Getting there is easy, as American Airlines operates flights there, via Miami, from both Dulles and Reagan National Airports. So what are you waiting for? Blue looks so good on you.

There really is a beach for everyone...
Curaçao is called the Island of 35 Beaches with good reason. The water takes on a gorgeous, almost electric blue-green color, even on those rare days when the sky is overcast. I visited when Hurricane Matthew was skirting by and the sun was fighting to peek through the clouds, but it was still utterly enjoyable; the vast majority of the time the weather is a pleasant 80 degrees and sunny. Like a little adventure with your beach time? Head to Shete Boka on the west side, which translates to “seven inlets.”There, you can hike, look for sea turtles and step out onto the wooden platform at Boka Tabla to watch the huge waves crash against the rocks and into an underground cavern--it was crazily impressive and just a little bit scary. [...]

..and if you like tranquil water? Man-made coves are a resort trend on Curaçao.
Let’s just say I’m not a big fan of huge waves. I’d rather pretend the sea was one giant, clear azure swimming pool. If you share my sentiment, you’ll love the resort beaches, which are often cordoned off with rocks that break the surf, leaving the water just off the sand calm and float-worthy. I saw beaches like this at Sunscape, Curaçao’s only all-inclusive resort, at Avila Resort, and at Baoase, the island’s only five star resort (more on that later). Swimmers and snorkelers who want to see what’s around the many coral reefs can venture beyond; if you need me, I’ll be on a floaty.

A live and let live attitude permeates the island.

Curaçao’s first inhabitants are thought to have originated from the Amazon basin. The Dutch West India Company settled the capital of Willemstad in the 1600s, and made it a hub for the Atlantic Slave Trade. Sephardic Jews settled with the Dutch and have had a major cultural influence. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the land changed hands several times between the British, French and Dutch. And in 2010 when the Netherland Antilles was dissolved, Curaçao became a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. All of this means that the island’s melting pot history has translated in a spot where anyone--of any race, religion, gender, nationality or sexual orientation--is welcome. Period.

Read the full story, originally published on October 5, 2016, on DC Refined.