About Curacao
Curaçao, is an island in the Caribbean Sea and is a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Although physio graphically part of the South American continental shelf, Curaçao and neighboring islands off the northern coast of South America are usually considered to constitute the southwestern arc of the Lesser Antilles. (Hurricane-free area). The capital is Willemstad.

Curaçao was settled by Arawak people from the South American mainland. It was first visited by Europeans in 1499 and was settled by the Spanish and, later, by the Dutch, who established it as a major center of trade for the Dutch West India Company.  Curacao is the home of the oldest continuously inhabited Jewish community in the Western Hemisphere, originally formed by Sephardic Jews who emigrated from Portugal in the 1500s.

About Pietermaai
In historic Pietermaai District you will find everything you need for an ultimate vacation. A trendy lounge and ocean club, atmospheric restaurants, cozy cafes (and happy hours), city beaches, hair stylist, drug store, small shops, a diving school with a dive shop and a small supermarket, all reachable within a short walk of the accommodation. Within a 5 minutes walk you will find the Willemstad historical city center Punda with a diverse range of (souvenir)shops, town squares with patio cafes, the historical synagogue, the harbor with docked cruise ships, the Pontjesbrug (also known as the swinging old lady), many museums – too much to list!

About Breakfast
Your holiday home is self-catering, but the area offers also many nice possibilities to have breakfast outside. Our favorites:
– Van Gogh Specialty Coffee: Pietermaai 25, open 7am-4pm, Saturday 8am-4pm.
– La Boheme: Cafe Bar Restaurant located in the heart of Punda (Columbusstraat # 4)

About Beaches and more
Caballeros City Beach: a cozy beach in the middle of Pietermaai. Sunbeds, cozy happy hours, beautiful sunsets.

Marichi Beach: public city beach with a pier where you can swim in the ocean easily. Between Pietermaai and Punda. Sunbeds for rent.

In a 10 minutes walk you’ll reach Avila Beach and you can reach the popular beaches like Mambo and Cabana beach on the Sea Aquarium Boulevard by car or local bus within 5 minutes. These sandy beaches offer happy hours, music, shops and the Sea Aquarium with dolphin shows in open water.

Curacao is a prime location for diving fanatics: the water is warm and clear and the beaches are snow-white with palm trees softly swaying in a light breeze. You can reach also easily the beaches on Westpunt, like Porto Marie, Grote Knip and Cas Abao. Perfect snorkeling spots, or visit the national Christoffel Parc, Shete Boca with the natural bridge and swimming turtles, or visit the old plantation manors.

About Culinary Pietermaai District
Pietermaai is a historic district (Unesco Heritage List) with a lot of new developments and active entrepreneurs, who are creating the ultimate and cozy holiday area. Highlights through the year are: Kings Night- and day 27th of April (Dutch party with music, fairs, orange-dressed people and much more), Pagara (New Year’s Eve) and the Christmas Fair. Also a yearly street music festival is happening in Pietermaai District. There are many excellent and charming restaurants within walking distance from your vacation home Beach House Pietermaai! Our favorites:

Kome: worldly cooking techniques lay the foundation for the creative freedom of Chef David and Pastry Chef Susan, Johan van Walbeeckplein
Fish & Joy:  delicious Seafood and more, Penstraat
Mundo Bizarro; a fusion restaurant and café with a remarkable interior, Nieuwestraat
Restaurant Roast and Cannibal Rum Bar:  Nieuwestraat, great terrace, great food
MosaCana: Restaurant and cocktail bar; Penstraat
Restaurant Ginger: Carib Asian Cuisine, Schoonestraat, Pietermaai Smal open 7 days a week, from 5 to late
Plasa Bieu; real local food, only lunch

About Currency
The national currency on the island is the Netherlands Antilles florin or ‘guilder’. The U.S. dollar currency is also accepted everywhere along with traveler’s checks and most major credit cards. 100 USD billets will not be accepted everywhere. Your return will be mostly in guilders.
The exchange rate on the local market: USD 1 = 1.75 NA florin.

About languages Spoken
Dutch is the official language. Habitants also speak English, Spanish and their own unique blend, Papiamentu.

About Car rental
Do you like to rent a car to explore the island and its beautiful beaches? We can recommend these friendly and professional car rentals:
– justdrivecuracao.com New cars, all risk insurance, 24/7 road assistance, drop off and pick up at Curacao Airport or free drop off/pick up at Beach House Pietermaai, GPS Curacao available, fast service at car pick up.
– https://livcuracaocarrental.com Stand out from the crowd and rent a trendy Fiat 500 in fancy colors, glass panoramic roof or convertible. Or SUV’s like the Jeep Renegade. All risk insurance, 24/7 road assistance, free drop off and pick up at Beach House Pietermaai or pick up and drop off airport for a small fee with excellent service by Luxury Taxi Service.

About Airlines
Amsterdam (KLM / TUI) – 9 hrs.
Toronto / Montreal (Air Canada / Westjet)- 5 hrs.
Miami (AA) – 2.5 hrs.
New York – Newark (JetBlue) – 4 hrs

About Electricity in our apartments
110 voltage and 220 voltage in apartments, both USA outlets and European outlets. No converters are necessary.

About Cleaning
Beach House Pietermaai has always been thoroughly cleaned; we clean with disinfectants and a Karcher steam cleaner. Also, we always use extra cushion protection covers and high-quality mattress protectors as standard and everything is cleaned at the highest temperatures. We also follow the guidelines from RIVM (Europe) and WHO.

You can read here more about the rental conditions and availability. If you have other questions, please Contact us quickly.