This past week I had the opportunity to vacation in Curaçao, the small Dutch island in the southern Caribbean. Many factors went into why I chose Curaçao, but after extensive research on its resorts, culture, beaches and marine life, I knew I had to experience it for myself.

My girlfriend and I took a flight out of PHL and arrived in Curaçao after a brief layover in Miami. The beauty of the island’s terrain immediately stuck out to us — as you fly in, you can see mountains, beaches and plains all coexisting to provide a postcard-like visual.

We then got our bags through security and took a 45-minute taxi ride to our resort, Santa Barbara Beach and Golf Resort. The resort was located directly on the water and featured three different pools along with an incredible Pete Dye-designed golf course. Everything was impeccably maintained, and the staff was as friendly as could be — they greeted us upon our arrival with a classic blue Curaçao cocktail.

The island of Curaçao is quite small, but we knew we needed a rental car for everything we wanted to accomplish. Our activities included snorkeling with turtles, taking a boat trip to an uninhabited island, a tour of Willemstad (Curaçao’s capital city) and plenty of beachfront lunches during the day. We drove throughout Curaçao and were able to make it to almost every recommendation given to us beforehand.

We found Curaçao relatively underdeveloped, but in a great way. We never hit traffic during our drives, the beaches always had plenty of space, and it was never hard to find wildlife roaming out in public. We never had to worry about safety, plus everywhere we went accepted U.S. currency.

To me, Curaçao is one of the hidden gems out there. It doesn’t receive the same publicity as many other Caribbean islands, but it truly does provide something for everyone. It’s only a matter of time before I return.

— Chris Sager, account executive