My trip to Curacao was a bit different for me and it left me wanting to do so much more on the island. I had never been to a port in the evening before, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It was a perfect little adventure that I can’t wait to return to continue.
My first stop after we docked was Starbucks, sad but true! I couldn’t wait to hook up to some wifi and get a fantastic cup of coffee. The Starbucks was mere steps from the ship and located in an old fort that had been turned into a shopping center. The gorgeous historic stone walls were filled with restaurants, shops, tourists and laughter. I love to people watch!
I should have done so much more research about this island before I came, because I can’t tell you how confused I was about the Swinging Emma Bridge. When we arrived the bridge was to the side. No one could tell us when it was going to open again, where to go or what to do to get to the other side. There were just a bunch of people standing around waiting. The signs weren’t helpful either! Eventually I started exploring further down the shore and found signs for a ferry. Apparently the answer to all of my questions was a ferry that traveled across the channel to the brightly colored row of buildings.
The Swinging Emma Bridge that opened about an hour after I found the ferry to get across!
The ferry dropped my family and I off in the center of the brightly colored buildings and heart of the main shopping center. We wandered the streets for a while, exploring, shopping and just enjoying the sense of adventure in a new land. Around 4pm it started raining, making our trip a little bit difficult. That was when we stumbled upon a tour bus that was leaving in 20-30 minutes. Perfect! The tour was to take us all around the island, give some history as well as stop at the Landhaus Chobolobo, where they make and produce the genuine Curacao Liqueur.
According to the Tour Guide, a lot of the gorgeous old homes have been abandoned from World War II. I guess there was a large Jewish population and during the war they fled. Most of the houses would now cost too much to refurbish so they lay empty. Some are in real bad shape.
Landhaus Chobolobo was the first stop on the tour, and it was a bunch of fun! The warehouse had actually closed for the day and was open just for our tour! Through the entrance you are walking through a museum of sorts explaining the history and process of Curacao Liqueur. Especially the part where they couldn’t get oranges to grow in the soil because they ended up tough and hard but was eventually used for creating their famous Liqueur. As we passed through the bottling plant they let us try their new Glacier mist, which smelled a lot like Menthol before entering into a private garden with a beautiful bar and gift shop. It was there that they had samples of each flavor that they made, however the original was my favorite. I even bought a bottle to take home with me!
Before the last stop of the tour we were taken up the hills to see the sights from the tallest peaks of the island. It was gorgeous to see all of this as the sun was setting. Speaking of sunset, our tour guides goal was to get us on a beach to be able to take sunset pictures. We BARELY made it! The last stop was this beach that the guide had mentioned. As I stepped off of the bus I just knew that this was different, there were all of these luxurious looking beach set ups with couches, canopies, seating, restaurants, bars etc. It was absolutely gorgeous and the main reason that I would want to return to Curacao! I want to spend the day on that couch on the beach! There is a walkway that we followed through this amazing scene towards the water that led to a dock where a ferry tour had also stopped. It was an absolutely beautiful sunset, on the beach, in Curacao. I can’t wait to go back. My trip back to the ship was a bit sad, but beautiful at the same time as the lights of the city below us from the bridge lit our way in the darkness.
Any recommendations for my next trip to Curacao? Have a wonderful last week of summer y’all!
Lipstick, Lattes & Pearls 