Tourists wandering on the sandy beaches of the Avila Hotel in Curaçao are struck by the sight of an unusual octagonal two-story building, with a shingled cupola, and painted in a bright mustard yellow.

This quaint looking house has an unexpected historic significance. For it is in this building that the Venezuelan "Libertador", the famous Simón Bolívar, spent time before he set out to assemble the forces with which he eventually put an end to the Spanish colonial rule in South America.

In 1812, after the first stage of the revolt in Venezuela had failed, Bolívar took refuge on the island of Curaçao. He and his two sisters arrived penniless and had to rely on the generosity of friends on the island.

The most important of these was the Jewish lawyer and merchant Mordechai Ricardo, who made two houses available for Bolívar and his sisters. For some time the two sisters lived in the octagonal building by the sea while Bolívar worked and studied in a small house on a hill overlooking the busy harbor of Willemstad, the island¹s capital.

The house on the hill where Bolívar worked no longer exists, but the "Octagon" (which over the years became the name by which this landmark is known) on the beach facing the vast continent across the blue Caribbean has withstood the test of time rather well. For a number of years lack of funds prevented proper maintenance, but now the "Octagon" has been lovingly restored by the Curaçao Monument  Foundation and the Avila Hotel, on the grounds of which the property stands.

Within its unusual octagonal plan, the house has two spacious rooms, one on each floor, and each with a separate entrance. The second floor is reached by way of an external stone staircase which leads to a balcony supported on columns. The roof has the shape of a dome, and is covered with wooden shingles. Due to its curious shape it is known in Curaçao as the "Daki Parasol" or the "umbrella roof".

Today the "Octagon" serves as a small museum in memory of the Curaçao connection to Simón Bolívar and is open by appointment. The romantic setting combined with the historical ambience makes the Octagon the perfect location for elegant wedding receptions, special meetings, small concerts and poetry readings.