Hey everyone! It’s Jason again—back to take over my Aunt Susan’s blog! Hope you aren’t sick of me yet.

 It’s hard to believe that soon after our last trip down to Tennessee, I would be invited on yet another epicurean expedition that will happen just a couple weeks later, but here we are! This time, my aunt invited me to accompany her to the island of Curacao.

I’ll admit, the only thing I knew about Curacao was the electric blue liqueur! Wait – do you mean to tell me that an entire ISLAND shares the name of this cerulean-colored concoction with equally azure waters? Let’s go!

Renaissance Wind Creek in Willemstad, Curacao

We immediately checked into the Renaissance Wind Creek in Willemstad as soon as we arrived. This place was awesome! All the staff were super friendly and eager to hold open a door or answer any questions we had.

The room’s décor was accented by a lovely sea blue that reminds you that you are right next to the ocean, and each of our rooms had balcony access overlooking the pool.

Curacao was 88 degrees and sunny every day, so let me tell you, that pool became my new best friend. The pool was a welcome respite from the heat, but it was also just gorgeous! Designed to look like a beach, it was, in fact, an infinity pool that hangs right over the ocean.

I’m gradually discovering that I may have been a sea creature in my past life! I could’ve luxuriated in that pool all day (and night—let’s keep those after-hour swims between us, okay?!).

Did I mention the pool had TWO adjacent bars? We wasted no time ordering our first drink on the island, one containing the signature Blue Curacao liqueur called the Blue Island Iced Tea. Pretty!

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Rif Fort

We hit up the nearby Rif Fort, a 19th-century fort converted into a conveniently located shopping and bar-hopping haven, where we enjoyed dinner at Ceviche Nikkei 91. Feasting on fresh seafood, gazing upon the ocean, enjoying a strong breeze, and sipping drinks must be what island life is all about.

The Maracuya Sour and Lima Mule caught our attention and taste buds. At the same time, we noshed on a trio of ceviche along with a beautifully seasoned Lomo Saltado.  

The next day started with a hearty breakfast—shoutout to Renaissance Wind Creek for a diverse array of breakfast offerings, like parfaits, pumpkin pancakes, custom omelets, and even a hot dog bar!

I followed up breakfast with a solo bike ride around the capital area. That was fun! Met some stray doggies on my trek and burned off at least a few calories from that bountiful buffet.

We signed up for an afternoon walking tour, but first, lunch! We found this cute little place called Ocean House 19 in the Rif Fort mall, AKA my new favorite spot on the island. It was located right under where we had dinner the previous night so again, we were treated to lovely ocean views, refreshing breeze, and the drinks—wow!

This had to be one of THE BEST espresso martinis I have ever had—EVER! Just look at that thick layer of frothy goodness! Even my aunt was bewitched by it. The twist is that they add Drambuie, as explained by the ever so accommodating and friendly manager, Leiza. I can’t say enough about her. She made us feel right at home. The beef carpaccio was an excellent snack for fuel for the next 2.5 hours of walking.

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Otrabanda and Punda, Curacao

The Curaçao walking tour took us around Otrabanda and Punda, where we saw local art on display and learned quite a bit about the region’s history. I was particularly impressed with how most citizens can speak four languages: Dutch, English, Spanish, and Papiamento, which contains my new favorite word: Dushi—a catch-all term for describing something or someone as being “sweet” or “awesome!”

Our tour guide, Junior Hamilton, was very informative and kind and gave us many tidbits on where we should go shopping and the best local cuisine—if only we had more time to do everything!

However, we stopped at Lionfish, where they told us how and why Lionfish are captured and how to cook them. My aunt was given two lionfish stingers for her martinis to use as cocktail picks.

Dinner that night was at Gouverneur de Roueville. Of course, I reserved balcony seating, a re-occurring setting for all our nosh sessions. As highly rated as this place came, we were disappointed with the service and some food and drink. But the nighttime views of the pontoon bridge Queen Emma and its many lights were stunning.

We had appetizer samplers, Keshi Yena, and a BBQ meat platter along with a dessert sampler (have you figured out that we like samplers?!) The Coconut Mojito was good, but I bet my aunt could improve upon them with one of her own recipes!

Curacao Beaches

Our last full day on the island involved hiring a private tour with guides (who were awesome, by the way—shout out to Suli and Angelo!) to take us to the island’s western point. I highly recommend the private tour. This is where you go if you want to find the most beautiful beaches in Curacao!

However, our first tour stop may have been as far from a beach as one could imagine—Hato Caves! We mingled with friendly bats and learned about limestone and stalagmites while traversing the dark caverns.

Though, after spending some time in the murky, craggy caves, we were more than ready to see some white sand and sparkling blue waters. Next up was Playa Kalki. It was very pretty, though the beach seemed small and mildly crowded. No cruise ships were in port during our stay, but I imagine all the beaches get overcrowded.

Playa Piskado was next, where I could swim with green sea turtles. A local man, known only as “the turtle whisperer,” would call the turtles by name and throw fish guts to entice them over.

Mr. Whisperer would also select a few spectators to perform a kind of baptism by turtle, where he held their heads back in the water while coaxing his turtle pals to swim on top of them. I captured some footage with an inexpensive underwater camera—check it out below!

We stopped for lunch at the nearby Playa Forti, known for providing local cuisine abutting a 40-foot high cliff top from which you can drop directly into the ocean. We decided to pass as we preferred to spend our time there dining on goat stew (if you love spicy food like I do, be sure to ask for the house-made “hot sauce” on the side!) and red snapper while enjoying lovely ocean side seating and sipping on cocktails.

Here we had the “Signature” (Blue Curacao, pineapple juice, vodka) and “The Turtle” (lemon juice, ginger ale, vodka, and Blue and Green Curacao). Our server, Shurtje, was great at making recommendations and was very pleasant!

Back to the tour bus and our adventure! Grote Knip had to be the most picturesque beach I have ever seen. Granted, I live in New England and rarely go to the beach, but still! This place was truly gorgeous! The photo ops atop the lookout were not to be missed.

However, my favorite beach may have been at our last stop, Playa Porto Mari. There were wild pigs that freely roamed the area- how adorable! I also had the best snorkeling experience there, observing many varieties of local maritime life. This trip instilled in me a new obsession with snorkeling.

Mother’s Day Cocktails

Later that night, my aunt was craving the espresso martini I had from Ocean House 19, so the question of where to go for dinner was settled. We were surprised and a little confused when we arrived. We were initially greeted by two life-sized teddy bears dancing to an energetic Latin music band.

The restaurant/bar was more lavishly decorated than it had been—we thought we had just made a mistake and walked into someone’s birthday party! It turns out Ocean House 19 was celebrating Mother’s Day, and despite being nearly fully booked and very busy, they could seat us right away!

Kudos to Cindy for organizing the event! We toasted our own moms back home with complimentary Mango Mimosas before partaking in a French 76 and their titular drink, the “Ocean House 19” (vodka, vanilla, flor de Jamaica, lime, orange blossom, passion fruit foam). Despite the technical difficulties in the presentation, the flavor was great, and the foam on top was almost sorbet-like.

The seared tuna and the grilled “Ursula” were very enjoyable. The carrot cake could be summed up in one word: “MOIST.” Also, “yummy” would be apt. Okay, I guess that was two words; sue me.

Landhuis Chobolobo

The following morning, we packed our bags and prepared to fly home, BUT we would be remiss to depart the island of Curacao without making a pit stop at the Distillery known for producing the iconic blue liqueur the island is known for!

A group tour of the Landhuis Chobolobo facilities educated us on the Valencia oranges grown locally, which are too bitter to eat but are harvested for their rind, which is then distilled with cane sugar and other ingredients to create the famous spirit. The manufacturers began adding coloring to their products, starting with blue to represent the ocean’s hue, as far back as 1915! 

The rounded shape of the bottle represents the Valencia orange, and the neck represents its stem. Apparently, if you buy curacao liqueur and the bottle is in a different shape, it is not a genuine article! We sampled liqueur shots and some cocktails and even grabbed a few bottles for the road (our favorite was the Tamarind!).

After several unexpected delays, customs congestion, and a horrifically mad dash to – just barely– make my connecting flight, I arrived home, content to have had yet another exciting opportunity to travel with my aunt and sample global cuisine and cocktails. It’s been “dushi” guest writing for my aunt, but now I’m handing the reigns of the blog back over to Susan—though who knows?! Another adventure may be on the horizon, so you’ll have to deal with me again! Signing off for now! Cheers!

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More Awesome Adventures in Curacao

• Curacao Half Day ATV East Adventure Tour – Explore the island of Curacao on an ATV during this thrilling tour. No experience is necessary to go off-road and adventure through the rugged island landscape of Eastern Curacao.
• Full Day Boat Trip to Klein Curaçao – Far away from the hustle and bustle of Curaçao’s Punda and Otrobanda districts lies a remote, uninhabited island with white sand beaches, crystal clear water, a spectacular reef and colorful sea life.
• Happy Hour Sunset Cruise – End another great day in paradise with a relaxing sail on the Caribbean Sea just as the sun is setting. Enjoy a drink from the open bar as well as a selection of finger foods while you sail and watch the sky turn from blue to hues of yellows, oranges, and pinks.
• Aquafari Tour in Curaçao – Experience the stunning underwater world off the coast of Curaçao with ease during this Aquafari adventure. Avoid the hassle of dealing with scuba tanks or snorkel gear and easily breathe underwater with a bell-shaped helmet that receives oxygen.