Intro
The plantation Jan Sofat is situated on the Spanish Water and is dating from the eighteenth century and is also known as Jan Zoutvat or plantation Uylenburg. On the initiative of Governor De Jong van Beek en Donk, began in 1904 the restoration and construction of a series of dams to improve the water supply. As plantation Jan Sofat was not very successful and experienced several owners. The one before last owners, Sprockel, used the grounds for the rental of plots for weekend houses on the Spanish Water (until 1969). In 1969 the estate was purchased by Spanish Water Resort NV, which has developed it into one of the premier residential areas. The neighborhood is known popularly as Jan Sofat.
Living in Jan Sofat
This famous district is very well layed out and consists of beautifully built houses and villas, which are only accessible through a secure passage. Because of this 24/7 man and port security, the site is very safe. The residents have a swipe card or a detection system based on a TAG (for a fee). The TAG is placed against the windshield, and it ensures that your vehicle is detected so that the gate opens automatically. The monitoring is controlled by an active neighborhood association. The residential area is family friendly and equipped with a safe play area with swings and climbing frames. There is also access to the water to swim, to immerse a boat or anchor your boat.
In 1987 the neighborhood association of Jan Sofat was founded to represent the interests of the residents with the objective: “to create and maintain an attractive residential area Jan Sofat with a safe, healthy and pleasant living environment for residents.”
The association focuses on the following areas:
- The quality of roads, verges, sidewalks and lighting;
- The safety of the neighborhood;
- Social activities to promote contact between residents;
- To act as an outward representative for the neighborhood.
The central location of Jan Sofat provides a convenient base for day trips, shopping and evening entertainment. This is one of the reasons that this area has been for many years a very popular place to live in Curacao.
Amenities and services
In the vicinity of Villa Jan Sofat you can find a number of shops such as a well-stocked supermarket (Vreugdenhil), many smaller food shops and the locally famous Dutch bakery ‘The Sun’ for your fresh bread and (Dutch) Morning Newspaper. Even a Dutch snack is not far away.
More important is the short distance to the beaches of Jan Thiel and Caracasbaai (about 5 minutes by car), the water sports on the Spanish Water (also about 5 minutes by car), many restaurants and famous places like the Seaquarium and Mambo Beach (15 min by car).
