Today’s adventure in Willemstad, Curacoa was well-planned and with the best private driver service, I could find.
To source my choice driver, I read travel forums and I look at their websites. Punctuality, safety, and knowledge are the key points I need to see.
We have to be back to the ship on time and safety is our number one priority.
Choosing not to take a cruise ship excursion is a personal decision, but as a travel writer, I seek out the best of the best then share them with you.
Buckle up and meet the best private driver service in Willemstad, Curacao. Lavishly live the city highlights and countryside west out loud in Curacao.
Best Private Driver Service in Curacao
Today’s post was made possible by Friendly Taxi Curacao. All opinions, images, and content are my own based on time spent with Sulainy (Su for short) and Friendly Taxi Curacao.
Planning and Correspondence
First things first, finding a great private driver service is not as easy as hopping into a cab.
Research, send emails back and forth and look for responsiveness. Su scores big kudos here. Sulainy (her full name) was not only responsive but descriptive in choices.
My email was responded to in less than 24 hours and was well-articulated.
Friendly Taxi Curacao really has the tour schedule together and can effectively execute (just came back from tour).
Don’t just walk in port and grab a cab, you really need to make the best use of your time there so set a plan for the discovery of Curacao.
Do note that it is over 1/2 hour from the port side to the west side, and you have to also allow for traffic (and there is a lot)!
Meeting Post ~ With Private Driver Service
Second, as we were planning she told me exactly where she would meet me, and that she would have my name on a sign.
There were no mishaps from the get.
Just as she said, Su was inside the gate, with a sign, waiting for my family.
Travel Accommodations ~ Private Driver Service
With larger families and larger groups, you need a van for travel and she offers a very clean van that accommodated all of us, brimming with ac (the heat was stifling out there).
Next, she made sure the kids knew how to work the handles on the van to get in and out and made us feel welcome to put the windows down.
The Trip
Su planned out our stops so we could really learn Curacao.
I don’t like the flouncy trips where everything we see is all perfect life and Su saw to it, I saw the real Curacao.
You tell Su what you want to see in those emails and she hammers out the details.
My description: “real life, beaches, top tourist destinations, and the bridge”, her delivery, way more than I could ever imagine.
She even stopped at the top of the Queen Julia Bridge, wait for my Top Attractions in Curacao to see this story!
Su explained that Curacao is one of the Caribbean’s UNESCO World Heritage cities.
Further, she explained to us to take it all in.
Enjoy the city, and all the architecture, the lovely, spirited pastel-colored buildings because this is the only other place you will see this Dutch colonial architecture and color unless you travel to the Netherlands.
The Itinerary ~ Water Purification Center with fresh slurps for all
What I understand is that the Curacao water has been questionable in the past but Su made sure that we understood, and sampled the water.
Su stopped at the plant, told the security that I was a travel writer and that we needed to really taste the water and photo.
She’s a firecracker, you gotta love her passion.
Now I had to read more and you can read more about the Curacao water purification here.
Blue Bay Curacao Golf & Beach Resort (pit stop)
After a quick tour through a neighborhood where her family grew up and an explanation of how the properties work, we moved on to a 1/2 hour drive.
Before we left, we stopped at the Blue Bay Curacao Golf Resort.
The water was incredible, the resort was perfection and our pit stop quick.
Flamingo Pink Please ~ Your Private Driver Will Deliver
With all the attractive sherbert-like colors on this island, the flamingos add more.
They are not there breeding, rather feeding on the Brine shrimp in the old salt ponds.
The Brine shrimp provide the carotene which makes the Flamingos have a pink color. Mystery solved!
National Park SHETE BOKA
We crave adventure and trust me, this was an adventure.
From rocky walkways, and caves to water feverishly splashing up and over the rocks.
No step was guaranteed safe and in fact, there are deaths each year in this park.
So why did I want to go?
The raw factor, ecology, and the natural ruggedness of the surrounding area, just is perfection.
Big Knip Beach
I have more incredible images to share with you of Knip Beach, including some snorkeling and depth of the water. It’s awesome.
The Tallest Bridge in Curacao – Queen Juliana Bridge
I am going to tell you a secret, Su stopped at the beginning of the bridge and it was crazy high.
We have several photos I will share with you in the Best of Curacao article.
Wedding Cake House
Located in the Scharloo neighborhood it’s simply famous.
The architecture alone is astounding to stare at. If you are headed to Punda it is super close in proximity.
The Famed Dutch Colonial architecture, the photo everyone wants to capture, and the one you gotta Instagram! 
Did I mention this is not even close to my best image?
Also if you want to know a secret of where to get the best photo of the Punda side stay tuned.
The walking tour of Curacao is incredible as well.
The bridge you see there is the famed Swinging Bridge, a pontoon bridge, the only working one in the world!
So if you want to experience my tour, you need to get a hold of Su at Friendly Taxi Curacao.
Our tour took about 3 1/2 hours to cover the areas and attractions we did and truly we needed about 2 more hours to swim at Big Knip and to explore SHETE BOKA a bit more.
Lavishly live travel out loud and use the best private driver service in Curacao! ~ DANA
