Everything "dushi" on Curaçao
"Dushi" in the local language Papiamentu can be found everywhere on the island and means "beautiful", like the street art paintings in the World Heritage city of Willemstad with its candy-colored colonial houses, "good" like the Curacao orange liqueur, which you can taste in the local liqueur factory, and "fantastic" like the 35 powdered sugar beaches and bays on the turquoise blue sea. Looking back, we unfortunately only planned four days here on the largest of the Antilles islands, three of which were spent golfing, one sailing and one exploring the island by rental car. It's worth staying at the Blue Bay Curaçao Golf & Beach Resort , a 220-hectare vacation paradise with hotels, villas and all kinds of sports facilities. Especially as the 18-hole course of the same name, designed by William 'Rocky' Rocquemore, is located in the middle of the resort and can be reached from our villa in 5 minutes by car. "Easy going" is the order of the day here, or would it be better to say "Caribbean relaxed"? Because although the place is well frequented, there is no stress. This is more the case when playing over water and deserts, on hilly and undulating fairways, downhill over rocks to the sea or over ditches to the green. The varied and diverse layout makes the game interesting and the tee shots towards the sea offer great views. It's a good thing that a cart is obligatory here because it gives you time to enjoy the fantastic views of the sea, the lush green fairways and the beach. The beach is right next to the 18th hole, so nothing stands in the way of a dip in the water or a Blue Curacao at the bar. The question was whether we should even play the 9-hole Curaçao Golf & Sqash Club due to the short time and the many possibilities here. Yes, because at 90 years old it is the oldest in the Caribbean and was created by refinery workers back in 1931. Today, around 100 members take care of its maintenance, which is why they have priority when it comes to playing. And this is pure enjoyment: wide fairways in slightly hilly terrain, between exotic trees and few water or other obstacles. On the other hand, the Old Quarry GC, which has already been voted the best in the Caribbean, is the complete opposite but a real aha experience. None other than golf designer Pete Dye has created 18 impressive golf holes here in the south-east, spread over three areas: By the sea, Spanish Water Bay and Table Mountain. With its flat top, it resembles the South African Table Mountain and also has an attraction to offer: a tee shot of 198 meters to the 13th green. But that is certainly not the only reason why the championship course is one of the best in the Caribbean: the front nine is quite a challenge - on narrow fairways with several doglegs, deserts, bushes and dangerous bunkers in front of the greens. The back nine begins in the partly rocky terrain under Table Mountain but with PAR chances, on the 13th with a view of the marina and serpentines up the 15th, the second most difficult hole. The par 5 on the 17th is conciliatory, only to end this dream round with a gigantic downhill shot on the 18th. The Santa Barbara Resort right next door is currently closed because it will soon be reopening as "Sandals Curaçao". We can't wait to see it again at the end of the year. We are also curious about the Chi Chi art gallery by Berlin-based Serena Israel in the north-east of the island. The oversized, colorfully painted dolls with large breasts and protruding buttocks are her creation and are reminiscent of Niki de Saint Phalle. In Curaçao, they symbolize the older sister who holds the family together. In the meantime, the very differently painted works of art have become famous souvenirs, so that the Berlin native, who has lived here for over 30 years, already employs 70 painters to whom she gives work. The Chi-Chi's are also available in all sizes in her store in Willemstad. Incidentally, the city is almost deserted at the moment due to the pandemic and the lack of cruise ships, so you can enjoy looking at the graffiti and colorfully painted houses or stay another night at the Terra Boutique Hotel.
Further information:
www.curacaotouristboard.com
Blue Bay Curacao Golf & Beach Resort, www.bluebay-curacao.com
Terra Boutique Hotel, www.terraboutiquehotel.com
Golf courses:
Golf at Blue Bay, www.bluebay-curacao.com/activities/golf
Curacao Golf & Squash Club, www.curacaogolf.com
Old Quarry Golf Course Curacao, www.oldquarrygolfcuracao.com
Our tip:
Sailing trip with Maxie Sailing, www.maxiesailing.com
