Butterfly Mind

Beaches, boats, and blue water

After exploring the wild windward coast of Curaçao and taking a trip into the capital of Willemstad, we opted to spend the rest of the week on the calmer west coast. We hit several different beaches, each of them offering something unique: sea turtles and easy snorkeling at nearby Playa Lagun, a wide sandy beach at Grote Knip (and cliff-jumping), cliff-jumping at Playa Forti, a working fishing harbor at Playa Piskadó, and a coral reef and dropoff at Playa Kalki (not pictured).

We ended each day with a snorkel off the platform at our Airbnb, some rum, and the sunset. After watching people jump off the cliffs at Grote Knip, I worked up the nerve to dive off the 6-8 foot platform at the place we’re staying. It feels really high up when you’re about to willingly leave firm ground to fall through the air, but being airborne for that slip of time, then feeling the cold water crash on the crown of your head, rush across your ears, and bubble along your skin as you bullet into the ocean is exhilerating.

street to Playa Lagun Curacao_0172
Walking to Playa Lagun from our Airbnb
playa lagun instagram1296
View from the beach at Playa Lagun: a 2-minute walk or a 5-minute swim from our place.
playa lagun boat_1331
Fishing boat moored in Playa Lagun. View from the Bahia restaurant overlooking the cove.
grote knip kiddos backs08
Wide sandy beach at Grote Knip, about a 10 minute drive from where we’re staying. Lots of space to move around, saw a big starfish when snorkeling.
grote knip07
Someone contemplating jumping at Grote Knip
playa forti blue curacao drink_1330
Drink at Playa Forti. I couldn’t go to Curaçao without drinking something with Blue Curaçao in it. This photo is from Blue View Sunny Terrace near Westpunt. Across the cove is a popular cliff-jumping spot. We hoped to see people jump while we ate, but all we heard was a splash — we missed the one jump that happened while we were there.
coral beach playa piskado_0009
Coral beach at Playa Piskadó. Kind of painful with bare feet.
playa piskado working harbor01
Playa Piskadó, a local fishermans beach
fishermen playa piskado_20
Fish-cleaning station at Playa Piskadó.
boats in playa piskado_0003
Fishing boats at Playa Piskadó
Stairway to our Airbnb ladder
Ladder to get in the water at our Airbnb

 

rum_1309
Rum in the afternoon
sunset_1310
Sunset after snorkeling

Andrea Badgley

, ,

3 responses to “Beaches, boats, and blue water”

  1. I’m wondering if my voiceover read it wrong. Was the cliff a 6-8 ft jump? Or a 68 ft jump?