Westpunt

Westpunt is the village at the far northwestern end of the island, a scatter of houses, a church, a few restaurants and dive operations, and it functions as the base for the western end: Playa Forti below it, Playa Piskado and Playa Kalki within a few minutes, Grote Knip and Christoffel Park a short drive back east. It is around an hour from Willemstad, which is far enough that the western end feels separate from the rest.

History

Westpunt first appears on maps of the Dutch West India Company around 1700. In 1849 the Savonet plantation gave land to the Catholic Church for a church and school, and the church was finished in 1853; in the 1860s a village, today's Sabana Westpunt, grew up around it, settled by people newly freed by the abolition of slavery. Nearby is the Kenepa estate, named after the kenepa tree, once one of the island's most prosperous plantations, producing divi-divi pods and wool; it was here, on 17 August 1795, that enslaved workers led by Tula began the Curaçao slave revolt. Some 35 kilometres from Willemstad, the village stayed isolated for most of its history, and holiday homes and resorts have only recently appeared along the coast (Wikipedia, Westpunt).

What to look for

• The village - houses, a church and a handful of restaurants at the island's end.
• The beach access - Forti, Piskado and Kalki all within a few minutes.
• The dive operations - the shops working the reefs off the northwestern tip.
• The distance - an hour from Willemstad, far enough to feel separate.

When to go

Year round; the western end is quieter than the south coast at all seasons. Weekends bring day visitors from town. Restaurants keep short hours.

Things to know

Facilities are limited and restaurants close early and unpredictably. Everything is spread out and a car is essential. It is an hour of driving from the capital each way.

Nearby

Playa Forti is below, and Playa Kalki is northeast.

Key facts