Curacao Questions--Where to Stay/ New & Experienced Diver Couple

[diversteve]

There's the Dive Bus for escorted shore diving around Willemstad. They go to some of the mid-island sites and handle everything including providing a DM. But it's almost as expensive as boat diving. I'm pretty sure they pickup a Lions Dive since they're just a few miles away at Pierbaai.

I've been in a villa at LKH - it was very nice. And we ate there one night - it was average but they served later which was good after our night dive..

I've only walked around LD once while waiting for a boat dive.

The house reef at the Lodge is better - arguably oe of the 10 best. Lion's Dive is OK also but had been beat up a little by a storm a few years earlier and the fish were kind of sparse.

Ocean Encounters does some of the western sites from there - also they go east - even to Klein Curacao once a week IIRC. Either direction is good diving, actually the worst diving is off Willemstad.

I believe Caribbean Sea Sports at the Hilton in P-Bay goes farther west also. Wouldn't be a terribly priced cab ride from Lions Dive but still $20 or so. They have a jetboat which is safer for divers since there's no prop.

 

[Damselfish]

I didn’t realize this was a 4 night trip. Between the short stay and it being your first time there, I would lean towards Lion’s dive. Take advantage of the convenience to things and start to get familiar with the place. Save LKH for a future and possibly longer trip.

 

[diversteve]

If your plan is to mostly boat dive, I'd make some reservations once you have firm travel dates - for as much diving as occurs there - there's only OE and one other shop I can think of with multiple boats. Plus OE gets some divers from two other shops - their Sunscape and Santa Barbara locations.

Again I agree with Danselfish - for 4 nights the logistics of getting out to LKH will impact your dive time. Plus you'll be driving to just about anything not on the resort.

 

[Damselfish]

Out of curiosity (also because I’d like to burn some points there) I looked up the Marriott. It still says opening September. But you can’t actually reserve rooms until mid-December. I take this to mean not that they’re full, but perhaps they’re not confident of that date. Or maybe September is some kind of soft opening.