Curacao Trip Report 4/4-4/11

[Tim Ingersoll]

The travel. Delta through Atlanta direct to Curacao. No complaints. Rented a car and thought it well worth it. travel on the island was relatively easy although street signs can be sporadic.
The island. This island is relatively urban in character. The developed areas seemed relatively large in comparison to Bonaire. The "crowded" feel to the island itself is probably the number one reason I probably would not return. Not my style. If you go make sure to check out the Hato caves and the ostrich farm. We also did a dune buggy tour and a daysail. Both were well worth it and kid favorites.
The resort. We stayed at the Royal Sea Aquarium Resort. Great great resort. No complaints whatsoever. The aquarium is right next door and admission is free if you stay at the resort. If you have kids this is THE place to stay. Highly recommended.
The diving. I liked Curacao diving and found it very comparable to Bonaire. It may have been just the right time to be there but there were swarms of schooling juvenile reef fish. The reef itself is very healthy and the variety of soft and hard corals was impressive. The only thing missing was the big stuff. I only saw one turtle and one eagle ray in four days of diving.
The dive operation. Dove with Ocean Encounters. Very good op. All dives were conservative and well monitored. The boats were typical but clean and well maintained. Fruit was served after dives and there was ample water and juice at no charge. Overall an A operation. I can't think of any negatives.
The food. This was a real bummer. Ate at Hemingways, Agustos, Mambo Beach and the casino retaurant in Wilemsted. They all pretty much sucked. Bland, bland, bland. I'm not a gourmand but for gods sake make an effort people.

 

[WarmWaterDiver]

Nice report. We're going to our third Curacao trip in June.

If you get away from the main harbor area, it's less crowded - the further west you go, the less crowded it is. We stayed in the Jan Thiel area first trip, Westpunt and St. Michael's bay area the second trip and our upcoming trip. The harbor area is the heart of commerce like any big port city, with the Isla refinery there.

You want some eats with some zing, try some of the Indonesian spots, or curry houses there. One I remember being really good is in the old fort complex.

Ask for 'pica' - the local equivalent of pico de gallo made with habanero / scotch bonnet cousins - on Bonaire and / or Curacao. Usually the response is 'our cook has some homemade, be careful sir, and I hope you enjoy!". Even the snack shacks at places like Porto Marie have pica on request, but more toned down.

We really like Ocean Encounters as well, it's easy to see why they've been so successful on Curacao.

 

[jd950]

Tim: I enjoyed Curacao. Sorry you didn't like it more. Just a couple of thoughts; if you get away from Willemstad and out into the "countryside" you can find plenty of uncrowded areas. It is a different feel than Bonaire though, and does overall seem more developed and urban. Dive sites and restaurants are more spread out and there is more traffic, especially around Willemstad.

I don't know any of those restaurants, but from my limited experience and what I have read, none of them are the more commonly recommended places. I am not sure but I think you missed the good places. I think dining can be harder on Curacao because it is bigger and more spread out. There are a handful of popular restaurants on Bonaire and everyone knows them and they are all pretty close. Curacao seems to take more work.

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Hey I'm not putting the island down. Its just not my style. I've found over the years that I'm more of a Little Cayman or Grand Turk type of guy than a Grand Cayman or Curacao type of guy. From a purely diving perspective I was very pleasantly surprised.

 

[morecowbells]

Thanks for posting a thorough and honest trip report. I am sure there are people who could not understand my dislike of Willemstad. I simply had a really bad experience when visiting during one day . I was so glad to leave the city and return to the quiet of Westpunt. The two are night and day. If you return, I hope you consider staying in the North West part of the island. Did you get a chance to do some shore diving?

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

I was with my ten year old son and my 16 year old niece. I considered some solo shore diving with them on the beach. . but the thought of an accident with them there was too scary. I liked shore diving in Bonaire in January of this year and actually did a solo dive when my buddy forgot his reg but I wouldn't take the chance with my son and niece as possible witnesses to an accident.
I don't pretend to have gotten all the way around the island and had heard that the diving in the northwest would have been more to my liking but the deal at the resort was just too good to pass up with the family in tow.

 

[irie1029]

Bummed that you didn't have a perfect time. Wish you had gotten to the west end... which is why we rent a car. It really is a very different island there. The places you ate are pretty much the resort places and not very good but other than service I have enjoyed Agustos. I am already looking forward to my visit in November.

 

[lmorin]

Go back to the west end. Much more like Bonaire. Diving may be better.

 

[jd950]

Hey, if everyone wanted to go to the same place it would be a pretty crowed location! I have never been to Little Cayman or Grand Turk (yet) so I can't compare. Frankly, I wouldn't turn down any Caribbean location (well, mostly) and where I go is heavily influenced by the type of diving available, airfare deals and lodging choices. My favorite is wherever I get to go to next.

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Hey, I'm on a mission to go to every island in the Caribbean! I'll go wherever. I'll dive wherever. I look for travel deals to places I've never been to before. Great diving is a definite bonus but I'll try any island with even decent diving. I've found the most satisfying destinations for me are the ones off the beaten path with little or few amenities, no stop lights, and no McDonalds!!! (Little Cayman, Grand Turk, Saba) The less it looks and feels like Florida the happier I am (no offense to the Floridians in the crowd).