Willemstad

Those of you who follow me on social media know that this summer my vacation destination was Willemstad, but I decided to also add it to my Shopspot blog to further talk about how awesome this city and the island of Curaçao is.

Willemstad is the capital of the beautiful island of Curaçao located south of the Caribbean sea.

It is the biggest island of the Dutch Antilles and is one of The ABC Islands of The Netherlands.

For me it is not the first time here so I’m really happy to share some of the Island’s  interesting spots to shop and visit.

I visited the Island during the Curaçao Jazz Festival, which is the perfect festival to go to with friends and family because the artists are often legendary, so people from all ages and walks of life can enjoy the music and each other.

Willemstad is a very beautiful city with a lot of magnificent colonial houses in vibrant pastal colors.

The city is split up in 2 parts, Punda is the oldest part and on the other side is Otrabanda.

The two parts are connected to each other by a floating wooden bridge called the Queen Emma bridge.

Nowadays Punda and Otrabanda offer a lot of clothing shops but you have to look very closely to find something that is stylish, which unfortunately enough wasn’t always the case in the city.

Luckily there are also a couple of malls a bit further out that I will discuss later on.

There are however a few shops I love to visit in the center.

Penha:

Is a wonderful store on the corner of Heerenstraat that sells perfumes, cosmetics, apparel and accessories.

They have the best brands such as Estée Lauder, Chanel, Mac, Dior,…

The cosmetics people are very friendly and love to give you a make-up session while giving you all the information about the latest make-up trends and tips on how to create the perfect look.

I’m telling you ladies this store is amazing, and very dangerous for your wallets but an absolute must as a real shop spot.

Out of all the brands I saw there was a new brand that caught my attention the most it is called Too Faced.

It's a brand founded by Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson who both have had carriers with brands such as Estée Lauder, Armani and Chanel.

Over the years they have managed to differentiate themselves in the market with a vision to unapologeticaly bring back glamour and femininity and have become a leading brand.

It is a cruelty-free cosmetics brand and propose vegan product.

I have bought the long wear lipstick and let me tell you the Lipstick is amazing it DOES NOT COME OFF for a really long time.

And their other products looked amazing ass well, they are not cheap but the quality suits the price.

Emilia:

Is a trendy boutique in Hanchi Snoa with clothing, bikini’s and accessories.

The sales ladies are very friendly and will go to great lengths to find the perfect outfit or bikini for you, they are truly great stylists.

It is a large shop where you will definitely find something stylish to wear.

They have a large range of swim clothing with brands such as Banana Moon,… the shop is really a must.

Besides these shops there is also a Victoria’s Secret shop in Heerenstraat

In and around Windstraat there are a few art galleries witch I also found interesting.

With shops and galleries from different artists such as the Chi Chi shop, Nena Sanchez, Merly Trappenberg, Happy Paintings, etc.

From all that shopping of course your feet need a break, the restaurant called the Gouverneur in Otrabanda is the perfect stop for a drink and a quick bite, the inside of the restaurant is really magnificent and the patio is truly amazing.

Also at the other side in Otrabanda you also have great shopping opportunities found at the Rennaissance hotel, there is the Rennaissance mall & Rif Fort.

Here you will also find good shops such as Mango, Tommy Hilfiger,…

You will also find different Malls a bit further out at the Schottegatweg close to the roundabout.

Zuikertuin Mall:

It is a small mall with shops such as R. Fashion, Onix, Quiksilver, Freeport jewelers, Emilia too, Eline and other jewelers and children shops.

Promenade Shopping Center and Bloempot shopping center are also in that area.