Unspoiled Beaches & Colorful Towns: This Offbeat Caribbean Island Is Seeing Record Breaking Visitors
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Not Cancun and its jam-packed Hotel Zone, Punta Cana, and its bar-lined waterfront, and this is most definitely not Jamaica with the reggae clubs and beachfront villas:
Fast-approaching the pantheon of Caribbean Greats, Curaçao is one of the fastest-growing destinations in the region right now, bringing in a record 1.57 million visitors last year and with a significant 30 percent increase in U.S. arrivals.
If it doesn’t sound like all that many, allow us to remind you this is a tiny island, only 171 square miles in size and with a population of roughly 147,000: in other words, over a million guests in a single year is massive.
So, what’s driving this unprecedented growth?
One Of The Caribbean’s Truly Unspoiled Gems
Curaçao may be small, but it is by no means lacking in natural and cultural offerings:
Belonging to the Netherlands’ Caribbean territories––as in, it’s officially a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and its citizens are Dutch––it is markedly distinct from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and other Latin-majority islands.
It has a colonial capital in Willemstad, but not of the kind you’d expect to find around here: instead of ornate Baroque churches and Spanish-style plazas, expect rows upon rows of Dutch-inspired, Northern Mannerist facades, and canal-traversed center.
Unlike Amsterdam’s, however, houses here are not built with dark bricks and have brightly painted exteriors instead: likewise, the street food stalls lining the canal fronts are far more likely to sell local pumpkin pancakes or papaya stew than stroopwafels and gouda cheese.
There are no towering Gothic cathedrals either, though you can marvel at a 17th-century Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, one of the oldest in the Americas, established by Jewish settlers at the peak of the Transatlantic Trade.
It’s still the Netherlands, sort of, just a different flavor of it.
What To See In Curaçao In 2025
Curaçao is associated with unspoiled white sands and flamingos, and if you’re looking for flocks of the gracious pink-feathered creatures, the Jan Thiel flats are where you’ll find them.
For paradisiacal Caribbean beaches, some of the top picks include Carcasbaai, a deep-water bay hugged by teal seas, Mambo Beach, a trendy white-sand strip boasting many amenities, including Bonita Beach Club where great seafood is served, and Playa Grandi:
Backed by a laid-back fishing village, it has a compact sandy expanse that rarely ever feels crowded, and it’s a popular hotspot for sea turtle hatching.
If you’re based in Willemstad and you’re down for a little adventure, we recommend you book this electronic scooter southeast tour, with stops in Carcasbaai, the historic Fort Beekenburg, an 18th-century Dutch stronghold, and many diving sites around Tug Boat Beach.
Nearby, you’ll also get to visit one of the island’s top attractions, The Quarantine House, a former leper colony where incomers who had fallen victim to the plague would be placed (don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe now)––and all of this from only $59 per person!
Why Do Americans Love Curaçao
Cultural gems aside, Curaçao is primarily a resort destination, and that’s why Americans are loving it at the minute:
What with the crazy world of politics back home and the limited paid vacation days they get every year, it’s no wonder they’re favoring a Caribbean island like Curaçao: it’s usually a stress-free escapade, and there’s a lot of pampering involved in those luxurious hotels.
This February, an all-inclusive, week-long stay for 2 at The Rif At Mangrove Beach will set you back $3,523, in line with the average price for five-star Caribbean stays.
There’s a much-cheaper, equally amazing Tropical Breeze Curaçao for $639, featuring an outdoor pool surrounded by lush vegetation, a spacious bedroom, and a hammock-equipped garden, and the best part is that it has its own private beach.
Curaçao isn’t exactly an affordable destination, with the average cost a budget week-long trip for two being $2,235 (comprising accommodation, food, transportation and sightseeing costs), but the expensiveness is largely offset by the greater sense of exclusivity it offers, compared to a jam-packed Cancun, and beautiful sights.
In fact, Americans end up staying an average of 6.4 nights on the island, as the Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB) reports, with most travelers hailing from New York, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, and Georgia, so it’s not like they’re in a rush to pack up and leave.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.