Curaçao - Adventure Guide to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao - page 257

You may notice the Free Trade Zone located at the harbor. It's a regional
distribution center for companies that buy merchandise in large quanti-
ties to sell in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. This is not
a duty-free shopping mall for tourists.
The oldest and most interesting shops are located in a five-block area of
Punda bordered by Handelskade and Sha Caprileskade on the water-
fronts, Breedestraat to the south, and Columbusstraat to the east. Most of
the stores are lined up along Heerenstraat and Breedestraat.
Penha and Sons ( 461-2266), at the corner of Heerenstraat and

Breedestraat, was built in 1708 and is the oldest building in the city. The
store has several branch locations and is known for high-end perfumes
and clothing. Boolchand's , a camera and electronics company known
widely throughout the Caribbean, is headquartered on Curaçao and has
several stores in Punda, including Electronic World on Heerenstraat
across from Penha ( 461-6233).

Freeport Bargain Center at Heerenstraat 8 ( 461-5361) and

Freeport Jewelry at Heerenstraat 25 ( 461-3764) have good deals on

cameras, jewelry, watches, crystal, and porcelain. The New Amsterdam
Store , Gomerzpein 14 (

461-3239), opened in 1925 and is well known for
hand-embroidered table linens and fine porcelain by Lladro, Hummel, and
Delft. Peltenburg Design , on the Gomezplein #7 ( 465-2944), features

unique interchangeable jewelry crafted by Dutch designer Jan
Peltenburg. One of the best art galleries on the island is Gallery '86
(

461-3417) at Scharlooweg 8.
The Yellow House , at Breedestraat 46 (

465-1427), has been in busi-
ness since 1887. It carries exquisite perfumes and cosmetics by companies
such as Guerlain, Dior, and Elizabeth Arden. Little Holland ,

Braedestraat 37 ( 461-1768), sells a nice selection of shorts, shirts, ties,

and prestigious cigars. Before you leave Punda, walk through the small
shops in the Waterfort Arches behind Fort Amsterdam.
On the Otrobanda side of town, look for unique shops, such as Bamali ,at
Breedestraat 2 (

461-2258), which sells Indonesian-inspired clothes
designed by the shop's owners, and Curaçao Creations (

462-4516) on
Schrijnwerkerstraat, off Breedestraat, a gallery of crafts made by local
artists. Riffort Village , a shopping and entertainment center inside the
seaside ramparts of Otrobanada's 19th-century fort, is now fully devel-
oped, and you will find a variety of shops inside the walls.

Where to Stay

N ew and remodeled luxury resorts are conspicuous proof

that tourism is thriving and growing on Curaçao. Big
players such as Marriott, Hilton, and SuperClubs have spar-
kling new facilities, and independent owners are sinking
millions of dollars into sumptuous resorts such as Kurá