Grote Knip: the beach from the postcards

If you visit one beach on Curaçao, make it this one. Grote Knip, Playa Kenepa Grandi in Papiamentu, sits on the north west coast: a wide arc of white sand between two cliffs, with water that runs from turquoise to deep blue the moment the sea floor drops away.

What you do here

Swim, mostly. The water is calm, shallow at the edge and clear enough to see your own feet at two metres. On the right hand side of the bay there is a cliff people jump from. It is around seven metres and the water below is deep, but watch how others do it before you try.

You can snorkel along the edges where the rocks start. Do not expect a reef like Playa Piskado, but you will see parrotfish and the occasional sergeant major, which will leave you alone as long as you leave it alone.

When to go

Early. Grote Knip is no secret, and between eleven and three the car park fills with rental cars and tour buses. Arrive before nine and you have the bay largely to yourself, with the sun still low enough for the best light. Sunday is the busiest day of the week, because that is when Curaçaoans come too.

Practical

There is parking by the road and a second area lower down near the sand. A snack bar sells cold drinks and fried food, but there is no restaurant. Bring water, because there is almost no shade: a few trees on the left hand side and that is it. Toilets are available for a small fee.

The drive from Mambo Beach takes about 45 minutes on asphalt, so an ordinary rental car is fine. You do not need four wheel drive for this one.