rad21
Contributor
We left Los Angeles on May 20 on AA to Miami. The flight was on time and when we arrived in Miami we found the gate for the flight to Curacao and waited about 30 minutes when I noticed the monitor changed from Curacao to Tampa. I approached the gate agent and asked if there was a gate change and he replied, the flight was canceled due to a volcano in Montserrat! http://www.mvo.ms/ At first, I thought it was a joke, then when we approached the re booking counter we realized that flights to Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and Venezuela were all canceled. While we waited in line, one of the AA employees walked through the line and suggested that we call AA on the phone and get re booked instead of waiting for a gate agent. Most of us did that and then we received a voucher for a discounted rate for the Crown Plaza for the night. Since we checked 2 bags, all we had was the clothes on our back and some basic toiletries. We took the shuttle to the Crown Plaza and checked in. As soon as we entered our room we realized that we were next to the elevator motor room and even minute we could hear the elevator going up and down. I called the front desk and asked for another room. I was told the hotel was sold out and the manager would call me back in 5 minutes. He never called back so we went to the lobby and asked again to change the room. They claimed there were no other rooms available. We slept with earplugs and checked out in the AM. We will NEVER stay in a Crown Plaza anywhere ever again. We headed back to the airport only to find out that the volcanic ash had spread and the FAA grounded all flights again. AA claimed that it would be difficult to find our bags, so we left them behind for a second night. This time we stayed at the Marriott which was a little more expensive but the room was fine and the hotel was quiet. AA rerouted us through Puerto Rico for Monday afternoon. On Sunday afternoon, I went to the business center and checked the volcanic activity on Montserrat, the ash was spreading out in the Caribbean. We decided if we could not fly out Monday, then we would go back to LA and forget this vacation. On Monday morning, I called AA and all flights were on time to depart. I also called AA Vacations to let them know we missed 2 nights at the Hilton in Curacao because of the canceled flights and they advised me to get a letter from the Hilton confirming that they would refund us for the 2 nights. We made it to Puerto Rico and we went to the gate area for American Eagle. It sure was crowded! Since the volcanic ash was moving through the Caribbean, other flights were delayed and canceled but our flight to Curacao left on time. Our bags were waiting for us at the Curacao airport (thanks AA). By the time we checked into the Hilton is was about 11 PM. We were looking forward to a good nights rest however with the bar located directly under all the ocean view rooms, the noise from the live music and the 30-50 drunk people at the bar trying to yell over the music was just too much. Earplugs to the rescue again. When we checked in at the Hilton, I asked if our room was refurbished and was told it was. Well, it wasn't and the moldy smell from the A/C was pretty bad. We turned off the A/C and went to bed. In the morning, I looked out the patio window and the view of the beach, pool and gardens were magnificent, too bad that was the only good thing about the Hilton. I asked the front desk if we could change our room because of the moldy smell and we were told that the hotel was booked. Since the view was awesome, we decided to stay in the room, since we missed 2 days in Curacao, there were only 3 more nights to go. I asked to speak to the manager regarding a letter for the 2 nights that we missed and we were told that the manager was in a meeting. The next day I asked to see the manager again and was told that she was on the phone. The manager did a great job of avoiding us and never did show her face. I waited at the front desk for 20 minutes until I was told the letter would be written.
The buffet breakfast was not very appealing unless you like eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. There was not much selection of breads, muffins, fresh fruit or juices and the coffee was like mud. That was the last breakfast we ate at the Hilton. We walked over to the Marriott to check out the dive shop and found the staff extremely friendly and helpful. We booked a dive and snorkel trip and checked out the Marriott. Compared to the Hilton, the Marriott was so much quieter and offered much more appealing amenities like a deli where you could get a quick sandwich, wrap or pizza and a coffee bar with muffins and pastries. The Marriott staff were all very friendly and we ended up spending more time on their premises than the Hilton. Just about every night about 5:30, the Hilton would have live music and the volume was just too much. Even with the patio door closed, the music was loud enough to hear every note. Add in the 30-50 people that arrived nightly on the KLM flight and sat at the bar and attempted to shout over the music and the place was almost as loud as The Who concert I attended in the '70s. On top of that, there were children harassing the caged parrots and causing them to squawk while the music played, what a nightmare. We spent as little time as possible at the Hilton. We tried the restaurant at the Hilton (Aqua) and the service was slow and the fresh fish wasn't and tasted fishy and had bones in it. I sent my fish back and had the jerk chicken which was tasty. That was the last meal we ate at the Hilton. We rented a car and toured part of the island- Willemstad was quite nice, we walked over the floating bridge and took the ferry. We found a little stand by the bridge that made the most awesome smoothies- mango and banana, mmm. Parking was easy to find and driving was not a problem. We enjoyed walking around the city. There were enough shops for us to find souvenirs and gifts. We walked through the Kura Hulanda and found it quite charming. We had dinner at Astrolabe and the setting was so peaceful and serene,it was just what we needed. The service was excellent, my wife had the Caribbean lobster tail which was excellent but a bit tough. I ordered the fresh fish and it was better that the Hilton but still not very good. Overall, it was a great dining experience with mediocre food.
We did a dive trip with http://www.caribseasports.com/ , the crew was great and everyone was extremely friendly. They let me store my gear at their shop even though I was staying at the Hilton. The dive sites we dove were Bullen Bay and Coral Gardens. I was 100% impressed with the entire operation and highly recommend them. Great boat, great staff, relaxed, easy diving. The reefs were in excellent shape and the sea life was abundant.
By now it should be obvious that when we return to Curacao, we would choose the Marriott.
We drove up the coast to see the many beaches and stopped for lunch at the Lodge Kura Hulanda. It was nice with a pretty beach but we would prefer staying closer to Willemstad so we can venture out in the evening. As far as the lunch, the food was average and the service very slow. In summary, the best food I had were the sandwiches and wraps at the Marriott and the smoothies in Willemstad.....
Would we return to Curacao? Absolutely, would we stay at the Hilton? Never again.
Now we were off to Bonaire.
The buffet breakfast was not very appealing unless you like eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. There was not much selection of breads, muffins, fresh fruit or juices and the coffee was like mud. That was the last breakfast we ate at the Hilton. We walked over to the Marriott to check out the dive shop and found the staff extremely friendly and helpful. We booked a dive and snorkel trip and checked out the Marriott. Compared to the Hilton, the Marriott was so much quieter and offered much more appealing amenities like a deli where you could get a quick sandwich, wrap or pizza and a coffee bar with muffins and pastries. The Marriott staff were all very friendly and we ended up spending more time on their premises than the Hilton. Just about every night about 5:30, the Hilton would have live music and the volume was just too much. Even with the patio door closed, the music was loud enough to hear every note. Add in the 30-50 people that arrived nightly on the KLM flight and sat at the bar and attempted to shout over the music and the place was almost as loud as The Who concert I attended in the '70s. On top of that, there were children harassing the caged parrots and causing them to squawk while the music played, what a nightmare. We spent as little time as possible at the Hilton. We tried the restaurant at the Hilton (Aqua) and the service was slow and the fresh fish wasn't and tasted fishy and had bones in it. I sent my fish back and had the jerk chicken which was tasty. That was the last meal we ate at the Hilton. We rented a car and toured part of the island- Willemstad was quite nice, we walked over the floating bridge and took the ferry. We found a little stand by the bridge that made the most awesome smoothies- mango and banana, mmm. Parking was easy to find and driving was not a problem. We enjoyed walking around the city. There were enough shops for us to find souvenirs and gifts. We walked through the Kura Hulanda and found it quite charming. We had dinner at Astrolabe and the setting was so peaceful and serene,it was just what we needed. The service was excellent, my wife had the Caribbean lobster tail which was excellent but a bit tough. I ordered the fresh fish and it was better that the Hilton but still not very good. Overall, it was a great dining experience with mediocre food.
We did a dive trip with http://www.caribseasports.com/ , the crew was great and everyone was extremely friendly. They let me store my gear at their shop even though I was staying at the Hilton. The dive sites we dove were Bullen Bay and Coral Gardens. I was 100% impressed with the entire operation and highly recommend them. Great boat, great staff, relaxed, easy diving. The reefs were in excellent shape and the sea life was abundant.
By now it should be obvious that when we return to Curacao, we would choose the Marriott.
We drove up the coast to see the many beaches and stopped for lunch at the Lodge Kura Hulanda. It was nice with a pretty beach but we would prefer staying closer to Willemstad so we can venture out in the evening. As far as the lunch, the food was average and the service very slow. In summary, the best food I had were the sandwiches and wraps at the Marriott and the smoothies in Willemstad.....
Would we return to Curacao? Absolutely, would we stay at the Hilton? Never again.
Now we were off to Bonaire.
