CURAÇAO: Ready for its Close Up

For a long time, Curaçao was content to let its beachier Dutch Caribbean siblings Aruba and St. Maarten steal the holiday spotlight – but no longer. Over the last decade, the island has charted a steady course to cultivate its vacation appeal, and now, as the projects come to fruition, is the ideal time to see Curaçao’s charms for yourself. sophisticated capital city Willemstad has more in common with European hamlets than typical tropical hot spots; there are also quiet, sandy bays tucked into indolent coves, a handful of dive sites that rank among the Caribbean’s best, and a wildly cosmopolitan array of restaurants, museums, shops, and casinos.

ON THE WATERFRONT

Guarding the entrance to Willemstad’s St. Anna Bay, the 183-year-old Rif Fort may never have seen combat, but the site is seeing action nowadays with the addition of a new cruise-ship dock, a resort and a mall. The hub of the development is the Renaissance Curaçao Resort and Casino. A 237-room Marriott hotel with the capital’s first “beach” – a saltwater swimming pool fronting the rock shore, its sandy bottom cleaned by starfish; palm tress and cabanas round out the scene. While many rooms face the ocean, avoid those with a view of the interior atrium unless you want to audit a conference.

Nearing completion on a heretofore undeveloped coastline at the entrance to the natural harbor Spanish Water, the 348 room Hyatt Regency Curaçao Golf Resort, Spa and Marina is the focal point of a new 1500-acre residential community, Santa Barbara Plantation. Surrounded by desert terrain, the resort exterior is draped in marble quarried from Tafelberg, the peak rising above the property. Rooms feature Indonesian teak accents and views overlooking Barbara Beach, now wrapped by a marina and pier. A major draw will be the Pete Dye-designed 7.200-yard golf course, snaking gingerly across the spare landscape. The  $150 million project is slated to open in January.

ALL-ACCESS HOTEL

Curaçao is now home to Caribbean’s first hotel catering specifically to guests with mobility issues. Each of the 19 rooms at Dolphin Suites has oversize doorways, roll in showers, and user-friendly furnishings sporting and inviting, modern black-and-white design. A kitchen or kitchenette fosters a homey environment, and baby-sitting can be arranged. The hotel’s Brucker Biofeedback Center provides therapy designed to improve mobility for people with paralysis, and the Sea Aquarium across the street uses dolphins in programs for children with physical or mental challenges.

The popular Lions Dive & Beach Resort has upgraded its older rooms and added a third restaurant and 25 svelte apartments, each with sliding doors, opening onto broad balconies. The hotel is also now home to what could be the only 50-meter lap pool at a Caribbean resort, an infinity-edged beauty that reaches for the shore.

The historic neighborhood surrounding Avila Hotel continues to spruce up, perhaps spurred on by expansions and improvements at the hotel, now in its 60^th year. The new Octagon wing is sleek and contemporary, its 68 rooms featuring the latest mod cons; the premiere unit is the 1,544-square-foot Bolivar Suite with wraparound balcony. Above the rebuilt main restaurant, there’s a new first-rate gym, featuring a TechnoGym KinesisWall, and the Santai Spa.

CELESTIAL DINING

Perhaps Angelique M.C. Schoop, and island pharmacist, didn’t need a second career, but she found one by opening Angelica’s Kitchen, a cooking school conducted in her childhood home.The 1896 abode has been gently remodeled to accommodate groups that sign up for classes led by Clarita Pieter-Hagenaar. A spoonful of island history and culture goes down nicely with wine and salsa music while the meal is prepared. Across the street, Schoop’s Angelica’s Delight is open all day for pastries (sweet or savory), coffee and champagne; the Sunday brunch has become a fast success.

Although Willemstad lacks a natural beachfront, the sun shines in on the new Moon Beach Club, Lounge & Restaurant. Set in a rejuvenated older neighborhood on the rocky coast, a sandscape surrounds a pool perched next to the sea – 15 guilders ($8.50) buys a cabana or space-age lounge ned for the day. The elegant design eschews tropical embellishments in favor of geometrics – cubes and spheres in white accented with bright yellow pillow. At the restaurant, dig into Black Angus tournedos, Mediterranean vegetable risotto, and oysters with pepper, shallots and red wine vinegar.

GO WEST

New Hempshire-imports David and Sunshine Livingston bought a house in remote Westpunt and quickly realized a Curaçao water bill ran quite a bit more than a New England one. To make ends meet, they opened an informal restaurant. Sol Food, serving grilled meat and fresh fish, salads, burgers and “the best pizza in Banda ‘bou.” The couple happily shares a wealth of insider tips alongside scrumptious brownies.

PADDLE POWER

When Ryan de Jongh became concerned about the financial stability of CARMABI, a local foundation studying and protecting Curaçao’s ecology, the took matters into his own kayak and paddled around the island to help raise funds. His 33-hour, 93-mile voyage raised $67.000. Buoyed by the success, he’ll embark November 1, 2009, on a 22-day solo paddled from St. Maarten to Curaçao, a 977-mile journey hop scotching through the eastern Caribbean. Join de Jongh on his (more leisurely) afternoon Eco Kayak Tours on Wednesdays through the mangroves of Piscadera Bay, next to the Hilton hotel.