I started to have doubts about this vacation destination when I read a few negative reports on various sites, but I am happy to say their objections were not important to me or were not observable. Let me address them first. Yes, twice we smelled the slight odor from the refinery and the refinery is observable in the distance, but it did not bother us. The island is not lush because it is has desert climate like Aruba, but we found charm in our surroundings and did not feel it was a drawback. The roads were well paved & the drivers less crazy then other countries we have been to, but their signs are non-existent. We found the people to be very friendly & the service at bars & restaurants to be very Caribbean which means you need to ask for refills & the bill. The shopping is not great, but we found the usual t-shirts for the kids, perfume deals for us & Curacao liquor.
I believe one of the reasons we had such a wonderful time was that we stayed at the Marriott. Having reached middle age, we have decided that we like our comforts. The Marriott fit the bill. Yes, the rooms are not as luxurious as some resorts we have been to, but the beach, grounds, snorkeling & service were fantastic! We arrived late on Saturday & they were out of garden view kin bed rooms, so they upgraded us to a beach front, 1st floor room which was just what we wanted. Every morning we ate breakfast on our little patio (we bought groceries & used their refrigerator) and fed the many small lizards & birds that came for handouts. Then we would walk about 15 feet to the beach & snorkel. The snorkeling was great right there at the Marriott. The Marriott's restaurants were all good except I found them to be a bit expensive. The deli did have very good sandwiches, but we found a grocery in the vacinity & bought lunch supplies for those days when we traveled. We rented a car for a week from National which is right in the lobby & they were very good. I had booked on-line before we went & decided to book a small manual drive vehicle. When we arrived, they gave us an automatic instead for the same price. We found we did not need a 4 wheel drive anywhere.
We did not find a restaurant that was poor the whole time we were there. For a reasonable price & great ribs we tried The Rib Factory & for our anniversary meal that was rather more expensive we went to The Wine Cellar where we were greated with a glass of champaigne & had a wonderful meal including music because it was Wednesday night. The owner was very friendly especially when he found out we are not very fond of President Bush. We also enjoyed eating at the marriott Seaside Cafe. It is outside overlooking the water & very romantic. We also spent a lot of time in town exploring & found the Gouvenor Restaurant to be pretty good. We had the local specialty that is Gouda chees with chicken, prunes, raisins & onions. We both loved it. Another day we went to the local market in town & were probably the only foreigners there! I had to use my limited Spanish to communicate with the witress, but the food was cheap & very good. We sat at a trestle table with a retired teacher & had a nice conversation. Also in town, we ate at Bon Tapas which is near the old synagogue & had good food especially the apple pie. The owner, Ellen, is from Holland & is trying to get a start in the restaurant business.

Thanks sparks for the trip report. I really laughed about the President Bush comment. My husband travels all over the world, and finds the same negative attitude about President Bush everywhere internationally. Did you use Marriott points? Did you snorkel other places than in front of the Marriott? Thanks, Owa

Thanks for the trip report on Curacao, an island we hear surprisingly little of. Ditto the Bush comment when my husband and I travel.

Did you happen to see the museums, restaurant, or hotel of Kura Hulanda (or is it Hura Kulanda? I can't keep it straight)? Did you do any snorkeling excursions or just go from shore? How would you compare it to snorkeling on other islands?

Thanks!

Part II
Sorry, I had to get off the internet. To continue:
On Sunday, we took a sail boat to a deserted island called Klein Curacao on the Insulinde. It was an experience, but I don't think I would do it again. The trip took all day, 2 1/2 hrs there & 3 hrs back & was quite rough. I did not think of bringing my patch for sea sickness so I was a little uncomfortable. The ship was way too crowded, 80 people, most under 25 & Dutch. The island was nothing special, poor snorkeling, only 2 palapas for shade, no shells, but a nice beach. The food was average. The only bright spot was we met a local couple with their visiting Dutch friend. We became so friendly that we made a dinner date & were invited over to their house for Chinese food which was very much like ours back home. Ed & Lisette are just starting their own buisiness in town called Kidz something or other which is located near the synagogue & Bon Tapas. It has cute kids clothing of good quality, but no tourist stuff with Curacao on it. Anyway, they were great so if you need children's clothing make sure you stop in.
We had heard about the Curacao liquor so we went to the "plant" thinking there was a tour etc, but it was a glorified store front. Bought some liquor, but didn't stay long.

To answer your questions, we snorkeled at another beach which was really nice called Cas Abou. It is a private beach that charges a fee to get in & one to rent the chairs, but it was not crowded & was very clean & pretty. The public beaches do not have chairs & were more crowded because the week we choose was vacation for the locals. I thought the snorkeling was much better at the Marriott. In fact, it was better than most places we went to such as St Thomas, Greneda, Barbados, Puerto Rico, etc. Now, we have not spent an entire week at these places so I am judging on a few visits on a cruise ship where we went snorkeling. I do know that many times we saw divers just walking in off the beaches. There was a nice variety of different fish at the Marriott & we found something new everytime we went. The dive shop right there told us a 5 ft baracuda swings by in that area many times, but I did not see it. We went to a few other beaches, but always came back to the Marriott. Good snorkeling & convenient to our room, what more could you ask for!
We did not use Marriott points. We reserved on-line for $119 a night & were up-graded.
Here's another tip I got from someone, go to the Kura Hulanda Jacob's cafe for happy hour. The atmosphere is really nice & all drinks are 1/2 price plus they serve you a backet of snacks. The Kura Hulanda Hotel seems nice & unique, but there is no beach because it is smack in the middle of town. I really enjoy looking out at the water & having a beach right there, so we would not have been happy there. I also heard the Hilton was nothing special & talked to one couple who changed after one night there. Another couple we met who were divers told us that Habitat was great, but only if you dive. They enjoyed the Oceans restaurant there.
Things that surprised us:
-The city & island were much larger than I expected.
-much hotter because of the high humidity. My hubby went through many more t-shirts then expected.
-food more expensive then anticipated even in the grocery, but even the grocery had great cheese, meat & baked goodies.
-there is a control tower at the airport, but later learned there is no radar. While taxiing to the runway, our plane stopped & sat for a while & our pilot explained we had to wait 15 minutes after another plane had left to give them time to get further away because there was no radar!
-how many people speak Spanish as well as Dutch & English. Everyone except a few could speak 3-4 languages. We actually got used to hearing very few English speakers & hated it when a cruise ship came in to port.

To conclude, we had the very best vacation ever! I am looking forward to going again as soon as my husbands vacation days start to accrue again.

Thank you so much for that report.
I'm glad you had a great time. I've always read great stuff about the Marriott there.
We're going to Curacao in February and I'm sure I'll have some questions for you as the time comes closer.

Thanks so much for a wonderful report on our favorite Caribbean island. You gave lots of good information about tourist attractions. We actually found a fair amount of shopping, but you have to know where to find some of it. It is true that the Curacao Liqueur Distillery is open more for the taste and does not provide a tour per se. When you return, you may want to consider going to the Amstel Brewery. We have an upcoming trip to Aruba this winter. It sounds as though you have been there? How would you describe the difference in destinations?

We have only been to Aruba twice on cruise trips. Once we rented a 4 wheel jeep & toured the island then snorkeled. This was all arranged by a tour company. The snorkeling was good, but the area was very shallow with coral right under the ramp. The jeep tour was great. Aruba has a similar climate, but it is very flat. It also has one major beach hotel area with a long beach & many storied hotels. Curacao has no high hotels & many little beaches. There were many nore Americans & American type bars/fast food. The Caribbean colored buildings were standard also. We felt it had more night life & more of a party atmosphere. It depends on what you are looking for in a vacation.

I am glad you enjoyed Curacao! We took outr chilren ther for Spring break and loved it too. We stayed at the Marriott and were very satisfied with everything they had to offer. Great REstaurants, service, pool was lovely, and the snorkeling right there was just great.
I loved the people there.
Anne

Cld someone pls tell us about the beach here? Can you "walk for miles"??

At the Marriott hotel you can NOT walk for miles. Basically you can walk for yards! It is quite lovely though especially if you like to snorkel.
You will have to drive to one of their many lovley beaches to walk MILES.
anne

ok, thx

The Kura Hulanda restaurant Jaipur is very nice; good Indian food. Their other restaurant, Astrolab Observatory or something like that, was a bit stuffy I thought. Good food, but too formal.
Cas Abou is a good beach, as mentioned. Knip baai, at Westpunt (the most western part of the island) is also beautiful. And we like Jan Thiel; its a kind of lounge beach, with Indonesian furniture, a nice restaurant, and a GREAT play area for kids on the beach. It's like a water playground.