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Options Abound in Curaçao
By : Eagle Latitudes
When you stay at both the Hotel and Lodge at Kura Hulanda in Curaçao, you can play beach bum and city slicker during one vacation. Those who love action gravitate towards the Hotel Kura Hulanda Spa and Casino. The property, whose name means "Dutch courtyard," sits squarely in the middle of a village amid the bustle of UNESCO World Heritage site and capital Willemstad. Kura's eight-block span is studded with 80 art and antique-filled rooms set in restored 18th- and 19th-century Dutch colonial buildings, two gourmet restaurants, a small casino and full-service spa complete with cooling eco pond pool. But the pièce de résistance is the on-site museum's jaw-dropping African slave trade collection.
Queen Emma's swinging pontoon bridge is the link to the stores carrying the island's eponymous blue liqueur, unique jewelry and art. Crossing back, guests craving beach time return to the hotel and climb aboard their free shuttle and head 40 minutes away to the two-year-old oceanside sister property, Lodge Kura Hulanda & Beach Club. The 74 condo-style rooms are modern and outfitted with various amenities, including outdoor showers. But for $100 a night, one lucky (read: adventurous) couple can play Tarzan and Jane in the rustic but charming Treehouse, which is 11 feet above the ground and literally takes camping to a higher level. Country life gets ornate, especially if you request a stay in the more opulent Treehouse Mansion. Kura's owner Jacob Gelt Dekker commissioned the open-air haven in an ode to his Africa sojourns. It's decked out with an Indian day bed, supple animal skins and a canopy bed that's the epitome of romance. While not widely publicized, time it right (when Jacob's not in town) and a night here can be yours for $1000. kurahulanda.com
For more information about the island of Curacao, please visit: ExperienceCuracao.com.
Book your trip today! Visit www.aa.com, call American/American Eagle reservations at 1-800-433-7300, or call your travel agent for more information.
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