Days 1 and 2 - Photos & Videos
Lowlight was the 8 hour travel time on Saturday, May 30. Once we arrived, we had a late dinner at the resort. The next day was mostly about relaxing and enjoying some ocean and pool time, including our first snorkeling outing. We ended the day with a great pizza dinner on the beach at Tomatoes.
Day 3 - Photos & Videos
Our third day in Curacao we drove 40 minutes west to Playa Santa Cruz and then hiked 20 minutes to get to the secluded Blue Room underwater cave. It was pretty cool and creepy at the same time. You had to climb down a rock cliff to get to the area and then jump on the cliff (from 2 to 20 feet depending on where you do it). This day we jumped the easy way, snorkeled around in the cave (very deep and very blue). Unfortunately, my Sony water camera broke the first day so we couldn't get any water footage. When we were done, we hiked back to Play Santa Cruz and snorkeled there a bit. Afterwards, we picked up some groceries (water, beer, snacks) at the local grocery store (which is often interesting in foreign countries). In the evening we drove to Willemstad (about 10 minutes from resort) and walked, shopped and ate at the Iguana Cafe (which, incidentally does not serve Iguana).
Day 4 - Photos & Videos
On Tuesday we drove 40 minutes north to Christoffel Park and hiked up the largest mountain on the island. It was about a 2 hour adventure, and the heat made it a little uncomfortable. For experienced mountain hikers like us, however, it was no problem despite some steep climbs at the end. The payoff was worth it too with views of the entire island. Afterwards we drove to Playa Lagun where we found an awesome little snorkeling bay nestled between two towering rock cliffs. The water was warm, deep and there was plenty of marine life to see. We finished our evening with a nice dinner at Anchor Restaurant in Willemstad - a third level patio overlooking the ocean.
Day 5 - Photos & Videos
Wednesday morning was a bit of a let down. We chartered a Fish and Dive deep sea fishing boat from 8 am to noon only to discover that the water in Curacao is very rough most of the year. Abby and I both enjoyed the ride, but mom and Andrew both "lost their cookies" over the edge of the boat. On top of that, we only caught one and a half tuna (the first one was attached by a barracuda before we could reel it all in). Our fishing luck has not been good the past couple years. In the afternoon we had another leisurely day at the resort with some good pool and beach time. We had a nice dinner next to the beach at Pirates Bay.
Day 6 - Photos & Videos
On Thursday we slept in a little and I took Abby and Andrew for a big breakfast buffet (mom's not much of a breakfast eater). Then we headed to Curacao Sea Aquarium on the east side of the island where the kids enjoyed an "encounter with dolphins." There wasn't much else to the aquarium, although the underwater observatory boat was pretty cool. Our next stop was the Blue Curacao Liquor Factory, and then we drove over to the Serena's Art Factory so mom could buy herself a "Chi-Chi." After that we walked the BLVD and ate churros.
Days 7 and 8 - Photographs
Our last full day on Curacao was about cliff diving, snorkeling and local cuisine. We re-visited the "Blue Room" for some cliff jumping fun, then returned to the Playa Lagun for more great snorkeling. We ate BBQ iguana and goat stew at Jaanchie's for lunch and ended the day with a nice patio dinner at the Marriott Portfino's restaurant.
Day 7 - Cliff Jumping (from YouTube)
Cliff jumping at the Blue Room, a 20 minute hike from Play Santa Cruz. As part of a special promotion, we were able to "test" a GoPro Hero 4 waterproof video camera for the day which worked out great!
Day 7 - Snorkeling Part 1 (from YouTube)
Snorkeling highlights from Playa Lagun (including a majestic sea turtle sighting).
Day 7 - Snorkeling Part 2 (from YouTube)
Snorkeling highlights from the Marriott Beach Resort (mostly just kid fun).
Day 7 - Final Video
A final (and uncomfortably long) serenade at Jaanchies and some final clips from the day.
