Best way to do this?

[DireMongoose]

I've only been to Curacao once, and it was probably 15 years ago, so I'm hoping someone with a little more knowledge of the island can offer some advice here.

 

I've read a lot of this board, and I've looked at the ship's excursions (RCCI's Adventure of the Seas) for our day in Curacao. I want to try to get in these things:

 

- Visiting the Curacao-the-liquor distillery

- Walking around Willemstad some and seeing the cool architecture a bit

- A little bit of shopping (probably also in Willemstad?)

- Spending a few hours on the beach, possibly snorkeling some -- I've heard Playa Porto Mari is one of the best spots for this, but it seems far from port and maybe hard to get in along with other things? -- or possibly just laying out on the beach. None of us have done a lot of snorkeling, so it probably wouldn't take very much in the way of quality snorkeling to impress us if we decide to.

 

What's the best way to accomplish this? Some combination of ship excursions? Just hire a taxi to get from place to place? I've heard traffic can be bad in Curacao and renting a car isn't the best idea. A private tour operator? If so, who would do a custom tour or something pretty close to this? We'll have either 3 or 4 people.

[cruiseapril]

Hi- If going to the Distillery is a top goal, you would want to look for beaches to the East of Willemstad and stop at the Distillery before or after the beach. The Distillery only takes about 20 minutes.

 

Walking around Willemstad and shopping are good for the afternoon, as it is only a short walk back to the ship. Most of the interesting sites in Willemstad are fairly close to each other- Floating Market, Ft. Amsterdam etc.

[DireMongoose]

Hi- If going to the Distillery is a top goal, you would want to look for beaches to the East of Willemstad and stop at the Distillery before or after the beach. The Distillery only takes about 20 minutes.

 

Walking around Willemstad and shopping are good for the afternoon, as it is only a short walk back to the ship. Most of the interesting sites in Willemstad are fairly close to each other- Floating Market, Ft. Amsterdam etc.

 

Thanks for the advice...

 

What beaches would you recommend for doing it this way? It looks like Jan Thiel and the Seaquarium beaches are out east of Willemstad.

 

Would it be easy enough to just get a cab to go to the distillery, then on to the beach? Or is there a better way to do it?

[cruiseapril]

We took a cab in Curacao recently (to Ft. Nassau-short trip)- a bit expensive and the main concern is getting back to the ship on time- so we like the ship's excursions for any extended travel. A private tour might be to your liking if you can negotiate a good price.

 

On this forum Kontiki Beach gets pretty good reviews and there's quite a bit of info about the Seaquarium.

[JNCRUISEBUMS]

What is the floating market? Thanks, Nancie

[cruiseapril]

The Floating Market is a group of boats from Venezuela which bring fresh produce to Curacao. It is right near the town center.

[SilkRosi]

Hi,

 

I know and read numerous reports on the guide Leo of Rent-A-Guise.

Maybe you can contact him for your purposes.

 

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