Travelling to Curacao on a Budget | A Canadian Perspective

Welcome to Curacao!

Looking for a great place to vacation while sticking to a budget? Embark with me on a journey to the beautiful island of Curacao, where the vibrant colors of the Caribbean come to life against the backdrop of azure waters and golden sands. Discover a paradise where Dutch colonial charm meets Caribbean flair, offering a unique blend of culture, history, and natural beauty.

Dive into crystal-clear waters teeming with colorful marine life, or wander through Willemstad’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, where pastel-hued buildings line the cobblestone streets. Indulge in the island’s rich culinary scene, savouring local specialties like Keshi Yena and fresh seafood infused with tropical flavors.

Whether you’re exploring hidden coves, hiking rugged trails, or simply soaking up the sun on pristine beaches, Curacao promises an unforgettable escape for the senses.

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Budgeting for Curacao timeline:

Travelling to a new place like Curacao might feel daunting, but I’m here to help you come up with a budget plan, a whole year in advance! Firstly, I start planning the budget for a holiday 9-12 months prior to us actually leaving home. I find this the best in terms of our family dynamic and budgeting hard-earned money.

We are both self employed, so factoring in times that work is slow, and our son is out of school are high on our priority lists. Obviously, this is not everyone’s life; but I know travelling on a budget can seem tricky for many people.

How I break it down is below:

• 9-12 months before – Decide on the destination, start saving favorite accommodations. Start to plan the budget. Loose itinerary is made.

• 6-9 months before – Book our Airbnb, or hotel. Pay half of the rental amount.

• 4-6 months before – Book flights; use companion voucher, travel rewards etc. Start nailing down the itinerary such as mapping out local grocery stores, restaurants, activities etc.

• 2-4 months before – Continue to work on the itinerary. Check reviews on our favorite activities to see if they book up quickly, & pay for them in advance if necessary.

• 1 month before – Pay the second half of the rental amount. Order foreign money from the bank or pick up from AMA. Start making lists of things you might need to buy over the next couple of weeks to take along.

• 1 week before – GET EXCITED! Start packing and make lists of everything to take. Eg. medication, sunscreen, first aid kit, etc.

• 2 days before – REPACK because I always pack too much 😉 Check weather updates for the location to see if there’s unexpected items you may need to buy like mosquito repellent.

• 24 hours before – Check into flight, pick seats if necessary. Double check foreign money and passports.

• VACATION TIME!

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Accommodation Budget

How much should you budget for accommodations? Reasonably priced accommodation for us in Curacao is around $240-$330/night. This is for self-catering villas, no All-Inclusive Resorts.

I like to break down our wants and needs list to help me settle on an average price, and then I look at the best looking villas and narrow it down. I never forget how much we pay in Alberta for basic accommodations such as a Super 8 hotel when booking; it really puts things in perspective.

We always book a place that has separate bedrooms and full kitchen. These are our non-negotiables. If we are going to splurge (like the Airbnb above $330/night), we may get a home/apartment with a ocean view, or close to the beach.

In hot climates, the pool was always a consideration, but now that my son is getting a little older not as important anymore.

Subsequently, we almost always do self-catering apartments or villas these days. Gone are the days we loved to do All-Inclusive Resorts. I’m not saying that All-Inclusives are bad, and they definitely have their place when you’re trying to plan a trip with zero worries.

You don’t have to be concerned about air-conditioning costs, or running out to the grocery store in Curacao. But, we really like the slow quiet pace and the complete privacy that a self-catering villa affords us. We eat what we want, when we want to.

One of my favorite things to do is trying new food items we’ve found at the local supermarket. It’s also nice to enjoy some of the same types of food you get at home – we are a sucker for giant tubs of Greek yogurt! If you have picky eaters, you can often find foods that are very similar if not the same to the ones you get at home.

There are actually only a handful of All-Inclusive Resorts in Curacao, it is not really a popular thing, and to be honest – I kind of hope the mega resorts stay the heck out of the country so they don’t destroy the coastline.

To be a good fit for my family, these are some of the quick questions I check off mentally when looking at accommodations:

1. Does it have separate bedrooms
2. Does it have a full kitchen
3. Does it have a washing machine
4. Does it have a pool
5. Does it have a view of the water or something else

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Car Rental Budget

You’ll need to have some money in your budget to pay for the car rental within 30 days of your trip to Curacao. We ALWAYS put the car rental on our credit card for insurance purposes at the pickup counter. Check with your credit card company on their insurance policies! Our Westjet credit card 100% took care of the car accident we unfortunately experienced in Curacao.

You NEED a car in Curacao. There is so much to see and explore, and even though the island is small – it’s VERY hot, and you need comfort to get around. We typically pay around $800 for two weeks for a mid sized car – nothing luxurious; as seen below. We use CarRentalNet, and have for years all over the world. Plug in your trip timeline and see what kind of deals come up!

*Tip: Make sure you book your car rental well in advance, it is an island and there are a limited amount of vehicles there.

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Flight Budget

Reasonably priced flights should be under $1000 for the direct journey to Curacao plus the Edmonton – Toronto leg. You can get cheap flights to Toronto almost anytime from Western Canada. We have paid anywhere from $800/pp all the way from Edmonton (round trip) to $1100/pp.

We love the ease of the direct flight through Toronto on Westjet Airlines to the stunning ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao).

The flight from Toronto to Curacao is just over 5 hours in duration. In my opinion, it’s the perfect amount of time to be on a plane – the time goes by quickly!

Westjet flies directly to the incredible islands of Curacao (and Aruba) typically around 3pm AST a couple of times a week. If you want to hit Bonaire or Aruba FROM Curacao, the Divi Divi airline (small interisland planes that carry 9 – 19 people) will take you there.

We fly into Toronto the night before our morning island flight, and either stay at the ALT Hotel which is just outside of the airport, or The Sheraton Gateway which is INSIDE terminal 3 a Pearson International.

*Tip Don’t forget to fill out your tourist card online 48 hours prior to entering the country. It will speed up your entry. It can be found here.

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Expenses at destination

Don’t forget to budget for your expenses at the destination! Lastly, we need to consider the expenses once we arrive. They are things like gasoline (we typically fill up twice over a 2 week period for less than $150) and food (groceries and restaurants).

The groceries can be a little expensive, but it depends on what your family likes to eat. We are generally paying what we pay in Edmonton for food, which is shocking considering Alberta is NOT AN ISLAND!

If you didn’t pay for your excursions ahead of time, you’ll have that as an expense as well. Some beaches are around $5-$10 to enter, and then $5-$10 per beach chair if that is your preference. The sand is always free!

I have some great tips if this is your first time to Curacao over on my other blog post. It includes restaurant, activity and beach suggestions.

Travelling to Curacao in the Caribbean | First timers Guide

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In conclusion, by following the steps in this way we end up paying for the trip starting around 9 months in advance. So we may pay $1500 here, and then another $2000 – $3000 after another couple of months, with the remaining balance paid very close to the actual trip.

This means we don’t have huge amounts of money coming out all at one time. This is SUPER important to us!! As self employed people; we get no ‘paid’ vacation time, and we actually lose money if we’re not at home physically working.

I hope you found these tips helpful in planning a budget to travel to Curacao for you and your family. You definitely don’t have to drop $10,000 on a trip all at once. We really prefer not to do that, and in this way find saving up for a fun holiday much easier.

Let me know if you think you want to take a trip to this beautiful island chain, we’re always looking for new friends to join us on our adventures!!

Happy Holidays!

Xoxo Tanya

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