An island populated by citizens from multiple cultures, the food in Curaçao reflects that diversity. After years in the Eastern Caribbean, we were almost overwhelmed by the choices in Bonaire and Curaçao, and spent four months on the island sampling the cuisine. Read on for my tips, favorite restaurants and what to eat in Curaçao.
Farm to Table Brunch at Hofi Cas Cora
One of our favorite restaurants in Curaçao is Hofi Cas Cora, a farmhouse which serves brunch only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The space is charming, the food is delicious, and you can walk around the working farm before or after your meal.
Pumpkin Waffles at Hofi Cas Cora
Not surprisingly, this is a popular place for families, whose kids love to feed and interact with the animals, which range from chickens, ducks and peacocks to horses, goats and pigs.
One of the goats at the Hofi Cas Cora!
It’s a great place for anyone. The menu is extensive and delicious and includes vegan and vegetarian dishes, fresh from the farm.
For such a small island, Bonaire has more dining options than you would expect. Once we were free from quarantine and could roam the island, we satisfied our cravings for barbecue, sandwiches, seafood, satays, cheese and chocolate! We did have 3 months, after all! With all that experience, here are my recommendations for eating and drinking in Bonaire.
About Eating and Drinking in Bonaire
Though we were there during the pandemic, most restaurants served take-out, and many had dine-in options with social distancing and other restrictions. Many times, we provided names and emails for contact tracing. Prices are in US dollars, and costs are comparable to what you would pay in the U.S. or Canada, but some items are less expensive. Most places are in or near downtown Kralendjik, but a few are further afield. This map lays out all the places mentioned in the post.
Eating and Drinking in Bonaire map
Gio’s and Luciano Ice Cream
Ice cream is a luxury to most cruisers! Many cruisers don’t even have space for it on board. We are lucky to have a full freezer but we don’t often have ice cream in it because markets are rarely close to transport ice cream from bus to dinghy to boat fast enough to keep it from melting. So when there’s a gelato shop – or two – on land – we sample the flavors.
Some of the gelato choices in Bonaire
Eating and drinking in Bonaire should include at least one stop for ice cream. When we were in downtown Kralendjik, we bopped back and forth between two main spots but the tiny town has multiple places for ice cream, way more than we ever saw on the entire island of Antigua.
Who else is dreaming about relaxing on a beautiful beach? Or how about listening to the crashing waves while lounging in soft sand with a beer in hand? While I can’t give you that, I can tell you about some of my favorite Antigua beaches for when you can get there.
Antigua has 365 beaches: one for every day of the year. And for any beach day you prefer. Like much of the Caribbean, all beaches are open to the public. You may only be allowed one route to and from the beach when there is private property like a resort fronting the beach. But you are still allowed on the beach and in the water.
A word of advice: decide what you want to do before choosing a beach. Do you want to body surf or relax? Drink and party or have a nice meal or hike and explore with your kids? There’s a beach for each of those, but none that offers everything.
We haven’t been here long enough – yet – to explore all the beaches. But we have visited and enjoyed several, so here are some amazing Antigua beaches for whatever you like to do, arranged geographically. The east coast of the island is the windward side and has fewer beaches so I focused on the Caribbean side of Antigua where the beaches are plentiful and the water is calmer.
For your reference, here’s a map of my favorite Antigua beaches.
Favorite Antigua beaches
Dark Wood Beach
A medium walk or quicker drive from Jolly Harbor on Antigua’s west coast, Dark Wood Beach is a fun social spot. As the first beach we visited with friends on our latest visit to the island, Dark Wood is a sentimental favorite. We didn’t, but you can even get a massage on a table in the shade.
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