Here is a visual snapshot of paradise from Watamula down to the Blue Room. Westpunt, the most north-westerly point in Curacao, has most beautiful and pristine sandy beaches, soft as powder, made from the island’s white coral. The main beaches as you travel down the westerly coastline are Playa Kalki, Playa Forti, Playa Gipy, Grote Knip and Kleine Knip. The beaches are hidden between the rocky cliffs and magically appear as you motor off the coast in a boat or drive down the windy roadway. Some beaches are secret and secluded. Go to the northerly tip near the large coral geysers and you will find a snow white inlet that you can spend the day in peace and quiet.

I am going to show you how to fillet a Blackfin Tuna for sashimi and fish soup. Yum! If you are lucky to live in Curacao near Playa Piscado in Westpunt - pick up a whole tuna 1.5 kilograms or more. Once you have made a crescent cut, join the top incision with a straight cut on the top of the fish and then down the same from the gill down the belly. Do not cut too deep just to pierce the skin. You now have a cut around the one side of the fish. Now the tricky part. Grab the skin at the top point and pull the skin off slowly.

Watamula Cactus Scrublands is a haven for over two hundred bird species and other wildlife. The Iguanas is a perfect Villa animal: loves sun and hardly moves. The Whiptail Lizard is native to Curaçao: thin brown ones (lagadishi) are the females and young, the larger blue green ones (blò-blò) are male. Wara is a solitary scavengers that hunt for their food on the ground. Found on other islands, it is only called Wara Wara in Curacao, Aruba and Bonaire. Read more about the Cliff Villa residence.

Outside of the wonderful local fish and a few greenhouse herbs, the island has lots of imported options. Carrafour and Van den Tweel give you a slice of Europe - Van den Tweel is wonderful for self-squeezed orange juice but just doesn’t full the Curacao pantry for me. My favourite supermarket is Centrum … mainly because of the vegetable and fruit section - the life of any kitchen. Here is a shopping list for Centrum Supermarket based on what I deem to be necessities. I have broken them into categories: fish, soup, steak, dessert … I have also given high level cooking instructions to guide your selection.

The bird life and unique white-tailed deer are already in retreat from the urban zoning along the coast. Saving the pristine stretch of coastline along the tip of the island is a heritage for the next generation. The bird life and unique white-tailed deer are already in retreat from the urban zoning along the coast. Saving the pristine stretch of coastline along the tip of the island is a heritage for the next generation.  Westpunt is a destination for a growing number of tourists that seek scuba and land-based activities that are not readily available in the more developed part of the island.

Save Watamula! Save beautiful, iconic Watamula and make it part of the eco-corridor with Christoffel National Park … Red het prachtige, iconische Watamula en maak het onderdeel van de ecocorridor met Christoffelpark. This desert scrub eco-region is a haven for over two hundred bird species and other wildlife such as white-tailed deer. We all need to lobby to have this area protected for the forna, flora and wildlife. This is a valuable destination for tourists exploring the natural sea geysers carved into the coral. We are actively lobbying to make Watamula a protected nature preserve.

This soup is simple and allows you to substitute ingredients. What you cannot substitute is a fresh fish from Playa Grandi - Red Snapper is my go to fish however Tuna is also delicious. Fillet fish and use the left-over to make the stock. Place in pot with water and salt to boil. Chop white and red onions, scallions, leaks, garlic (lots of everything) Add dry bay leaves. Add salt, black and|or white pepper and two palm fills of paprika (important). Add cayenne pepper to taste

Fish of Westpunt, Curacao: Walk ten minutes from Cliff Villa to Playa Piskadó on the edge of Playa Grandi in Westpunt to buy fish directly from the fishing boats. Barracuda, Mahi Mahi, Blacktail Tuna, Yellowtail Tuna, Red Snapper, Queen Snapper, Yellowtail Snapper, Wahoo, Sailfish, Amberjack, Bluejack, Black Grouper, Lobster, Octopus, Lion Fish and many more.

There is no question that the following recipe is the best and most delicious ceviche in the Caribbean. It will change your life. It is simple and allows you to substitute ingredients. What you cannot substitute is a fresh fish from Playa Grandi - Blackfin Tuna is my go to fish however Red Snapper, Queen Snapper and Lionfish are also delicious. Add limes, brown sugar, red onion, scallions, passion fruit, kosher salt, hot pepper and love.

The discovery of the Blue Curacao drink is an amazing story - half mistake and half out of necessity. By accident the liqueur was invented on the island from the dried peels of the Laraha bitter orange imported from Spain. The Laraha orange now grows on Curaçao but it originated from the Seville orange, which Spanish explorers brought over in the early 1500s. It was a fortuitous discovery as the actual orange is too bitter to think of using in a recipe. Ingenious moonshine makers worked out that they could extract the delicate favor and Curaçao Liqueur was born.