Diving in Curacao, at Habitat Curacao-opinions?

[Nancyrobin]

I stayed at Habitat Curacao a couple of years ago, loved the diving especially the Mushroom Forrest, the house reef was great, no problems with the food or accommodations. I found the dive boats were perfect and no additional cost for nitrox probably one of the better dive op's I have dove with, my only complaint I was the noisy fan in my room but no big deal

Second recommendation for the Mushroom Forest--I'll have to check it out. Also, nice to know they don't charge for nitrox--I just got certified in it.

 

[Nancyrobin]

Is there a full moon out....

Anyways, we've been to Curacao twice in the last couple years and first stayed at Habitat. We thought Habitat had so much potential. I've discussed this with another SB member who retired there and lives in Coral Estates where Habitat is located. It wasn't a bad stay but there was some room for improvement. The food at that time was really bad but as of late (maybe the last 6 months or longer) I've read nothing but great reviews of the food. Do they still have the bitterballen because wow... I think I had a beef/goat burger there too.

Our room was decent enough, no major complaints. I wished the blankets/sheets were thicker because our AC worked very well and I was a little cold. We had a very clean bathroom, no rust or broken tile. We had a lower level garden room which was directly behind the restaurant, close and convenient for breakfast and close to the dive shop. The room had a nice outdoor patio area with a decent ocean view which I wasn't expecting. The pool area was nice, smaller pool with an infinity edge. They desperately needed to replace the wooden bridge/handrails in one section of the pool. They have two sets of steep stairs by the dive shop/area. The decking needed to be replaced/repaired in parts of the dive area. Hopefully they have repaired the dock which was wiped out a little after we stayed there. They have a nice shore dive area, I heard last year there were some viz problems while they were building up the beach but we had good dives there. There are no other hotels in that area so that's a plus in my book for being less crowded. The dive shop wasn't my favorite and they had a couple boat malfunctions but nothing too serious, now they have a new shop or name so that may have improved.

I would have stayed there again but then we discovered we love the diving more in Westpunt. Habitat was a good value and it sounds like they are making the improvements they needed. It's as if they had one thing in every area that could have been improved upon and it would make a world of difference. I would not have classified it as a dump though, even when we stayed there.

Thanks for the detailed assessment. Hope they've worked on the things you mention which need improvement.

 

[Nancyrobin]

Nancyrobin
Let me try and bring you up to date regarding Habitat resort, Curacao.
It has been bought by a local Dutch developer and friend in hopes of re invigorating the hotel.
So far the restaurant is newly managed and is probably some what better in terms of service and menu. The rooms need a lot of work but they chose to paint the out side of the buildings first, and clean up the property. The pool area is cleaner but not yet as good as it could be. A new beach has been added by bulk-heading the ocean and back filling this with sand. Most of the native shore trees were removed and replaced with 15-20 palm trees that quickly died, so there is no shade on the beach.
The previous dive shop owner sold the business to Diversity but at the moment there is not a full dive shop as this will eventually be rebuilt, replacing very old lockers, tank rooms etc. The dock which has been absent for 18 months has been partially replaced and there is on going work to finish this and coordinate it with the new beach. Two dive boats are in place and are in reasonable shape. The biggest boat is very slow so two tank morning dives take more time. Much of the Easy Diver staff remain which is a saving grace as they are all great dive masters. They are making the best of a tough situation.
Nos Cas reef has always been a wonderful site. I have been diving there for over 9 years and steadily for the past three years. 18 months ago TS Omar did quite a bit of damage to the top of the reef, 30 ft. and up. It was starting to look better but with the beach construction I think more damage was done. I have no scientific proof just a gut feeling from what I have seen. More construction on the shore line will not help, but money talks. (Another TS will easily wash out the new sand and who knows what effect that might have. Waves from Omar would have easily crested the new bulk head.)
Depending on how quickly work gets done, this is the Caribbean, will determine how satisfied you are with staying at Habitat. The diving in Curacao is excellent and rivals Bonaire with the possible exception of the number of easy entry shore dives. The island itself has much more to offer than Bonaire if you are willing to get out and find things.
IMHO the developers of Habitat are looking to have a more upscale hotel and are not as concerned about it as a dive resort. It remains to be seen how it plays out.
You can go to Underwater Photography Guide and look up Curacao under dive destinations.
Hope that helps.

THanks for all the detailed info--now I am frankly confused.

 

[B Lo]

I was just in Curacao earlier this month.

Some random thoughts: Everything is yoke so if you have a DIN reg you'll be bringing, take an adapter with you. If you go out to Klein Curacao, be prepared for rough seas. Even if you don't have motion sickness, have some Dramamine ready. I couldn't believe the strength of the water between the main island and Klein. If you have an underwater camera, you'll get some good photos in Curacao. It may be obvious, but be sure to bring your own fins and booties. I made the mistake of renting over there and my feet paid the price.

 

[Feney]

Has anyone stayed at the Hilton? Plan on being there late May.

Last year when returning from Curacao, we were bumped by AA and put up at the Hilton. We wanted to stay at the Marriott, where they put us up previously when taking the bump, but they were full. When we first arrived at the Hilton we were quite disappointed because the hotel looks very 60-70s era and rundown from the outside. We were pleasantly surprised by the room which was very spacious and had a big oceanview balcony. Nice beach and didn't seem as crowded as the Marriott. Would definitely stay there again.

 

[muzicgirl]

We stayed at the Hilton in October 2009 - it's one of our favorite places in Curacao. We stay on the executive floor - it's worth it with complimentary breakfast, internet, and cocktail hour in the evening. The beaches (yes plural as they have 2 ) and pools are great. House reef is awesome. When we wante a quieter stay, we go to habitat...we love both locations.

 

[B Lo]

I stayed at the Hilton earlier this month. It's a very decent hotel with the exception of the food pricing. I ended up walking along the beach to the Marriott to eat most evenings and was impressed with their food. Aside from that, the Hilton's exterior is a little older looking, but the facilities are solid. Just be careful when walking out into the water. There are urchins and all sorts of critters not too far offshore. This is great for diving but bad if you don't have covered feet and intend to walk more than just a few feet from the beach.

 

[Nancyrobin]

THanks for the tips, especially about the urchins!

 

[Korsu]

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/abc-islands/337768-fyi-habitat-curacao.html

I posted these the other day.
The bottom of the page.

 

[muzicgirl]

Thanks for the pics@ We look forward to our second trip to habitat in october to dive with clarck!