The San Juan Plantation of Curaçao
The plantation San Juan was built in 1662 and is located between the plantations Cas Abou and Santa Martha. Early in the 17th century, sugar-cane, cotton and indigo were grown along with the breeding of live stock in this fertile valley.
This plantation is very unique because the history is relatively well documented and worth a visit because of the cool, shady driveway with Mansalinjas leading up to the plantation. We also strongly recommend a visit to one of the 4 beaches (playas) of the plantation.
Interesting Fact: The main house of the Plantation is, for the most part, intact however it is not inhabited and is closed to the public.
Today, the relatively clean appearance is largely owed to a fresh exterior renovation it received when it was used as one of the primary filming locations for the 2013 film Tula: The Revolt starring Danny Glover.
Another filming location used in this film, that is based on true events of the Curaçao slave uprising of 1795, was the Kenepa Plantation.
Discover the San Juan Plantation Beaches
The main draw of the San Juan area are the beautiful and undeveloped beaches that exist on the fringes of the plantations coastline.
Although many sources only refer to three beaches, there are in fact four in total.
From west to east these include a small cove, next to Boca Grandi called Playa Chiki, then the known beaches of Playa Manzaliña, Playa Shon Mosa, and Playa Largu.
Directions to the San Juan Plantation
If you want to visit San Juan while in Curaçao, the entrance to the plantation is located on Weg Nar Westpunt, approximately 30 KM from Willemstad.
The turnoff is well marked where you will find a gate near the main road which is closed in the evenings to block access to the property. A long gravel road will lead you through the fields up to the plantation house itself where you will be greeted at the house by a representative of the family who will collect 10 guilders per vehicle.
CLICK HERE for GOOGLE directions. Please note, the road leading to the beaches is rough so it is not advised for smaller cars.
Start Exploring the many things to do in Curaçao
Scuba Diving in Curacao is the number one thing to DO – but of course there are plenty of things to do in Curaçao and no right way to experience any of them.
But if love snorkeling, diving, adventure, hiking, biking, exploring or just simply want to chill out on the beach, we can assure you, the San Juan Plantation is the perfect place to disappear into nature!
Simply, it is your choice to experience it all, but it is also a perfect choice to do nothing at all too!
