The islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao are blessed with natural beauty, world-class diving, and a sunny southern Caribbean location.
On a cruise to the ABC Islands, you’ll be able to visit all three islands and experience everything from golden sandy beaches to pristine coral reefs.
Enjoy old-world Dutch charm in each port of call, as well as excellent shopping, eclectic dining, and exciting nightlife options on overnight stays.
In Bonaire, discover the laid-back vibe of the island’s capital and cultural center, Kralendijk, and visit dive sites that are perfect for both beginners and experts.
On Curacao, take a scenic drive along the island’s north coast to see the dramatic cliffs, hidden coves, and secluded beaches.
Explore natural wonders such as the Arikok National Park, or enjoy a day basking in the sun on Palm Beach in beautiful Aruba. You’ll enjoy the vacation of a lifetime on a luxury Caribbean cruise with Celebrity.
This Caribbean islands trifecta is famous for embracing different cultures and having some of the most iconic vistas in the tropics.
Aruba is famous for its lively Caribbean spirit, while Bonaire is known for its quiet and remote vibe, and Curacao has colorful architecture and picture-perfect beaches.
Just like the sister islands in the A-B-C Caribbean island chain, Curaçao is influenced by a variety of cultures but on Curaçao, the Dutch influence is by far the strongest — the island is still a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Papiamento and Dutch are the official languages and English and Spanish are often spoken by locals as well. Cuisine influences dishes on Curaçao the most, though Afro-Caribbean, Venezuelan and Indonesian influences have also made their way to the Curaçao tables.
One of the staples is Piska ku Funchi, a fresh dish made with polenta, fried plantain and salad. The most popular fish on Curaçao is the red snapper and you’ll find many dishes featuring it.
Meanwhile, if you’re looking for something sweet, try Arepa di Pampuna, a pumpkin pancake eaten between meals or as a dessert.
Pumpkin isn’t seasonal on Curaçao so you’ll find it as an ingredient in many dishes. You can wash it all down with a Polar or Amstel Beer, which are the local favorites.
When it comes to music, Curaçao is known for Tumba, a conga-heavy genre that’s popular during Carnival period.
Dances include waltzes, danzas and mazurkas. Innovations over the decades have included blending the more traditional music with Cuban and Dominican sounds like bolero, merengue and guaracha.
You can dance to Curaçao beats in places like Blues Bar, Hofi Fidel and Kokomo Beach, which was the former police force private beach squeezed out of the hands of the local society by Dutch colonialists.
Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao, is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site and the candy-colored waterfront town is similar in design and feel to Amsterdam.
Stroll through the colorful buildings in pastel shades of pink, yellow, and blue that line the UNESCO-protected section of Curaçao’s port city,
The airy European plazas, lively markets and artisanal stands add to the vibe of the sunny city while places like Papagayo Hotel feature minimalist designs, partly build in restricted conservation are4as.
Spots you should see include Christoffelpark, which is a protected park with a peak that’s the island’s highest at 375 meters above sea level. It houses old plantations, mansion ruins and ancient drawings.
You should also visit the Hato Caves, which has stalactites, stalagmites, underground lakes and waterfalls. For semi-public beaches, Cas Abao, Playa Lagun, Playa Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara Beach all offer white sandy shores great for swimming, snorkeling or just lounging.
Like the other two islands, Curaçao is hot and it’s important to pack accordingly. Comfortable, breathable shoes and light clothing are ideal. To really see the island, it’s recommended that you rent a car and you’ll need a credit card to do so.
Curaçao is considered to be safe but you should always practice common sense and keep your belongings close, because of the local poverty enhanced by the mass tourism invasion and property loss to privatization of real estate.
Dark Side of the Planet / ABC Flash Point News 2024.
A “lovely” place to visit –but for whom ? -tourists . Living there is a different proposition anywhere from 25 % poverty to over 50 % poverty exists depending on the local area ,now heavily reliant on tourism and banking . The Curacao Chronicle states that as of now 31 % of residents live in poverty -namely indigenous residents -16,872 households live below the poverty line while as I suspected the banking includes “Off-Shore ” where the rich of the world can hide their income from their governments while the poor are jailed for hiding a dollar . I do… Read more »
Half of the local population has already been deported to Amsterdam with the Dutch flying pirate-ships, their former homes are now in hands of the settlers which paid half price to get those, calling this development.
Most local (taxpayers) properties are privatized and handed over to the modern invaders/settlers. In order to cash in huge profits these evil entities do not pay taxes (tax holidays) and get subsidies to glorify their movement. For instance, Curacao Airport Partners (CAP/Swissport) are enabled to keep all the airport tax fee income ($60 p/p, half million visitors p/y.), while the new local hospital (build for $400 million) is now run by Dutch colonials, using subsidies and increasing health costs by 300%to to bankrupt the last local institution/organization and glorify their huge Medical salaries. Anybody making remarks is either being shot… Read more »
Thanks for the additional information CT !
I am always interested in injustice done to the native inhabitants of any country.
Thanks for the nice photo IW and the food looks traditional and healthy not like McDonald’s !
He, a local born Lebanese married to his Indian wife run a tiny restaurant and rent Kayaks among other (Blue Chamber Cave) tours at Sta.Cruz beach and serve good (not processed) healthy food. This is one of the only out of 30 beaches which is not in Dutch colonial (public) hands.
Looking at those private beaches some charge up to 10 Guilders with deck chairs for extra –this is complete exploitation of the local population having to pay for access to their own native countries land . Try doing that in Scotland and there would be a war and a popular uprising of the public . In lands owned by rich landowners access must be allowed for the general public with no financial charges as a matter of fact many beaches in Scotland have coastal paths for visiting by foot or bicycle going right round the edge of the shire (country… Read more »
No return on investment for the local tax payers?
Nothing on the tape is manipulation. That’s why it’s so powerful: it’s not disinformation, it’s just information revealed,
Giving the entire island to foreign visitors is a lunatic move, the inhabitants must always go first, instead of calling it development, while it is a evil form of occupation?