Curaçao's big resort wave is finally rolling west. From October 20, TUI BLUE Curaçao welcomes its first guests at Groot Santa Martha, a sweeping bay on the island's rugged western end — well away from the resort corridors around Willemstad where most large properties have historically clustered.

The property is a 297-room all-inclusive, and the room mix is one of its strongest selling points. Beyond standard, partial-ocean-view, ocean-view, oceanfront and family rooms, there are partial- and full-ocean-view swim-up rooms, an oceanfront swim-up junior suite, plus senior suites and two-bedroom suites with private pools. For couples and families alike, the ability to step straight from your terrace into water is rare at this scale in the Dutch Caribbean.

Food-wise, the plan runs to seven-plus concepts: IVO Beach, Mesa Caribe, Culinarium, Thea's Reserve, The Restaurant, a Snack Court, Grab & Go and a stack of bars. But anyone booking for the first weeks should read the fine print. October 20 kicks off what TUI BLUE calls its "Opening Phase" — the main pool, Oasis Pool Bar, THEAs, IVO Restaurant & Beach, the beach, Snack Court, Grab & Go and a kids' playground should be running, but some permanent venues won't be. Expect daily buffets plus rotating pop-up à la carte dinners six days a week, an in-room massage and temporary spa setup, and the possibility that certain areas stay closed or screened off while work finishes.

The location is the real story, though. Santa Martha puts guests within easy reach of some of Curaçao's best beaches — Cas Abao and Playa Porto Mari are close by — and Christoffel National Park, the island's hiking and wildlife flagship, is a short drive further west. This is the part of the island built for snorkelling coves, hidden beaches and slow drives through hilly countryside rather than casino strips.

TUI BLUE isn't arriving alone. Curaçao is in the middle of a hotel boom, and the Pyrmont Curaçao Beach Resort, Autograph Collection All-Inclusive — a 305-room adults-only Marriott property — is targeting a November opening in Willemstad. For years the island leant on dive hotels and small boutique stays; the all-inclusive category is now expanding fast, and TUI BLUE's western placement is the most distinctive move among them.

Who should care: travellers who like the ease of all-inclusive pricing but find the typical resort setting too polished. If your idea of Curaçao is Playa Kenepa's cliffs and quiet coves rather than Willemstad's nightlife, this is the first major resort built around that side of the island. Just weigh whether an opening-phase stay — with pop-up dining and construction possible — appeals to you, or whether waiting a few months gets you a more complete property.

Story via Caribbean Journal.