Beaches

The beaches worth the drive, and which one fits your day

We've been coming to Curaçao for ten years, and the beaches are still the reason we book the flight. Most of them sit on the west coast, in coves under limestone cliffs, and they are not interchangeable. Some are free with a cooler-and-towel crowd. Some charge a few dollars and give you a chair, a shower and lunch. Some are about the turtles. This page sorts them by what you want from the day, with the fee, the shade, the snorkeling and the parking for each.

Pick by what you want

The beaches

West coast first (north to south), then the beaches near town. Each card has the same six lines so they're easy to compare.

Grote Knip (Playa Kenepa Grandi)

• Entry: Free
• Snorkeling: Good along the rocky edges of the bay
• Facilities: Paid restroom, about $1; no full restaurant on site
• Parking: Free, but the lot gets chaotic and fills by mid-morning
• Vibe: The famous one. Busy, especially when tour coaches arrive; steps lead down the cliff to the sand
• Our note: Get there before 10 AM. Take the photo from the cliff on the way down, not on the way out, when the light is flatter.

Kleine Knip (Kenepa Chikitu)

• Entry: Free
• Snorkeling: Suits beginners
• Facilities: Paid restroom, about $1
• Parking: Free; the small lot fills on weekends
• Vibe: Same white sand as its neighbor, in a smaller, more sheltered cove. Calmer water, but it feels full fast because it's small
• Our note: Weekday mornings. If Grote Knip's lot is full, this is a few minutes up the road.

Playa Piskadò (Playa Grandi)

• Entry: Free
• Shade and loungers: No real shade. Chairs about $3 and umbrellas about $2
• Snorkeling: The turtle beach. Fishermen clean their catch at the pier, which draws mostly juvenile green turtles
• Parking: Free, in two lots
• Vibe: A working fishing pier, not a resort. The shoreline is coral rubble rather than sand, so wear water shoes
• Our note: These are wild animals. Give them room, and don't touch or feed them.

Playa Lagun

• Entry: Free
• Shade and loungers: Some natural shade, plus chair rental
• Snorkeling: Excellent, with turtles commonly seen in the morning
• Facilities: Restrooms, showers and a cliffside restaurant. "Discover Lagun" is one of the 112 places on our map.
• Parking: Free, right at the cove
• Vibe: A narrow cove between rock walls in a small fishing village
• Our note: The entry is rocky, with sea urchins, so water shoes are close to essential. It's not the easiest first snorkel for young kids.

Playa Kalki (Alice in Wonderland)

• Entry: The beach is free; a $5 facility fee covers the gear lift between the lot and the water, lockers, bathrooms and showers
• Snorkeling: Good
• Facilities: Lift, lockers, bathrooms and showers (with the facility fee)
• Parking: At the paid facility
• Vibe: The far west end, near Westpunt
• Our note: Pairs well with a Shete Boka or Watamula morning (see, North coast day).

Cas Abao (also spelled Cas Abou)

• Entry: $6 per car Monday to Saturday, $7 on Sundays and holidays. That covers up to four people; each extra person is Nafl. 2.50
• Shade and loungers: Palapas along the beach and large shade trees. Chairs $3, which includes a shower coin
• Snorkeling: Shallow water and the cliff edges for snorkelers; a drop-off for divers
• Facilities: Beach bar, restaurant, showers (1-guilder coins at the bar) and restrooms
• Parking: Plenty; the access road is unpaved but fine for any car
• Hours: 8 AM to 6 PM daily
• Vibe: Developed and easy: you can bring a cooler, or order lunch
• Our note: Cas Abao and Cas Abou are the same beach. We'll use "Cas Abao" sitewide.

Porto Mari (Playa PortoMari)

• Entry: $3 per person
• Shade and loungers: Chairs $3.50, first come, first served. The solar panels double as shade.
• Snorkeling: Known for its double reef, which is why divers come here
• Facilities: Restaurant (no reservations); showers, changing rooms and restrooms
• Parking: Included with entry
• Hours: 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM daily; closed Dec 31 and Carnival Sunday
• Vibe: Family-friendly and nature-first; the beach's resident wild pigs are left alone
• Our note: A good pick when you want facilities without a party.

Daaibooi

• Entry: Free, with free parking
• Shade and loungers: Free thatched palapas, first come, first served. Chair prices vary by report, from $3 a chair to $15 for two chairs and an umbrella, so expect to pay at the snack bar.
• Snorkeling: Good, with regular turtle sightings
• Facilities: Snack bar, restrooms (reported at $1) and showers
• Parking: Free, behind the sand
• Vibe: Quiet on weekdays; local families with coolers and music on weekends
• Our note: Rocky entry in places, so bring water shoes.

Jan Thiel

• Entry: 6 XCG ($3) per person, or 3 XCG with a local sédula; free after 4:30 PM
• Shade and loungers: Run by the beach clubs: a sunbed is about 6 XCG and a cabana for two about 75 XCG, per a third-party guide
• Facilities: Restaurants, beach clubs, dive schools and watersports rentals
• Parking: Included with entry at the clubs
• Vibe: Social and lively, busiest and loudest on weekends
• Our note: Close to the Spanish Water and Jan Thiel hotels. For the weekend music, see.

Mambo Beach (Seaquarium Beach)

• Entry: The boulevard is free; beach access is XCG 8, about $4.50
• Shade and loungers: Beds and cabanas by club: Bonita beds XCG 12.50–23, cabana XCG 55; Madero beds XCG 25–40, cabanas XCG 85–125; Riléks beds XCG 10, cabana XCG 50
• Facilities: Beach bars, restaurants and shops along the boulevard
• Parking: Parking available; also reachable by bus or taxi
• Vibe: The busiest boulevard on the island, and the closest developed beach to the cruise pier: 12 minutes by Mambo's count, 12–15 by a taxi platform's
• Our note: The easy cruise-day beach: close to the pier, with beds, bars and lunch in one place.

Blue Bay

• Entry: Free for Blue Bay resort guests. Non-guests: 30 XCG ($17) per adult and 12.50 XCG ($8) per child up to 12, per Blue Bay's own price sheet
• Shade and loungers: Guest access includes sunbeds. Day-pass packages with a beach bed and pergola start at 130 XCG ($75) for two
• Facilities: Two restaurants and a beach bar; toilets and showers
• Vibe: A resort beach, wide and groomed, with a Friday happy hour with live music
• Our note: The price sheet asks for 48 hours' notice to book the packages.

Comparison table

Drive times are from the cruise pier (Mega Pier) by taxi unless marked. "Free" means no entry fee; chairs and restrooms may still cost money.

Beach rules we follow

• Reef-safe sunscreen and a rash guard. The sun is stronger than the trade wind makes it feel.
• Water shoes for Piskadò, Lagun and Daaibooi.
• Nothing in the car. The U.S. State Department notes that car break-ins are increasing and advises against leaving valuables in a car or alone on the beach.
• Turtles are wildlife. Keep your distance; don't touch or feed them.
• Small cash in dollars or guilders for entry, chairs, shower coins and $1 restrooms. The guilder (XCG) is pegged at 1.79 to the dollar. More in.

On a cruise day

Mambo and Jan Thiel are the beaches that fit a short port day: 12 to 22 minutes from the pier. Cas Abao works on a medium day at 30–35 minutes each way. The west end (Grote Knip, Piskadò) is 50–65 minutes each way, so it only makes sense on a long call. The planner works it out from your all-aboard time.

Getting there

The west-coast beaches are 30 minutes to more than an hour from Willemstad, and buses don't cover the whole island. For a stay of three nights or more, a car for the beach days is the simplest answer. If you'd rather not drive, a beach-hop tour does the driving: West-end beach hop & Playa Lagun turtles), and a turtle snorkel trip handles the gear: Tugboat & Caracas Bay snorkel; Scuba with Dive Center Pietermaai).

• Car rental: see our car rental guide.
• Where to stay near the beaches you want: see Where to stay.
• Tours that include beach time: see Tours and things to do.