Curaçao’s airport, Hato International is located a few miles to the north of Willemstad and brings in passengers from North and South America, Europe, and the Caribbean. There are direct flights from the likes of Miami (American Airlines), as well as Newark, while direct services from Europe’s Amsterdam with KLM and Arkefly, and from Dusseldorf with Air Berlin are also available. Hato International Airport handles more than a million passengers each year.
Shuttles arrive from nearby Aruba and Bonaire (the other members of the ‘ABC’), as well as from the main countries in the Caribbean, including Jamaica (Montego Bay). It is not cheap to fly to Curaçao and all departing passengers have to pay a departure tax, apart from KLM fliers.
Hato International Airport has just one, recently built terminal which has good facilities. Arrivals, Departures, and Check-in are all easy to navigate and the airport has bridges to the planes. Inside are ATMs, a currency exchange, information desks (where English is spoken), and Wi-Fi. There is also decent shopping, including duty-free, where you can buy liquor, cigarettes, and perfume. There are bars, cafés, and restaurants if you get hungry.
Taxis to the downtown Curaçao and resorts run 24 hours from just outside arrivals or call +599-9-869-0752. They are quite expensive so you can share one if you are traveling by yourself or as a couple. Minivans also serve the airport, as do private shuttle buses provided by the top hotels so it pays to check if your hotel offers a transfer service. Cheap Autobus Busbedrijf Curaçao public buses also serve the facility.
For car rental, Budget, Avis, Alamo, National, Thrifty, and Hertz all have desks at Hato International Airport and vehicles can be pre-booked online. All budgets and types of vehicle can be found, with prices a bit higher than the US Eastern Seaboard cities. Willemstad is seven miles away, about a 15 minute drive to the south via Franklin D. Rooseveltweg, while Mambo Beach is slightly father and requires crossing over the Queen Juliana Bridge.
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