Diver Rick
Contributor
This was a return trip to Coral Estates Luxury Resort. I previously said I would probably not return due to issues in our group’s visit in Nov 2011. (Curaçao/West side Diving Review of Coral Divers, 2021/11 (undercurrent.org)
However, in response to my concerns last trip, the Dive OP manager offered us some free add-ons if we wanted to return. (Free Nitrox, one extra free afternoon boat dive, and a free “Sunset Cruise including drinks and snacks” – more on that later)
We were a group of 20 people, including 4 non-divers. We were expected at the resort by about 3-4:00 PM, and on arrival, almost half our rooms were not ready yet! They said “just a few more minutes”. However, the last of our group wasn’t allowed into their room until 7:15 PM. Almost 4 hours after arrival. Totally unacceptable for a large resort that knew we were coming six months ago. The extra complication with the rooms not available is that I had 4 divers scheduled for a refresher dive (requested by the dive shop for people who hadn’t been diving for 2 years or more). People had to use lobby washrooms and dive shop area to unpack their gear and get ready for the dive without a room.
Two days later the Dive OP (through whom we booked the resort) had the resort issue us $30 gift certificates per room, for use in their restaurants as a goodwill gesture. This was a nice and welcomed gesture, but we’d rather they improve their operation.
This was the first of several problems with the resort. Next was our included breakfast. The front desk told me the divers could eat at 7AM in their mini breakfast buffet next to the lobby, non divers were welcome to go to their main restaurant and order a la carte for their breakfast, however the staff there refused them breakfast the first few days saying it was not included. It took three days to sort this out.
The rooms were okay, roomy, well maintained with daily maid service. However, they still have not fixed the showers that have no barrier to the rest of the apartment floors causing ½ inch of water all over the bathroom and front hallways after every shower. Instead of installing some kind of small barriers, they provide a squeegee to push all this water back into the shower after.
There are three restaurants plus a pizza shop on site. Pizzas and service in the small coffee shop in the lobby was great. The upstairs bar and restaurant next to the pool was very nice, great service and good menu choices. However, their beachfront resto was over priced, with a limited menu. Breakfast there on our last day was a total disaster! We were at three separate tables, and although there seemed to be lots of servers to look after everyone, it took ONE HOUR and 15 Mins to get my first coffee. And that was after waiting about 20 mins for them to even take my order! The breakfast menu had all sorts of special dishes, but no basic eggs & toast. Then, some of the menu items were “not available today”… Then they charged me $3+ for my 2nd coffee. Our goodbye meal before going to the airport was a painful 2 hour ordeal. The resort manager has since sent me a message that he would like to buy me dinner anywhere in Curaçao to make up for the breakfast problems. Not likely to take them up on this.
The Dive Operation was a lot better than last time. Their regular boat, mysteriously or coincidently was not available again this visit (“one engine not working”). The two replacement boats they borrowed from another shop were at least better than the last substitute boat which was the core of our bad trip 2 years ago. We had really counted on all 16 divers being together for the week but being split in two smaller groups wasn’t too bad. The boats themselves were ok, but they had no rear platforms for jumping in safely, and no handles anywhere on the boat to assist getting around or getting off the ladder when exiting the water. We had to rely on the Capt. hoisting us off the top rung and steadying us down into the boat. It was not easy, not safe, and how we didn’t have any falls amazed me.
While the boats weren’t the best, the Shop manager, and our dive guide for the week, Dan was fabulous. As was his assistant DM, Webb. The DM on the 2nd boat was also great. Dan greeted me on arrival and promised that this was “our week” and he’d do whatever he could to make sure it went smoothly. He was friendly and helpful all week. The shop itself is actually a satellite operation from their other main shops at other resorts. It has little or no extra parts or supplies there (we had a HP hose blow, but they wanted our diver to go to their other shop to buy a replacement). No tanks filled on site, they are all trucked in several times a day from elsewhere, but nitrox (consistent 32%) and air bottles were readily available when we needed them.
Our Sunset Cruise with “drinks and snacks” turned out to be 1½ hrs on our little dive boat with 2 inches of water sloshing around underfoot. “Drinks” was a cooler of local beers. No and no snacks whatsoever.
The Diving: The house reef at Coral is a great dive and snorkel spot, we repeated several days, including a night dive. It was also where we located a large sea horse we could visit anytime.
Overall, the diving in Curaçao was just okay. The level of damage from both coral bleaching and Stoney Coral Tissue disease was very obvious. Water temps consistent 86-88F, obviously part of the problem. I would guess about 75% of the large coral heads were either bleached or disappearing from the SCTD. No larger fish except the occasional barracuda. Only one or two turtles all week, no groupers, and only small amounts of small or schooling fish seen. No rays, only a few tiney spotted morays, and one or two green morays all week. Viz was okay, but the typical and sometimes unpredictable currents were always part of the dives.
I am still convinced that this area of Curaçao and the far west end is the preferred diving area of Curaçao (compared to the resorts and south/east end). But sadly we need to find a much better resort, and properly equipped dive operation before I will return.
However, in response to my concerns last trip, the Dive OP manager offered us some free add-ons if we wanted to return. (Free Nitrox, one extra free afternoon boat dive, and a free “Sunset Cruise including drinks and snacks” – more on that later)
We were a group of 20 people, including 4 non-divers. We were expected at the resort by about 3-4:00 PM, and on arrival, almost half our rooms were not ready yet! They said “just a few more minutes”. However, the last of our group wasn’t allowed into their room until 7:15 PM. Almost 4 hours after arrival. Totally unacceptable for a large resort that knew we were coming six months ago. The extra complication with the rooms not available is that I had 4 divers scheduled for a refresher dive (requested by the dive shop for people who hadn’t been diving for 2 years or more). People had to use lobby washrooms and dive shop area to unpack their gear and get ready for the dive without a room.
Two days later the Dive OP (through whom we booked the resort) had the resort issue us $30 gift certificates per room, for use in their restaurants as a goodwill gesture. This was a nice and welcomed gesture, but we’d rather they improve their operation.
This was the first of several problems with the resort. Next was our included breakfast. The front desk told me the divers could eat at 7AM in their mini breakfast buffet next to the lobby, non divers were welcome to go to their main restaurant and order a la carte for their breakfast, however the staff there refused them breakfast the first few days saying it was not included. It took three days to sort this out.
The rooms were okay, roomy, well maintained with daily maid service. However, they still have not fixed the showers that have no barrier to the rest of the apartment floors causing ½ inch of water all over the bathroom and front hallways after every shower. Instead of installing some kind of small barriers, they provide a squeegee to push all this water back into the shower after.
There are three restaurants plus a pizza shop on site. Pizzas and service in the small coffee shop in the lobby was great. The upstairs bar and restaurant next to the pool was very nice, great service and good menu choices. However, their beachfront resto was over priced, with a limited menu. Breakfast there on our last day was a total disaster! We were at three separate tables, and although there seemed to be lots of servers to look after everyone, it took ONE HOUR and 15 Mins to get my first coffee. And that was after waiting about 20 mins for them to even take my order! The breakfast menu had all sorts of special dishes, but no basic eggs & toast. Then, some of the menu items were “not available today”… Then they charged me $3+ for my 2nd coffee. Our goodbye meal before going to the airport was a painful 2 hour ordeal. The resort manager has since sent me a message that he would like to buy me dinner anywhere in Curaçao to make up for the breakfast problems. Not likely to take them up on this.
The Dive Operation was a lot better than last time. Their regular boat, mysteriously or coincidently was not available again this visit (“one engine not working”). The two replacement boats they borrowed from another shop were at least better than the last substitute boat which was the core of our bad trip 2 years ago. We had really counted on all 16 divers being together for the week but being split in two smaller groups wasn’t too bad. The boats themselves were ok, but they had no rear platforms for jumping in safely, and no handles anywhere on the boat to assist getting around or getting off the ladder when exiting the water. We had to rely on the Capt. hoisting us off the top rung and steadying us down into the boat. It was not easy, not safe, and how we didn’t have any falls amazed me.
While the boats weren’t the best, the Shop manager, and our dive guide for the week, Dan was fabulous. As was his assistant DM, Webb. The DM on the 2nd boat was also great. Dan greeted me on arrival and promised that this was “our week” and he’d do whatever he could to make sure it went smoothly. He was friendly and helpful all week. The shop itself is actually a satellite operation from their other main shops at other resorts. It has little or no extra parts or supplies there (we had a HP hose blow, but they wanted our diver to go to their other shop to buy a replacement). No tanks filled on site, they are all trucked in several times a day from elsewhere, but nitrox (consistent 32%) and air bottles were readily available when we needed them.
Our Sunset Cruise with “drinks and snacks” turned out to be 1½ hrs on our little dive boat with 2 inches of water sloshing around underfoot. “Drinks” was a cooler of local beers. No and no snacks whatsoever.
The Diving: The house reef at Coral is a great dive and snorkel spot, we repeated several days, including a night dive. It was also where we located a large sea horse we could visit anytime.
Overall, the diving in Curaçao was just okay. The level of damage from both coral bleaching and Stoney Coral Tissue disease was very obvious. Water temps consistent 86-88F, obviously part of the problem. I would guess about 75% of the large coral heads were either bleached or disappearing from the SCTD. No larger fish except the occasional barracuda. Only one or two turtles all week, no groupers, and only small amounts of small or schooling fish seen. No rays, only a few tiney spotted morays, and one or two green morays all week. Viz was okay, but the typical and sometimes unpredictable currents were always part of the dives.
I am still convinced that this area of Curaçao and the far west end is the preferred diving area of Curaçao (compared to the resorts and south/east end). But sadly we need to find a much better resort, and properly equipped dive operation before I will return.
