Some places are best discovered without a strict plan. Otrobanda is one of them. Step outside, choose a street that looks interesting and see where it takes you. You might find a mural covering an entire façade, a quiet courtyard hidden behind a colourful building or a small café that makes you stay longer than expected. Staying at Nubia puts this part of Willemstad right on your doorstep. So leave the checklist behind for a day and discover the neighbourhood slowly, one street, coffee and colourful corner at a time.
Start the morning in Otrobanda
Mornings are a lovely time to explore Otrobanda. The streets are still relatively quiet, the temperature is comfortable and the neighbourhood slowly comes to life around you. Rather than immediately crossing towards Punda, spend some time on this side of the harbour first. Walk through the historic streets, notice the mix of restored buildings and everyday neighbourhood life and stop when somewhere catches your attention. Otrobanda rewards curiosity. You do not need a carefully planned walking route to experience it.
Breakfast at Maira’s Kitchen
If you want to start with breakfast or coffee, Maira’s Kitchen on Hoogstraat is a lovely place to wander towards. Set inside a historic building in Ser’i Otrobanda, it combines a relaxed terrace with colourful murals and plenty of greenery. The menu has Caribbean and Mediterranean influences and breakfast is served in the morning. From here, you are already in a good position to continue exploring the neighbourhood on foot, with some of Otrobanda’s colourful streets and street art waiting just around the corner.
Follow the colours, not the shortest route
Street art has become part of Otrobanda’s identity. More than 60 murals can now be found around the neighbourhood, alongside painted staircases, colourful façades and smaller works that are easy to miss when you are moving too quickly. Many of them are connected to the local community and tell stories about Curaçao, its people and its culture. Instead of searching for every mural on a map, let the colours guide you. Take a different street, look around corners and give yourself permission to wander.
- Look for murals and colourful staircases around the neighbourhood
- Explore the smaller streets away from the waterfront
- Take your time around Ser’i Otrobanda
- Bring your camera, but remember to look beyond the screen too
Wander into Kurá Hulanda Village
Eventually, make your way towards Kurá Hulanda Village. This historic part of Otrobanda feels almost like a small village within Willemstad, with narrow streets, courtyards and carefully restored buildings. Today you will find restaurants, cafés, galleries, shops and creative spaces here, alongside the well-known museum. It is a good place to arrive without a specific goal. Browse a small shop, have something cold to drink, look at some art or simply find a shaded spot and decide what you feel like doing next.
Make lunch part of the day
There is no reason to treat lunch as something to squeeze between activities. Food is part of experiencing Curaçao, and Otrobanda gives you plenty of opportunities to stop for a while. Kurá Hulanda Village alone now has several different places for breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee and drinks. Choose somewhere that appeals to you and enjoy not having somewhere else to be immediately afterwards. It is often these unplanned stops, rather than the places you carefully saved before your trip, that become part of the story you take home.
Return to Nubia when the afternoon gets warm
One of the pleasures of staying in the middle of a neighbourhood is being able to return to your own space whenever you want. When the Curaçao sun is at its strongest, head back to Nubia for a slower part of the afternoon. Cool off in the plunge pool, read in the courtyard or simply do nothing for a while. Both of our suites are designed as a quiet base from which you can experience Willemstad at your own pace, rather than somewhere you only return to at the end of a busy day.
Head outside again when the light changes
Later in the afternoon, Otrobanda changes again. The heat softens, the light becomes warmer and the streets invite you back outside. Walk towards the waterfront, cross the Queen Emma Bridge for a view of the Handelskade or stay on the Otrobanda side for dinner and drinks. You do not need to fit everything into one day. Tomorrow can be for the beach, the coast or another part of Curaçao. Have a look at our experiences for more ideas when you are ready to explore beyond the neighbourhood.
No checklist required
Perhaps the nicest thing about a day in Otrobanda is that there does not have to be a highlight. It can simply be breakfast somewhere nearby, a mural you did not expect to find, a long lunch, an afternoon dip and another walk as the sun starts to drop. Nubia gives you a place to come home to in between. And when so much of Willemstad is already waiting outside your door, sometimes the best plan is not to make too many plans at all.
