Piscadera wraps around a sheltered bay on the west side of Willemstad. The city and the airport are close, and you live by the water.
Where is Piscadera?
Piscadera Bay is in the southern part of Willemstad, on the western side of Otrobanda, and the area has officially been part of the city since 1930. From here it's a short drive to downtown and to Curaçao International Airport. So you live by the water with downtown close at hand. Three hills, among them Seru Pretu, rise around the bay, and the area is greener than you might expect on a dry island like Curaçao.
What the area is like
Over the last century Piscadera changed from plantation land with a fishing village into a mixed neighborhood. In the 1930s Shell employees and Lebanese business owners settled here, and from the 1960s large vacation resorts went up along the coast. You still see that mix today: big hotels by the sea, smaller complexes of vacation apartments and bungalows around the bay, and ordinary residential streets behind them. The island's convention center is in this area too. On the bay stand the remains of Fort Piscadera, built in the 18th century and rebuilt in 1744.
Diving and the reef
The bay is known for clear, calm water. The hotels have dive shops, and Piscadera Bay itself is a well-known dive site. CARMABI, the Caribbean marine research institute, also sits on the bay and runs its largest field station in the southern Caribbean here. If you like snorkeling and shore diving, this is a good base. For bigger beaches with beach clubs, you'll drive to Mambo Beach on the other side of town or out to the west coast.
Who Piscadera suits
Piscadera appeals to people who want to live by the water and still reach the city quickly, for work or school. If you travel a lot, being near the airport saves time on every trip. Vacationers often choose Piscadera for the calm bay with downtown Willemstad close by. Keep in mind that hotels take up part of the coastline, so it can be busier around the resorts than in a residential area farther inland. A car is useful here as well, since services are spread out.
Buying or renting in Piscadera: what to check
Most homes here are apartments and bungalows in complexes around the bay, with houses on the streets behind them. If you buy in a complex, ask about the homeowners' association fee, the house rules and whether vacation rental is allowed. For any property, check whether the land is freehold (eigendom) or government leasehold (erfpacht). With leasehold, the government usually keeps the land and you pay an annual ground rent. Expect closing costs of typically 6 to 8 percent of the price, including a 4 percent transfer tax. Foreigners can buy property on Curaçao without restrictions.
Proverties and Piscadera
Proverties has no listings in Piscadera right now. If you want to buy or rent an apartment, bungalow or house here, Proverties can search on your behalf. Share what you're looking for by WhatsApp or phone at +599 9686 5241, or email [email protected]. Nearby, Proverties does have properties in Willemstad, including in Otrobanda and Marie Pampoen. Farther west along the coast is Blue Bay, a gated resort where Proverties also has homes on offer.