morecowbells
Contributor
My husband and I just returned from our 5th visit to Curacao. We left St. Louis at 6 am aware there was a tight 45 minute connection in Miami. Due to some ice and snow moving into the area we were delayed 20 minutes for the de-icing process. Once we landed in Miami, we were delayed another 20 minutes since there was no gate available for our plane to disembark. Now I am a nervous wreck. By some miracle, our connecting gate was only one gate over. AA literally held the plane for us. Once we were seated, the plane immediately took off. It was no surprise that our bags did not make the connection. Fortunately, there was a late flight which was able to transport our bags. At 0 dark thirty the following morning, our bags were delivered by AA to our condo in Westpunt.
Accommodations:
Usually we stay at All West Apartments. Keep in mind, they can book up fast. By the time I booked my trip, there were no units available. I have stayed at the Kura Hulanda Lodge during a previous visit and while I enjoyed the pool and grounds, I thought it was getting pricey for a one room unit. We booked a one bedroom unit though VRBO at The Marazul Dive Resort. Our place was a one bedroom, two story, two bathroom unit. King bed was comfortable. Hot water was available in shower and kitchen sink. A/C in living room and bedroom worked like a charm, although the open sliding doors provided ample breeze. Condo was extremely quiet, located off the road and oceanfront. Pool area well kept up with plenty of chaise lounges available and shaded areas. In between the pool and steps to the ocean, there was a large,clean rinse tank with nearby picnic benches and tables. Steps to ocean were steep and plentiful
but well maintained. You could enter using a giant stride off concrete platform use the ladder.
We definitely enjoyed our stay at Marazul. My only grievance is that they incorporate the name Dive Resort when in fact it lacked some of the amenities of a dive resort; such as a designated tank room and secure/convenient area to hang and dry off gear. This may be viewed as nit picking, as one can carry their gear to condo unit, but it can be a sloppy wet mess and a pain in the a$$. I guess I am used to the facilities at other dive resorts where it is possible to hang and store gear near rinse tank. Not a deal breaker by any means since I enjoyed so many other positive attributes to this place. It was nice to hang out by the pool and read a book after diving, plus it never felt crowded.
Food!
We would alternate between dining out and cooking our own food. We made a couple visits to Sol Food. We have been dining her for years, consistently great food and company. Even the most picky, fussy eater can find something up their alley. Sunshine is always flexible and will often customize a dish i.e. adding additional spice to the grilled chicken. Prices are very reasonable with unbeatable views of the sunset. Landhaus Misje served up some wonderful, fresh items, although the menu is not extensive they have an eclectic selection of dishes. Rancho Sobrino was next to where we were staying so it could not get any more convenient. I have been there before and it was okay, not great. This time it was better. Tuesdays is wok night. You select and assemble raw meat and vegetables in a bowl and they sauté it in the wok with your choice of hoisin or teriyaki sauce(hopefully more sauces and spices will be an option down the road). I was feeling heavy from all the meat consumption, so the stir fry with lots of vegetables was a tasty option. We had lunch at the Kura Hulanda Lodge. Good variety of dishes but pricey for what you get. We were really hoping to try Trio Penotti. Unfortunately we ran out of time plus forgot to make reservations.
Diving
The night we arrived it was incredibly windy. Apparently there was some rough weather off the Venezuelan coast which made the waters of the ABC islands quite choppy. Visibility was not pristine like Cozumel yet not as turbid as Cabo San Lucas. I would guess visibility was somewhere between 40-60 feet. With the exception of an afternoon boat dive to Watamula, all of our diving was from the shore. Typically we would find a site, head one way, have an hour surface interval enter the same site and head in the opposite direction. Here is a brief rundown on some of the shore dive sites:
Playa Kalki: House dive of Go West. We rented tanks and weights for the week (with the exception of Cas Abao). Giant stride off pier, short swim out to the reef. I definitely preferred the dive when we headed north. Monster sized corals and numerous fish. This is definitely the spot where to find eels. This has always been a consistent, favorite dive of mine.
Playa Lagun: In the past this has been one of my absolute favorites. Although a longer swim out to reef, the swim out itself usually results in some interesting finds. In less than 10 feet of water I have seen eels, turtles, a flying gurnard and an octopus. For this reason, I will use the extra air and descend immediately after entering the water while swimming out to the reef. Unfortunately the day we visited this site, the visibility was awful. The water was too murky to descend in the bay, thus we swam out a distance and descended over the reef. I was close to aborting the dive but once we descended past 50 feet deep the visibility improved. Our persistence paid off. We came across two separate octopuses out hunting. Large schools of blue tangs and plenty of scorpionfish.
San Juan sites of Playa Shon Moso and Playa Manzalino: The drive is notorious for its bumpy ride on a fissured dirt/rocky road. Since the land is privately owned, we paid $5.00 to access the 3 dive sites. This area was the most isolated, off the beaten path of any of our other dives. Not terrible but I have to admit, I was relieved to see a couple of other vehicles near the beach. We were rewarded with good visibility and some of the healthiest coral (Watamula being the exception) on the island. Shore diving entrances dont get any easier than these sites. The beaches are pebbled with a gentle, gradual slope. The downside to such an isolated spot was the abundant number of lionfish. Hopefully it will become a popular hunting ground soon. At the end of our second dive out of the corner of my eye I saw an eagle ray on my right side. I was banging my tank to get my husbands attention and proceed to grab my camera only to get the dreaded Battery Low! memo. Not one single crummy picture to muster. The eagle ray circled around a couple of times and made an incredibly close pass by and above me, literally within touching distance. I am still agonizing over the camera snafu! I have seen quite a few eagle rays in my life, but never at such close range. Amazing experience.
Cas Abao: While there are better dives on the island, I always visit this spot since the beach is amazing with sugar white sand. We paid a $7 vehicle entrance fee which is well worth the convenience of a security officer patrolling the parking lot, bathrooms, lockers and a café. The Cas Abao Water sports and Shop is no longer in business. They closed for a couple of months and re-opened under new ownership as B Diving and Water Sports. Great facility with new equipment and plenty of shaded areas to gear up. During our surface interval my husband hung up our gear and grabbed lunch at the cafe. When we returned our regulators were gone. One of the employees was worried about our regs being exposed to the sun and moved them into the shop. Everybody was very helpful in offering tips and information as to what to look out for. I never found the frogfish or seahorses, but nonetheless enjoyed easy and relaxing dives.
Marazul: I cannot find any name of this site on the shore diving guides. You must navigate several steps with concrete platform for large stride or ladder entry. I was pleasantly surprised by this site. This had the best visibility of all dives. Short swim out to healthy corals. Large schools of blue tangs and brown chromis resulted in a fishbowl effect. There I came across the biggest green moray ever! It was great to have such a vibrant dive at our doorstep.
Watamula: No dive vacation to Curacao is complete without a visit to this dive site. Amazing valleys and peaks of colorful coral. Lurking in some elk horn coral a fellow diver found a chain moray. It was only my second sighting of one of these guys. I was also accompanied by a pair of curious squid. They would flutter around and come up close to check me out for a few minutes and at the blink of an eye, disappeared.
Midweek day off from diving:
I have never been on an ATV and the idea of a guided tour was appealing. We booked a tour of the east side with Prins ATV tours. When my husband and I arrived, we realized we were the only customers booked for that tour. I was afraid they would cancel since it is hard to make any sort of profit with such a small group. Not only did we get to do the tour but had two guides. We covered A LOT of area. My favorite parts were the blow holes, the natural bridge and bat caves. I highly recommend this tour. Guides were very engaging and provided bottled water with several stops along the way whether it was to provide history or description of the site. ATVs were new, automatic transmission and very comfortable. The guides carried cameras and took plenty pictures of our adventure.
Miscellaneous thoughts:
We rented a Kia through 'D and D Car Rental'. Very reasonable rates and it could have not been an easier transaction. The rep met us at the airport, walked us to our car and off we went. I will definitely rent through this agency again, although I would rent a truck instead. Some of the dive sites did not have ideal areas for donning and preparing gear (especially at Lagun and San Juan). A truck bed would have been ideal for docking to avoid getting sand on equipment and ease of gearing up on a truck bed instead of a boulder ledge.
A month before our vacation I managed to nab some American Airlines Admirals Club passes on Ebay. We had a 4 hour layover in Miami on the return flight. Since the passes were close to expiring, we paid $35 for two club passes. Definitely worth sitting in the quiet area reading my book and far, far away from Damien and Sir Hacks A lot. I wil definitely do this again.
As for the ongoing debate between Curacao and Bonaire. I would have to say it is like Pepsi vs. Coke, Honda vs.Toyota. You will have loyal fans on both sides. I have been to Bonaire twice and thoroughly enjoyed myself and know I will be back. If I had the energy to do more than 2-3 dives a day, I would probably lean towards Bonaire. Being a two dives a day person, I prefer Curacao. The number of dive sites and access directly off the main road are a big advantage in Bonaire. Curacao roads typically do not contour the shoreline. This means more driving and detours. However, the ease of entry and scenic beaches which are a perfect spot for the surface interval are a greater payoff for me. Understandably there has been some disenchantment over paying a fee to access Curacao dive sites.The most we had to pay was $7 a car. In the end, it probably comes out to less than what my husband and I pay for Bonaire Marine Park tags.
To all you Scubaboarders planning a dive trip, I am incredibly jealous
Accommodations:
Usually we stay at All West Apartments. Keep in mind, they can book up fast. By the time I booked my trip, there were no units available. I have stayed at the Kura Hulanda Lodge during a previous visit and while I enjoyed the pool and grounds, I thought it was getting pricey for a one room unit. We booked a one bedroom unit though VRBO at The Marazul Dive Resort. Our place was a one bedroom, two story, two bathroom unit. King bed was comfortable. Hot water was available in shower and kitchen sink. A/C in living room and bedroom worked like a charm, although the open sliding doors provided ample breeze. Condo was extremely quiet, located off the road and oceanfront. Pool area well kept up with plenty of chaise lounges available and shaded areas. In between the pool and steps to the ocean, there was a large,clean rinse tank with nearby picnic benches and tables. Steps to ocean were steep and plentiful
but well maintained. You could enter using a giant stride off concrete platform use the ladder. We definitely enjoyed our stay at Marazul. My only grievance is that they incorporate the name Dive Resort when in fact it lacked some of the amenities of a dive resort; such as a designated tank room and secure/convenient area to hang and dry off gear. This may be viewed as nit picking, as one can carry their gear to condo unit, but it can be a sloppy wet mess and a pain in the a$$. I guess I am used to the facilities at other dive resorts where it is possible to hang and store gear near rinse tank. Not a deal breaker by any means since I enjoyed so many other positive attributes to this place. It was nice to hang out by the pool and read a book after diving, plus it never felt crowded.
Food!
We would alternate between dining out and cooking our own food. We made a couple visits to Sol Food. We have been dining her for years, consistently great food and company. Even the most picky, fussy eater can find something up their alley. Sunshine is always flexible and will often customize a dish i.e. adding additional spice to the grilled chicken. Prices are very reasonable with unbeatable views of the sunset. Landhaus Misje served up some wonderful, fresh items, although the menu is not extensive they have an eclectic selection of dishes. Rancho Sobrino was next to where we were staying so it could not get any more convenient. I have been there before and it was okay, not great. This time it was better. Tuesdays is wok night. You select and assemble raw meat and vegetables in a bowl and they sauté it in the wok with your choice of hoisin or teriyaki sauce(hopefully more sauces and spices will be an option down the road). I was feeling heavy from all the meat consumption, so the stir fry with lots of vegetables was a tasty option. We had lunch at the Kura Hulanda Lodge. Good variety of dishes but pricey for what you get. We were really hoping to try Trio Penotti. Unfortunately we ran out of time plus forgot to make reservations.
Diving
The night we arrived it was incredibly windy. Apparently there was some rough weather off the Venezuelan coast which made the waters of the ABC islands quite choppy. Visibility was not pristine like Cozumel yet not as turbid as Cabo San Lucas. I would guess visibility was somewhere between 40-60 feet. With the exception of an afternoon boat dive to Watamula, all of our diving was from the shore. Typically we would find a site, head one way, have an hour surface interval enter the same site and head in the opposite direction. Here is a brief rundown on some of the shore dive sites:
Playa Kalki: House dive of Go West. We rented tanks and weights for the week (with the exception of Cas Abao). Giant stride off pier, short swim out to the reef. I definitely preferred the dive when we headed north. Monster sized corals and numerous fish. This is definitely the spot where to find eels. This has always been a consistent, favorite dive of mine.
Playa Lagun: In the past this has been one of my absolute favorites. Although a longer swim out to reef, the swim out itself usually results in some interesting finds. In less than 10 feet of water I have seen eels, turtles, a flying gurnard and an octopus. For this reason, I will use the extra air and descend immediately after entering the water while swimming out to the reef. Unfortunately the day we visited this site, the visibility was awful. The water was too murky to descend in the bay, thus we swam out a distance and descended over the reef. I was close to aborting the dive but once we descended past 50 feet deep the visibility improved. Our persistence paid off. We came across two separate octopuses out hunting. Large schools of blue tangs and plenty of scorpionfish.
San Juan sites of Playa Shon Moso and Playa Manzalino: The drive is notorious for its bumpy ride on a fissured dirt/rocky road. Since the land is privately owned, we paid $5.00 to access the 3 dive sites. This area was the most isolated, off the beaten path of any of our other dives. Not terrible but I have to admit, I was relieved to see a couple of other vehicles near the beach. We were rewarded with good visibility and some of the healthiest coral (Watamula being the exception) on the island. Shore diving entrances dont get any easier than these sites. The beaches are pebbled with a gentle, gradual slope. The downside to such an isolated spot was the abundant number of lionfish. Hopefully it will become a popular hunting ground soon. At the end of our second dive out of the corner of my eye I saw an eagle ray on my right side. I was banging my tank to get my husbands attention and proceed to grab my camera only to get the dreaded Battery Low! memo. Not one single crummy picture to muster. The eagle ray circled around a couple of times and made an incredibly close pass by and above me, literally within touching distance. I am still agonizing over the camera snafu! I have seen quite a few eagle rays in my life, but never at such close range. Amazing experience.
Cas Abao: While there are better dives on the island, I always visit this spot since the beach is amazing with sugar white sand. We paid a $7 vehicle entrance fee which is well worth the convenience of a security officer patrolling the parking lot, bathrooms, lockers and a café. The Cas Abao Water sports and Shop is no longer in business. They closed for a couple of months and re-opened under new ownership as B Diving and Water Sports. Great facility with new equipment and plenty of shaded areas to gear up. During our surface interval my husband hung up our gear and grabbed lunch at the cafe. When we returned our regulators were gone. One of the employees was worried about our regs being exposed to the sun and moved them into the shop. Everybody was very helpful in offering tips and information as to what to look out for. I never found the frogfish or seahorses, but nonetheless enjoyed easy and relaxing dives.
Marazul: I cannot find any name of this site on the shore diving guides. You must navigate several steps with concrete platform for large stride or ladder entry. I was pleasantly surprised by this site. This had the best visibility of all dives. Short swim out to healthy corals. Large schools of blue tangs and brown chromis resulted in a fishbowl effect. There I came across the biggest green moray ever! It was great to have such a vibrant dive at our doorstep.
Watamula: No dive vacation to Curacao is complete without a visit to this dive site. Amazing valleys and peaks of colorful coral. Lurking in some elk horn coral a fellow diver found a chain moray. It was only my second sighting of one of these guys. I was also accompanied by a pair of curious squid. They would flutter around and come up close to check me out for a few minutes and at the blink of an eye, disappeared.
Midweek day off from diving:
I have never been on an ATV and the idea of a guided tour was appealing. We booked a tour of the east side with Prins ATV tours. When my husband and I arrived, we realized we were the only customers booked for that tour. I was afraid they would cancel since it is hard to make any sort of profit with such a small group. Not only did we get to do the tour but had two guides. We covered A LOT of area. My favorite parts were the blow holes, the natural bridge and bat caves. I highly recommend this tour. Guides were very engaging and provided bottled water with several stops along the way whether it was to provide history or description of the site. ATVs were new, automatic transmission and very comfortable. The guides carried cameras and took plenty pictures of our adventure.
Miscellaneous thoughts:
We rented a Kia through 'D and D Car Rental'. Very reasonable rates and it could have not been an easier transaction. The rep met us at the airport, walked us to our car and off we went. I will definitely rent through this agency again, although I would rent a truck instead. Some of the dive sites did not have ideal areas for donning and preparing gear (especially at Lagun and San Juan). A truck bed would have been ideal for docking to avoid getting sand on equipment and ease of gearing up on a truck bed instead of a boulder ledge.
A month before our vacation I managed to nab some American Airlines Admirals Club passes on Ebay. We had a 4 hour layover in Miami on the return flight. Since the passes were close to expiring, we paid $35 for two club passes. Definitely worth sitting in the quiet area reading my book and far, far away from Damien and Sir Hacks A lot. I wil definitely do this again.
As for the ongoing debate between Curacao and Bonaire. I would have to say it is like Pepsi vs. Coke, Honda vs.Toyota. You will have loyal fans on both sides. I have been to Bonaire twice and thoroughly enjoyed myself and know I will be back. If I had the energy to do more than 2-3 dives a day, I would probably lean towards Bonaire. Being a two dives a day person, I prefer Curacao. The number of dive sites and access directly off the main road are a big advantage in Bonaire. Curacao roads typically do not contour the shoreline. This means more driving and detours. However, the ease of entry and scenic beaches which are a perfect spot for the surface interval are a greater payoff for me. Understandably there has been some disenchantment over paying a fee to access Curacao dive sites.The most we had to pay was $7 a car. In the end, it probably comes out to less than what my husband and I pay for Bonaire Marine Park tags.
To all you Scubaboarders planning a dive trip, I am incredibly jealous
