I am in love with this place.
It was on my first trip to the island years ago (during pre-COVID times) when I started feeling that some things are different from my other Caribbean trips. At first I fell for Curaçao in general, just the way I am attracted to people who smile genuinely, regardless of the frequency, and possess the ability of speaking their mind while having a melodrama-free attitude. The island is beautiful like any Caribbean island, but it’s just the right size, not too small and not too big. Every Caribbean island has colorful birds but Curaçao is bursting with them in all sizes and colors, so much so that it made perfect sense when I started seeing gorgeous bobcats slowly crossing the road. Curaçao’s architecture is as amazing as any other tourist destination, but it has the oldest synagogue in the western hemisphere and Willemstad, the gorgeous capital city, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
All those “buts” got me but, surprise-surprise, there was one more.
It was a pan of paella. I am not going to bother talking about Curaçao’s beaches here, as all of the Caribbean islands have beautiful beaches. However, I should mention my life partner – oh yes, he often speaks his mind while walking through life with a melodrama-free attitude. After spending a day on a Coral Estate beach sprinkled with palm trees, we were sharing a pan of paella for lunch when a thought popped into my head. I should have ordered paella for myself and not share. It was a strange thought for me, as I am big on sharing food and feel that the very purpose of eating with someone is sharing. The way I felt was confusing to me, so I pulled out my phone and started researching Coral Estate Luxury Resort. The layout of this luxury resort incorporates the nature around it so well that Leonardo Da Vinci’s saying “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” could be the resort’s tagline. Once I was done with my searches and information-gathering I felt heavyhearted, I wouldn’t be able to afford this life, ever. To brush away heavy thoughts we left a restaurant review on Google.
Karakter Beach-Lounge -Restaurant review
Two years later, I was eating paella at Karakter again. My life partner and I had bought one of the Lanais in the Coral Estate and named it Casita Curaçao. We share it 50-50. This time I had my own paella pan and felt like I have so much to share with the world about this place, about the journey of owning a piece of it and enjoying the island life. Unfiltered. Stay tuned.
Casita Curacao 