Elisabeth Villa's & Apartments Resort, Mambo Beach, Curaçao
The places we recommend ourselves, described by people who live here. From the well-known beaches to the bays almost nobody reaches.
Beaches and bays
White sand, water in three shades of blue and a cliff to jump off. Grote Knip is the beach on every photo of Curaçao, and the drive is worth it.
Beaches and bays
A working fishing harbour where green sea turtles come for what is left of the catch. No tour, no fence, no entry fee.
Things to do
Seven bays on the north coast where the ocean arrives with force. Not swimming water, but the most striking stretch of coast on the island.
Things to do
Two sides of the same city, joined by a pontoon bridge that swings aside when a ship comes through. UNESCO heritage that is still in daily use.
Things to do
The highest point on Curaçao is 372 metres and the climb takes an hour and a half. The only real rule is that you start early.
Beaches and bays
The salt pans at Sint Willibrordus, ten minutes off the main road. No fee and no walking required.
Practical
Without a car you will not get far on Curaçao. What it costs, which car you need, and the things about driving here that nobody tells you.
Practical
It is around 30 degrees here all year, so you are not choosing on weather. You are choosing on what is on, and on how busy it is.
Practical
Calm water, short distances and a pool of your own. Where to get in the water with children, where not to, and what to bring.
Eating and going out
The boulevard is walking distance from our villas. What is there, when it is busy, and where to book a table.
Art and culture
Whole facades covered in hummingbirds, flamboyant blossom and dancers. Willemstad's murals are spread across a few streets in Otrobanda and Punda, and you will walk straight past them if you do not know where to look.
Art and culture
A pedestrian bridge on pontoons that swings out of the way whenever a ship arrives. You stand on it, it starts moving, and you ride along to the side.
Art and culture
Punda is on the postcards, Otrobanda is where people live. Narrow streets, run-down and restored buildings side by side, and the finest facades in the city if you keep walking.
Eating and going out
Boats from Venezuela tie up at the Waaigat and sell what they brought: mango, papaya, bananas, fish. It is not a tourist attraction dressed up as a market. It is a market.
Eating and going out
By day Punda is a shopping district. Once the sun goes the terraces around the Gomezplein and the Handelskade fill up, and that is a different island from Mambo Beach.
Things to do
Willemstad is too big to walk entirely and too small to enjoy driving. An electric scooter sits exactly in between, and it gets you into streets a car does not.
Things to do
The letters, the bridge, the painted staircase, the facades. They all sit within a few kilometres of each other, and for most of them the hour of the day matters more than the camera.
Our villas sit inside Elisabeth Resort at Mambo Beach, with a private pool and a dedicated host on the park.