Curacao Habitat

[divergirl1227]

Hello,
I will be going to Curacao in 26 days... staying at the Habitat. Anyone out there have any info on them? We have a 2 bedroom Lani... I was wondering if you are able to cook there, meaning do they have a stove, pots and pans and most important a coffee pot. Also if anyone has any info on a car rental? I hear you can rent from the hotel just curious availability and cost vs. getting it direct from the car rental companies.

Many Thanks
tremers

 

[diversteve]

You'll find a lot of information on Habitat Curacao in the ABC Islands forum. Or do a search using the words Habitat Curacao for some recent reviews and other info.

We dove but didn't stay there last April. So I can't help with your first question.

There is a car rental on-site there.

One thing to consider is that it's a 15-20 min. drive back to Willemsted to a regular food store. There is a small local market a short distance west (I think) from the Habitat turnoff but she doesn't have much.

So you may want to consider buying food in town first and driving out with it.

All the big car rental companies are at the airport and we didn't find much difference in rates. If you're going to shoredive other than at Habitat, get something you can lock and conceal gear in, there's a theft problem in some areas. Most of the resorts have their own security so it's the remote shoredive sites where it's a problem.

Centrum is a full supermarket that's a couple miles south of the rotary that you'll turn off on to go to Habitat from the airport. If you continue south through the rotary - straight instead of right - you'll see it off to the right side in a couple of miles.

They have a bakery, meat dept. produce and all the normal items you'd expect to find. Nice quality and selection also. As I recall everything was marked in guilders. But prices are what you'd expect at any Caribbean destination. They also sell cheap styrofoam packing boxes to be used as coolers.

We did four dives at Habitat and spent a little time in their restaurant/bar. So if you have other questions feel free to send me a PM as I don't always follow this forum.

 

[Damselfish]

We stayed in the Lanais with another couple some years ago. I could very well be remembering wrong, since the most cooking I usually do on vaca is to reheat last nights doggie bag for lunch. But I don't think it had cooking facilities, not even a microwave. Just a frig & wetbar sort of thing. Mostly we kept it stocked with sandwich makings, fruit etc. for lunch. There was probably a coffee maker, but none of us drink coffee so I wouldn't swear to it. I'm sure the hotel would answer for sure if you emailed them.

The regular rooms have no microwave either but do have a small cooktop in their kitchenette unit.

 

[fisheyeview]

Stayed at Habitat in August. We stayed in one of the regular rooms, but we did check out the villas. You can cook there. They have a small stove with pots, pans, dishes, glasses & silverwear. And yes, they do have coffee pots in the rooms.

I would agree about going to the Centrum on your way to Habitat. We did this on our way from the airport. We also went back to the store twice during our stay. Those 8 oz beers go really fast.

You can PM me if you need anything else. Otherwise have a great time.

We rented a truck from Budget right at the airport.

If you are taking a laptop with you there is wireless connection available. I think it cost us $20.00 for the 10 days that we were there. It says that you need to be in the lobby area to use it, but we were able to get a connection from our room with no problems.

 

[divergirl1227]

Thanks for all the info. Only 25 days left.... Can't wait to leave the cold and snow behind!!

Tammy

 

[CheddarChick]

Ah Girl...I am so jealous. Have fun. Too bad We aren't there at the same time. Winter In Wi is rotten.

 

[Arturo]

I stayed in a regular room at the habitat about two years ago. Don't remember any cooking facilities in there but I do remember the rooms were quite spartan. The dive shop was very well run and he boats were in mint conditions. Do go back home without diving mushroom forest and the wreck near the port which I believe is named "The Producer". Have a good time.

 

[Arturo]

Sorry, I ment to say "Do not go back home without...", rather than "Do go back home..."

 

[waymarkee]

We stayed at Habitat Curacao in 2006 in the 'garden' villas. They do have some basic cooking facilities (small cook top, pots, pans, coffee maker) and a small refrigerator. We managed to find a couple grocery stores and made several meals during our stay.

The restaurant at Habitat is okay, and my overall impression of the numerous restaurants in town were just okay also. Not really a culinary destination, however the gouda cheese that is sent over from Denmark is so wonderful. I'm no culinary snob but being from Wisconsin I am spoiled on great cheese (and 12+ ounce beers - not the 8 oz. beers you'll get in Curacao). Try the different ages of this cheese, then buy a wheel of it to take home (about $20 - what a deal). It truly makes the best grilled cheese sandwich you'll probably ever taste.

We also rented a Toyota pick-up from Budget, but all rental places were about the same price. I do recall being able to rent from Habitat but it was quite a bit more. For 4 people we really used that truck for shore diving every day. The diving at Habitat is very good but there are some easily accessed and fantastic shore dives toward the north end of the island. Heck, even Habitat's boats took us to some of the places we shore dove (what's the point of the boat?!).

For shore diving, Habitat has tanks you can grab whenever you want to go, 24-7. There are some good Curacao guide books out there, and there are some good websites, too. I used Shorediving.com as a resource for our trip. Great directions with photos and distances. If you've never been, directions are, well, not what you're probably used to. A "sign" usually means a small, painted boulder partially obscured by the weeds lying just off the road.

Diving in Curacao is probably some of the best in the Caribbean. Enjoy your trip, and see as much as you can!