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Top Attractions in Curacao

Willemstad

Willemstad is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Formerly the capital of the Netherlands Antilles prior to its dissolution in 2010, it has an estimated population of 150,000. Willemstad is home to the Curaçao synagogue, the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas. The historic centre of the city consists of four quarters: the Punda and Otrobanda, which are separated by the Sint Anna Bay, an inlet that leads into the large natural harbour called the Schottegat, as well as the Scharloo and Pietermaai Smal quarters, which are across from each other on the smaller Waaigat harbour. The city centre, with its unique architecture and harbour entry, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hilton Curaçao

The Hilton Curaçao is one of eight hotels operated under the Hilton Caribbean brand, which has branches in the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo and Trinidad. The hotel was designed by the architectural firm Toro-Ferrer from Puerto Rico, in association with Ben Smit, a local Curaçao architect, and was opened in 1967. Toro-Ferrer formed part of a team of architects that designed the first Hilton Hotel outside the continental United States, the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico , while Ben Smit had been involved in the design of the Hotel Curaçao Intercontinental (currently Plaza Hotel Curaçao). The Hilton Curaçao was the third seaside hotel to open in Curaçao, after the Avila Hotel was inaugurated in 1949 and the Hotel Curaçao Intercontinental in 1955. The original building was a blend of typical Curaçao elements and contemporary architecture. The windows were inspired by the frontage line of houses on the Handelskade in Willemstad, Curaçao, while the main building material was concrete. The remains of the Piscadera Bay Fort, an eighteenth-century fortification built to safeguard the Bay from attacks by English, Spanish and French invading forces, were restored and harmonized in the landscaping of the resort. The hotel changed ownership in 1983 and was renamed Curaçao Concorde. In the following years it was consecutively renamed Curaçao Caribbean Resort and Curaçao Casino Resort until being branded Sheraton Curaçao Resort in 1999. Lionstone Hotels & Resorts took over the hotel and the company operates it under a Hilton Worldwide franchise since 2003. An extensive refurbishment has been carried out that replaced the original grid exterior consisting of arched windows for more open balconies. The interior and exterior were repainted in pastel colors. Construction of an additional south wing was planned for 2008, but postponed due to a decline in visitor numbers as a result of the Financial crisis of 2007-2010. When built, this wing will contain 126 to 136 rooms, a new swimming pool and a partially enclosed / partially open air restaurant. It will be located on the site of the current Health Club, Kidz Paradise and miniature golf course. Funds for the construction of the south wing have been redirected to renovation of the aging main building, including a replacement of the two original 1967 glass elevators. The main hotel complex is located on the shores of Piscadera Bay, but the resort stretches along the Caribbean Sea around the southern coast of the island. Recreational facilities include two private beaches (one at the Bay and the other adjacent to the Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort), three swimming pools, a dive school, two tennis courts, a miniature golf course, a Health Club, a spa and Curaçao Casino. Dinner facilities include Aqua (a buffet restaurant), Cielo and the Beach Bar & Grill.

Curaçao synagogue

The Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue , in Willemstad, Curaçao, is the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas. It is commonly known as the Snoa and is a major tourist attraction in Curaçao, with one notable group of visitors including Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and her family, in 1992. The community dates from the 1650s, and consisted of Spanish and Portuguese Jews from the Netherlands and Brazil. In the nineteenth century there was a breakaway Reform community ; the two merged to form the present community in 1964. The community is now affiliated to Reconstructionist Judaism. The first synagogue building was purchased in 1674; the current building dates from 1730. One visitor to the synagogue observed, upon entering through a quiet courtyard, viewing the azure stained glass windows and walking across a sand covered floor toward the carved mahogany Holy Ark that the sand floors remind congregants "of how its Jewish ancestors on the Iberian peninsula covered the floors of their makeshift prayer houses so that their footsteps would be muffled and the suspicion of potential denouncers would not be aroused." With its three high vaulted ceilings, the Holy Ark and the pulpit, the galleries, the benches and the chandeliers, the interior of the synagogue bears a marked resemblance to the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam. Attached to the synagogue is the Jewish Historical Cultural Museum, whose collection includes replicas of artistic tombstones from the Beit Chaim Bleinheim in Curaçao, the oldest Jewish cemetery still in use in the Western Hemisphere. The other Dutch island in the Caribbean with a historical synagogue is Sint Eustatius, where the ruins of the Honen Dalim synagogue of 1739 still stand impressively on the 'Synagoge Pad'. An even older synagogue existed at Jodensavanne, Suriname, Beracha ve Shalom , built between 1665 and 1671. Unlike the Curaçao synagogue, however, these other synagogues are no longer in use.

Queen Emma Bridge

The Queen Emma Bridge is a pontoon bridge across St. Anna Bay in Curaçao. It connects the Punda and Otrobanda quarters of the capital city, Willemstad. The bridge is hinged and opens regularly to enable the passage of oceangoing vessels. On the opposite end from the hinge is a small shelter where an operator controls two diesel engines turning propellers. The propellers are mounted perpendicular to the length of the bridge and allow it to swing parallel to the shore. The process only takes a few minutes to complete. The bridge was built in 1888 and was completely renovated in 1939. Originally it was a toll bridge. Individuals without shoes were permitted to cross the bridge without paying the toll; however, today, a toll is no longer applied. When the bridge swings open, two ferries spring into action to bring pedestrians across the water. The ferries are also free of charge.
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