Heaven, via Curacao

Quote: This museum is located on the side of the road between Willemstad and Westpunt. It is apparently the best preserved house of a freed slave. The sign at the entrance states that it is $3 for adults and $2 for children to get in. We were there in October, and it was $2 per adult. I do not know if there was a group rate. The roadside sign has a Heineken sign attached to it, which perhaps should have put my expectations in check.

The first building is a house in which a husband and wife lived with over 10 children. When I say house, think a main room of about 10 feet x14 feet, with a bedroom that was 10 feet x8 feet. (My estimates, not actual measurements.)

There was a very nice woman there, who showed us some items in the house. She displayed how the ice cream maker machine worked, and passed around cotton that was made from cacti. I found that to be interesting. Cotton and cacti were not a connection that I would have made. There was also a horse skull on a shelf. The woman working explained to us that this was a very important item in the house. The top of the skull was used to ward of spirits, and bottom was used as a musical instrument. This was described as being like a guitar. She shook that bottom part of the skull, and the teeth rattled in their sockets. I would not call this exactly a guitar sound, but perhaps a rattle.

The bedroom, it seems was not the couple's bedroom, but instead the wife's bedroom. The priest had told the newly freed people that the husband was only allowed to visit her bedroom once every two weeks.

Behind the main house is a kitchen building. It was about as large at the wife's bedroom. There was a cooking area near it -- a pan set on some rocks. There was also a well. I must honestly say that I would not want to drink out of this well.

This concluded the museum section, and opened to a shopping area, and a outdoor restaurant and bar area. There were historical newsclippings posted, along with other items. My favorite was a collection of old license plates of Curacao.

There are restrooms to the left. Try not to use these. They were not dirty, per se, but there was poor ventilation, and no lights. Just tiny windows at the very top of the enclosed stall.

I did buy a cool magnet at the gift shop. It was a magnet in the shape of Curacao. It cost $4.

I am laughing as I read my own review, as the review almost makes this sound like a neat stop. It really isn't. There are much better museums to see in Curacao.

Please note that while I am employed by Wyndham Worldwide, the opinions expressed in this review do not reflect the views of Wyndham Worldwide.

Quote: Boca Tabla is in the north western region of Curacao, adjacent to the Christoffel Park. It is the largest inlet of Shete Boka. Some of the other grottoes are home to turtle nesting, but Boca Tabla seems to be more apt to house iguanas, also known as tree chickens. It is $1.50 to enter the park. There are supposed to be maps available, but I did not see them.

There is parking available, with a dining area on the right as you enter. I believe that there was a snack bar there, but we did not go into that area, so I cannot be sure. As you walk past the parking area there is a sign map of a mini-trail, with the suggestion that it would take about fifteen minutes walk it. I would give yourself at least 30 minutes to go down into the cave, and stop up top for the view. Beyond the map is a giant lizard statue -- photo op alert!

The path is rocky, but I did not feel unsteady on my feet. As you approach the cave, there is a wooden platform to view the water as is crashed into the rocks on the right, to the left is the cave. There are stone "steps" going down to the cave which could be very slippery. Be careful as you climb down. As you step into the cave, you will see that the cave is missing the wall that faces the ocean, and waves roar as they come in the cave. Be aware that some of the larger waves may get your feet wet. I would strongly discourage flip flops. We were told that on days in which the waves are rough, it is not possible to go down into the cave. After about a minute and a half, and one large wave I began to feel a little claustrophobic. Upon exiting the cave, my husband and I stood on the wooden platform and marveled at the beauty of the waves as they came in. We also saw crabs on the rocks below us, apparently catching some rays. It looked like this had been a natural bridge at one point in time.

There is an upper level to Boca Tabla that our guide Peter called Curacao's "moonscape." The description was perfectly accurate. We followed the path to a viewing area with benches, were you could see a panorama of angry waves crash into the rocks.

After we got home, I realized that the map cited a natural bridge here also, but with an arrow indicating that it was off the map. I would have loved to seen that, but we did not venture that far.

As we walked back to our bus, we saw a very large iguana in the bushes. As we approached, it moved down the driveway. It stopped in front of the food shack, and seemed to pose for us. It stood for a few minutes as people got within three feet of it to take his picture. It seemed that the iguanas were a little more adjusted to people here.

If we returned here, we would probably rent a jeep and go on our our to be able to see all of Shete Boka, but I was very glad that we were able to see Boca Tabla while we were there.

Pack your hiking or tennis shoes, sunscreen and have fun!

Please note that while I am employed by Wyndham Worldwide, the opinions on this review do not reflect the opinions of Wyndham Worldwide.

Quote: All of the descriptions that I read of the "Swinging Old Lady," or Queen Emma bridge described it as a swinging bridge. I had trouble grasping what exactly a swinging bridge was. It is essentially sets of pontoons that create a bridge, but when a ship comes in, the pontoons are "swung" over to the Otrobanda side of Willemstad, much like a snake. The bridge is motorized, and pushed to the side around 30 times a day. (When the bridge is closed, there is a free ferry that can transport you to the other side of Willemstad.)

It is a pedestrian bridge, so there is no need to worry about cars. Other crossers seemed very used to people suddenly stopping to get their perfect picture in the middle of the bridge.

While most people would not consider a bridge an attraction or thing to do in a city, the best panoramic views of Willemstad's colorful buildings are found on this bridge. It is also possible to be on the bridge when it swings into motion, making it possible to both ride and walk the bridge. We were not lucky enough to get a ride when we crossed.

While we sat waiting for our bus to pick us up, we enjoyed watching the bridge open and close two times. There are cafes and benches along the Santa Ana bay, which afford people the opportunity to sit and watch the bridge while they enjoy a snack or beverage during the warm afternoon.

Grab your cameras, and get ready to take some great pictures, and perhaps take a ride!

Please note that while I am employed by Wyndham Worldwide, my opinions do not reflect the opinions of Wyndham Worldwide.

Quote: The Floating Market is on the northern side of Punda. Medium sized ship sail from Venezuela and "park" for the day on the side of the She Caprileskade street, where they sell their wares.

If you start from Handelshade, you will find men cutting freshly caught fish for sale. And when I say cutting, I mean hacking fish with huge knives. It was amazing to watch a man skillfully cut a fish with such violent, quick hacks. If you have a weak stomach, it may be best to cross the street for this small section -- the fishy aroma is quite strong.

There were a few small stands selling cloth items, and other little trinkets when we were there. We didn't stop to look as I wasn't looking for those.

The furthest part of the floating market is a row of several venders who have fruit and vegetables lined up and ready to sell. Most of these stands had tarps set up as awnings, to provide some shade.

It is said that the best prices are early in the morning, as in before 7:00 AM. I myself am not one who is out of bed that early when on vacation, but if you are looking for a deal... It is also advised that you make sure that you wash/peel any food that you buy here before eating.

The floating market is a great opportunities for photo opportunities. I motioned to ask one sailor if I could take a picture of his boat, and he gave me a large smile and thumbs up sign. You can also walk over a bridge to get pictures of the boats lined up on the water.

I consider the floating market to be a must see in Curacao. That being said, it needs to be paired with other sights in Willemstad. With so many things that can be seen in the area, make sure that you go to Willemstad at least one afternoon during your trip, and put the floating market on your list of things to see.

Please note that while I am employed by Wyndham Worldwide, my opinions do not reflect the opinions of Wyndham Worldwide.

Quote: Fort Nassau was high on my list of must sees in Curacao. As I looked at my book, I estimated that we could possibly want here from Punda, and mentally added it to my "Willemstad Day." Luckily our tour included Fort Nassau, as there is no way we could have walked there. At all.

Fort Nassau is located at the top of Sablica Hill, overlooking the Santa Anna Bay. It is said that on a clear day, you can see venezuela, just 50 miles away, but it was pretty clear that day that we were there, and I didn't see it. The Fort was built to help protect Willemstad, but I found myself wondering if it may have been too late by the time the fort could harm a ship, but I'm not exactly a historical weapons expert.

The Fort is a great stop for views of the bay, and a great stop for photo ops. When you arrive, there are stairs to walk up the beginning of the fort, so if there are mobility issues, please keep that in mind. After entering the outer entrance, there are ramps or stairs to reach the top plateau -- have your cameras ready! The views are not just of Willemstad, but also of the rest of the bay, including a shipyard that, as of October 2010, had a ship that seemed very ready to head to the scrapyard nearby. (Think Leaning Tower of Pisa meets Big Ship.)

The Fort also holds a restaurant that serves lunch and dinner both out on the terrace and inside the air conditioned restaurant. I would recommend eating outside if possible. The breeze will turn the view from great to amazing. We were not able to eat here on Sunday morning, but it looked like a very nice restaurant. Menu and prices are listed on the website, www.fortnassau.com in Antillean Guilders with a somewhat current exchange rates for American dollars.

If you can book a tour that includes Fort Nausau, I would recommend it. If you want to have a nice meal, take a taxi and enjoy. If you are simply looking for a site to see, I think that you will be disappointed if you take a cab to only see this. While the views are great, this needs to be tied into something else (which, to me, a nice meal here would be sufficient.)

If you go, have fun and enjoy those postcard moments!

Please note that while I am employed by Wyndham Worldwide, the opinions express in this review do not reflect the opinions of Wyndham Worldwide.

Quote: We went to Curacao as a hurricane hit the Caribbean. Curacao is outside of the hurricane belt, but when hurricanes hit the Caribbean, the normal constant Trade-Winds are absent. Such was our day in Willemstad. After a couple of hours of walking around in heat, we wanted to stop for a drink.

We approached Pasta & Pizza, and were greeted by a very friendly woman. She happily told us what kinds of beers they had, and added that they were very cold. I wanted to order a Presidente, a beer I fell in love with in the Dominican Republic (but haven't yet found in the US,) but they were larger sized beers, and I wanted a standard 12 ounce beer. So I ordered an Amstel, and my husband ordered a Polar Beer. The woman handed us our beers, advised us that it was $8.50 for the two beers, and asked that we sit down in the outdoor seating area. She brought us our change a couple of minutes later. There was no indoor seating.

The outdoor seating area was nice with tents (think tailgating tents) that had fans at the top of them, helping give us the missing breeze. The tables sat four people each, and smoking was allowed. It was extremely relaxing to sit while watching people walk by shopping and admire the brightly colored buildings.

There was a male server who was very friendly and spoke a while with another patron. After this patron left, he began to speak with us about his stamp collection. He was extremely kind and made us feel very welcome. He even got that day's paper to show us how a woman had scammed men out of millions of dollars, and discussed how dangerous the internet was. We couldn't read the local paper, so it was nice to have some connection to the real world, albeit a random story that had nothing to do with our real lives.

I did use the restroom facilities while there. The restroom, in the back, had a simple toilet, sink and had a sign asking not to flush paper down the toilet. Toilet paper or paper towels? I'm not quite sure.

I did have to ask the female employee (I believe the owner) what the name of the restaurant was, as it was not clearly labeled. The storefront seemed to be decorated more with what drinks they offered as apposed to a name or the food offered.

They do serve Italian food, pizzas, and several kinds of cheese here, but we did not want to eat. We were more interested in people watching while enjoying a beer.

While I enjoyed sitting and people watching, I would only highly recommend this to people. I'm sure that I would have been just as happy sitting in other similar restaurants that were similar in nature. The people being very friendly is what gives it the highly recommend over just recommend. That being said, I'd give almost anything to be sitting there right now....

Please note that while I am employed by Wyndham Worldwide, the opinions expressed in this review to not reflect the opinions of Wyndham Worldwide.

Quote: We stopped at Effy Jewelers because my husband found a coupon for a free 1/2 carat gemstone pendant. I was a little nervous because I felt bad just walking into a store for something free, and was worried about what they would try to sell us.

When we walked in we were greeted immediately. I began to look at the cases at jewelry and we were asked if they could help us. My husband, ever so tactfully, smiled and said "Yeah, we have this coupon." The salesperson smiled, led him to the rear jewelry case and pulled out the free necklace. Then she asked if we wanted to buy the matching earrings. I did not hear her say the cost and began to wonder what we had gotten ourselves into for a free necklace.

My husband said sure, and I tried my best to not look worried, My husband smiled at me and said only $10. Phew.

Everyone was nice, and kind to us while we were at Effy's, even though we only spent $10. I walked away knowing that this was a definite Very Highly Recommend for IgoUgo. What happened after that was what made me wish we had a six star possibility.

After stopping in another store, one of the women who worked at Effy came walking up to my husband. I had a sudden 'Oh dear' moment, thinking we were going to be harassed into buying some expensive jewelry. But, no, the woman let us know that he had dropped a one dollar bill in the store, and wanted to give it back. A ONE dollar bill, and she came to find him.

This experience makes me extremely highly recommend this store, whether you are looking for a free necklace and possibly the cheap earrings (the 2010 coupon was in the Curacao Nights magazine -- made sure you pick one up!) or looking for higher end jewelry.

If you are looking for jewelry ideas, their website www.effyjewelers.com can give you price ranges.

Enjoy your new bling!

Please note that while I am employed by Wyndham Worldwide, the opinions expressed in this review to not reflect the opinions of Wyndham Worldwide.

Quote: Like many of my friends, a new Pandora charm is on the most important purchases on my shopping list on any vacation. (For men who have significant others who have not heard of this, Pandora is a brand of charm bracelets that many women find addictive.)

As we walked through Fort Rif, we passed several jewelry shops, with my eyes searching for the Pandora sign.

We finally found the sign at Freeport Jewelers. It is extremely important to know that there are 5 Freeport Jewelers in Willemstad. The only one that sells Pandora is the Freeport Jewelers that is location in Otrabanda. To find this particular one, you will want to cross from Punda on the bridge and turn left. Walk past the street vendors until you reach a roundabout. Turn right at the roundabout, and the store is on your right hand side.

When I was in Curacao, the Willemstad City Guide had coupons in the back of the magazine -- $10 off $100, $25 off $250 or $50 off $500. So if you are looking to buy lots of jewelry, make sure to look for this magazine. I was not looking to spend a lot of money. I was looking for a $25-$30 bead, so the coupons did me no good.

When we walked in, we were immediately greeted by two women, both friendly. I smiled, said "Pandora?" and was led to the rather large section of Pandora beads. The layout was a little different than most Pandora displays that I am familiar with. Perhaps they sell more charms in tourist areas than in Indiana (just a guess.) The issue with these displays is that the charms or put in very thin dresser -type drawers, which means that you cannot see the charms on display. I like to browse the charms and find the one that calls out to me saying "this is your vacation." You couldn't really browse like that.

So when the lady looked at me and said "Which charm do you want?" I didn't really know. I mentioned some island-like charms, I think a palm tree, or a macaw, and the salesperson shook her head no. It seemed to me that she was irritated that I didn't immediately know what I wanted. She then handed me the brochure and advised that I should look through that. Luckily my husband pointed out a cute fish charm and we were set.

The other sales person checked us out, and we were surprised that there was no sales tax. We handed our $25 to her, and were happily on our way.

There are a lot of jewelers in Willemstad. A ton. Prices seemed to be fair to me, but I am not a jewelry connoisseur. I looked at a Larimar pendant while there, and it was around $85 -- when I looked online at home the same pendant was $99. Would I choose Freeport Jewelers again? Possibly. They seem to be the most prevalent on the island, which was a relief to me. The saleswoman's attitude that I was a pain irritated me a little bit, but if they work on commission, I can see how my small $25 purchase may not warrant as much time and attention as a person spending $200 or more. (That being said, we were the only people in the store at that moment.) But I walked away with my kissy fish, and got to check off a vacation goal, which was the most important thing to me.

Please note that while I am employed by Wyndham Worldwide, the opinions expressed in this review to not reflect the opinions of Wyndham Worldwide.

Quote: Willemstad is divided by the Santa Anna Bay into two halves, Punta and Otrabanda. Both are worth visiting. Punta is comprised of grid like streets which are easy to navigate. Otrabanda's streets twist and turn. We went one street in and returned to Punta for easier, clearer moving from shop to shop.

Most stores are open from 8:30 am - noon and 2-6 pm. Prices seemed to be mostly listed in US Dollars and the local currency. They do not haggle over prices.

Most hotels in the Willemstad area provide a free shuttle. If you cannot take this it is $1.50 to ride the public bus system.

There are two ways to move back and forth -- the Queen Emma Bridge, and a ferry. The ferry is available when the Queen Emma Bridge is not opened (due to shifting to allow boats into the bay.)

I highly recommend trying to pick up three free magazines at your hotel lobby before coming.

The Willemstad City Guide includes clearly labeled maps for shopping, activities and dining. There is also short overviews for many of this places. There are also walking tours that are mapped out with pictures should you want to have the ultimate photo sights upon coming home. When I was there, there were twenty coupons in the back. I unfortunately found this guide at the end of my day visiting Willemstad.

The Nights Curacao isn't as informative as the Willemstad City Guide, but it did have a coupon for a free necklace at a jewelry store, and a buy two get one free coupon on t-shirts. The necklace wasn't of a wonderful quality, but free is free!

The 2010 Curacao Visitors Guide gives good suggestions based on type of activity all over the island. This would be great for people who have an idea of what type of activity they want, without knowing exactly where they wanted to go.

We found the people in Willemstad to be very friendly. There were some language barriers, but always with a smile. We had one experience in which an inebriated local tried to get us to follow him. We didn't, and both commented on how we felt it was definitely the exception to the rule.

There is plenty of shopping in Willemstad, along with several restaurants and outside bars. We enjoyed sitting outside having a beer, and enjoyed the fan blowing on us.

We did not shop extensively, but enjoyed walking around the town just enjoying the brightly colored buildings.

If you go to Curacao, make it a point to spend a few hours in Willemstad. Whether you want to shop for t-shirts or jewelry, grab a bite to eat, or just take pictures, this town offers something for everybody. If possible, try to plan to visit on a day in which a cruise ship is not docked to prevent the city being overcrowded and potentially higher prices.

Please note that while I am employed by Wyndham Worldwide, my opinions do not reflect the opinions of Wyndham Worldwide.

Quote: We chose Peter Trips as our tour company because they offered the tour that covered most of the island.

The website, www.petertrips.com, gives information on tours and prices, but be aware that the price online may not be the price at your hotel. Our tours is listed online as $50, but was in fact $60 per person. While all tours include water, I would recommend bring an extra bottle of your our. The tours do not include lunch. I thought that this was odd at first, but when I recalled the caliber at the cold fried chicken on my last tour, finding my own meal didn’t sound too bad. All tours also pick you up at your hotel, which is worth a little extra to me. Another odd thing to me was that when we paid at the hotel, we paid $20 per person deposit at the hotel and the remainder to our Tour Guide when we were picked up. I myself prefer to pay all of it directly to the hotel.

Here is the tour schedule as of October 2010:

Mondays:

Beach Tour: 9-3:30, $45
You will get to see Big Knip Beach, Cas Abou, and Porto Marie. All entrance fees are included in this tour.

East Trip: 9-12:30 $25
You will get to see Fort Amsterdam, Scharloo, Liqueur factory, Jan thiel, Caribbean Handcraft, the Spanish Waters and Otrobanda.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
Island Trip: 9-4, $50
You’ll be able to see Punda, Liqueur Factory (note: not on Sundays’ tours), Scharloo, and the Spanish Waters. The website does not list Fort Nausau, but my tour included it. Perhaps this was to replace the liqueur factory? As we proceeded to the West Side of Curacao, it was much more like living in the country in the US. We stopped at the Slave House (only on Sundays), Boca Tabla, Westpunt, Knip Beach and the Salt Lakes to see flamingos. It is two extra dollars to visit the slave house. We ate lunch at Hotel Hura Kura Hulanda, but I think that this may change, as different websites cite different restaurants. Petertrips.com simply lists lunch as being in Westpunt.

Thursday and Saturdays:
Ecotrip: 8-12:30, $45
You’ll see Northside Christoffelpark, Viewpoint Christoffelpark, Boca Grandi, Cave, Indian paintings, Iguana Presentation and Boca Pistol.

Dubbed as Special Trip: 1-5, $22 but DOES NOT include entrance fees totaling $14
The Hato Caves and Ostrich Farm.

We chose the Island Tour, because I like to see the most that I can see. We loved almost the entire tour, but would highly recommend not going on Sunday, but another day instead. Swimming at Knip Beach would have been way better than the slave house.

Our tour guide was Peter, and he was very friendly, polite and knowledgeable. We did have a problem with our bus, so he did have to change buses in the beginning of our tour. This took less than ten minutes, and as a bonus we got to see some more houses. The brightly colored houses were very nice, and his neighbor even painted her garbage can with a bird. Both buses were clean, and well kept.

Peter answered all of our questions, and then some. I really liked that a few times when someone asked a question, he would acknowledge that question by stating that we had asked a good question before answering.

I had brought my Fodor’s Caribbean 2011 book with me (Curacao doesn’t have it’s own tour book) and Peter told me that he thought it was great that I had looked at things before I had come to Curacao. (Yes, I know I am a nerd.) During our lunch, he seemed to enjoy seeing his name in the tour section.

I would highly recommend using Peter Tours for any tours on the island.

Please note that while I am employed by Wyndham Worldwide, the opinions expressed in my review do not reflect the opinions of Wyndham Worldwide.

Quote: My husband and I stayed at Breezes Curacao from October 6-12, 2010.

They provide a shuttle from the airport. We walked outside of the airport, and there was an employee standing right there with a "Breezes" sign. We followed her to where we received a check in packet and our bracelets. There was a form asking for our info. We filled the form out as we rode the shuttle. The shuttle is about 15-20 minutes long. It is imperative that you read the 3 pages of resort information that is provided in the packet. It goes over the restaurant and bar schedules.

When we arrived at Breezes, lots of people waited for all of their luggage before proceeding to check in. If you are on a shuttle that has lots of people, have one person go to check in while the other person waits for the luggage. I had booked a Gardenview because the Oceanview rooms are not listed online as having balconies. The Ocean view rooms do have a balcony or patio. I probably would have paid for an Oceanview knowing that.

The layout of the resort is great. Tours, car rentals and dinner reservations can be arranged in the lobby. Walking out of the lobby towards the beach, you will see the gift store and the jewelry store (both with large mark ups!) and then a media room.

As you walk outside the resort casino entrance is on your left. There is also a front entrance to the casino. Your bracelet covers your drinks in the casino, so don’t worry about the listed prices.

Jimmy’s Buffet and the pool bar are located on the left after the casino. The pool area is well laid out, with a large deck to the left that hosts the nights’ events. Beyond the pool deck on the left is two of the specialty restaurants, Pastafari and Muna Hana. The Royal Wing is located behind these restaurants. The Royal Wing is taller than the other wings, and looked nicer. This is where the people who own timeshares stay. We did meet a couple who got placed there, so you can always try…

The Plover Wing with Oceanfront rooms is right in front of the lobby. The patios kicked our patio’s butt, but I’m okay with walking 30 feet to get to the beach. After this is the Black Coral Art Hut, the game room and the Towel Center, where you can check out snorkel gear.

At this point, you proceed to walk to the right hand side of the resort, and walk by the Seagull, Ibis and Heron Wings. The later two are the garden view wings that have a semi balcony that you can open a sliding glass door and hang towels on if needed. You could not sit on these balconies.

The next two wings were horseshoes that faced the ocean. You could walk from the edges of these areas to the beach. The first wing, the Pelican Wing had the Carousel Bar and Grill and the kids’ pool. Carousel closed at five. If you are sitting at the bar, they usually asked if you wanted to order one last time. If you walk up around 5:05, they will not serve you. It was at this bar that Riomar served us two awesome drinks called Tropical Depression and Dark Side -- both very good. The Flamingo Wing is the final section, with a great large pool, but no bar.

Our room had two full sized beds, and a love seat. There was also a flat screened TV. Channel 2 was the Curacao info channel -- worth a peak. The beds were a little hard. The bathroom was nice, but we had horribly not hot water for most days. We finally started turning the shower on and waiting 10-15 minutes for it to not be cold. Other people staying in our wing said their water was really hot. I suspect the water heater was on the far side of the building. Our room did not have a clock. It seemed to be random in regards to which rooms had them, but half of the people that had a clock said that theirs didn’t work. There is a free safe in each room. Refrigerators are available for $5 a day, with guests with small children and medication needs having priority. We discussed getting a fridge, but I am pretty sure that it doesn’t come stocked. We met people at the resort and would have spent much more time in our area had we had stocked fridges. There were noticeable repairs that there of the mentality of "get the job done." The room was clean. Having a clean room with some wall blemishes (think poor drywall patch, not hole) is fine for me. Mold, not so much. There was a big storm that knocked out or TV and phone the second night. The TV was up and running on day three. Phone service was never restored. Not too big of a deal, but a slight pain on leaving day.

We ate most of our meals at Jimmy’s Buffet. There were times that they shut down for a half hour. This is where it is key to read the three pages so you know what to expect. We came up a couple of times when the entrance was blocked off. Our solution? We sat at the pool area, had a drink and waited. My favorites here were the omelet bar in the morning and the pasta bar in the afternoon. I ate a lot of fruit, and my husband tried at lot of the meats available.

The Japanese restaurant, Munasan, was awesome, but a little different than most Japanese restaurants that I am used to. Instead of fried rice with vegetables, is was pasta with vegetables. They served everyone every type of main dish instead of having us order. They also served Saki. I turned down the Saki Bomb.

The Italian restaurant, Pastafari, was good. I ordered the spaghetti with meatballs, which I enjoyed. The white wine at this restaurant was good. We sat in a party of six people at this restaurant, which may have impacted our experience. Our server was very nice, but it took a long time for the food to arrive. Almost to the point of hurting the experience.

The best part here is the beach. The National Underwater Park provides the opportunity to snorkel and scuba on site. You can scuba once a day for free. Snorkels gear can be checked out from the Towel Kiosk.

There are two "donuts" that are anchored in the water about halfway between the beach and the Rocks. We were able to sit six people on these. There were about 5 fish that seemed to have chosen this as their home. We loved sitting on them, watching the fish, and enjoying the sun. I am typically a pool bar girl, but loved sitting on this so much that I never even hit the in-pool bar. Do be aware that the dark fish may "kiss" you when you sit in the area. When they kiss you it can hurt. Not too hard, but it will startle you.

There are paddleboats and kayaks available, all included. We were able to go out on a Hobie Cat. Kevin took us about a mile out into the ocean.

The property is very child friendly. There is a kids club and nursery available. I was surprised by the amount of children running around for it being October. But it wasn’t bothersome.

There is a free shuttle to Willemstad daily. Had we not made the shuttle, we could have taken the public bus for $1.50 each.

The staff here was wonderful, but sometimes a little delayed. Riomar was our favorite bartender. You do have to remember that this is the Caribbean. There were a couple of times that I needed more water at Jimmy’s Buffet. After waiting a couple of minutes, I went up to the station and got my own water. I notice that a lot of people seem to be trending from Mexico to the Caribbean with disappointed results. Just because they are both warm doesn’t mean that they are the same.

We booked knowing it was 3 star. I would give it a very solid 3½ to 4 stars. To improve it, I would include stocked fridges in each room. I anticipated that while Aruba was a 10 out of 10 vacation, this would be an 8 out of ten. Curacao delivered. This vacation was right on par with Aruba. I would advise people to be aware that this is a very international destination. We met people from Canada, Holland, Italy, the US, Venezuela, and other places. If you are used to going places where everyone speaks great English, perhaps you should look elsewhere. If you can roll with little (and I mean mostly tiny) glitches, be ready to find a piece of heaven.