A Curacao Pub Crawl – welcome to the Caribbean.
Finding ourselves in Wilemstad, Curacao on a Caribbean cruise we decided to try a different type of tour. So….a decision was quickly made to embark on an evening pub crawl in a comfortable mini bus!
But, before the bars, the incredibly colourful houses that can be seen in every street deserve a mention.
Colourful houses on a hill – Curacao
Folklore has it that a former governor of the island suffered from severe headaches. He believed this illness was aggravated by the sun’s brilliant reflections off the buildings that were all white.
So…he decreed that all building exteriors were to be painted any color but white.
Although it was later discovered that the governor was a shareholder in the island’s only paint store (!) the tradition of painting in vivid colors has continued. This makes the Willemstad’s Dutch and Spanish colonial style architecture one of the most stunning sights in the Caribbean.
Table of Contents
Mundo Bizarro – the first Curacao Pub Crawl stop.
Tango on Tuesday at Mundo Bizarro!
Located in the Pietermaai District, this cozy Cuban Lounge, was definitely a bar with a difference. An amazing mosaic bar took centre stage and the walls were covered in memorabilia that you’d need more than an evening to investigate and enjoy.
Very fancy mosaic bar – Mundo Bizarro, Curacao
Lining up for our complimentary drink gave time to drink in (excuse the pun) the Cuban atmosphere of this fascinating and hospitable place.
Cheers to Wim, the owner of Mundo Bizarro.
Quaint Bar – Mundo Bizarro.
City Beach 88 – Second Stop of the Curacao Pub Crawl
Well, this will do nicely thanks! A fabulous beach bar that offers oven-fired pizzas. If you order one that’s a metre in length (square ones) you get six free drinks! Sadly we’d eaten before we left the ship and couldn’t take up the challenge!
Caribbean Bucket List!
The atmosphere was magical – there were people snorkelling as the sun was getting lower in the sky, and others swaying to the Salsa music. Then there was our assistant guide trying to sneak in a selfie of himself!
Assistant Tour Guide sneaking in a selfie at City Beach 88.
The walls of City Beach 88 were covered with many colourful murals of turtles and flamingos which added to the Caribbean atmosphere. All too soon, we were back on the bus to our final watering hole.
Turtles and Flamingo art at City Beach 88.
Pirate Bay – Last stop of the Evening Curacao Pub Crawl
At Pirate Bay we were greeted by Captain Morgan no less – he who lays claim to fame to creating the famous spiced rum. Ahoy me hearties!!
Captain Morgan of Spiced Rum fame.
Although we didn’t actually see any pirates, they do say that the friendliest and most tranquil place on Curacao is the very pretty Piscadera Bay. This is where the Pirate Bay Caribbean Beach Bar and Restaurant sits on the white sandy shores of the Caribbean Ocean.
With such a spirited atmosphere and the sounds of many “Yo Ho Hos” we joined in with several other people and enjoyed more complimentary drinks.
Sitting on the sand in chairs and watching the sunset approach was certainly special. Some lucky people were even being served “Catch of the Day” freshly caught by the local fishermen. The menu also boasted “Caribbean Goat Curry” which sounded so tempting, but it was time to go by the time I’d read the menu!
Yes, this will do nicely to watch the sun go down!
With local musicians playing in the background, it was so difficult to find the enthusiasm to leave and board the mini bus back to the ship. I’d already switched to Island Time and was happy to stay MUCH longer.
Back Deck of City Beach 88
Did you know that Curacao is a Portugese word meaning “Heart.” Well the Island had certainly stolen my heart, although that was probably helped by the complimentary wines on our
Curacao Pub Crawl!
Handy to know:
- Royal Caribbean offers this tour on their 11 night Southern Caribbean Cruise.
- Duration of tour – three hours.
- Transport – mini bus.
- Walking minimal, but some over uneven surfaces.
- Cost (as at April 2019) – US$49.99 (AUD$71 approx.)
A pub crawl… brilliant! What a different & fun way to see Curaco. It looks like there were some magical sights enjoyed. I laughed at the story about the painted houses & the home owners being convinced to paint there homes in bright colours. But now the traditional continues & the bright homes are a draw card
Thank you for reading my post 🙂 I wonder how long it takes the residents to paint their houses very year – they must be quite passionate about continuing the history of the town!
This sounds like a fun pub crawl with much to see. Did you have any curaçao? As for the reason for the pretty pastel shades of the buildings, you could that’s interesting! I wonder what happened when the citizens found out about the paint factory connection.
Sadly I didn’t have any Curacao, but have tasted before (many years ago). I think the residents of the town must have been forgiving, because many of them still paint their houses a different colour EVERY YEAR! LOL 🙂 Thank you for reading my post!
Looks like such a fun place Joycee! I really love those coloured houses!
Beaches, bars and colour – no wonder you didn’t want to go back to the ship!
Ha ha…it definitely had a vibrant atmosphere! I thought Queensland was laid back, but I believe Curacao takes the cake. Where we went to anyway. There’ nothing more magical than sitting in a chair with the water lapping around your feet and a glass in the hand with the sun going down!
Many Congratulations, Joycee! I have nominated you for the Mystery Blogger Award. Please visit my website and have a look.
Wow – thank you. Now that we are back home from our 6 weeks holiday I’ll read all the conditions on your website. So much to do and so little time as they say. You are amazing with the amount of posts you deliver!
I think the Pirate Bay is my kind of place 🙂 with local music and watching the sun set over a pint or so…What an interesting your you’ve been on Joycee, so much fun. Enjoyed reading and glad you had a wonderful time also.
Noticed this excursion when sailing on the Jewel of the Seas to the Southern Caribbean this February (super cruise by the way). Seriously considered it, then remembered pub crawls mixed with mini-buses are not good for my stomach :). So thanks for filling me in on what I missed !
LOL! Thank you for your comment. I’d say that St Lucia was my favourite Island as it was lush and tropical in places. I was surprised, for example, with Bonnaire that was very dry, brown and lots of cactuses! I assumed everywhere in the Caribbean was tropical. Had a fabulous time though. 🙂
Hi Joycee, Is this tour available for travelers not on Royal Caribbean? Do you have a contact?
Hi there – there is a company called FB-TT Tours – http://www.fb-tt.com/ or email – info@fb-tt.com.
They may have individual tours but I’m not totally sure of this. One of the tours is called – Curacao Bar Hopping Tour”. Might be worth shooting them an email to ask. Good luck, and sorry for late reply 🙂