, let us know. So far, Directorsbaai is about the best we've seen.
