Grote Knip

Playa Kenepa Grandi, universally called Grote Knip, is the beach that appears on every Curaçao poster: a broad curve of white sand in a bay walled by low limestone cliffs, with water that shifts through several shades of blue because the sand shelves gradually before dropping off. A rock ledge on the northern side is used for jumping, and coral along both edges of the bay gives decent snorkelling. It is public and free, with a snack bar and shade huts.

What you actually see

• The bay - a broad white curve between low limestone cliffs.
• The jumping ledge - the rock platform on the northern side people leap from.
• The colour bands - the shelving sand that gives the water its layered blues.
• The edge coral - snorkelling along both sides of the bay.

When to go

Year round; the water is warm at all seasons. Cruise-ship days fill it from mid-morning. May to November sees fewer visitors.

Honest expectations

It fills up badly on cruise days and at weekends and parking runs out. The jumping ledge causes injuries every year. Facilities are a snack bar and toilets, nothing more.

Nearby

Landhuis Knip is above the beach, and Playa Jeremi is southeast.