A Guide to Safe Caribbean Destinations for LGBTQIA+ Travel

Curaçao’s breezy spirit will make LGBTQIA+ tourists like me really feel welcome, many thanks to a friendly and welcoming tradition, catered nightlife, events and lodging, and a Pleasure celebration.

Although its neighbor and sister island Aruba generally steals the spotlight, Curaçao is a hidden gem acknowledged for its indicating “Biba i laga Biba” which interprets to “Stay and enable stay.”

LGBTQIA+ tourists that descend on Curaçao are welcomed by this mind-set and surrounded by lots of purely natural splendor, pristine waters, and coral reefs, not to mention 70 dive websites, 35 alluring beaches, and lovely Dutch Caribbean architecture during. 

Curaçao’s file on rights and protections for LGBTQIA+ travelers is not as robust as some of the other options on this listing, but the tiny island is earning development, and attitudes are presently friendlier to queer travelers than most other destinations in the Caribbean.

Discrimination legal guidelines are in spot for queer people today and identical-sex sexual activity is lawful, but very same-sexual intercourse marriage alone is not legal nonetheless inspite of there remaining an ongoing debate and movement for that to change shortly. Legal rights for trans people are presently nonexistent. 

The place to go: Though I haven’t been for the duration of the festival by itself, Curaçao hosts a Delight parade and other year-spherical functions catered at queer individuals, and there are various LGBTIA+ associations on the island.

The once-a-year Carnival celebrations — filled with costumes, floats, dancing, and a celebratory temper — materialize in February and have very long drawn queer travelers like myself. Meanwhile, Mambo Seashore is a gay-welcoming seaside with various fashionable seashore clubs.

Irrespective of its lesser sizing, Curaçao also has good nightlife options for LGBTQIA+ vacationers, including the committed Rainbow Lounge and Bar. Cabana Beach front has a blended, helpful crowd, as does Damp & Wild Seaside Club, which hosts a popular Sunday Funday-fashion working day get together. 

On the island, choose ATV rides by means of Shete Boka Countrywide Park, hike the maximum peak on the island at Christoffel National Park, or choose for underwater aqua safari tours, snorkeling, and diving.

For a bucket list encounter, book a private boat charter to the uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao, “Tiny Curaçao,” in which you will delight in secluded and pristine shorelines, a jaw-dropping shipwreck, and a lighthouse. 

Exactly where to continue to be: The majority of lodges are gay-friendly and the island has found a surge of new openings in the previous two many years, including Curaçao Marriott Seaside Vacation resort, Desires Curaçao Vacation resort, Spa & On line casino, and soon, couples will enjoy the initially Sandals on the island — Sandals Royal Curaçao. 

My recommendation is the gay-welcoming Bario Hotel, which has reasonable prices on studio, suite, and condominium-style accommodations.

Baoase Luxury Vacation resort is a different queer-pleasant preferred and has an island-chic, welcoming atmosphere, and villa-design and style rooms, several of which include private plunge pools.

Other tips: In the principal port town of Willemstad, Pietermaai is a stylish neighborhood that appeals to queer site visitors and is equivalent to Miami’s Wynwood, filled with murals and trendy spots to consume and have a evening out.