Hi,
I am intrigued by Curacao for a trip end of December. We had a very good time in Aruba years ago, I just love the tranquil waters of Palm Beach. I wanted to go to Aruba again, but by the end of our stay it was getting quite crowded with cruise ship passengers, so I am worried that it'd be hard to relax. How do Curacao beaches compare? I am deciding between Breezes and Marriott.

Aruba has bigger beaches. Curacao is a cute little town. You could always split your stay.

We went to Aruba last year and have already booked Curacao for April '08. We loved Aruba also. We went in Sept. and did not find it too crowded. We stayed at the Holiday Inn on Palm Beach. We are planning a return trip to Aruba eventually and will stay on Eagle Beach next time and not do the AI thing.

I understand Curacao has more cove type beaches. The beaches on the West End away from the hotels are nicer. The beaches that front most of the hotels are man made and made up of crushed coral. We chose the Lions Dive hotel by the Sea Aquarium. We want to give Curacao a try.

We stayed at the Marriott and loved it there. The beach is rocky as mentioned but we found it manageable for swimming and snorkeling. From reports of Breezes, unless you have kids along it wouldn't be my choice even with the cost difference.

There are lots of smaller beaches on Curacao and because it's less developed than Aruba, has much less in the way of activities, nightlife and restaurants. Willemstad is interesting for a day's visit but otherwise plan for a laid back time. We'd definitely go back.

Not all of the beach at the Marriott is rocky, if you walk further along it is sandy.

We prefer Curacao for many reasons, although the beaches are not the big types like you see in Aruba. We stayed at the Marriott and cherish all of our memories. We found it to be an ideal setting for relaxation.

Just visited Aruba after 15 years. Things have changed a lot but not for the better.

Curacao is more laid back than Aruba , just visited both this year.It is less touristy but beaches are better in Aruba. In Curacao they are rocky & you'd have to wear water shoes but good snorkeling.Nice places to eat & its a quaint place.The Mariott there & Kura Hulanda are very good but the Hilton is pathetic & dirty.If you didnt want to repeat Aruba you could do Curacao & Bonnaire the latter is very big for snorkeling & fishing.Curacao is a lovely place to go to & you will come back relaxed.

I'm sure after 15 years, Aruba is quite different and probably more built up. Whether it was for the better or not is a matter of personal preference.

I had the same feeling regarding Playa del Carmen. We went in 2001 and loved it. 6 years later we return and find it has dramatically changed. We were very disappointed it wasn't that same little area we discovered on our first trip, and it no longer met our expectations.

You can still get the feel of the old Aruba if you avoid Palm Beach and stay on Manchebo beach (which is wider than Palm). The hotels there are the Manchebo and the Bucuti.