My husband and I are going to Curacao in early June and staying at the Marriott for 7 days. Does anyone have any suggestions for restaurants, beaches etc... Also, is a day trip to Aruba or Bonaire feasible? Any info will be appreciated. Thank you !

We stayed at the Curacao Marriott about 2 years ago and loved it. It is a beautiful hotel and I have posted a review at: http://www.epinions.com/content_26026086020

I hope the link works. E-mail me if not and I will send you the review. Other restaurants I would suggest are Hook's Hut (walking distance to the Marriott, beachfront, eat right on the beach, inexpensive, good happy hour) and Blues (at the Avila Beach Hotel, overlooks the water). We actually ate at the hotel quite a few times which we do not normally do but the food was very good. I would not recommend the Fort Nassau Restaurant - the view was very nice but the food was mediocre (especially for the price - almost $300 for two people) and the service downright surly.

We took a sailing trip on the Insulinde which was great. There is a desk in the hotel where you can book all kinds of excursions. There is a ferry from Curacao to Bonaire:

http://www.curacao-travelguide.com/a...es/ferry.shtml

I know you can also sail to Klein Curacao. I don't know about Aruba. Take strong sunblock and have fun!

There are so many places to savor the food in Curacao. Alex and I seem to be on the same page here. I also recommend Blues with their heaping plates of fresh seafood, no matter if you are a huge eater, you will never finish it all. Froet's is a place where you pay a certain price and get an appetizer, entree and dessert. Pisces is usually pretty good as well. Bistro Le Clochard is our very favorite, though. I agree about Fort Nassau, too. We just didn't enjoy it. By all means, do rent a car. Knip Bay has white sand and that beautiful turquoise kind of water. Great if you want to bring snorkeling equipment or just swim or sun. There is a place to change and there are refreshments. BUT,you do need to go there during the week or else it's too crowded. Oh, and be careful of the Manzilla trees.

Astro - My husband and I are also going to Curacao in early June and staying at the Marriott. I have been searching the web for information and found some very useful user reviews on tripadvisor.com. Go to tripadvisor and look in the Curacao, Tourism category. There is a review from [email protected] posted 3/24/03. He also highly recommended Hook's Hut.

We have been trying to get some information on a day trip but haven't been too successful. I would love to read some reviews on Klein Curacao.

Knowing, we are celebrating our 5th anniversary while we are there. Would you suggest Bistro Le Clochard for a special celebratory dinner? Would we need to make reservations?

Thanks for your helpful recommendations.

Sassystrick-
Absolutely! Do make reservations and coordinate going a little earlier to have a drink at the outdoor bar. It's built directly on the edge of the water. If you want lobster, you have to ask for it as it is not on the menu. They will bring you out a sheet of paper showing what they have. If it's crossed out, it's gone. The food is consistently good, no matter what you order. BTW, tell the Marriott you are there for your anniversary and they will give you a bottle of champagne. It's not a real expensive one, but it's the thought that counts.

My parents, brother and I stayed at the Marriott in Curacao twice. The last time was 2 years ago. We really loved it as I usually dont like to go to the same place more than once. We didnt do any day trips but rented a car each time. Really worth it . There are a lot of nice quiet beaches but the Marriotts beach is perfectly nice and where I generally spent my afternoons.I agree about Fort Nassau but its nice to just go there for the view and have a drink. We loved an italian restaurant calledToscanini. Good food and a great outdoor terrace. One night we went to the Avila hotel and ate at the Belle Terrace restaurant. We went on Saturday which is their Caribean night. You can eat outside and they have steel bands. They also have the Blues seafood restaurant there with live jazz. If you like indonesian food we liked Rijsttafel indonesia restaurant. Different and quite good. Hope some of this helps! You will have a great time. The island is less touristy than Aruba, the hotel is beautiful and the people were great.

We just returned from 6 nights at the Marriott in Curacao for our honeymoon. It was fabulous! the grounds are beautiful and the staff wonderful and accommodating. We had an oceanfront room which was great. Cas Abou is a wonderful beach for snorkeling and swimming. It is $4 USD to enter and $9USD for two lounge chairs for the day. (you will find fees at the beaches) There is a good snack bar with beer, burgers, wings, etc, changing rooms, freshwater shower, very clean. The snorkeling here is outstanding! You can also snorkel off the Marriott beach but it tends to be very rough with the winds for good visibility. Do not go to Porto St Maria (right before Cas Abou-did not see a lot of fish there). Also do not miss Christoffel Park- on the north side of the island waves crash against the rocks/cliffs and it is breathtakingly beautiful- looks like a postcard! And - there is no one nearby, it is incredible! We ate at Hook's Hut on the beach (make reservations, prawns were excellent. Also we enjoyed the Seaside Terrace which is past Avila Beach Hotel on the way to the seaquarium. It is very casual and you sit on a patio overlooking a beach and water. Friendly people, good food, very reasonable. Try the snapper, served with beans & rice, small salad for $9 USD. The omelettes are great at the Marriott for bkft. Oh, there is a great grocery store right off the main road, about 7 minutes from the hotel (I think, Centrum or something like that)- there are Dutch cheeses and meats already sliced and packaged. We bought some and had our own happy hour everyday along with the liquor we purchased at the duty free shop and the mixers at the grocery. They convert to American USD very easily and are honest about it.
We have traveled a lot and found Curacao to be one of our favorites- the people are delightful!

My husband and I honeymooned at the Marriott Curacao this past November. We did take a day trip to Arube and yes it is Feasible! The activity desk at the hotel arranged everything for us. We took a jumper to Aruba and spent the day shopping and lounging at the pool and beach. They set us up with a day pass to the Aruba Marriott and we got lockers in the gym room to change and shower if we needed. We left about 8:00 in the morning and took a 8:00p.m. flight back(15 minutes each way) It was well worth it and we got to see both islands on our 1 honeymoon . Dont miss swimming with the dolphins either at the sea aquaruim. Amazing experince in the ocean not done in a pool!. We love that hotel and we were treated like Kings and Queens. Can't say enough about the property or the help! Have a great time

coffey1027:
We are traveling to Aruba next spring with children. You mentioned swimming with the dolphins. Is this something you did on your day trip to Aruba or in Curacao? How much was it to take a day trip to Curacao and would it be worth it to do this with kids (9 and 11 years old)We are staying at the Marriott in Aruba.........Thanks.

You can swim with dolphins in Curacao, at the Seaquarium. This is something new; wasn't available when I was there last, so haven't tried this, but we did feed the sharks, underwater with scuba gear, which was a great experience.