Curaçao Trip

My oh my. Where have we been? Working hard of course! After our crowdfunding ended last January we went on a mission to find our core focus and improve our site. We analyzed and restructured our goals to give you a better product and today we are ready to launch.

Last January our crowdfunding campaign of three months ended unsuccessfully. This of course has been a wake up call for us at Curaçao Trip. What did we do wrong? Didn’t we work hard enough? The most important question we had to answer was: what now? Of course the easiest thing to do was to throw in the towel and quit, but we know nothing good comes easy. So back to work.

First off we had to reframe our goals and focus. One main thing that we have changed is to focus solely on cultural travel. The information on Curaçao Trip will reflect the experience of local life and becoming part of the culture in some form.

Photo: Mondi Lodge 

Apart from reframing our internal affairs, we have something new to offer you as a traveler visiting our site. We offer accommodations and reliable information curated to enhance the cultural experience. Curaçao is known as a great tourist destination, but we want to get you deeper into the Curaçaoan experience. Part of this mission is getting you as the traveler to stay at smaller, more intimate accommodations compared to other accommodations which may be missing that special touch.

Accommodation providers on the island can also contact us to get their spot on the website. Curaçao Trip focuses on small accommodations like apartments enhancing that feeling of being intertwined with the Curaçaoan culture. Not only do we provide information on these accommodations, but through Curaçao Trip you can book and pay for your stay through different payment methods. This make us unique as there is no website that really focuses this way, on these smaller accommodations. One other plus point? We personally visited these accommodations so we know what we are getting you guys into!

The Tumba Festival, Jump In’s, Children Karnaval Parade… It’s everywhere on the island. Yes, it is that time of the year when everyone dances and sways to the tumba music and are covered in glitters and colors; Carnival time! The first events were as vibrant as those of the year before. But we all know that the one event everyone the island gets ready for is the Gran Marcha, the “grand march”.

Yesterday it all started at St Maria, then the  carnival parade heads through Rooseveltweg to Marchena and off to Otrobanda.  Basically all of the groups started preparing their costumes months before the festivities started, ready to show what they got and maybe win one of the many prizes. The Farewell parade, Marcha di Despedida is held on March 4th, a day before Ash Wednesday. As is the case in many other predominantly Catholic countries celebrating carnival, the festivities are all held before the Lent. At the end of the festivities, Rei Momo (King Momo, a giant doll filled with fireworks) is burnt down symbolizing the end of carnival. Because hey, when you party hard, you go out with a bang.

People from the surrounding neighborhoods line up along the street to get the best view. If you want more room to dance we suggest you find a spot just before the area of Palu Blanku. But if you want to get crazy, Marchena and Roodeweg are the places to be.

But let’s not focus on the end just yet. The kids will also glitter and glamour at the Children Farewell Parade on Monday the 3rd. So you got just a few hours to buy some crazy hat and make up to head on out to the streets of Curacao. Don’t forget to always be safe and still enjoy! Bai poko poko i pasa un dushi Karnaval!

We sat down with Esteban Mendez, one of the guys behind ParadiseWorld Destination Music Festival to find out what's in store for us on the December 21st and the future. The festival was held last year for the first time and this year it's going to be even bigger with performances by electronic dancehall act Major Lazer along with KiT - Kuenta i Tambú, DJ NRG and a surprise act!

Mendez was born in California, went school in Curaçao and lived in Venezuela, however it is in Miami that he achieved great success by organizing the Ultra Music Festival, one of the biggest music festivals in the world. The festival attracted more than 300,000 people in 2013 in Miami and is held in 9 other cities across the globe.

In partnership with the Curaçao Tourist Board, ParadiseWorld crosses geographical boundaries by promoting the island of Curaçao around the world as an electronic dance music and entertainment destination. "It all started at a gathering in Miami. We showed some people from CTB what we were doing in Miami. They got excited and said we should do something like this on Curaçao", Mendez explained.

ParadiseWorld also works with the people behind Amnesia as promotional partners. Mendez emphasizes how important it is to work with local organizations. He thinks it as a win-win for both organizations.  Mendez believes Curaçao has a lot of potential and that the island is on the right track as an entertainment destination.

We have been assured that Major Lazer's performance will be big, but ParadiseWorld will not stop there. Their mission is to go global, to make this a destination festival. "We want make this a type of event were people would like to go to an island to experience the festival, all over the world. But it starts here, in Curaçao".

Art lovers on vacation! You have got until friday the 20th to visit this beautiful exhibition by amateur artist Lesley Peterson and his ex-student Yvette Barrientos at Landhuis Vredenberg. For more information check the Curacao Art website.

All we want to do here at Curaçao Trip is to present the real Curaçao. Where to go, what to eat, where to stay... We are creating a platform for travellers to easily plan their vacation to Curaçao. As we are busy with crowd funding to further develop our website, we have had the privilege of being interviewed bij Young Startup. Have a read here:

https://youngstartup.nl/blog/post/ontdek-het-echte-curacao-met-de-internet-startup-curacao-trip/