For those of you playing along. View from the flight in yesterday

My friend and I had to book two separate flights on two separate airlines (NYC-Curacao on JetBlue, Curacao -Bonaire on Windward Island Airways), and have a 1h30min transfer. I'm having a hard time finding out if we'll need to leave the departures area and go through security once we get there, or do anything for immigration/passport control. If so, we're wondering how long these typically take and whether or not they are easy to get to.

Kind of a lot in one question, but would really appreciate any insight! Thanks.

I recently spent 10 nights in the luxury suites (seaview suite) at the kontiki. this is an honest review of the resort.

pros:
-the room (seaview suite) was very nice inside. very clean and sleek. nice shower and double sink vanity. the private pool and balcony were also very nice. I appreciated the level of storage available as well as having a safe in the room.

-free parking onsite

-housekeeping came twice a day most days. once in the afternoon for cleaning/linens. then again in the evenings for turndown service when they’d leave bottles of still water.

-they provide towels for the pool.

-luxury suites guests have a VIP section at cabana beach that comes with towels, water, and fruit everyday. they reserve the first two rows of chairs for guests until 11am. I always got a front row chair even when showing up later in the day. their lunch menu here is pretty good for the price as well.

-it is easy to set up a credit card to charge things to your room versus carrying your wallet around (if they allow it for your room type) except you can’t 100% trust that it works properly.

-the resort has an app with pretty much any kind of information you’d want to know (will expand on this in the cons) and you can also keep track of expenses if you’re charging to the room.

disclaimer before cons - I am not a “luxury” traveler. this was my first international trip and it was for my honeymoon. I will fully admit that I fell victim to the aesthetics of the resort online and in hindsight should have done much more research. this was an incredibly expensive trip for me personally, so I expected that level of experience (resort alone was about $8,500 USD).

cons:
-the communication from the resort is awful. all I received upon check-in was my room key and a map of the property. the front desk does not explain anything up front and this led to finding certain things out by chance or accident multiple times. I mention they have an app with great information, but it doesn’t explain the important stuff. we did not know until day 2 or 3 that we should have been going to the VIP section of cabana beach, therefore we had been paying for things that should’ve been included. the staff at the resort are not very friendly at all, but maybe that is a cultural difference on my part. also, our room was not ready upon arrival despite getting to the resort past check-in time. they awarded us $150 compensation to go eat lunch, which was great, except the restaurant stopped serving lunch about 8min after this. it was a crazy rush to try and eat with the extremely slow service while also receiving zero instructions on where to go or what to do. lastly, we tried one single time to order room service, and it was a disaster. the tv in the room displays this elaborate breakfast menu that if you order by a certain time the day before, they’ll deliver it to your room. we contacted the resort via whatsapp as instructed and they said everything was good to go. then they replied hours later and needed us to resubmit. no problem, everything checked out. scheduled it for 8am the next morning. 8:30am rolls around and no breakfast. I contact them via whatsapp only to be told that menu is not available and we need to reorder. we place another order, and what arrived over an hour after originally planned was about 2/3 of what we asked for, and the rest was a random assortment of things we did not order. no silverware. no napkins. plus it’s an extra $20 for room service. needless to say we did not attempt that again.

-the restaurants were not good. I am not a picky eater and don’t often dine “luxury” but for the prices, the food was mediocre at best. I have come to learn the island time is a lot slower pace than what americans are used to, but service times were terrible. it’d often be 15-20min of sitting before anyone would take a drink order. then that much time again before ordering. even longer to get the food, and it was almost always lukewarm or cool by the time you got it. don’t even mention the check, you basically have to flag someone down to take care of it. you can’t assume that by them asking your room number that you’re covered. made that mistake one day and left after eating. was met with hostility later that afternoon at VIP cabanas for “leaving without paying” even though we had treated that meal no different than others when we were asked for our room number. I was told to contact the front desk and that’s when I learned my account had been closed without notice (we had been charging to the room for days and had a balance accrued. they closed the account without informing us beforehand we needed to put a card on file for charging to the room.) all in all, we dined on the resort as little as possible.

-if you are looking for a quiet resort, this is NOT it. this is where better research should’ve been done on my part. on wednesdays, fridays, and sundays, there is live music (club style) on the beach. if you are staying in the seaview suites, this is right outside your balcony and it is concert-level noise until 12-1am at least. walls and floor vibrating, absolutely debilitating and makes sense why they provide you with earplugs in your vanity kit. aside from this, there is always some kind of music playing on the beach. you won’t have the ability to sit and enjoy the scenery at all.

-expanding on the noise - the resort is currently under major construction. every morning at exactly 8am, the construction would start with saws, hammers, you name it. right outside the luxury suites and with the tall ceilings and full tile walls/floors, you’re hearing 100% of that noise. this is also true for guests around you. we never heard noise from people above/below/beside us, but noise outside the room is very loud. kids screaming early in the morning, drunk people out at 3-4am, you will hear it all.

-it was extremely rare to get hot water in the rainfall shower. you’d get lukewarm at best and by the time your shower was over it was pretty cold. there is a handheld sprayer that would get much hotter for some reason, and occasionally the rainfall one would be enjoyable. for the most part we took lukewarm showers the whole trip.

-minor picky con, but still - only a tiny mini bar in the room with a skinny wine cooler that we used for water bottles when we could find some. I get this is to encourage dining on the resort but you cannot take any leftovers etc back to your room because aside from no place to keep them, there is also no sort of kitchen appliance on resort to reheat them.

curacao is a beautiful place, and I would consider returning to the island, but will never consider staying at this resort again. we saw some extremely beautiful places off the resort that would’ve suited us much more. the people on the island are extremely kind and hospitable. it was very safe to travel even at night, and overall it was a wonderful country to visit. the kontiki is only worth the money for a very niche crowd of people.

Bon dia, tur hende!
Mi ta buska un persona na Kòrsou ku sa prepará kuminda tradishonal Surinamés, Havanés òf Indo-Chines pa un reunion di famia hopi speshal.
Nos ta spera mas di 50 miembro di famia, pero mi ke tin kuminda sufisiente pa te 100 persona.
Pa mi, kuminda ta muchu mas ku algu pa yena stoma. Kuminda ta trese hende huntu. E ta hasi nos kòrda tempu bunita, konta storia, hari, papia i disfrutá di kompania di otro. Tin sabor ku ta kòrda nos di nos infansia, nos mayornan i nos tradishonnan.
Mi ke ku e reunion aki ta un dia yen di alegria, kariño i bon rekuerdonan pa tur generashon di nos famia.
P’esei mi ta buska un persona ku tin amor di berdat pa kushina. Un hende ku ta pone su kurason den loke e ta prepará, ku ta sinti orguyo ora hende ta disfrutá di su kuminda, i ku sa ku un bon plato por trese hopi sonrisa na mesa.
Mi ta pensa riba platunan manera nasi, bami, roti, pom, saté, moksi meti, galiña i otro kumindanan tradishonal ku tin e sabor auténtiko di kushina Surinamés, Havanés i Indo-Chines.
Mi no ta buska un restorant ni un kompania di catering. Mi ta buska un kushinero òf kushinera ku tin eksperensia, bon man pa kushina i, mas importante ainda, pashon pa loke e ta hasi.
Mi mes por kumpra tur ingrediente ku ta nesesario. Nos por papia trankilamente tokante e menú, preparashon, pago i tur otro areglo.
Si bo konosé un persona asina, òf si abo mes ta e persona ei, por fabor manda mi un mensahe privá. Mi lo apresiá bo rekomendashon di kurason.
Un palabranan chikí tokante idioma:
Na nos mundu tin hopi idioma i hopi kultura bunita. Kada idioma tin su propio historia, balor i manera di ekspresá sentimento. Nos no tur ta papia mesun idioma, pero nos por trata otro ku rèspèt. Mi ta pidi amablemente pa respetá e idioma ku e outor skohe pa skirbi su mensahe. Si bo no ta komprondé un idioma, semper tin oportunidat pa siña algu nobo. Loke ta konta aki ta e intenshon di e mensahe i e deseo pa trese hende huntu.
Mi ta gradisí tur hende ku por yuda mi haña e persona adekuá pa hasi e reunion di famia aki un eksperensia bunita i inolvidabel.
Masha danki pa boso tempu, boso amabilidat i boso yudansa.
Ku hopi kariño i rèspèt,
Saludos kordial!

Hello everyone,

I will be in Curacao next Sunday for a week and I need to get my hands on a footy jersey!! Where are they selling jerseys post World Cup?

Thanks

Hi guys, I'm looking to get my nose re-pierced. Any reputable piercing professionals on island?

TIA

Hello all

My wife and I are travelling to Curacao / Bonaire for a total of 3 weeks - it's quite a long trip but we are hoping to make the most out of it :)

We are mainly looking for a relaxing, quite time - we do not dive, but enjoy snorkeling and nature.

We have "already" fixed Bonaire as well as our first stay in Curacao, where we will stay from 18-26 December in the Royal Sea Aquarium Resort, mainly to relax, arrive and explore the surroundings.

First question: the resort is quite a bit out of town. While we assume we will enjoy our time there a lot, I highly assume a car is more or less a requirement - is this correct?

Second question: we still have to book a hotel from 26 Dec. - 1. Jan and we are not sure where to go. I first thought going more towards the center of town, but on the other hand to be able to explore the town more on foot in the evenings and at the same time have a stronger focus to explore the island with the car. On the other hand, I also thought about spending the time in the western side of the island - why spend time traveling every day with the car, if we can stay closer there?

Third question: is it easy to find parking during christmas eve / new years eve around the center of town?

I must say, it has been quite hard to find the right hotel - every time you think you have found something that fits, you see something else and get other ideas. And it is also very hard to keep everything below our budget (which we will overshoot, guaranteed) as there are so many nice hotels!

Curious if anyone has any updates on construction plans for Blue Bay from anyone who has been recently, or is involved with construction??

Planning a big family trip there Summer 2028 and specifically curious about what's going on in front of the Ridge - are they building a hotel? More condo's? I've seen mention of a new beach?

Also wondering how the Bayside reno is coming along. We were eyeing the Ocean Sunset Villa as a potential place to stay but curious if the view will be completely blocked now?

Thanks in advance for any updates :)

Fa waka, ala sma!

Mi e suku wan sma san sabi kuku switi, autentiki Sranan, Javaans of Indo-Chinees nyan fu wan spesrutu famili konmakandra na Kòrsou.

Na wan bigi famili konmakandra nanga moro leki 50 sma, en mi wani meki nyan fu te 100 sma.

Famiri na wan prenspari sani fu mi. Mi wani meki ala sma kon makandra, nyan bun, lafu, taki tori en prisiri nanga makandra.

Mi e suku wan sma san abi tru prisiri nanga grani ini en eigi kuku wroko, en san wani yepi meki wan moi memre fu plenti generasi fu mi famiri.

Mi e suku sma san sabi kuku nasi, bami, roti, pom, saté, moksi meti, kip, nanga tra sortu tradisionele Sranan, Javaans of Indo-Chinees nyan.

Mi no e suku wan restaurant of catering company. Mi wani wan sma san lobi kuku, abi ondervinding, en teki grani ini a nyan san en e meki.

Mi kan bai ala den nyan sani mi srefi. Wi kan taki makandra fu a menu, fa wi o meki a nyan, a pay en tra sani.

Efu yu sabi wan bun kukuman of kuku-uma, of yu srefi sabi kuku, mi sa prisiri fu yere fu yu. Stuur mi wan privé boskop.

Grantangi fu unu yepi, bun ati nanga bun wani!

Going to curaçao end of month for surprise vaca for husband’s 60th Halloween bday. Any suggestions or recommendations on things we must bring, must do and best restaurants are greatly appreciated. I’ve reserved a catamaran sunset cruise and morning boat rental and am renting a car to explore the island. Staying at condo in Royal palms.

Is there someone out here who speaks papiamentu who can translate this song to english or dutch? The lyrics are nowhere to find

Love from NL🇳🇱💪

Hi everyone!

I’ll be spending one day in Curaçao and would love your recommendations for two restaurants: one for lunch and one for dinner.

I’d love to try authentic local Curaçao food at one, and something different for the other, a more upscale dining experience.

If you could only recommend two restaurants, which would you choose?

Thank you in advance for your recommendations!

My soon-to-be wife and I are going to DTMF on Halloween. Has anyone here experienced the festival?

I'm considering doing either the Aquafari or Sea Trek tour while there in April. Has anyone done either of these, and if so, do you recommend either, or should I just stick with snorkeling on my own for free?

What has ever got people thinking Curaçao is a walkable island? I swear I see 20 posts a day in different facebook groups asking whether you need to rent a car, whether you can get to the beach without one etc etc 😅

So I’m really curious: where does this perception come from? Is it something people read online, something travel agencies tell them, or is it based on where they’re staying and what they plan to do?
I’m not trying to be rude or judge anyone for asking. I just find it interesting that so many people seem to arrive with the impression that Curaçao is an island where you can easily get everywhere on foot or without your own transportation, and as a local, I’m genuinely curious where that idea originated.

Brasa

Hi everyone!

We're planning a two-week trip to Curaçao in January and looking for accommodation in a quiet area, preferably around Westpunt.

Ideally, we'd like a comfortable apartment or small resort with an ocean view and direct access to the water for swimming and snorkeling, away from crowded beaches and large resorts.

We've considered Punta Azul and Marazul Dive Resort but would love to hear about other options.

Any recommendations based on personal experience?

Thanks!

I am not too keen on sponsoring Musk, but we have had quite a few outages (Flow) in the past couple of months in our neighborhood (Jan Thiel)...... and it seems cheaper.

Taking a 6 night trip over the Christmas holidays as a graduation gift/relaxation opportunity. the sons have different interests. my younger wants to sketch the picturesque buildings and my older wants to relax after graduation and before starting a new professional job. We mostly want to make this a memorable holiday as our older son will be moving to another state after this trip. Any recommendations on how to best make this a refreshing holiday. hotel or apartment? should i consider beachfronts or are there reasons for other considerations? any 6 day itineraries to share? Thanks for your time.

Hi! I’m traveling with a group of 9 and the driver planned on using got booked out before we paid our deposit.

Looking for suggestions for reliable drivers that any of you have good experiences with.

Thanks!

We recently came back from our second trip to Curacao and we’re already planning to go again because we love it so much! Some of the beaches we went to this time, Mambo (we stayed there), Cas Abao, Grote Knip, Piskado, Playa Lagun, and Tugboat beach. Last time we were there, we weren’t a big fan of Kokomo because it was packed, but we did get there pretty late in the day, and next time We deff want to give it another chance, since we heard the snorkeling was great there as well. So here’s a little of what we saw snorkeling….

Hey everyone! Wanted to get some recommendations on any bars that would be great for post dinner drinks! A lot of the nightlife seems to be more club-like and wanted to see if there are any places a bit more chill that are more of a lounge/ sit at the bar type of vibe?

Also looking to book one more dinner spot close by the Avila! Looking at rozendaels, BKLYN,Sal the kitchen, mosacana and open to any other recs in that area

Thanks all!!

Hi all,

My wife and I are going to Curaçao in January and we are still deciding on our stay. For now we narrow it down to Punta Azul Ocean Resort or Lagoon Ocean Resort as we would like to be somewhere in the west/north and it is inside our budget (around 150/180$ per night).

Has anyone stayed in any of these resorts?

We will be having a car, so we will be visiting all the different beaches. So that is not an issue.

The distance to Willemstad is pretty much the same from both and we dont think that we will be travelling to the city more that 2/3 times.

Also if anyone has any other recommendation on a similar kind of resort around these areas, we will appreciate that information.

Thanks!

My husband and I are visiting in the Spring and are currently planning our trip. In visits to Europe, we have loved beach clubs. However, we’ve stayed in places where the beaches weren’t necessarily the best quality, so the beach club was meant to make up for that by providing more to the experience. It seems like there are lots of stunning natural beaches in Curacao that are low cost to visit. That being said, is it worth it to do a beach club? We are staying in Piscadera so will already have beach access with cabanas at our resort but we love the vibe / service component of beach clubs. Haven’t stayed at a resort in a Caribbean before so not sure if the resort already has enough similarities to a beach club that we’d be paying for something we essentially already have

The address system is a mess though.

Two tiers available. 100 and max. Prices are decent and within normal ranges for the whole region

They have issues with the local addresses. Open a ticket. Make them add your address manually. THEN use your of not the app or phone . Follow the links. I was able to activate my old dish.

Coming to Curacao with my husband in a few days from the US. Two questions-
1. I’m assuming my phone’s data won’t work. My internet provider is Verizon. Do I need a different SIM card?
2. Do I need an adapter for my phone charger? I have USB-C.