Netherlands Antilles People & Culture

If you want to have fun and party, come to Willemstad. Dutch Caribean. It is nice! Always nice wheater and lots of friendly people. I spent there 6 months and I think I am going back to experience it again ;).

Philipsburg is perfect place for shopping electronics. Plenty shops with prices that you could just dream about. there is a nice beach as well and quite a few restaurants with nice food. It is easy to waste your time there. If you want some excitement go to the French side of the island. There is a beautiful few miles long beach called Orient Bay wich is actually the only public slothing optional beach in the Caribbean. At the very end of the beach (going to your right side) there is the real nude beach and the swinger section. If you ready for action, you'll find it there. There is also a nice restaurant with european food. Everywhere is full of european guests especially from France. Get naked and get there! The cost for taxy from Philipsburg is around 20 $ but if catch a van with other people it would be just 4-6 $ per person! Enjoy!

Having been fortunate enough to live in Curacao for two years, this is easily one of my favourite places to live/visit. Most people will travel to Curacao for the climate, and for a laid back beach holiday. Yet, there is so much more than this once you scratch the surface. Willemstad is full of history, and with all the old colonial buildings that are being resotred, it's easy to see why it's a UNESCO world heritage site. Many people (probably from Cruise ships) say they go to Curacao for the shopping, but to be honest, I could never quite see the attraction. There are lots of jewlery shops in Punda, but other than that, the shopping would be the last reason I'd visit Curacao. There's an abundance of outdoor activities to do, ranging from Scuba Diving, Swimming, Windsurfing, Sailing, Mountain Biking, Horse Riding, Hiking, Fishing ... the list goes on. The climate is as close to perfect as I've ever experienced, ranging from 26-29 degC during "winter", to 28-31 degC during the warmer part of the year. Although Curacao is in the tropics, the steady trade winds that blow almost every day out of the NE take the edge off the heat, and the low humidity (only about 50%) make it shorts and T-shirt weather all year round. Mind you, many of the locals will wear jeans, especially during the cooler part of the year (go figure). There is a reasonable amount of tourism in Curacao, but one of the things I liked about it was that it doesn't (yet) feel over run with tourism, like so many other Caribbean islands (eg. Saint Martin). One of the benefits of the tourism, is that there's an exceptional selection of good restaurants to choose from. Also, there's no shortage of places to party (eg. Mambo beach), so there's something for everyone. With daily direct flights from Miami and Amsterdam, it's super easy to get to Curacao. You can also fly direct from Curacao to Bogota, Caracas, and Jamaica (amongst others), making it easy to include in a Caribbean or South American trip. Check out www.curacao.com for all the details.

Bonaire is a divers paradise. It is basically the tip of a mountain sticking out of the water so you can dive the sides of the mountain sloping into the water all day. They call these dives "wall dives". I went with a Dutch dive master that had trianed the fish. He could pick up a French Angel fish out if the water for a photo op and then put it back in the water it would swim around him and then he would take it out again for another photo op. You have to be careful diving the walls. One person on our dive had a tooth squeeze from going so deep. You don't realize how for down you are going, you easily reach 100' depth before you know it. Another neat thing about the island and it's people. i had a friend from HS who was form there, is the crazy mix of cultures and ethnicities. They speak a language, I beleive it is called papiamiento. It is a mixture of 5 languages. I know it has Spanish and Dutch, I believe French but I am not sure of the other two. The other thing you might here about is the hill. It is like a pimple on a flawless face. But a facinating pimple, none the less. Aruba is flat, completely flat. Like that old joke, a Pirate's dream, a Sunken Chest. but it has one boob. This one hill. lol. I have a weird sense of humor, sorry!

Lions dive is a great place to stay. During the day we went to the beach there and in the evening we had a lovely diner with al kinds of drinks. Lovely people to

Bonaire is a divers paradise. It is basically the tip of a mountain sticking out of the water so you can dive the sides of the mountain sloping into the water all day. They call these dives "wall dives". I went with a Dutch dive master that had trianed the fish. He could pick up a French Angel fish out if the water for a photo op and then put it back in the water it would swim around him and then he would take it out again for another photo op. You have to be careful diving the walls. One person on our dive had a tooth squeeze from going so deep. You don't realize how for down you are going, you easily reach 100' depth before you know it. Another neat thing about the island and it's people. i had a friend from HS who was form there, is the crazy mix of cultures and ethnicities. They speak a language, I beleive it is called papiamiento. It is a mixture of 5 languages. I know it has Spanish and Dutch, I believe French but I am not sure of the other two. The other thing you might here about is the hill. It is like a pimple on a flawless face. But a facinating pimple, none the less. Aruba is flat, completely flat. Like that old joke, a Pirate's dream, a Sunken Chest. but it has one boob. This one hill. lol. I have a weird sense of humor, sorry!

be prepared for a culture shock

A neighborhood in Willemstad, the capital of Curacao. This is where you can meet up with the locals and eat local food and shop in shops you will never see anywhere else. Not safe at night, but if you jog you will survive! In the summertime on some evening there will be music and dancing on the square and you will always have the spectacular view at the sea, the Koningin Julianabrug and the famous Pondjesbrug. Some restaurants, some bars and only a 2 minute walk away from Punda!

Saba, Small little Caribbean island with The Bottom as it's capital. Get your hiking boots on and walk all over the island, then go for a steak at the Eco lodge and go diving with Sea Saba

If you're a scuba-diver, chances are you've heard of this place. The waters surrounding this entire island are part of an underwater marine park, and the locals are crazy gung-ho about protecting the reef, which is SPECTACULAR! All you need when you show up is a dive site map. All the sites are marked along the road, with yellow painted rocks with numbers which correspond to the map. This place is REALLY set up for diving.

In addition to the coral heads which are unbelievably beautiful, we saw seahorses, octopus, eels (on a night dive) tons of parrot fish, a HUGE tarpin (also on a night dive) along with the usual clown fish angel fish, barracudas....

There is a beach in Bonaire called Pink Beach. The sand is of course made of pulverized coral which, at sunset, shimmers the most beautifully delicate shade of pink, over the blue/green/turquoise waters of the Caribbean, with the huge mountains of sea salt across the way.

I try never to go back to the same place twice - it's a big world after all - but I will definitely return to this island one day....

Bonus, it's outside the hurricane belt, so there's never a bad time to go!

Having been fortunate enough to live in Curacao for two years, this is easily one of my favourite places to live/visit. Most people will travel to Curacao for the climate, and for a laid back beach holiday. Yet, there is so much more than this once you scratch the surface. Willemstad is full of history, and with all the old colonial buildings that are being resotred, it's easy to see why it's a UNESCO world heritage site. Many people (probably from Cruise ships) say they go to Curacao for the shopping, but to be honest, I could never quite see the attraction. There are lots of jewlery shops in Punda, but other than that, the shopping would be the last reason I'd visit Curacao. There's an abundance of outdoor activities to do, ranging from Scuba Diving, Swimming, Windsurfing, Sailing, Mountain Biking, Horse Riding, Hiking, Fishing ... the list goes on. The climate is as close to perfect as I've ever experienced, ranging from 26-29 degC during "winter", to 28-31 degC during the warmer part of the year. Although Curacao is in the tropics, the steady trade winds that blow almost every day out of the NE take the edge off the heat, and the low humidity (only about 50%) make it shorts and T-shirt weather all year round. Mind you, many of the locals will wear jeans, especially during the cooler part of the year (go figure). There is a reasonable amount of tourism in Curacao, but one of the things I liked about it was that it doesn't (yet) feel over run with tourism, like so many other Caribbean islands (eg. Saint Martin). One of the benefits of the tourism, is that there's an exceptional selection of good restaurants to choose from. Also, there's no shortage of places to party (eg. Mambo beach), so there's something for everyone. With daily direct flights from Miami and Amsterdam, it's super easy to get to Curacao. You can also fly direct from Curacao to Bogota, Caracas, and Jamaica (amongst others), making it easy to include in a Caribbean or South American trip. Check out www.curacao.com for all the details.

The best spot for scuba diving and snorkeling alike is Bari Reef, which is located on the property of the Sand Dollar Hotel just outside Kralendijk. There are more species there than any other place in the island. The town pier is great for a night dive, but you will have to hire a dive master which is not as expensive as you would think. Notify them in advance, as they have to get a permit from the city in order to approve the dive. Orange cup coral makes a night dive especially colorful. If you want to see whale sharks and eagle rays, go to the south end of the island and dive Red Slave. This dive is a bit more advanced, but if you're feeling adventurous it's a good bet. Then there's my favorite go-to dive sites, which are Alice in Wonderland and Angel City, which are next to each other. Double reef formations make them really spectacular.

bring your bathing suit the beaches are extraordinary!! tropical fish and birds populate the island and the climate is no less than perfect!!

It is a busy cruise ship port, so it is best to know ahead of time when the ships are in and avoid the city. A better option is Marigot on the French side of the island. For an odd experience, watch the planes land and take off over the beach just outside of Philipsburg.

Windward Side is a gem lost in time! The island has just one round that circumnavigates the island, you can't get lost. Many of the islanders are descended from pirates. Take a walk to the highest point which takes you into the rainforest. If you complete the walk, you will receive a certificate in Windward Side which confirms you have climbed the highest point in the Dutch empire!

Saba is a great day trip from St Marten. Usually a destination for divers, there is a spectacular walk to the peak of this extinct volcano which is now crested by rainforest. Look out for the small lizards which are particular to Saba, they have beautiful leopard markings. There are plenty of humming birds here too.

If you want to have fun and party, come to Willemstad. Dutch Caribean. It is nice! Always nice wheater and lots of friendly people. I spent there 6 months and I think I am going back to experience it again ;).

The city is alot of fun to go see with great shopping, bars and restaurants, but make sure you go in groups after dark. Some of the locals can be a bit shady after dark.