Originally my trip to the ABC Islands was only supposed to be A and B. But when I was looking at flights between Bonaire and Aruba I saw that all flights went via Curacao. Not only that but the cost was the same no matter which flight you booked from Curacao to Aruba. So I saw a golden opportunity for a nice long layover in Curacao.

I hadn’t been to Curacao in forever and wasn’t really that pumped to go again. However, many people love the island so I was eager to see what I didn’t get to see the last time. I am glad I did because I enjoyed my time during my long layover in Curacao although admittedly it’ll never be my favorite place.

 

I prearranged for a rental car at the airport so I didn’t waste any of the 5 hours I had on my layover in Curacao. I had done some research and gotten recommendations, as I wanted to drive and see the best beach on the island, have a nice meal plus walk around the cute capital of Willemstad. I accomplished all three very nicely!

 

From the airport it was about a 30-minute drive up to Knip Beach. Getting to Knip Beach involved driving through a beautiful national park and utilizing the GPS because I definitely would’ve gotten lost otherwise. The drive was so worth it.

 

Knip Beach is stunning, it really is. As you can see by the photos, the watercolor is fabulous and the setting in a cove is wonderful. It kind of reminded me of Rodrigues Island off the mainland of Mauritius.

The beach is very remote but the secret is out as there were a lot of people at the beach. It was definitely a mix of locals and tourists. There was one cruise ship in when I was there plus a lot of Dutch package tourists from Amsterdam.

 

After checking out the beach it was back a new road all the way to Willemstad. Willemstad is the capital of Curacao and the place that everyone knows for the colorful buildings along the waterfront. You’ll probably recognize the photo.

The town itself is nice enough for an hour or so walking around. It’s made for cruise ships and the stores all sell the usual crap. Plus there’s a big DUSHI sign! There are some decent restaurants and I chose to eat a tuna steak at Gouverneur. A wise decision I might add plus they have free Wi-Fi.

The timing worked out perfectly.  I achieved my goal and efficiently and enjoyably spent the time on my long layover in Curacao. Layovers can be a great way to see a place essentially for free without having to buy a separate ticket. If the times work out you can add another destination.

 

For small islands they’re great because you don’t need that much time. Of course you could easily spend more time than just a long layover in Curacao but when your plans didn’t include it; it’s a nice added bonus.

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