We are taking a family vacation next summer and were considering Curacao. We have two kids (ages 13 and 8) and we heard food is expensive in the Caribbean. Do you know of any hotels in Curacao that are 3 star+ that do not rip you off on food. I read that some hotels charge $20 per person for the buffet and that is way over our budget. Also, you know of hotels that have a nice beach with kayaking, snorkeling, and/or windsurfing on site? We are not looking at little family owned villas. Our budget is $250 or less for american hotels and $450 or less for All Inclusives.

Thanks,

David

www.hiltoncaribbean.com/curacao

Join HHonors programs and get deals perks upgrades on

betterbidding.com... Town is cute dutch

kind of Amsterdam in the Carib

but underwhelming beaches probably would go

to one of your others.

Based upon our 3 trips we did not find any cheap good food though there are your Pizza Huts, KFC's and McD's. You might want to consider staying at the Royal Seaqurium Resort which is a hotel and timeshare. It is located on the EAST END so you need a rental car. It is near the Hyatt. If you can get in a suite it sleeps 5 and has a full kitchen so brekfast and some lunch costs can be reduced. There is a full service supermarket about 2-3 miles away.
Under the Arches there are 4-5 restaurants and the 2 Italian ones were good on our last trip in late 2009 and at moderate prices.There is a good Chinese restaurabnt in the capital downtown,I cannot recall the name, that I would rate above average but that is not the one near the Seaquarium resort- is not good. Near the resort and a bit expensive but not over-the-top is Avalon and we enjoyed it often in our 3 trips to Curacao. It turns noisy after 8:30 or so. Avoid the Portofino dining room at the Marriott at least based on our 2 attempts because the food was not good,in our opinion, and the tab rab $40+/person back in 2009. If the food were good it would have been fairly priced. The bar area lunches at the Marriott are quite good and not outragiously priced, in my opinion. I hope some of this helps.

Dear David,
I work for All Inclusive Outlet, a travel agency that specializes in the Caribbean, and we have several hotels offered for Curacao that offer both the All Inclusive plan and a plan for just accommodations that allows you to go to nearby dining. Several of the hotels offer a variety of nearby dining, although with an All Inclusive plan you wouldn't have to worry about the food cost since it is included. One of the agents here just toured Curacao and a bunch of the resorts there, so she could give you some tips on booking a trip to there. She thought it was a fabulous place for a vacation. If you want more info., feel free to call Karoline at 888-403-2822. All agent advice is free with All Inclusive Outlet, whether you book or not, and if you do decide to book, we don't have any booking fees. Best Wishes for a Fabulous Family Vacation

We have stayed at the Lions Dive in a 2 bedroom apartment (it was a free upgrade) It had a full kitchen and the property offers a free shuttle service to a local grocery store. There are also 3 restaurants on site and several more within walking distance. We cooked breakfast and lunch and ate dinner out. It's an actual resort. They have regular hotel rooms also.

Breezes AI is next door. Be very weary of that property and do your research if you consider booking there. I love AI hotels and have been to many, but would not dare spend my hard earned money at Breezes.

Look at the Marriott also. They offer an AI plan.

Be aware that the beaches in Curacao are coves. The majority are on the West End, so you will need a car or take a tour to get there. There are no long stretches of beach and we found no water sports at any of their beaches. The sand is made of crushed coral so you will need water shoes.

We did do a jet ski tour, but the operator was less than honest and I would not recommended them.

We also did a dive at the Sea Aquarium, which was the highlight of our trip. No scuba certification is needed for this dive.

Curacao was not one of our favorites. I think you find more of what you are looking for in Aruba.

Curacao is fabulous island!
You can be thrifty even at the resorts with the $20 breakfast buffet options - skip it. Many have little deli's where you can order a croissant/bagel etc very cheap.
YOu can also buy local groceries for a picnic at the beach. YOu can request a small refrigerator in your room for food/drinks.
I am going to reccomend the The Marriott - it has a wonderful private beach with great snorkeling right outside your door on a reef which will keep everyone busy for hours. The staff is most accomodating and friendly,...especially with kids!
The hotel is beautiful.
There is a free shuttle into the town.

There are many kid friendly things to do on this island!

CaribSarah is not permitted to advertise their services on this Forum.
David I am sure they knew the rules. Therefore I would be careful if you even consider using their service.