Experience Out of the Ordinary in Curacao

It's being referred to as the best kept vacation secret for North Americans and after attending Air Canada Vacations' Mega Fam in Curacao last week, it's becoming easier to see why.

Curacao is the only island in the region that doesn't have either Canada or the United States as their number one market; instead Europe is number one with visitors from the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and France comprising nearly 80% of overall visitors.

Curacao is small; it is only 64 miles long and 12 wide and there are only 7,000 rooms on the island, which by comparison Cuba or the Dominican Republic for example, have resorts that have 4,000 at just one property.

"Visitors come here looking for something different, they're not just coming to flop on the beach, there's something to see and do here," Curacao Tourist Board CEO Paul Pennicook told TravelPulse at Thursday night's closing gala. "They can get a little more than just another holiday in the sun."

Pennicook says visitation from Canada has been growing steadily with increased airlift including direct flights on Air Canada from Toronto and Montreal.

Product is also increasing. The island offers a mix of all-inclusive and room-only resorts through more traditional brands such as AM Resorts' Sunscape and their soon-to-open Dreams Resort as well as Marriott Beach Resort and its Renaissance Resort & Casino property which is located in downtown Willemstad. That property features a sandy infinity pool/beach overlooking the ocean.

The largest all-inclusive on the island will open in April 2020 when the European brand Corendon completes phase one with 400 rooms. Another phase it set to open which will double the number of rooms to 800.

Curacao today is very different than when ACV first started offering it, as Anna Facchini, Manager, Product Development at Air Canada Vacations told us over breakfast at host hotel Kunuku Aqua Resort.

"At the time, we didn't have any all-inclusive product and all of the hotels were offering optional breakfast plans. We had to develop the mentality here that the Canadian market is very much demanding all-inclusive and we want to be able to have the island accessible to those who want that.

We started with some hotels, this one (Kunuku) in particular, was just opening up as a hotel. The owner was one of the first to really do an all-inclusive, outside of the AM Resorts Sunscape brand. It was nice to have another option for travelers."

Air Canada Vacations currently has 13 hotels in the program which includes the upcoming openings of Dreams and Corendon Mangrove Beach. Facchini says 4,000 passengers are already booked for the winter season.

"We're also trying to get Canadians to think outside the box, and think of options, like renting cars to experience Curacao's 37 beaches. Not all hotels are on the beach, so the best chance to experience the island is by renting a car and exploring."

TravelPulse took her up on that idea and set out to see for ourselves what Curacao is really about. The island did not disappoint. It's easy to get around, signs are clear and GPS works as it should. It also is very safe and welcoming, even a quick stop at a bank was seamless, partly due to the fact locals speak English very well. All Curacaoans are required to speak four languages, one of which is Papiamentu, a local creole language spoken in Dutch Caribbean.

Our first stop was Senior & Co. and Landhuis Chobolobo, home of the famous Curacao liqueur which is made on site. The building itself is one of Curacao's most renowned 19th-century country mansions. Guests can take a tour and learn all about the ingredients that make the iconic liqueur, which are … Laraha, a type of orange the Spanish found too bitter to eat, cloves, crystalized sugar and cardamom. It's a fun way to learn some history while sampling the delicious cocktails. (TravelPulse Canada highly recommends the original Mai Tai FYI).

Next up was Serena's Art Factory, home of the island's famous Chichi dolls, which you'll see everywhere in Curacao. Chichi is the Papiamentu word for 'big sister' and represents the eldest daughter of the family, who binds the family together in a loving and caring way. She is a much appreciated female role model in the Caribbean community of today and a very live part of its colorful heritage

Chichi creator Serena Israel creates her works with a team of uber-talented artists and offers visitors to stop by her factory. No ordinary factory, the open air work space is intimate and captivating, but the real story is behind the process. Serena has used the painting as therapy for inmates and for women who have gone through traumatic situations, helping in their healing.

"We worked with an inmate here in Curacao while he was incarcerated and when he was out, he went back to Holland and is now living a healthy, happy life," Israel told us.

Each statue has its own number and buyers can visit the website to find out the story behind the statue.

We also visited the Aloe Vera Plantation, where guests can have a tour and learn all of the benefits of the aloe vera plant and how the company processes its many lines of products, which include skin care, hair care as well as many other digestive and health products. (try the conditioner - it is amazing). It's close to Chichi's and also the Ostrich Farm, which we visited but time didn't permit us to take a tour.

It was an afternoon spent exploring the island, just as Pennicook and Facchini are encouraging Canadians to do.

"We have a lot to offer. There's something special about the culture, the history, the cuisine here," Pennicook adds. "Curacao is one of those very special islands in the region that is still a secret."