Curacao Communications:

Language:

Dutch, Spanish, and English are spoken on Curacao, along with Papiamento, a patois that combines the three major tongues with Amerindian and African dialects. Most people in the tourism industry speak English, but you can always thank them by saying masha danki (mas-ha-dank).

Currency:

While Canadian and U.S. dollars are accepted for purchases on the island, the official currency is the Netherlands Antillean florin (NAf), also called a guilder, which is divided into 100 NA (Netherlands Antillean) cents. Exchange rates vary, but are around US$1 to 1.77 NAf. Shops, hotels, and restaurants usually accept most major U.S. and Canadian credit cards.

Area Code:

To call Curacao from the United States, dial 011 (the international access code), then 599 (the country code for Curacao), and then 9 (the area code) and the local number. Once on Curacao, to call another number on the island, only the local seven-digit number is necessary; to make calls to an off-island destination, dial 021 and then the area code and number. You can reach AT&T Direct on the island by dialing tel. 800/225-5288.