Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Full Trip Report

Here is our full trip report of our 6 night stay in Curacao.

THE ISLAND – We decided to try the island of Curacao after a previous trip to Aruba. I have to say I am torn as to which island I prefer. Curacao has a much more European feel which I preferred. At least of the tourists are from the Netherlands, and there is a lot of smoking and topless sunbathing. The Island is more lush than Aruba, and less breezy. I have to say I missed the breeze as it was so hot in the direct sun without a breeze. Outside of the cruise port area, it’s a clean, non-commercial island.

HOTEL – We stayed at the Marriott using points. Having stayed at many high end hotels, I wasn’t blown away by the rooms or public space but the rooms were clean and spacious. The hotel staff could not have been nicer or more accommodating. The beach area is very clean and the water is very clear. There is excellent snorkeling just a very short swim off the beach. I had to get up early each day to secure one of the covered straw huts, but it was worth it for the day to protect us from the sun and brief rain showers. Two days I wasn’t able to secure a hut, but we got umbrellas which were fine, they just don’t offer as much shade protection. The sun is VERY strong! We brought water shoes but only wore them one time, it really isn’t that rocky. A few rocks at the shore then the rest is very sandy.

RESTAURANTS – We didn’t eat dinner at any of the Marriott restaurants. We like to explore the island a little at night since we spent nearly every day at the hotel beach. We had lunch nearly every day at the Seabreeze bar at the Marriott. Its about $50 for 2 people with 1 or 2 alcohol drinks each, so no deal but you pay for the convenience. I think doing the AI at the Marriott would have been pretty depressing as there are only 2 dinner places and one is basically a sports bar. We had dinner at the following places:

Hooks Hut – We went here for dinner and lunch. Its much better for lunch. The food isn’t amazing, but they make a good sandwich for lunch. The dinner food wasn’t that great, especially for the price. But at night they have seating on the sand, right at the waters edge which was really nice.

Goveneurs – We really enjoyed this restaurant. We sat in the interior courtyard near the fountain. They have some outdoor seating which overlooks the marina, but it was super loud with taxis, the ferry and honking boats.

Sjolattes – We actually ate here two nights (which I have never done before) but it was so good. Its fine dining prices, but you get fine dining food. The small courtyard is very pretty, and it’s a very special atmosphere. The shrimp/salmon salad are great and so are the ribeye. And its across the street from the Marriott which cuts down on cab costs.

Blue (Avala Hotel) – This was our only foray this far east on the island, and I wish we could have explored this area more. This hotel is near the Sea Aquarium area. The Blue Restaurant is at the end of a pier, and was a very unique spot. They have lights on the water, a band and some great outdoor bars. The seafood is very fresh and the prices are not too bad.

Bistro Le Clochard – We read so many good reviews of this restaurant and we saved it for our last night. While it’s a great location on the water on Willemstad, again being on the water there isn’t that great. Its like being near an industrial shipping port, its tankers and tug boats that are cruising by. The food here was VERY expensive, and I didn’t think it was anything that special.

BEACHES – There seem to be a lot of great small beaches on the island. We rented a car for the day and visited a few. Its very easy to drive there, there is basically one road and it’s a loop. The best beach we went to was Playa Abou, it was beautiful blue water and amazing cliffs people were jumping off of.

GOLF – We played the Curacao Golf and Squash Club. It was $30 to play 9 holes and about $15 to rent clubs and a push cart. It’s a cool little private course and wasn’t crowded at all. Iguanas are running all over the place. The other course on the island, I think its called Blue Bay didn’t get great reviews, and its much more expensive.