Curacao recommendations -- where to stay?

[Shamu]

Hi all,

I'm aiming for a week in Curacao during coral spawning this September, and am trying to decide where to stay.

All West Apartments (http://allwestcuracao.com/) has a great special going on right now, and their rustic vibe and off-the-beaten-path location could be just what we're looking for. (And lots of good reports on Trip Advisor.)

On the other hand, I wonder if they're TOO far from anything we might want to check out (such as town), and am thinking somewhere like Habitat Curacao might be a better choice of closer to town but not right in town.

I read MCM's trip report, but would like to hear from anyone/everyone who has been to Curacao and can share recommendations of where to stay.

Thanks!
Mike

[MCM]

Hey Mike,

My wife and I have been to Curacao several times and hope to go back again this year somewhere around late September - early October depending on if she gets through the latest series of white collar cuts Ford is making right now.

Anyway, I'd be glad to answer your Curacao questions based on our experience but first let me ask you a few questions:

- Do you plan on doing more boat or shore diving?
- Are you content hanging out in one place or do you want to explore the island?
- Does something like a basic apartment appeal to you, or would you prefer something more along the lines of a resort? Or somewhere in between?
- What are you looking for in nightlife?

Look forward to hearing back from you.

Mark

[drdiver]

Habitat Curacao is a good place. I've stayed there twice once right after it opened and then a few years later. Good dive operation. Food is O.K., but I recommend eating in town . Town is not far. Rooms are all tile with lots of room for gear drying. House reef is good diving. I've also stayed and dove at Lion's Dive which is just outside of town. Dive operations were comparable. It was O.K., but I preferred Habitat. Haven't heard of All West, have to check it out.

Have a great trip, Mike!

[Shamu]

Thanks, guys! Mark, here are some answers to your questions:

- Do you plan on doing more boat or shore diving?
Well, of course we'd prefer shore diving -- cheaper and at our own pace -- but we're open to boat diving also, especially since some of the best sites are only accessible (or recommended accessible) by boat.

- Are you content hanging out in one place or do you want to explore the island?
We'd like to explore, but we also want to relax. If we have a car to facilitate shore diving, we'd be content just exploring topside sites one day.

- Does something like a basic apartment appeal to you, or would you prefer something more along the lines of a resort? Or somewhere in between?
Again, kind of hard to give a cut-and-dry answer. We'd prefer something "in between," I guess? We don't mind having an apt. and eating some meals in (we fixed our own lunch every day during our week in Bonaire), but dining is part of the overall experience, so we don't want to be stuck somewhere where we have to fix all of our own meals. We do want to be right on the water, someplace that has a beach or at least a dock we can jump off.

- What are you looking for in nightlife?
Nightlife not important; we've been on quite a few group dive trips in the past 18 months, so this time we're looking for a quieter, more low-key trip. Nights will be spent either dining out or just relaxing in our room/apt.

The more I read, Westpunt seems like the place for us (either All West or Hura Kalunda). Seems like that's where all the best dive sites are, and plenty of good beaches around there. I'm just concerned about being too far off the beaten path, and not having dining options that don't involve a long drive. Is anyone familiar with Westpunt?

[MCM]

Hey Mike,

Based on your responses I would recommend either Habitat Curacao or Sunset Waters. Both have great shore diving right at the hotel and lots of other great shore diving nearby and both offer boat dives too and are near the better dive sites on Curacao.

Both Sunset and Habitat are about a 30 minute drive to town where you can find all kinds of restaurants, a couple small casinos, shopping, etc. etc.

A little more on the expensive side, but if you choose the Habitat area there are lots of houses available for rent in Coral Estates (right on the hills above Habitat).

Westpunt is quite a bit farther from town and while the area is very peaceful there really isn't much around there in terms of restaurants etc.

If you decide on the Westpunt area make sure to check out Ocean Encounters before booking. They are the dive op at the Kura Hulanda out there and let's just say that I have not heard a lot of good things about them.

[Shamu]

Mark,

In my research, I've heard a lot of good things about Ocean Encounters West. When you say you have not heard good things, does that mean you have heard bad things? I'd be interested in hearing more....

I think we may end up at All West Apartments in Westpunt. From all accounts, it seems like it's pretty far off the beaten path, but we're looking for a relaxing vacation and opportunities to explore, so it looks like Westpunt could offer both -- quiet seclusion when we want it, and a car to go explore the island when we want to do that.

Thanks!

[MCM]

Mark,

In my research, I've heard a lot of good things about Ocean Encounters West. When you say you have not heard good things, does that mean you have heard bad things? I'd be interested in hearing more....

I think we may end up at All West Apartments in Westpunt. From all accounts, it seems like it's pretty far off the beaten path, but we're looking for a relaxing vacation and opportunities to explore, so it looks like Westpunt could offer both -- quiet seclusion when we want it, and a car to go explore the island when we want to do that.

Thanks!

A few friends went to Curacao last fall and dove with Ocean Encounters and did not like it at all. After doing one day of boat diving they scrapped all their plans (and their prepaid dive package) and just shore dove the remainder of the week. Granted that was with Ocean Encounters near Lions Dive & the Seaquarium but you may want to seek out reviews of OE West.

When you select shore diving sites make sure to check out Habitat's house reef (you have to get tanks from them) and Porto Marie (really cool double reef) there is a dive shop at Porto Marie but you can bring your own tanks there if desired.

Not too far from Westpunt is Christoffel National Park. There are paved trails (so you can drive the rental car) on both sides of the road. The inland side is nicer. It's a nice place to kill a few hours, and there are some great views.

A little north of Christoffel (still not far from Westpunt) is Boca Tabla. Several big blow holes on the windward side of the island. Again...kind of nice place to kill some time.

http://www.zendiving.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/465 (http://www.zendiving.com/forums/../gallery/showphoto.php/photo/465)

There used to be a really unique restaurant in Westpunt called Janchies. I've heard rumors that it is gone but you know how rumors are. Anyway, it's right on the main drag so you can't miss it (if it's still there). Nice place for a lazy afternoon meal (fish, conch, iguana...all is very fresh).

Beware of the road down to Hura Kulanda. Unless they have paved it, it can be a muddy, slippery mess when wet.

Let me know what you decide, and what dates you will be there. We're thinking pretty seriously about heading back to Curacao late September or early October.

[Shamu]

Mark,

Thanks again for all your tips, especially these latest ones with the dive sites and Janchies. Will definitely write those down before we go.

We've taken a closer look at Kura Hulanda, and think that might just be the ideal place: it offers the laid-back remoteness of the west side, but also has some amenities on site (and people on Trip Advisor absolutely rave about the place). They also have a $100/night "Tree House," which sounds like it could be really fun and unique, so maybe we'll try that out!

"For a more novelty experience, Lodge Kura Hulanda also offers a basic Tree House located amongst the Lodge Garden View Rooms and Suites, which rents for $100/night. Guests climb up a ladder, through a trap door and on to a wooden platform where a full sized safari tent is erected. Inside the zippered tent door the tree house is equipped with a king size bed, nightstands and working electricity (lights, mini-refrigerator and television). While not air-conditioned, the cross breeze that blows through the windows when unzipped provides all the cool air necessary. Located on the ground, beneath the platform, is the tree house bathroom which features a shower, sink and toilet, built in a rustic manor encompassing the feel of the great outdoors while not quite roughing it."

We are looking to visit during the first coral spawning, looking at probably Sept. 14-21, so do let me know if you will be there during that time frame, and we'll do some diving together!

[diveski01]

MCM:

So, with all this good advice and first hand experience, are you at all interested in setting up a ZD trip to Curacao some time (latter 1/2 of 2009)? Curacao and Bonaire are still on our short list of places we haven't been to yet.

[pennypue]

Mark,

Thanks again for all your tips, especially these latest ones with the dive sites and Janchies. Will definitely write those down before we go.

We've taken a closer look at Kura Hulanda, and think that might just be the ideal place: it offers the laid-back remoteness of the west side, but also has some amenities on site (and people on Trip Advisor absolutely rave about the place). They also have a $100/night "Tree House," which sounds like it could be really fun and unique, so maybe we'll try that out!

"For a more novelty experience, Lodge Kura Hulanda also offers a basic Tree House located amongst the Lodge Garden View Rooms and Suites, which rents for $100/night. Guests climb up a ladder, through a trap door and on to a wooden platform where a full sized safari tent is erected. Inside the zippered tent door the tree house is equipped with a king size bed, nightstands and working electricity (lights, mini-refrigerator and television). While not air-conditioned, the cross breeze that blows through the windows when unzipped provides all the cool air necessary. Located on the ground, beneath the platform, is the tree house bathroom which features a shower, sink and toilet, built in a rustic manor encompassing the feel of the great outdoors while not quite roughing it."

We are looking to visit during the first coral spawning, looking at probably Sept. 14-21, so do let me know if you will be there during that time frame, and we'll do some diving together!Now that sounds down right COOL!

[sjspeck]

Mike,

Lodge Kura Hulanda - (not Hura Kulanda..lol) is really nice - think Marriott quality but small 2-3 story buildings with a 1/2 dozen or so units per floor. Really nice inside. They live up to being one of the: LeadingSmallHotelsoftheWorld. Excellent staff and night manager, they responded immediately when one of my friends collapsed at dinner. (allergy - not dive related) and let us use a room till paramedics arrived. Afterward I couldn't make them take payment for the room or anything else.

It's on top of a cliff so there was a nice breeze the two days we dove there last spring.

Excellent diving both directions from the OEWest dock. The dive site is Playa Kalki/Alice in Wonderland. Classic Curacao reef to the east - a longish swim to the west gets you to a couple of vertical faces that fall off into deep blue water.

OEWest also does a boat dive weekly to Watamula - it's supposed to be the one of the best dives on the island according to my dive guide friend who lives there. Her other recommendation was Snake Bay - we didn't get there.

We had a really good experience with OEWest. Very nice facilities, locker room at divedock level that they lock up when divers are out. I have heard that you have to give advance notice for tanks for night dives and that they lock up and go home early or on time often. There's also 20 custom (no two are alike..rofl) stone stairs from their level up to the parking lot so I'd rent tanks at other shoredive destinations whenever possible.

One thing about most of the west end shore dive sites is that they're mostly improved with facilities - divedock, small snackshop etc. At almost all of them you pay a small usage fee in guilders and most also rent tanks/weights.

Sites that this is required at are Sunset Waters and Habitat. You'll want to rent tanks at Habitat, they store them at dock level which is three (broken-up) flights of stairs down. If you rent tanks at Sunset Divers/Waters don't pay the beach use fee, it's included. Although the attendant will come over to ask.

Sites where you can bring your own tanks: Porto Marie, Playa Lagun, Varsenbaai. You'll still pay the usage fee though. At Lagun the diveop and the beach operator are different businesses also.

At Playa Jeremi, bring everything including water, no facilities there at all. I believe two of the three "Gnip" sites are similar.

I'd also bring tanks to Varsenbaai, cleanliness was an issue there and it may extend to compressor upkeep. Great dive though, we saw a pontoon wreck, pair of seahorses, turtles feeding in the shallows and about 100 squid - on one dive!!!

An easy place to get/load tanks is Discover Diving at Playa Lagun, they have a loading dock in front of their tank storage. And he let us take tanks & weights for 3-4 days.

One thing about KH is that it's a good drive back to civilization from there. About 35-45 minutes along the direct (north) road back to town, further if you drive along the coast road. With the exception of 3-4 nearby local restaurants, it's pretty much just residential. Janchie's was still there as of last May. And there was another place across the street that we ate at also.
You can walk to that area also from LKH. Better dining$$ is at Landhuis Daniel on the main road back towards town.

We never ate at the main LKH restaurant but did sit in it briefly (see above). It looked pretty nice and likely gets a good breeze as it's near the top of the resort. There's also a little snackshop at water level near the diveshop. No beach at LKH, just rocks as I recall.

If you drive into town Ribs Factory is a must for dinner. But it's in Punda so plan on an hour each way.

There's a couple of small Snaks and Toku's (think tiny 7-11) along the coast road out towards Westpunt but I advise buying snacks/drinks at Centrum market in Piscadera on arrival. Most of the car rentals are at the airport and Centrum is about 2 miles south of the rotary where you turn off towards Westpunt. They even sell cheap coolers for the trip out.

We also dove/ate at both Habitat and Sunset Waters twice so if you want info on them lmk.

Seconding what MCM posted about OE vs. OEWest. Although they're the same company, OEWest was a lot more relaxed. At OE - we did the Dolphin Dive with them one morning - they seemed more interested in getting us processed and on the boat than anything else. After doing the dolphin dive (marginal esp. at $200pp) we canceled our second dive of the day based on the fact that the captain told me that we'd be going east to a site that may be undivable by the time we got there. And it was a completely full boat for the 2nd dive. We just drove 10mins. south and shoredove the Tugboat instead. I think part of their problem is all the divers they get from being next to SeaAquarium, Lions Dive (they're the LD diveop) and the other resorts in that part of town. Even on their website, they talk of starting a boat at LD and moving up the coast to Breezes and Avila to pickup divers for the day.

hth,

[diveski01]

Excellent post Steve! Dan and I had done a small amount of research but your info will be VERY helpful if we ever get to Curacao :)

[pennypue]

Makes me want to go there!

[drdiver]

Makes me want to go there!

Curacao is a VERY nice place to visit. Lots to do (much more than Bonaire or Aruba) and decent diving. I would love to go back.

[Shamu]

Good golly Steve, you've packed more into that post than any other source I'd likely find. Thanks a bunch! I'll be printing out that post to take with us!

A kind soul from Scubaboard who was at the Kura Hulanda last week (ffixer) took photos of the Tree House for us, so we're eagerly awaiting him to send the pics to us. We've collected a ton of info on KH vs. All West, and we're just waiting to see the pics to make a decision. I'm sure we'll have a blast either way.

Incidentally.... Kura Hulanda, Hura Kulanda... we've just resorted to calling it Cucamonga, easier to remember. Ha ha!