Mondi Lodge

Mondi Lodge is six wooden palapas raised on poles in the greenery outside Willemstad, on Curaçao's south coast. Each cabin is open-sided, with a thatched roof of dried palm leaves and an air-conditioned bedroom tucked inside. Three are one-bedroom palapas, two have two bedrooms, and a separate treehouse sleeps guests wanting more privacy still. The lodge sits within a 2km radius of four beaches, and it is a ten-minute drive from both the airport and Willemstad's harbourfront. Solar panels heat the shower water and run most of the property, and the pool uses a chlorine-free filtration system rather than chemicals. Groundwater and recycled septic water irrigate the gardens, which supply a growing patch of fruit and vegetables and eggs from the lodge's own chickens. Furniture is built from reclaimed pallet wood and driftwood, some of it gathered on beach clean-ups the lodge runs with staff and guests. It is family-owned, and the mood is unhurried. You can hear little beyond birdsong and wind moving through the palapas, which were built with that wind in mind. A communal outdoor kitchen with a barbecue sits beside the pool, open to guests through the day and into the evening. Breakfast is served each morning. It is a small, low-key stay, closer in spirit to a private garden than a resort, and it trades scale for quiet and for the four beaches within easy reach.