When making our wedding plans a couple of years ago, my wife and I had a short list of criteria for our honeymoon:
- Tropical heat and nice beaches for relaxed travel
- Good food
- Close enough to the West Coast of Canada that we weren’t spending half our trip travelling or jet lagged
- Queer-friendly
- Good weather in the summer (#TeacherTravelProblems)
While our first three criteria led us to the Caribbean, the last two were trickier. Caribbean destinations, though chill, are not broadly known to be particularly welcoming to LGBTQ+ travellers. (That said, some Caribbean destinations have improved their laws and attitudes, with St. Lucia being the most recent to decriminalize same-sex sexual activity in July 2025.) Plus, summer is hurricane season in most of the region.
The solution to both problems turned out to be the Dutch Caribbean, also known as the ABC Islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. While we hit up all three, Curaçao was our favourite and the one where we spent the most time.
Aruba is delectably resort-y and relaxing. Bonaire is the best for snorkelling and diving adventures, not pristine beaches. Curaçao, though, offers tons of active and leisurely activities and numerous beautiful beaches. The selection of accommodation, restaurant, bar and café options is large and diverse.
The small capital city of Willemstad, with a population of just over 150,000, is aesthetically pleasing. It’s home to an abundance of narrow, gingerbread house–like buildings, architectural remnants of the Dutch colonial era, though painted in vibrant pastel colours to reflect their island location. The Sint Anna Bay waterway divides two of the downtown core’s main neighbourhoods, Punda and Otrobanda. A visitor can easily cross Sint Anna Bay on foot, traversing a floating pedestrian bridge that is lit up in rainbow colours at night. Sometimes the bridge swings open to allow ships through to the commercial port; when that happens there’s a free, frequent and fast ferry service that takes people across the bay.
Willemstad had enough shops, cafés, restaurants, bars and photo opportunities to keep us busy in the mornings and evenings. But we wanted to visit the rest of the island for its beaches, hikes, wildlife and outdoor adventures. Taxi services are helpful for getting around downtown, but beyond that, we decided we had to rent a car.
Pride and Gay Curaçao
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Curaçao since 2024, following a ruling by the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. Homosexuality is legal and there are no laws against discussing LGBTQ+ topics, but changing legal gender remains illegal, and only discrimination based on sexual orientation (not gender identity) is banned. We felt very safe during our 10 days on Curaçao as a (white, cis-passing) visible lesbian couple, and we were welcomed and celebrated as a couple on honeymoon at all of our accommodations and restaurant date nights. We even had a pastor (who doubled as a doctor) tell us that “Jesus loves us,” which made us chuckle.
Curaçao Pride (September 26 to October 5, 2025) usually takes place during the last week of September/first week of October. The parade, festival and closing beach party are all fun options for partying in the tropical heat. Pride’s website lists several restaurants, accommodations and bars that are either LGBTQ+-friendly or -owned.
Gaze Bar and Lounge (Kaya A.M. “Shon Toni” Prince 16, 20 Breedestraat, Willemstad). Curaçao’s only gay bar, which opened in 2022, is conveniently located in downtown Willemstad. They host karaoke nights, drag, beach-themed parties and more. Weekly karaoke draws a crowd of talented locals; some of them even let my wife and I join them for a rendition of “Barbie Girl.” Based on our chats with local queers, this space was a long-needed safe haven for queers seeking community and joy.
Beaches
With a week in Curaçao and around 35 beaches to choose from, a visitor could check out a different one every day and still not see them all. Most have a small entrance fee, as well as fees for beach chairs. Each one is unique and worth a visit, but these are the ones we loved most.
Tugboat Beach. This one’s for the snorkellers. As the name suggests, there’s a sunken tugboat not far from shore, full of fish and other oceanic wonders. This rocky beach isn’t the best for lounging, but a funky little bar sells snacks and drinks, and rents snorkelling equipment. I’ve snorkelled before, but I’m not the most confident swimmer, so I had a bit of anxiety about swimming a little ways out from the beach to get to the tugboat. In the end, my past snorkelling experience helped me, and the swim ended up being totally fine.
Grote Knip. A great sunset spot. We had a couple of pigs join us in the water while the sun was going down. Like many of the beaches on this list, there are lots of fish to see just off shore, so bring snorkelling gear. Located almost at the northernmost tip of the island, about an hour’s drive from Willemstad, this is a good one to visit for those staying mid-island or planning a full day trip. It could easily be combined with a stop at Kleine Knip.
Playa Porto Marie. I’m pretty sure I said, “This is the whitest sand and clearest water I’ve ever seen” every time I visited a new beach in Curaçao. This was no exception. There’s a great viewpoint by the parking lot that looks out over the coast, which is super convenient if it’s too hot to do much hiking.
Kokomo Beach. Another beach, another spectacular sunset. We used the swingset in the water to take some cute honeymoon photos. This beach has a full restaurant with deep-fried Dutch food and a bar with tasty cocktails. There was prime iguana-watching.
Mambo Beach. Mambo Beach is the most built-up of Curaçao’s beaches. We browsed the shops, bars and restaurants on the boulevard shopping strip and noticed that families with kids can breathe easy because there’s a breakwater creating a safe swimming lagoon. At night, this is the place to go for a classic island beach party. Think DJs, live bands and drinks flowing until early morning. It’s a short taxi ride from Willemstad, so driving isn’t necessary.
Playa Cas Abao. Water the colour of your favourite Blue Curaçao cocktail? Check. Large expanse of white sandy beach? Good trees to hang your hammock on? Great snorkelling just offshore? Checkity check. There’s lots of space to spread out here.
What to see and do
Museum Kurá Hulanda (9 Klipstraat, Willemstad). Much of Curaçao’s development was built on the labour of enslaved people and minorities during colonial periods. Indigenous Caquetio peoples who originated from what is now known as Venezuela inhabited the island long before it was colonized by the Spanish. Then the Dutch used Willemstad as a port for trading enslaved people. The Museum Kurá Hulanda is an anthropological museum focusing on Curaçao’s history.
Christoffel National Park (Plantation House Savonet, Weg Naar Westpunt). Although it was too hot for hiking when we visited in the summer, this national park has some popular trails. Those hiking to the peak need to start before 10 a.m. due to the heat, but there are plenty of less strenuous hikes in the park.
Punda Vibes (Punda district, Willemstad). Every Thursday there’s a cultural celebration and fireworks show in a historic and artsy district of downtown Willemstad. We didn’t know about it, and got a sweet surprise when we stumbled across a square full of both locals and tourists dancing sweatily to live music, enjoying local food and cool drinks. We were surprised again when fireworks started popping off. This is a good stop on the way to the gay bar Gaze Bar and Lounge (see listing below).
Street art/mural walk (Otrobanda district, Willemstad). Curaçao is a colourful wonderland with almost every house brightly painted in different shades. In Otrobanda, though, a stroll can become a mural scavenger hunt amid the art adorning winding alleyways, staircases and residential streets. A good starting route is to search for the “Colourful Steps” on Google Maps, walk up toward Quintastraat, and down the alleyway toward the Emancipate Yourself sculpture. Photogenic murals with powerful messages can be spotted both on and off the route.
Wing foil and windsports. The windy ABC islands are good places to try windsurfing, kite boarding, or wing foil. My wife tried wing foil at Sint Joris Baai, which was a quiet body of water to learn in, but there are lots of places to play around the island.
Flamingos. Visitors have a good chance of seeing a flamboyance of flamingos in the wild. We had good luck and found large groups at both the Salt Lake Willibrordus, near Jan Kok, on our way to Playa Porto Marie, and at the Flamingo Habitat in Sint Michiel (walking distance from Mondi Lodge).
Curaçao Liqueur Distillery Tour (Landhuis Chobolobo, Saliña Ariba, Elias R. A. Moreno Blvd., Willemstad). Even those who haven’t heard of Curaçao the island have heard of the liqueur. As the name suggests, the sweet blue alcohol originated on the island, made with the peel of a local orange. The fun guided tour provides information about the history and production of the product, but they save the best for last—cocktails at the bar! Many of the unique flavours, like chocolate, tamarind, coffee and rum raisin, are only available at the distillery itself.
Where to stay
You can find a wide range of accommodations in Curaçao. There are brightly coloured, more affordable boutique hotels in Willemstad, low-stress resorts (some of them clustered well outside of Willemstad, with easier access to beaches on the north end of the island) and unique B&Bs with more of a jungle vibe. We tried all three.
Scuba Lodge (104 Pietermaai, Willemstad Pietermaai). An affordable option located in the upscale Pietermaai neighbourhood of Willemstad, this hotel is perfectly located for walking (or a short drive/taxi ride) around the city. Scuba Lodge boasts brightly coloured walls ideal for photoshoots right out of Barbie Land, an oceanside swimming pool where you can watch pelicans play, dreamy ocean-view room options, and an on-site restaurant and bar with a café next door. There’s no swimming/lounging beach within walking distance, but it’s a great base camp for day trips around the island.
Mondi Lodge (Klein Sint Michiel 1, Willemstad). This “eco-friendly tropical sanctuary” is exactly how it sounds. Mondi Lodge is a perfect jungle getaway for sinking into nature while staying fairly central. We were sold once we saw that we could stay in a treehouse, which legitimately had a massive tree growing through the centre of it. Upstairs (fully sealed around the tree branches to keep mosquitos out) was an open air kitchen, complete with hammocks and a lounge area where we hung out with friendly lizards and birds while enjoying our morning coffees. The fully private outdoor shower was blissful. Though not all treehouses, each cabin is private and unique. The family-owned property is lush and home to abundant plant and animal life, and the pool feels like a little oasis, nestled among the trees. Daily Dutch-style breakfast is included; portions are generous and delicious. It’s also very close to a flamingo habitat and is Travel Proud certified by Booking.com’s LGBTQ+-inclusion program.
Coral Estate Luxury Resort (Rif St. Marie, Sint Willibrordus). Curaçao isn’t as well known for its resorts as neighbouring Aruba, but those searching for a luxurious, worry-free vacation vibe will find lots of options. Coral Estate doesn’t offer an all-inclusive stay, but there are multiple on-site dining options. The property is beautiful, with views of the ocean from the pool and restaurants. It’s closer to the beaches on the north end of the island than Willemstad.
Where to eat and drink
Grocery stores on Curaçao are a delight; due to the island being a former Dutch colony, you can just as easily pick up a wheel of Dutch cheese or munch on some bitterballen as you can find fresh tropical fruit or seafood. With its proximity to South America, you also get access to tasty Venezuelan snacks.
Most hotels have restaurants with diverse food options, and lots of beaches have full beach bars and restaurants with all the snacks and drinks you need to stay energized and tipsy while oceanside. Willemstad has an abundance of aesthetically pleasing cafés. The coffee is iced, the vibes Instagrammable in the colourfully painted, colonial-era homes that now double as coffee shops and restaurants. Lesbians shouldn’t worry: there are lots of vegan options.
Bario Food Yard (De Rouvilleweg, Willemstad). We had fun eating at this trendy and artsy outdoor food court near the murals of Otrobanda. They have vegan options, and various forms of Caribbean/Dutch/South American fusion, as well as North American comfort meals like burgers and fries. Try the spicy tamarind cocktail.
Ginger (Nieuwestraat, Willemstad). The vibes are cozy and romantic, and they serve tasty Caribbean/East Asian/Indian fusion. But the best part is that it’s adjacent to a courtyard where drinks are served and where there’s often live music. Those arriving early can grab a friend (or new spouse) for a dance.
BijBlauw (82-84 Kaya Wilson Godett, Willemstad). Good any time of day; think stroopwafel pancakes for lunch, steak or the catch of the day for dinner. The real treat is the ocean breeze and view it comes with.
La Reina (86 Kaya Wilson Godett, Willemstad). Right next to Scuba Lodge and Bijblauw, this “coffee, food and lifestyle” venue shares its beautiful red building with a cute shop you can browse while you wait. Just a few more minutes’ walk down the same street will lead you to van Gogh Coffee (25 Pietermaai, Willemstad), which has an in-house roastery, as well as avo toast and rich coffee. Kafe 5999 (Kaya Jacob Posner #, Unit 1 7, Willemstad, Curaçaois, off the main drag, is a short drive away, but they serve some seriously stellar sweet treats and fun coffees if you need to pick something up on your way out of town.
