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Curacao Beaches

Curaçao has over 35 beaches, all offering crystal clear turquoise water and picture-perfect weather.

Barbara Beach
This sandy expanse, located along the channel of a future resort area, has a parklike feel and is long enough for a leisurely stroll. Swim long laps along the channel while yachts and sailboats cruise by (the swimming area is reped off) or lounge in the shade of palms and gnarled waterside trees while the children paddle in the calm, shallow water. The beach is very popular with families. Topless bathing is common.

Caracasbaai
The beach is made of coarse sand and pebbles and is popular for snorkling and diving because its part of the underwaterpark. Also popular with the island residents. There are several small restaurants, there water is usually calm and the admission is free. The nearby Baya Beach Club is not free of charge.

Blue Bay Beach
Blue Bay Beach is a large shady beach just northwest of Willemstad, near the village of Sint Michiel, with lots of facilities. It's popular with local families and visitors because of the soft white sand. The sea floor slopes gently from the beach so children enjoy playing here. There are lounge chairs, palm trees, shade umbrellas, a nice bar and restaurant, a watersports center (diving and sea kajaking!) and a bikini shop. There is a childrens playground, a farely large pool and there are showers and toilets. On Sunday you can join a barbeque lunch. An admission fee is charged.

Jan Thiel Beach
Lounge on the cement quays beside the large open bay, which has excellent diving and snorkeling. The beach is located in a new upscale residential area east of town. There is some sand, but children enjoy the semi-enclosed wading area that resembles a swimming pool.

Kas Abou
This beach combines a natural country setting with all the conveniences of a fful service beach. The snorkeling and diving are great. It takes about ten minutes to reach the beach after the main turnoff, at the end of a winding dirt road that meanders through some beautiful countryside, with good bird watching late in the day. Shade is provided by some pergolas (these go quickly on weekends) and a few trees. Rentals include beach chairs, paddleboats, and snorkel and diving gear. Children enjoy the diving platform.

Jeremi
Visit this narrow, picturesque cove late in the day, perhaps lingering to watch the sun set, when you can fully apprecaite the exceptionally clear water without minding the lack of shade. Uneven steps cut into the rocks lead from the parking area to the beach. No amenities.

Klein Curaçao
Curaçao's longest and whitest beach is on Klein Curaçao, an uninhabited island eight miles off the souteast coast. Dive operators and charter boats take passengers out to the oversized volcanic rock for beach parties, cookouts and fantastic diving. The shore is covered in soft white sand and the water is crystal clear, but there is little shade. The northeastern side routinely has calm water with gentle waves. If you want to go over here, check with dive operators or sailboat charters that offer trips including snorkling and refreshments and usually a picnic or barbecue lunch.

Kenepa
These two beatiful coves are among the island's most popular beaches. Intimate playa kenepa is partly shaded by manchineel trees. The snack bar (which has a tiny restroom) is open on weekends and often plays loud music. Locals like to camp here during school holidays. Larger Playa abou (Big Beach) has several shade pergolas set back from the water and a large snack bar. Behind the beach is a small salt marsh. The vista over the beach from the parking area is an excellent photo op; a stairway and ramp lead down to the beach. Halfway between the two beaches is a cliffside lookout point, a good photo op, with a path that leads through the underbrush to Playa Kenepa. Nearby Landhuis Kenepa is worth a visit.

Playa Forti
The view from above this beach is right out of a postcard, with the fishing boats and a panorama of the island's western tip. Here you'll find pleasantly different coarse brown sand and tiny smooth pebbles but almost no shade. There are several snack bars and a restaurant at the parking area above the beach, with a steep ramp and steps down to thewater.

Playa Lagun
A cluster of fishing boats gives this narrow cove a picturesque air. The water is very calm and shallow near shore, with excellent snorkeling. Children who can barely swim will be able to don a mask and see the fish without going in over their heads. Large shade structures and manchineel trees provide ample shade. A small snack bar is open on the weekend.

Playa Porto Marie
Playa PortoMari is a beautiful sandy bay to be found on the private estate of Plantages "PortoMari" on the west coast. Its white coral sand beach, with clear and calm water, is a true paradise for water lovers, and the unique "double" reef is easily accessible from the shore providing a fascinating snorkel and dive site. There's a diveoperator at the beach. For landlubbers, two nature trails have their starting point at the beach parking lot. All activities at Playa PortoMari are managed in an environmentally responsible manner.

Playa Piskado/ Playa Grandi
This tiny fishermen's beach is also popular for snorkeling and diving and has some good photo ops of the boats and nets. Manchineel trees provide some shade. A small snack bar is open on the weekend. Entrance to the water is somewhat rocky.

Seaqarium Beach
This beach, right next door to the seaquarium has all facilities, palmtrees and beautiful white sand. During the day it's the perfect place for children to play in the shallow water. There are shops, several bars like Mambo, Kontiki, Wet & Wild and Blue Oceans. There are facilities for all watersports. The beach is popular with families and young people. At night, specially in the weekend it can be a very crowded hotspot. There are concerts and even movies on the beach.

Vaarsenbaai
Serious swimmer, snorkelers and divers will have no problem ignoring the scant sand, rocky enry and lack of shade at this picturesque cove just west of town. Small children will find entrance to the water difficult, but will enjoy the small play area, wading pool (wich is not filled), pier and, if they're good swimmers, the diving platform. Sometimes you can see bright blue and green parrot fish from the pier. The seaside bar has a large convered terrace. The beach is sometimes closed for private parties; occasionally there are public events with loud music on the terrace.

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Curacao Diving Sites

Double Reef & Superior Producer
The Superior Producer site is in the top 10 on Curaçao and one of the finest wrecks in the Caribbean. The ship is upright, with her wheelhouse at 80 feet, and her hull rests in over 100 feet. The site can be accessed by shore or boat, and the entry is near the Holiday Beach Hotel. Look for grouper, barracuda, coral and anemones.

Airplane Wreck
The beach of Sunset Waters Resort offers full facilities, including a dive shop and a resort on the cliffs above where you can stop in for lunch or even stay a night or two. There are several dive sites you can reach from shore and many sites nearby which can be reached by boat. Straight out from the breakwaters there is a marking buoy, which identifies the site of the remains of an airplane, hence the name Airplane Wreck.

Tugboat
There's one word that really describes the Tugboat, and that’s “cute.” Sunk over 25 years ago, the wreck rests at 17 feet. It’s a very popular site, great for divers as well as snorkelers. It offers great photo ops and lots of diving choice—wall, wreck, and deep. Tugboat is among the top 10 sites on Curaçao.

Klein Curaçao
Divers, snorkelers and sun lovers who have always dreamed about being marooned on an uninhabited, desert-island will really enjoy the day trip dive operators and boat charters offer to Klein Curaçao. This tiny, rugged, desolate island of volcanic rock is located off the southeast coast of Curaçao—about one-and-a-half hours by boat.

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Curacao Golf Courses

Curaçao Golf & Squash Club
Tourists and non-members can only golf at this 9-hole course from 8 am until noon.

Blue Bay Golf & Beach Resort
The 18 holes AAA championship golf-course will excite you definitely. Golf-experts already expressed that the golf-course will be ranked amongst the top 50 of the world. Some of the holes are located.

 

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