7 Things to Know Before Visiting Curacao
Curacao is a beautiful island located in the Caribbean and part of the ABC Islands, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. There are many beaches and great places to eat as you explore the island. Before you head to Curacao, these are some things you should do to prepare for your trip!
1. Fill out the Digital Immigration Card for Curacao
There is a Digital Immigration card that you need to fill out before you can board your flight. Make sure to do that ahead of time as Jet Blue checked it 2x as we were getting ready to board. It felt like we were being held up by the number of people who did not have it completed. You can find the link here and it is really quick to fill out.
Once it is completed, they email you a form that you will show to Jetblue as your board and at customs when you arrive.
Arrival Tip: If you want to get a stamp, make sure not to go to the machines and go to the people in the booths!
2. Rent a Car
One of our largest expenses outside of our housing cost was taxis. Just leaving the airport to head to our Airbnb was $35. We went out one night and spent $70 roundtrip on taxis. I would recommend renting a car so that you can save money to spend on drinks and souvenirs. It got to the point where we planned an entire day out to avoid spending $100s on taxis. We did find one taxi driver that we loved that we utilized for most of the trip but to cut down costs, rent a car.
3. Using a Taxi in Curacao
When calling a cab, you have the option to pay via terminal or cash. Some cab terminals were an additional $5 and some told us it was an additional 5%. We tended to use cash for our cabs and then cards for food and drinks at the restaurants we went to.
There are some places that are cashless so make sure to have a credit card with no transaction fee such as the Chase Sapphire, which you can apply for here.
4. Must Pack Items for Curacao
Bring bug spray: The BUGS. Honestly, I was not prepared for this. I am assuming it was mosquitos but I got bit so much I had massive red marks on my arms and legs and yes, they did itch. Luckily, when I went to the distillery I was able to get some bug spray and this helped some but I wish I had bought bug spray with me. My showers each night helped to ease the itchiness of my skin from the bites.
Bring a converter: Our Airbnb did not have outlets for US plugs so we had to bring a converter to be able to charge our devices. Here is the one I use from Amazon if you need one! I love it because I can charge multiple things at once and it works for all countries. I used this in both Thailand and now Curacao.
5. Staying at an Airbnb, Use These Tips
Make sure to read the description for your Airbnb. We of course did not and the day before our trip got a request for additional money. We were all very shocked until we re-read the description and found out that we needed to pay a tourist fee and electricity, in addition to the cost we had already paid. The charge for electricity is based on consumption, so we pre-paid for what they estimated we would use.
It came out to about an extra $55 a night for our cost. We had to be mindful of our electricity and AC use which was not hard as we spent most of our time in the pool, at the beach, or out exploring.
One of the things we did not consider was snacks for when we were at the pool or mixers for the alcohol we got at duty-free. We did use the Click Eat app to order some drinks. They did call us because they wanted to know if we were sure we just wanted drinks delivered. We had no snacks and did not really want to spend money on a cab to grab some from the grocery store. I would recommend either arranging something with your Airbnb prior or having a taxi stop by a market to grab some things for your stay. I guess this did help me not eat a ton of carbs.
6. Apps to Download
Click Eat: This app is similar to Uber Eats or Grubhub, it allows you to order food and have it delivered to your location.
Click: This is an app for taxis. We loved being able to use this before we found the driver we liked. We opted for the van each time since there were 4 of us.
Airalo: For those who have expensive plans this is a great alternative for phone service, check it out here.
7. Island Time in Curacao
Do not be in a rush. One of the days we called a cab because we wanted to grab food before heading to our excursions and the cab took almost an hour to get to us. We ended up having to change the place we wanted to have lunch so that we could eat closer to the distillery. Lunch was amazing, though.
Also, similar things happened when we ordered food at the Airbnb. It took an additional hour or so from the time they stated on the app. So make sure to order early if you are hungry.
Conclusion
I would add Curacao to my list of destinations as a great long weekend trip option. The trip was so relaxing and I really enjoyed spending time at the beach and learning more about the island. So if you are into beaches and a more relaxed weekend, I would head here.
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Great information! I was surprised about the amount of bugs. I wouldn’t have expected that.
Curacao seems amazing! thanks for such a helpful post 🙂
Great tips! Knowing about the additional tourist taxes in advance trips a lot of people up.
Completely agree about renting a car in Curacao. It’s a big spread out island with a lot to see! We took the bus a few times but it’s a lot of waiting – as you mentioned. Island time, am I right?
I had read about taking the bus but didnt really look into it! but yes, next trip i am getting a car!
I love Curacao! Thanks for the great tips!
I have never even heard of Curacao, and I love learning about new spots in the Caribbean! It looks so beautiful. Adding it to the list for 2025!
One thing I have learned from traveling with kids is that you always bring snacks with you.