Would you like a bit of Holland in the Caribbean with colorful coral reefs and underwater parks for diving and snorkeling? Plus scores of tiny secluded coves with tropical white sand beaches for relaxing or surfing? Your Curacao vacation rental can also embrace salt flats with pink flamingoes, mountain biking in national parks, old plantation houses with African slave lore, Jewish culture, and old Dutch forts. This just scratches the surface of what awaits when you choose a money-saving Curacao vacation rental villa, home, condo, or apartment. The adventures begin when you arrive in Willemstad, a sprawling city where Dutch colonial architecture and oil refineries processing Venezuelan crude intersect.

A favorite Willemstad comedic pastime is watching pedestrians cross the ever-swaying pontoons and wooden planks of the Queen Emma Bridge, which like its Queen Juliana Bridge vehicular counterpart spans St. Anna Bay and connects the Punda shopping and Otrabanda districts. Take the family to the Curacao Sea Aquarium near Seaquarium Beach in Bapor Kibra to get acquainted with the island’s 60 coral species and hundreds of colorful reef fish. Fort Amsterdam, built in 1635, has a church and museum. Curacao’s Jewish Cultural Historical Museum building and continuously-meeting synagogue date to 1732. Museum Kurá Hulanda starts with human origins and includes African slavery in the Caribbean. The Curacao Maritime Museum is housed in a 1729 colonial mansion in the old port and warehouse district.

Curacao has several dozen tropical beaches. The southern coast near Willemstad has calmer, clearer waters for swimming and snorkeling. The rugged northern coast is best to enjoy surfing, though there are many northern beaches with good snorkeling and swimming. A Curacao beach vacation rental saves money compared to big resort hotels, and particularly in the south are near enough to also experience the best of Willemstad. The list of southern beaches includes Mambo Beach, Cabana Beach, Jan Thiel Beach, and Caracas Bay. The road north towards Westpunt passes thatched farmhouses, salt flats, old Dutch fort ruins, old plantations, Museo Tula, national parks, fishing villages, and numerous tiny coves with white sand beaches.

Consider a money-saving vacation rental near Christoffel National Park, where you can rent mountain bikes, climb Mt. Christoffel, hike 8 different trails, explore caves, see wild orchids, and visit Plantation Savonet. Rugged, rocky Shete Boka National Park, adjacent to Mt. Christoffel, has coastal limestone bluffs and rolling lava hills to hike, explosive blowholes shooting up water, and 10 small beaches where 3 different sea turtle species lay eggs. Climb the rock steps down into Boka Tabla, an underground cavern where giant waves break. Bring back family memories for a lifetime from your Curacao vacation rental.