Curacao - Habitat or Sunset?

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khatley

Registered
Messages
55
Reaction score
8
Location
Murphy, Texas, United States
# of dives
200 - 499
We are booked March 15-21st. I think more have recommended Sunset and that is where we are planning on going but Habitat just offered us a pretty good deal. Has anyone stayed at both places? I typically do not like All Inclusives but if the food is good and we dont need to get a car that still may be the best place to go. Dive Operators sound to be about equal, at least I have seen nothing but positives remarks on both them. Anyone else going to be on the island at that time?
 
What kind of deal did Habitat offer? We are still deciding where to stay. We do only shore dives, so Habitat"s reef sounds better than most others, so we are leaning more toward them.
 
I've only stayed at Habitat. I love the place otherwise, but unless someone tells you the restaurant has gotten much better lately I wouldn't do a full meal plan there. (I wouldn't really call it an AI, just like many places you can get a meal plan.) We always get a car as there is a great selection of restaurants on the island.
 
Habitat is about a 25 minute drive from Willemstad and a pretty isolated place as far as the island goes. There's really nothing around it and not much to do there topside. The restaurant is good but I would recomend rentiing a car and heading to town for dinner, then back to Habitat for a night dive.:D You'll get tired of eating there all week.

If you're concern is budget, consider renting a car and doing all shore dives. You may want to go out with a DO to do Mushroom Forest by boat. I can tell you that on all but 1 of my 12 boat dives I was not more than 100 yds from shore/beach access and there is little to no current on the SW side of the island. Great way to save a few $$.

Habitat's house reef is very nice and in great condition. There's a six foot Morey Eel named Chester that will come out and swim with you.

Haven't been to Sunset house but have heard good things. I hope you get a response from someone who has been to both
 
khatley,
you could take a 2 week holiday.
stay 1 week at sunset and 1 week at habitat.
been to sunset, haven't done habitat yet.
the food at sunset is good.
the house reef at sunset is good.
regards,
 
I've been to both, although Habitat was a few years back. I was just at Sunset Waters last year and liked it much. At one point a few years ago, the same company operated the dive operation at both resorts.

Here's a few points of comparison:

Boat diving: advantage Sunset. Their island location is superior for reaching the best spots on the northwest side of the island.

Shore diving: advantage Habitiat. They are set up like many Bonaire places where you can go down to the dock at any time and jump off the pier. Sunset has a beach/lagoon entry and a longer swim to the reef.

Amenities: advantage Sunset. I liked the all-inclusive plan, and you could eat when you wanted and order from the menu. Nice having the beer/wine/booze included. Habitat plan included a good breakfast, but you'd probably want to rent a car to avoid being confined to the on-site restaurant, which I recall as mediocre and maddeninly slow and uncaring. (Maybe that's changed?).

Sunset is under new ownership after being closed for a while. The new owners are from Chicago and the dive shop owners from Colorado. Everybody there was very nice. Habitat is owned by a Dutch group, but it's been too long for me to know the current atmosphere.
 
We stayed at both in 2004 and I would give Sunst the slight edge. First in the resturant. I agree with what everyone else said. Breakfast is the only good meal. We had a car and ate out all the time after the first dinner. The other point is that Habitat does not really have a beach. There is a beach area that is mostly rock and large coral with a wooden sunning platform. While that is nice, it's not a beach if that is what you like.

Sunset, has a nice beach and the food is a little better for lunch and dinner.

Enjoy whatever you decide, Curacao is a great place. You might also try the new resort Kura Hulanda Beach Club on the far end of the isl.

Dive Smart; Dive Safe
Enjoy the ride
MM1 :14:
 

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