Michael Powell's Blog, page 57

Diving with the Guys from Subcacao

Curaçao is a paradise for scuba divers. The coral reefs are in good condition, the visibility is usually excellent, the water is warm, and most of the best diving sites are ones to which you can swim from shore. We couldn’t wait to begin exploring Curaçao’s underwater world, and were invited to check it out with the two-man team of Scubacao.

Anton from Belgium, and Marc from the Netherlands started Scubacao about three years ago. They met while working at other scuba shops in Curaçao, and we...

Playa Porto Mari

After scratching wounds into our arms and legs during a prickly hike that started at the parking lot of Playa Porto Mari, we returned eagerly to the beach. Soft white sand, cool blue water, and incredible reefs for snorkeling… if this were always the reward, I would go hiking every day.

Playa Porto Mari is a larger beach near Sint Willibrodrus, with all the conveniences you might want or expect, including a dive shop, a bar/restaurant, lockers, showers and bathrooms. We usually prefer beache...

A Prickly Hike Around Rif Sint Marie

Armed with only a vague notion of the hike we were supposed to be embarking upon, we set off into the cactus fields and brambles near Playa Port Mari. Online, it had been described as a “History Trail,” and the printout we grabbed at the dive shop described it as a “Bird Trail.” But we shortly discovered there wasn’t much of a “trail” of any sort. Let’s just say, a machete would have come in handy.

We had been lounging on a lot of beaches in the past few days, and felt compelled to do someth...

Laid-Back Daaibooi Beach

Once you drive past Sint Willibrodrus, you’ll arrive at Daaibooi Beach. Although it’s privately-owned, Daaibooi Beach has remained free to the public, and has a natural, uncommercial vibe. From the moment we sat down on the sand, we were in love.

One end of Daaibooi is reserved for the fishermen of Sint Willibrodrus; it’s refreshing to see that not everything on Curaçao has been given over to tourism. We stationed ourselves under a Manchineel tree — these trees produce poisonous fruits which...

Landhuis Jon Kok and the Nena Sanchez Gallery

When the plantation house of Jon Kok was in operation, it was a place of cruelty, where hundreds of enslaved men and women were put to hard labor. But time mellows everything, and that apparently goes for Curaçao’s landhuizen, as well. Today, the Jan Kok is home to the colorful work of native Curaçaoan artist Nena Sanchez.

Originally constructed in 1704, the Landhuis Jan Kok was rebuilt completely in 1840 after a fire. It sits atop a hill, commanding an excellent view over the region, includ...

Sint Willibrodrus and its Flamingos

Sint Willibrodrus sits along the edge of the Jan Kok Bay, on the western coast of Curaçao. It’s a small town, but one with big ambitions. As you approach, it’s impossible to miss the “Williwood” sign on a hill in the distance. Actually, you might miss it… if you’re staring at all of the flamingos instead.

Just before entering Sint Willibrodrus, you’ll see the old saliñas of Rif-Sint Marie, a former salt mining plantation. The plantation is now in ruins, and its former grounds have been desig...

Playa Kalki

Curaçao is split roughly into two sections: Banda Ariba is the lower, southeastern side of the island, where Willemstad is. And Banda Abou is the more remote, northwestern end. Most of the people live in Banda Ariba, but Curaçao’s most popular natural beaches are found in Banda Abou — and one of these is Playa Kalki.

After having visited the hostile, lava-stone landscape of Watamula, we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at nearby Playa Kalki, on decidedly more agreeable terrain.

A r...

Watamula and Playa Gepi

Watamula, at the northern tip of Curaçao, is an inhabitable, windblown wasteland of jagged volcanic rocks. It’s not an area in which you’d want to spend a majority of your vacation, but it has a few amazing geological features that are worth hunting down.

Parking a car in Curaçao is always an activity fraught with danger, as there is a serious possibility that someone will smash open the back windshield with a rock. Violent crime is not a real problem on Curaçao, but vandalism and theft cert...

Shete Boka National Park

The eastern coast of Curaçao is completely different from the tranquil west. Here, the Caribbean Sea greets the island’s shores with power and violence. Massive waves, rocky cliffs and constant wind make swimming nearly impossible. But the views are amazing, and they’re at their best in the Shete Boka National Park.

Shete Boka is Papiamento for “Seven Mouths,” referring to small inlets which cut into the shore. At each of these mouths, the ocean crashes in with fury, sending sprays of water...

A Concise History of Curaçao

Little is known about life on Curaçao prior to the arrival of the Europeans in 1499. But since then, it’s been a wild ride for the small Caribbean island. Here’s a short rundown of the major happenings in the history of Curaçao.

2900 BC Hunting tools and implements from the Archaic period are the earliest evidence yet discovered of human life on Curaçao. 1500 BC – 1499 AD The Arawak tribe settle across the Caribbean islands, including Curaçao. Their pottery has been found at sites across...