There are some nice condos and apartments you can rent over by the western beaches. And, yes, the beaches there are gorgeous, natural (meaning not man-made), AND calm. Grote Knip (also known as Playa Kenepa) was our favorite, followed closely by Cas Abou (you can google them), though there are others just as charming (Daaibooi, Playa Mari). If you wish to stay closer to those beaches, I would suggest checking out Airbnb for condo/apartment rentals. The town of Westpunt is also nearby and you may be able to find places there, as well. We didn’t drive into Westpunt, the closest we got was about 5 miles away at Knip.
We very much enjoyed our time in Curaçao and will definitely consider a return trip at some point in the future. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />
One thing I will add is that wearing water shoes is highly recommended at a lot of the beaches. Curaçao beaches tend to have a bit of coral and rocks at the entrances into the water (with some nice sand bottoms just past that). It was easier for me with water shoes on, though Ed chose not to wear them and did fine.
