TRIP REPORTS
- Reddit: first timer
- TA: What we loved & didn’t
- Recommendations
- Reviews: Part 1 Part 2
GENERAL INFO
SHOPPING
- “Toko” stores: mini-marts with everything
- Centrum supermarket
RESTAURANTS
- Best -> worst: Brisa do Mar, Grand Cafe Gouverneur de Rouville, Hemingway, The Pen.
- Make reservations if you can at any restaurants for dinner. And if you change plans, be courteous and let them know. Nearly every restaurant we went to asked us if we had reservations, and if you do, you’ll get better seating.
Beach/snorkelling
- Mask (bring own), fins: ? travel fins/rent
- Water shoes???
Reddit and here - SPF shirt
- Soft cooler/Amstel Bright
- Beach bag
- Lock bag to attach to chair
- Beaches busy on Sundays (locals)
- Turtles: Playa Grandi (fed by fishermen)/Playa Piscado. Not a great beach, tourists
- Reddit snorkeling
Beaches (recommendations)
Arrive by 10 to get shade.
- Tugboat: If you want to kill a whole day just snorkeling and chilling out in an atmosphere that can’t be replicated anywhere in the world, plan a whole day here. It was the best snorkeling you could imagine – eels, sea snakes, schools of fish, solitary fish, etc. just beautiful. You can rent beach chairs, as well as snorkeling gear, to include the sea scooters. We rented fins, and they were worth it. They will store your bag for $3 so you don’t have to worry about your personal belongings. They have soft drinks and beer, but only chips and hotdogs to eat.
- Cas Abou: beautiful water, good food/drink
- Daaibooi – beautiful
- Grote Knip (also called kanepa grandi, i think)-not on cruise days
- Porto Marie-small, get there by 10
- Mambo Beach (busiest, “if you love Cancun”)–plenty of restaurants/people/excitement
- Kaiki: rough beach & sea
- Best for snorkeling: Tugboat Beach, Westpunt, Porto Marie, Cas Abou.
Activities
OTRA web/app – things to do
- Punda Vibes-Thursday night cultural fair (food, music, art, fireworks)
- Charters: Johnny Bonaire, Irie Charters, Bluefin, All Boat Charters (we booked sunset cruise that runs thursday-saturdays)
- Shete Boka National Park-flamingos
- Hato Caves-mixed reviews-sounds like you have to already like caves
- Ostrich Farm-fun if not too hot
- Sea Aqarium (close to Lions Dive-has a good sustainable seafood restaurant)
- Christoffel National Park (they have a tour or you can drive yourself)
- Shete Boca National Park: beautiful, but no shade, bumpy driving
- Jan Thiel Salt Flats for hiking
- Aloe Vera Plantation
- Punda Vibes: Thursday nights they have a cultural festival with food, dancing, live music, art and fireworks at 8:15. It’s a “must do” to get a sense of the Curacao vibe. There’s a floating bridge that’s cool too. It’s a fun experience for sure for all ages.
All Boat Charters Sunset Cruise – a party boat plain and simple.
Driving
- Streets not well marked: need map
- beaches, parks, some side roads: rough, pothole
- Roundabouts?
Papiamentu
- Good morning -Bon dia
- good afternoon – bon tardi-
- good night – bon nochi
- Hello – halo
- Yes/No: Si, No
- Thank you – Danki/Masha danki
- Excuse me – Despensa mi/Disculpa mi
- Please – por favor
Snorkeling
Sun
Most restaurants in the sun: eat before 9 or after 6
Sunscreen
Reef-safe sunscreens use micro-sized (non-nano) mineral sunscreens.
Ingredients: zinc oxide (non nano zinc) and titanium dioxide
zinc: white
Products:
- Sun Bum Mineral SPF 30 Sunscreen – SDM
- Hawaiian Tropic Weightless Mineral Sunscreen Lotion – SDM?
- Blue Lizard Sunscreen – SDM (white!) – check ingredients
- Harken Derm All Mineral SPF 50 Sunscreen
- Thinksport SPF 50+ Mineral Sunscreen
- Sun2Stream
- La Roche-Posay Anthelios
Bad ingredients:
- Oxybenzone
- Octinoxate
- Octocrylene
- Homosalate
- 4-methylbenzylidene camphor
- Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA)
- Parabens
- Triclosan
- Octisalate
- Butyloctyl salicyclic acid
- Any form of microplastic sphere or beads
- Any nanoparticles or “nano-sized” zinc or titanium. (if it doesn’t explicitly say “micro-sized” or “non-nano” and it can rub in, it’s probably nano-sized)
Other
- Apply once/hour
- If feeling hot, re-apply or shade
- If burnt: Curaloe Body Gel works wonders. (esp if from fridge). Soothing.
- Aloe vera
- UV shirt
- rash guards in water?
- NYT: Best sun protection clothing
- Reddit: clothing protection
- Best rash guard for snorkeling
Cruise Ships
- 0: 14, 22, (38)
- good: 13, 15, 20, 27
- NO: 24,26