Curacao vs. aruba
Jan 18th, 2006, 04:33 PM
#1
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Curacao vs. aruba
Travelling in august and looks like these are the only 2 options.
My concerns about aruba
-? amount of wind that is actually too cold
-is aruba water warm like bahamas/jamaica
Curacao
-where to stay
-overall feel of the island?
-scenery/snorkeling/beaches
I essentially need a pro con list for the 2 islands.
thanks
christina
My concerns about aruba
-? amount of wind that is actually too cold
-is aruba water warm like bahamas/jamaica
Curacao
-where to stay
-overall feel of the island?
-scenery/snorkeling/beaches
I essentially need a pro con list for the 2 islands.
thanks
christina
Jan 18th, 2006, 10:53 PM
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We've been to both islands more than once - twice to Curacao, and at least 5 times to Aruba. (So you can tell that we prefer Aruba!)
Below I'll list the good and bad points of each of these islands (as I see them anyway):
Curacao:
- somewhat unfriendly attitude of the local people, slight undercurrent of dislike to tourists. Didn't feel 100% percent safe (although nothing ever happened to us!)
- on the positive side, a more authentic and 'real island feel' than on Aruba
- interesting town (Willemstad) with moving bridge and nice floating market
Aruba:
- very built-up and touristy and Americanized
- very very friendly and helpful people, feels absolutely safe
- some beautiful beaches, part. in the 'low-rise' hotel section (Eagle Beach)
Both islands have the same fantastic climate and warm waters (we've also been in August!). The best time to go swimming is late in the afternoon, when the sun has been shining on the water all day - it's like being in your bathtub! Don't worry about windiness - the breeze can be stiff but it's actually wonderful, otherwise it would be too hot. I should add that I've been to Aruba in February as well, and the weather was perfect, I NEVER felt cold. Well, these are my 2 cents - any more questions just ask!
Below I'll list the good and bad points of each of these islands (as I see them anyway):
Curacao:
- somewhat unfriendly attitude of the local people, slight undercurrent of dislike to tourists. Didn't feel 100% percent safe (although nothing ever happened to us!)
- on the positive side, a more authentic and 'real island feel' than on Aruba
- interesting town (Willemstad) with moving bridge and nice floating market
Aruba:
- very built-up and touristy and Americanized
- very very friendly and helpful people, feels absolutely safe
- some beautiful beaches, part. in the 'low-rise' hotel section (Eagle Beach)
Both islands have the same fantastic climate and warm waters (we've also been in August!). The best time to go swimming is late in the afternoon, when the sun has been shining on the water all day - it's like being in your bathtub! Don't worry about windiness - the breeze can be stiff but it's actually wonderful, otherwise it would be too hot. I should add that I've been to Aruba in February as well, and the weather was perfect, I NEVER felt cold. Well, these are my 2 cents - any more questions just ask!
Jan 19th, 2006, 06:04 AM
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We had a great beach vacation in Curacao! Been to both, I prefer Curacao -- Aruba is becoming like Miami beach -- too built up, too crowded, too American. Snorkeling better in Curacao and interesting culture and city. I did not find anyone to be unfriendly. Weather in March superb, warmer than Bahamas. Curacao Marriott is a great resort and an incredible value, liked it much better than Aruba Marriott. The beaches are different -- Aruba is one long stretch of beach lined with hotels and you can walk for miles -- Curacao is more "cove" type beaches, quieter, more private, large rocks/cliffs around the beaches, more scenery. Golf is much better in Aruba than Curacao -- lots of good restaurants both islands.
Jan 19th, 2006, 09:02 AM
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Hi C -
We have been to both and are happy to share information with you.
Curacao - Stayed at the Marriott. Perfect hotel, great accommodations. Great restaurants on the island as well as at the hotel. The hotel had something going on down at the beach bar every night - i.e. karoke, a guitar player, etc. Very relaxing if that's what you want, but lots of history and sightseeing. The hotel had a great pool and big beach for those warm sunny days. The snorkeling on Curacao is excellent on the west side of the island. The locals treated us like family, bought us beers, etc. I cannot begin to share all the details with you here. Go - you will not be sorry!
Aruba -
Quite frankly, after hearing all the hype, we were pretty disappointed. We found the restaurants to be only fair, and the people some of the least friendly of any places we've been to in the Caribbean. We stayed at the Radisson and found the service to be lacking. The beaches were beautiful but there weren't a lot of activites and everything was very commercialized. We will not return.
We have been to both and are happy to share information with you.
Curacao - Stayed at the Marriott. Perfect hotel, great accommodations. Great restaurants on the island as well as at the hotel. The hotel had something going on down at the beach bar every night - i.e. karoke, a guitar player, etc. Very relaxing if that's what you want, but lots of history and sightseeing. The hotel had a great pool and big beach for those warm sunny days. The snorkeling on Curacao is excellent on the west side of the island. The locals treated us like family, bought us beers, etc. I cannot begin to share all the details with you here. Go - you will not be sorry!
Aruba -
Quite frankly, after hearing all the hype, we were pretty disappointed. We found the restaurants to be only fair, and the people some of the least friendly of any places we've been to in the Caribbean. We stayed at the Radisson and found the service to be lacking. The beaches were beautiful but there weren't a lot of activites and everything was very commercialized. We will not return.
