Why We Fell in Love with Curaçao The Story Behind Villa Curoyal

There are holidays you remember. And then there are holidays that change something in you.

Our first visits to Curaçao naturally started as holidays. Sun. Sea. A few weeks away.

A chance to escape the Netherlands for a while at the time, we had no idea that this island would eventually become such a big part of our lives. Because somewhere along the way, something happened. We fell in love with Curaçao. Not just with the weather. Not just with the beaches. But with the feeling. And eventually, we reached a point where we thought:

Why should we only come here on holiday?

Just like it does for so many people. You book a trip. You look forward to the sunshine. You count down the days. And as soon as you land, you immediately realise you are somewhere different. The warmth. The blue sky. The sea. The way the day seems to begin without any rush. Everything feels just a little different. But what really touched us wasn't just the things you can capture in a holiday photo. It was the little things. A morning outside. A drive with no particular plan. A lunch that lasts much longer than expected. A conversation. A sunset. An evening when you actually haven't done anything at all.

And…We kept coming back

And that really says it all. After a holiday, you can do one of two things. You think: That was nice. Or you think: When can we go back? We definitely belonged to the second group. Curaçao kept coming up in our conversations. Over dinner. In the car. At home. “We should really…” “Next time, we have to…” “Should we…?”

And slowly, Curaçao became more than a holiday destination. It became a place where we could increasingly imagine ourselves.

What drew us in? The strange thing is that it's difficult to explain. When someone asks: “What is so special about Curaçao?” you can obviously say: The climate. The beaches. The sea. Willemstad. The nature. The food. All true. But that's not the whole story.

For us, it is mainly about the pace of life.

Curaçao feels less rushed. You more easily get the feeling that you have stepped out of the daily hustle and bustle for a while. That you don't constantly have to be somewhere. That your day doesn't have to be packed to be a good day. And perhaps you only truly appreciate that when you come from a life where almost every day is packed.

The island gradually became “our” island. After several visits, we started looking at Curaçao differently. The first few times, you explore as a tourist.  You want to see what everyone else sees. Later, you start looking for what you love. You discover your favourite beach. Your favourite restaurant. The places you love to visit. The roads you enjoy driving. The moments when the light is at its most beautiful. And suddenly, a place thousands of kilometres from home starts to feel a little familiar. We found that incredibly special.

And then came that one thought

At some point, the idea emerged: “Could we ever have something of our own here?” Not as a fully formed plan. More as a thought. Perhaps a dream. A villa in Curaçao. A place of our own. Somewhere we could go ourselves. Where family could come and stay. Where friends could visit. Where we wouldn't have to look for accommodation every time. Where you simply have your own towel waiting for you. Your own spot by the pool. Your own chair in the garden. It may sound like small things. But when you've fallen in love with a place, those are exactly the things that become important.

From dream to reality

A dream is easy, of course. Buying a house on the other side of the ocean is something else entirely. Suddenly, there is a lot to consider. Location. Financing. Maintenance. Property management. Insurance. Renting it out. And above all: having the courage to do it. Because at some point, you have to stop saying: “Maybe one day.” And decide: “We're just going to do it.” And then there was Villa Curoyal In 2024, we bought our villa in Curaçao.

Villa Curoyal.

A place we didn't see simply as an investment. Above all, we saw it as our own place on the island. A place with space. A beautiful garden. A swimming pool. A wonderful outdoor area. And most importantly: a place where we genuinely want to be ourselves. We then modernised the villa and gradually made it more and more like the kind of Curaçao villa we believe a holiday home should feel like. Not over the top. Not complicated. Just comfortable. Spacious. Relaxed. And above all: a place where your holiday begins naturally.

So why do we rent it out?

That's probably a logical question. Because if you have fallen so deeply in love with a place, why not keep it entirely for yourself? The answer is actually quite simple. We can't be there all year round. And the idea that other people can experience the same wonderful moments here that we do is something we genuinely love. That's why we rent out Villa Curoyal. And that's why we're writing these stories. Not because we're a travel agency. Not because we're pretending to be the official experts on Curaçao. But because we love this island so much that we want to share our enthusiasm for it.

So we're not completely objective

We might as well be honest about that. Ultimately, this website has one simple goal: to get you excited about Curaçao. And if you then decide to come to Curaçao, we obviously hope you'll stay with us. But precisely because of that, we also want to tell you honestly what we love. And sometimes, what we like less. Because Curaçao isn't a perfect postcard. It's a real island. With traffic. With wind. With dry seasons. With things that work differently than they do in the Netherlands. And that's exactly what makes it interesting. We don't just want to show you the beautiful photos. We want to show you why we fell in love with this place.

And our family? Perhaps that is ultimately the most important part of this story. Because Villa Curoyal didn't start as a business plan. It started with our family. Travelling together. Discovering together. Enjoying things together. Saying together: “We'd actually like to be here more often.” The villa eventually became a tangible version of that feeling. A place connected to memories. And hopefully, there will be many more memories to come. Not just ours. But also those of the people who come and stay here. That's why we want to tell you more than just where the beach is If all you want to know is where to rent a sun lounger, there are plenty of websites. If you simply want to know the ten most popular beaches, there are hundreds of lists. But we want to tell a different story. We want to tell you what it actually feels like to be here. Where we like to go. What we would do ourselves. Which days we would plan. And, perhaps most importantly: which days we wouldn't plan at all. Because ultimately, that's why we love Curaçao so much.

Maybe you'll recognise it. Maybe you've already been to Curaçao. And you know exactly what we mean. Maybe you're sitting in the US or The Netherlands right now thinking:

"I want to go there too”

Or maybe you've never been. In that case, we hope we make you curious. Not just about Villa Curoyal. But above all, about Curaçao. Because if you ask us what we would wish for someone visiting the island for the first time, it isn't a perfect holiday. It's something else. That one evening, you're sitting outside. The temperature is still wonderful. You have a drink in your hand. And for a moment, you don't have to think about anything at all..

Welcome to Villa Curoyal!

Villa Curoyal.

Our place in Curaçao.

And perhaps, soon, a little bit of yours too.

Dushi Curaçao.