Playa Santa Martha in Soto, Curaçao
There are several dive sites you can reach from Playa Santa Martha by shore such as Mako’s Mountain, The Airplane Wreck and Mike’s Place.
Mushroom Forest, The Blue Room and Duane’s Release are a few of the many dive sites nearby which can be reached by boat.
Straight out from the breakwaters there was a marking buoy, which identified the remains of a small plane, hence the name Airplane Wreck. The remains are covered in growth and make for nice macro photos.
Traveler Tip: Visit the restaurant at Landhuis Klein Santa Martha that serves a variety of delicacies. Enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner and cocktails with a breathtaking view of Santa Martha Bay. They offer local, international, as well as vegetarian cuisine. Reserve a table for you and your loved ones because they are open for you everyday of the week.
Dive in and Explore Santa Martha Bay
Santa Martha Bay is such a beautiful spot on Curacao, it has a great view, and shows the island in a different way. It is quiet, because this place is not visited by tourists that much. The bay is near the village of Soto.
And a visit to the plantation house Landhuis Groot Santa Martha is one of the few houses built in a U-shape, it’s definitely worth to visit it. The plantation house now serves as a care facility for people with physical and/or mental disabilities and their products they make are sold in the shop.
Landhuis Klein Santa Martha is a large 480-hectare sugar cane and divi-divi plantation dating back to the 1700’s. Landhuis Klein Santa Martha was once one of the top three producers of salt on the island, along with Landhuis Groot Santa Martha and Landhuis San Nicolas, thanks to the large salt pans and nearby Santa Martha Bay being the most productive on the island.
Dive Site Recommendations
- Dive Type: Shore
- Snorkel Site: Yes
- Experience Level: Open Water (Min)
- Depth: 40 -120ft (12-36m)
Special Notes
Due to recreational & commercial boat traffic, an inflated surface marker buoy is mandatory when shore diving. Consult a recommended Curaçao Dive Operator for additional details & recommendations.
Location of Playa Santa Martha
Santa Martha awaits unique Sustainable Development Project
Project by hoteliers Avila Beach Hotel / LionsDive Beach Resort and developers Van Alstede
WILLEMSTAD – The government of Curaçao and investors signed an agreement for the development of Santa Martha and its surroundings in the Voyager Lounge of the Avila Beach Hotel. It is a comprehensive project by the Vogels and Van Alstede families to replace the run-down former Coral Cliff/Sunset Waters Hotel and the adjoining areas.
Robbin Vogels, General Manager of Avila Beach Hotel, and project developer Phillip van Alstede, the new owners of the area known as Coral Cliff, presented their plans to their invitees, which included prime minister Eugene Rhuggenaath, the ministers Zita Jesus-Leito (Transport, Traffic, and Spatial Planning), Steven Martina (Economic Development/Tourism), and Kenneth Gijsbertha (Finance).
Vogels explained that, within 3 years, an all-inclusive hotel will be built with 200 to 300 rooms that will be managed under their leadership. This involves an investment of 100 million guilders and should eventually allow for the creation of 250 new jobs. Moreover, a second hotel will be added to the area later down the line.
This is planned to result in a combined total of between 700 and 800 rooms, leading to 1000 to 1500 new jobs. The entire plan, spread over a period of 10 years, requires an investment of at least 250 million guilders.
Passion fuels new Sustainable Development Project in Curaçao
Developer Van Alstede explained that the project, in addition to the hotel with all its facilities, encompasses the construction of, among other things, a marina with water sports activities in the large inland waterways of Santa Martha, as well as outdoor recreations, such as horseback riding etc. Furthermore, the hotel will adhere to a ‘from farm to fork’ mindset, which means that much of the hotel’s food will be provided by local gardeners, farmers, and fishermen from Groot Santa Martha (also Soto and its surroundings).
Finally, director Will Vogels of the LionsDive Beach Resort expressed his appreciation for the drive with which the government and the relevant ministries have responded to the requests for the necessary permits and regulations starting from June this year. This allows the developers to start a project on Bándabou that will be second to none in the shortest possible timeframe.
The agreement with Minister Zita Jesus-Leito was signed on behalf of the developers by Robbin Vogels and Phillip van Alstede, and was witnessed by their respective fathers, Will Vogels and Maarten van Alstede.
