BijBlauw

Two Dutch Mansions, Painted Green and Yellow

BijBlauw occupies two renovated Dutch mansions from the late 1800s on the southern edge of Pietermaai, a district that spent decades run down before its boutiques and artsy reputation took hold. Historic-district preservation rules limited how much of the original structure could change, which means some rooms and hallways stay tight by modern hotel standards — a constraint the hotel has turned into character rather than apologised for. The two street-facing buildings, painted the green and yellow that make them easy to spot from the road, opened as a hotel in December 2013 once the restoration was finished.

Why It Works

We selected BijBlauw because no two of its rooms look alike, a rare thing to say honestly about a hotel this size. Each is furnished with its own rustic, beachy point of view, from the smallest Cozy Small category up to a two-bedroom apartment with its own ocean-view deck, and the Seaside Rendezvous room adds a private terrace for dining over the water. Nespresso machines, minibars and rainfall showers run through every category regardless of size, the kind of consistency that matters more once the romance of a tiny historic room wears thin on day three.

Why This Location

Pietermaai's southern edge puts BijBlauw about ten minutes on foot from central Punda, inside the same restored district that has turned Willemstad's old merchant streets into its most talked-about stretch of boutiques and small hotels. There is no beach directly outside, which is the one trade-off of a historic-centre address: guests reach Avila Hotel's beach for a small fee, or take a short bus or taxi ride to another one, a fair exchange for waking up inside a 19th-century mansion rather than a modern resort block.

Fast Facts

• Prix: €€€

• Vibe: colonial, rustic-beachy, design-focused

• Chambres: 13 rooms, no two furnished alike, up to a two-bedroom ocean-view apartment

• Best For: design-minded couples who want character over space

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the Seaside Rendezvous room's private terrace, set for dining over the water

• Dining: open-air BijBlauw Restaurant, urban-fusion menu, tables running to the sea's edge

• Amenities: small pool beside the restaurant, on-site boutique shop, Nespresso machines and minibars in every room, live entertainment several nights a week

• Attractions: central Punda (10-minute walk), Avila Hotel beach (small fee), Pietermaai's boutiques and restaurants

A Small Pool and an Open-Air Table to the Water

The pool at BijBlauw is small, set alongside the restaurant more as a cooling-off spot than a place to swim laps, and it suits a hotel built around its dining room rather than its deck chairs. The open-air restaurant runs its tables out toward the sea's edge for an urban-fusion menu through breakfast, lunch and dinner, with reservations recommended for dinner; a handful of evenings bring live entertainment, and a small shop on site stocks Dutch-imported clothing and décor for guests who want to take a piece of the place home.

What to Know Before You Book

Rooms at BijBlauw range widely in size, from compact Cozy Small categories to a full two-bedroom apartment, and the historic building means some are genuinely tight — worth checking before booking if space matters more than character. There is no beach on site, so sun-and-sand days mean a short trip to Avila Hotel or elsewhere, and the crowd here skews young and international, heavy on Dutch visitors, which shapes the mood more toward sociable than hushed.