SOMETIMES, THE BEST WAY TO SEE CURAÇAO IS TO DIVE RIGHT IN

"It all started on a whim", says travel writer and avid diver Bret Sigillo about his first experience of the island. "I was looking for an exotic place that had great diving." The rest, as they say, is history.

Originally lured by Curaçao's many beach access dive spots and the ability to dive morning, noon and night, Bret and his dive group kept discovering more and more above the surface and turned an impromptu dive trip into an annual retreat.

"After going back year after year, we found out that the trip was more about the social activities after the diving, and diving was just sort of something we did to fill the time during the day. Whether it was partying downtown or going out to a great restaurant or even just spending time as a group at home, everything about the experience was great."

On staying local

As a travel writer, Bret loves being around the locals. "For me, it's part of what I do. I try to find places that are off the beaten path; I don't do the tourist thing. I'm much more comfortable amongst the locals – seeing where they eat and how they live, it's all part of absorbing the culture, learning the language, and doing what somebody would do who actually lived there."

Curaçao, in a word

"Diversity." For Bret, Curacao's mix of people and the 4 languages spoken on-island is what really stands out, as well as the variety of things to see and do. "You can have a really adventurous, diving vacation, but it’s equally attractive to just do nothing and bask in the beauty of the island, and then fit in as much as you want to when you need to."

"What I found with the Curaçao beaches is they were like little mini-resorts. You could go and have a meal and have wireless internet. It was just a totally different experience than other islands I’ve been to, and why I would choose that one over another island."