The Ritz Village

Polished concrete floors and exposed steel roof trusses mark the hotel rooms and apartments at The Ritz Village, a converted ice-cream factory in Willemstad's Scharloo quarter. The property occupies 14 buildings across the original 1947 factory site at 25 and 27 Scharlooweg. Otto Senior and his wife Rosalynde founded the Ritz Ice Factory in 1938; by 1967 the operation had expanded to produce ice cream, milk, yoghurt, and juice for the Caribbean. The Eskimo building held the factory floor; Cornetto tower housed ice-making machines that filled the vertical shaft. Small pastel storage units now contain hotel rooms with kitchenettes and en-suite showers. Deluxe apartments include fully equipped kitchens, washing machines, and rain showers. Penthouses on upper floors open onto south-facing terraces with views across Pietermaai and Punda. The urban beach stretches along one edge of the compound; two pools sit among the buildings. A museum in the Eskimo building displays photographs, artifacts, and video footage of the ice-factory era. The property lies a short walk from the Handelskade waterfront and the historic centres of Punda and Otrobanda. Willemstad is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Free parking and Wi-Fi are standard. The on-site restaurant serves breakfast and dinner. A mini-market, dive shop, and car-rental desk operate within the compound.