My husband is trying to convince me to go to Curaco - he's a diver. Any recommendations as to where to stay that won't break the bank? Thanks!!

If I may, it's Curaçao. And of all the islands, decidedly not my favorite. But then I'm not a diver so that could make all the difference.

We stayed at the Lions Dive, which is considered a diver resort. Very nice updated property. We got a free upgrade to a 2 bedroom apartment. 3 restaurants on site and several more within walking distance. We found the food to be good. Two swimming pools and a kiddie pool. They offer a free shuttle to a local supermarket if you want to stock up on supplies. The Sea Aquarium is also within walking distance. We did an awesome dive there. No certification required.

Curacao was not one of our favoirte Islands either. We are not divers and found the snorkeling sub par compared to other destinations. The sand is ground coral so water shoes are a must. I did enjoy the downtown shopping though. Nice department type stores and no haggling. We had a nice trip, but it's not on our return list.

If you interested I have our vacation pictures posted at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn

Join Marriott.com frequent guest then

Marriott Curacao 9/14-9/21 $71/night Number of rooms: 1 Number of nights: 7 ... Licensed to: BetterBidding.com ® Terms of Usewww.betterbidding.com/index.php?showtopic=16304

Marriott best for me bidding priceline.com

As a preferred guest get free club floor upgrades to

best available...PADI diving ops abound there...

best of both worlds diving resrts not as nice more $$$.

Happy Planning!

Yes, I spotted my spelling mistake - trying to figure out how to correct. Thanks.

Thanks for info & pics KVR - wavering about Curacao.

May I ask why are you wavering? Anything specific as to why you don't want to go to Curacao?

We went to Aruba first and loved it. We were hoping Curacao would be similar to Aruba, but it was quite opposite. Besides diving what other interests do you have?

When we were looking, the Marriott was one of the more expensive hotel choices plus it was just too family friendly for us. We were so glad we went with the Lions Dive. We got a great price and lucked out with the apartment. The location is great also. Also, look at Kon Tiki, The Royal Sea Aquarium, Avila, Floris, and Papagayo. They hotels were also on our consider list.

My husband and I went to Curacao a few years ago and enjoyed our trip. We're both divers. We stayed at the Marriott - good rate, good dive shop, nice beach, nice pool.

It was a laid back trip. Mostly we dived, napped (sometimes on the beach), and went out for dinner. We liked the cultural mix in Curacao - Dutch, hispanic and anglo. That made the restaurants a little more interesting. We main part of the town was photogenic and made for a nice afternoon visit. We also rented a car for one day and explored a little, including a trip to the Curacao plant (the liquor) and the ostrich farm. I don't think I could spend two weeks there, but a week was fine.

One thing about Curacao that is a "pro/con". There is industry there (relating to oil), so sometimes your lovely view of something is ruined by a plant. On the other hand, the fact that there is something going on economically on the island, other than tourism, means that the country is somewhat wealthier than some Caribbean countries. There's less of a "have/have not" feeling, and less of a contrast between the resort areas and the rest of the island.

We went to Curacao a few years ago with our 2 teens and stayed at Papagayo. We had a wonderful vacation. This island definitely is more "Cosmopolitan" than some that we've been to and we didn't get as much of an "island-ey" feel but we really enjoyed it non the less. My husband and daughter had 2 very nice dives. We visited the Ostrich Farm and did some hiking. We rented a car and we like to venture out to see what we can find. What we found were some of the most beautiful beaches where we were amongst just a few others. The food is very diverse and good. I guess it depends what you're looking for in an island...Good luck!

We're heading to Curacao and Bonaire for the first time the first part of December. It sounds much more developed than our usual haunts in Belize. Might make for a nice change of scenery.

We'll spend four night on Curacao, then five on Bonaire, then, another four on Curacao. I have everything booked but the last two nights on Curacao, will probably book something right in Willemstad after I look around and see what I like.

We've enjoyed all the Caribbean islands that we've visited, not that there's been that many. It will be nice just to be warm.....

Check out our trip report if you wish.

http://www.fodors.com/community/cari...t-feb-2010.cfm

Although we don't dive, we had a good time at Curacao. The beaches are not the best in the Caribbean, but overall a good experience.

Thanks JeanH - will be interested to hear about your trip.

Foodiechan - useful TR & pics - thanks. We're beach bums too - definitely want pristine beaches. Think we'll try Turks.