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| Airport Parking | Airport Hotels & Parking | Airport Lounges | Car Hire | Cheap Travel Insurance |
 Car Hire & Driving in Curacao, CuracaoWelcome to Curacao Car Hire, Curacao; available at Curacao Lions Drive Hotel.Curaçao, the largest island in the Netherlands Antilles, is part of the Dutch Leeward Islands, also known as the Dutch Antilles. Willemstad, the capital, is noted for its brightly-coloured, Dutch-style houses and range of other interesting and complementary architectural styles, including Cunucu houses (based on African-style mud and wattle huts), thatched cottages and country houses, all of which you can see from your hire car. Willemstad has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is one of the finest shopping centres in the Caribbean. Monuments of interest in the city which you can see from your hire car include the Statue of Manuel Piar, a famous freedom fighter, and two statues associated with the Second World War: one given by the Dutch royal family to the people of Curaçao (in recognition of their support), and one in commemoration of those who lost their lives. The mustard-coloured Fort Amsterdam, now the seat of government of the Netherlands Antilles, stands at the centre of historic Willemstad, which from 1648-1861 was a fortified town of some strategic importance. The fort's church which you can visit in your hire car is still standing and doubled as a storehouse for provisions put by in case of siege; specially designed storerooms for food, sails and other essentials may still be seen during a trip their in your hire car. A cannonball is still embedded in the church's southwest wall. Nearby in your hire car is the present Governor's Residence, dating back to the Dutch colonial days. Also worth seeing from your hire car are the Queen Emma Pontoon bridge and the Queen Juliana Bridge. The latter spans the harbour at a height of 490m (1600ft). The harbour itself has a floating market where colourful barges full of agricultural produce can be seen from your hire car. Nearby in your hire car is the new market building, the design of which is very striking. The market comes to life after 0600 on a Saturday morning. The architecture of the Scharloo area, reached by crossing the Wilhelmina Drawbridge, is fascinating to see from your hire car, dating from as early as 1700. The Mikvé Israel Synagogue is the oldest in the Americas and, like the Jewish Beth Heim Cemetery, is worth a visit in your hire car. Its courtyard museum has a fine collection of historical artefacts. Besides the excellent beaches and hotel resorts, the island of Curacao itself has a number of other points of interest which you can see from your hire car. Just outside Willemstad in your hire car is the modern site of the Netherlands Antilles University, and further along the western road in your hire car are the Landhuis Papaya (a country house), the Ceru Grandis (a three-storey plantation house) and the driftwood beach of Boca San Pedro. Also of note is Boca Tabla, the thundering underwater cave of the north coast and the picturesque fishing village of Westpoint, worth a visit in your hire car. St Christoffel National Park, occupying the most northwestern part of Curacao island, is a nature reserve dominated by the St Christoffel Mountain, which you can visit in your hire car. There are several caves decorated with Arawak Indian paintings, some unusual rock formations and many fine views across the countryside - the ruins of the Zorguliet Plantation and the privately owned Savonet Plantation and the Savonet Museum may be seen from your hire car at the base of the mountain; the latter dates back to the 18th century and is still in use today. The indigenous flora includes orchids and some very interesting evergreens, which you can see from your hire car. As well as the interesting birdlife, the visitor to St Christoffel Park might see iguanas and the shy Curaçao deer. Well worth a visit in your hire car are the interesting Caves of Hato. Magnificent stalactite formations, wall paintings and underground streams with cascading waterfalls can be seen within the 4900m (16,076ft) labyrinth. Your hire car can be picked up from Curacao Lions Dive Hotel. The Lion’s Dive & Beach Resort is a very friendly 72 room (of which 3 are apartments with kitchens) hotel situated right next door to Curacao’s famous Sea Aquarium. Set on one of the best beaches on the island, the hotel boasts its dive shop, "Ocean Encounters." The hotel began as the Lions Club of Curacao in 1987, and was specifically designed to cater to divers and has grown quite considerably since the beginning. From the start the Lions Dive hotel has been nature oriented and maintains those principles today.
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