OK! So you want to travel more? You want to live better? You need adventure in your life? You need a tan? Your first step is to sign up for JetBlue’s TRUE BLUE POINTS PROGRAM! JetBlue is the KING of bargain flights to beautiful, culturally rich island destinations and I don’t want you to miss out on their deals. The True Blue Points Program allows you to accumulate points on all your hotel and flight bookings and save money on your vacation packages. It’s a win-win situation and trust me, as an avid fan of point systems, they really and truly add up!
How do you sign up? Follow this link! You’ll be taken to a page like the image below, you’ll follow the steps, and BOOM, you are on your way to savings and sunshine.
Now that THAT has been settled… where should you travel to first?? How about Curacao? It’s in the Caribbean, its super diverse (they speak 4 languages: Spanish, English, Dutch and their local language Papiamento!), the weather is gorgeous, the food is heavenly, the people know how to turn upppppp, and you will never run out of beautiful blue water and pretty white beaches to explore.
To learn more about Curacao, visit CHATA and check out all their information on this beautiful Island. If you’re already sold and this sounds like the kind of vacation you’ve been dreaming of, read on for all you need to know to make this an incredible trip!
WHERE TO STAY IN CURAÇAO?
I stayed at the beautiful Renaissance Hotel & Casino located in the area of Curacao known as Willemstad. It has a very popular infinity pool right along the ocean where you can catch a beautiful sunset! It’s incredibly close to shops, museums, and popular restaurants. The hotel has live entertainment on certain nights of the week and the staff has all the information on local hot spots if you want to go out for a night on the town. We enjoyed their breakfast buffet every morning and always felt so welcomed by the staff.
My friend and I had a double room over looking the ocean and loved it. Every morning we opened our balcony door and let the sunshine bless our lives as we got ready. We were delighted to find that they had Aveda products stocked in the bathroom because this curly girl life needs good products to function!
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
When someone asked me how my vacation to Curacao went I pretty much told them it was one of the easiest trips I have ever been on. So glad I got to work with Scooby Tours who organized our airport transportation and a majority of the activities we did. Their staff is HILARIOUS and a massive part of what made our trip so magical. Definitely visit their website and get in touch with them when you start to plan your trip!
There is actually SO MUCH to do in Curacao that it’s almost impossible to do it all. There are definitely some things I will have to travel back for but here are my top picks!
SEABOB TOUR
Sea Who?! Haha yes there is such a thing as Seabobbing and its surprisingly so much fun. It’s actually my favourite experience from the trip! For more information, prices, and to book your tour visit their website. Basically you are renting a device that propels you through the water at a speed faster than you can swim yourself! We saw several sea turtles, a MASSIVE school of fish, and some groovy underwater statues on our trip! The staff their are so lovely and really made the experience something special. 
AQUAFARI
Again…something you’ve never heard of? Neither had I! A million ideas of what it could be went through my head until we arrived at the dock and I saw what I we we’re getting ourselves into. YOLO!
Haha this was such a groovy way to explore the ocean and we got to see so many beautiful fish and some cool underwater sites! You can also rent snorkels and fins from the Aquafari place if you want to go for a swim after!
OFF ROAD BUGGY EXCURSION
Curaçao has a very diverse landscape giving your more than just sandy beaches to explore! We linked up with the amazing crew at Scooby Tours for an off road buggy excursion. This is a messy adventure but such a thrill! You have to add this to your list. We stopped by a cave, natural pools, and an ostrich farm during the trip!
KURA HULANDA SLAVE MUSEUM GUIDED VISIT
Curaçao was the first port of entry for slave ships traveling to America. The museum displays chronicle the origin of men form West Africa and their journey through the African Slave Trade. The images and stories documented in this museum are haunting, but nonetheless they’re real. And they’re mine and yours to learn from.
HIKING + BEACH DAY AT SANTA BARBARA BEACH & GOLF RESORT
Oh my goodness this resort is so beautiful! It took about 45 minutes to drive from Willemstad to Santa Barbara Beach and Golf resort but the drive was totally worth it.
We worked up our appetite hiking Goat Trail Mountain and relaxed with a sunset dinner along the beach. What more could a girl ask for? I would suggest taking a little picnic to enjoy at the top of the hike and then giving yourself some time to frolic by the pool before you grab dinner. If you’re a fan of golf then you might as well make an entire day out of it!
BEACH MASSAGE
Pretty self explanatory here haha! My friend and I got the most out of our trip to Curacao and treated our bodies to a morning massage at the Renaissance Hotel before out flight home.
WHERE TO EAT?
MOSSA
Mossa has a very farm to table style menu with all fresh ingredients, creatively crafted together with a beautiful wine selection in an at home atmosphere. I definitely recommend coming by for dinner one evening! Make sure you get the Octopus! It was everything wonderful in life. They had plenty of vegan options for my plant based followers, even some ice cream options!
PURUNCHI
My mouth is watering just thinking about the lunch we had at Purunchi. Please go here. For the sake of humanity, you must go. We ordered the fried red snapper and literally ate every last bite. Only things left on the plate were some bones.
I recorded a vlog during this trip and literally couldn’t show the empty diah cause it just didn’t seem humane or lady like the way I destroyed that plate of food. Their restaurant is located right on the water and has the coolest little “fried fish shack” kind of vibe going. Their food? Deserves 5 stars.
AVILA BEACH HOTEL -BELLE TERRACE
Plan to come a little early for dinner at Belle Terrace where you can enjoy a delicious gin & tonic while listening to live music on the beach before you eat.
My friend and I did just that as we sat on a cute little beach chair taking in the tunes. We were thinking how romantic it would be for a date night! Haha but we enjoyed it as a girls night out too. Dinner was a three course meal featuring regional dishes and every single bite was delicious!
SANTA BARBARA BEACH AND GOLF RESORT- SPLASH BAR & GRILL
We ate here after a beautiful hike on the Santa Barbara Resort grounds and literally ordered enough to feed a village. We couldn’t even finish but everything was so good! Perfect poolside bites.
STEAK AND RIBS SEAFOOD & STEAKHOUSE
This restaurant is located in the popular area in Willemstad called Rif Fort, known for top restaurants and shopping. I don’t eat meat bit I imagine if I did, this place would be my dream come true. Their seafood options were lovely also! I had the fried red snapper (clearly my favourite dish on this trip) and a glass of wine. Down in the square they had live music and dancing! After dinner we went down to a bar below to grab a drink and enjoy the festivities.
WHERE TO PARTY?
This is one of the hottest night clubs in Curaçao! We were lucky to attend during their anniversary celebration and literally danced the night away. The music and vibes were on point! Cabana is right on the beach. You don’t need heels or to dress particularly fancy, you just need to come with the grooves and a smile.
ST. TROPEZ OCEAN CLUB
This is where you will find your house music and cool remixes. It’s the place you’re going to want to dress up a little nicer to. This is the place where you’ll order specialty cocktails while a cool beach breeze flows through your hair. It’s a look!
I hope you enjoyed this blog! Let me know if you try any of my suggestions and of course if you have any to add, leave them in the comments below!
This blog was made in partnership with JetBlue but all thoughts and opinions remain my own.
Travel, Love, Grow,
René Daniella xxo