Netherlands Antilles History

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.