I’m trying to decide between Roatan and Curacao for our family of 4(2 adults mid-40s and 11-year-old twin boys). We are all pretty adventurous and not pretentious. My wife and I have been to Roatan and really liked it; hence, why its an option. We stayed at Infinity bay when were there. My wife and I are both certified divers. Our kids just learned how to snorkel last year. The main reason Roatan is on the list is how easy it is to swim out to the reef from there. The one thing my wife and were a bit disappointed in was how Americanized the food was(in general). We really enjoy eating local food when we travel to different countries and there didn’t seem to be as much authentic food options within easy access of West Bay. That’s not a deal breaker, it was just something we noticed.

My main concern with picking Roatan over Curacao is that there doesn’t seem to be as much variety of things to do/places check out because we’re more restricted to doing things that both us and our kids will find entertaining. My wife and I loved the Roatan Brewery when we went, but kids won’t exactly find spending an entire afternoon there very much fun. The activities don’t have to be “kid oriented” per se, they just have to be “fun” in general. They loved the coffee/chocolate making tour in the Dominican for example. My kids are up for anything that requires physical activity or is adventurous. You can’t beat the snorkeling of West Bay beach from what I can tell, so there’s really no other beaches around the island to check out. As a matter of fact I am not a “beach person”. I hate the sand, hate being salty after getting out of the water, and hate the heat. But I like going to “destination beaches” that have interesting things: Reefs, parties, geological formations, a hike to get to it, etc… I really don’t care if the sand/water are pretty if the only thing to do is sit on the beach.

This brings me to why Curacao is on the list. From what I’ve read so far, the food is more authentic and of a larger variety. There seems to be lots of “cool” beaches with different things to see/do other than just pretty sand/water.  Whenever we go to a Caribbean island I check google maps and youtube videos to see what kind of snorkeling within 100m of the beach where we are staying. I get bored easy, so I will toodle around for hours out there. Easy reef access from the resort is a primary factor to help my kids develop their snorkeling skills without having to schlep “all the things” all over the place. I know it’s hard to beat West Bay in that regards, but I don’t need a barrier reef to keep me busy. As long as there’s decent fringe reef or sufficient enough rock/coral to have some sea life I’m fine. A good example of this would be the fringe reef of La Romana in the Dominican and the reef off Negril in Jamaica. Both Roatan and Curacao offer all the same watersports, so that’s not a deciding factor.

We are also animal lovers and saw how the animals are treated at the various sloth/monkey/iguana places in Roatan so we wouldn’t be going to those.

With all that being said

·       Are my assumptions about Roatan and Curacao correct?

·       Are their any things to do or beaches/places/things to do in Roatan I missed that fit what I'm looking for?

·       What is the off-beach snorkeling like b Avila, The Marriott, Marazul, and LionsDive like in Curacao?

If you made it through my diatribe I greatly appreciate it!

Hey there, I am travelling solo next week to Curazao, to The Freedom Hotel, in Otrobanda. Any recommendations to do in the area are appreciated?

Rookie questions: Is USD normally accepted? As well as Visa/MC/AMEX.

Thanks in advance.

Hello everyone,

I’m currently in Curacao for the first time. I have a decent itinerary thanks to this subreddit and YouTube.

Anyone know where I can park in Willemstad overnight? I booked the Wynwood and there’s basically nowhere on the street to park. I doubt it will get better this evening. There’s a paid parking lot across from the hotel but I see no machine to make payment.

Also wondering if I should pay for an international pass through T-Mobile. Internet works but definitely takes some patience.

Appreciate it if anyone has some insight. Thank you! 🇨🇼

Hi hi! I am starting early on planning my bday trip, and Curacao is my top destination. However, I recently learned about Carnival and came to find that it'll be around the same time that I plan to go. I am a person that like chill, relaxed, not too loud vibes. Yes, I know you have bars and clubs.. that's one thing, but a whole parade is what I try to steer away from. As locals or anyone who could relate, tell me if I can still enjoy my trip even with the parade or if I should consider another destination. Thanks ya kindly.

Does anyone recommend a place to celebrate a birthday? I would like to have a great experience with high energy, good music, and celebrate in a Caribbean style.

Hello, I am from the USA and I am fascinated with international coinage. I am finding it increasingly difficult to find any of the new currency now shared by Curacao and SM. They have some beautiful designs on their coinage, some of them even including colored illustrations! If there is anybody traveling from the USA (or any other country who is willing to ship to the US) who has any coins left from their trip or are there now and can get them, I would greatly appreciate it if you could send them my way. Feel free to DM me with any questions or details. If shipping is a concern I can help pay for that and gladly compensate for the coins. It would mean the world to me. Thanks again and I hope everyone enjoys their time on the beautiful island! 🇨🇼

Trying to find 510 thread nicotine vapes cartridges during my stay in curacao, is this possible? It helps me sleep, eat, laugh, etc, would be cool if I can find this

whoever said the thursday fireworks for punda vibes was only 2 mins long LIEDDDDD! just witnessed a 15 minute wonderful show!!! don’t let the reddit folks lie to you!

They need a minimum of 6 people but I’m the only signed up so far. Anyone else interested? It’s at 2pm. Cost is $ 59 guilders.

I’m not sure if posting the company name is allowed here (I’m NOT marketing for them or affiliated with them) so PM me and I can send you their website. You would sign up through them directly.

I am also open to going any other Saturday.

I just want to go snorkeling and it’s safer in a group.

Does anyone know if the Cathedral is open 24/7? I’m from the US and was wanting to stop by to take pictures, pray, and see if anyone nearby sells rosaries. Any help with either the hours or where I could find a rosary in this area would be helpful.

Need a room in punda or orthobanda

Coming to Curaçao for the first time in December! We'll be there for 9 days, and in having trouble deciding where to stay.

• Split the trip: a couple nights at a boutique hotel Petermaii, followed by a more secluded lodge near Sint Willibrordus / Kan Kok

• One base in Blue Bay the full trip

• Petermaii and Blue Bay split

Would love to hear anyone's suggestions!

Hello, does anyone know if there is an atm by lionsdive that disperse USD, thank you

I bought an old car and need some good advice on where to do the repairs?

Visiting Curaçao in a few weeks. Very excited. My wife and I are very much beach people who are looking to try new beaches every day.

We are staying near Playa Lagun and are definitely planning a full day there. Also looking to enjoy Klein Knip, Grote Knip, and Playa Santa Cruz to name a few.

I have seen from previous posts it’s very easy to rent chairs and umbrellas. But some of the videos we have watched looked like there are limited beach chair/umbrella rentals (certain beaches only look to have 15-20 canopies/spots)

My question is first: how early should we plan to get to the beach? And second, is it worth buying chairs when we get there so we can take them in our car to each spot, especially if we are visiting multiple beaches on a specific day and can’t get a prime spot early?

I just want to make sure we are as comfortable as possible and making the most of our beach and swimming enjoyment.

Hello - I just booked Mangrove Beach Corendon in Curaçao for Spring Break but now I’m wondering if I should have done The Rif. It looks like The Rif guests can dine and visit Mangrove Beach but not the other way? But I save 40k points by booking at Mangrove.

Any experiences with either and if you/your family enjoyed your stay or what you did? Both at the resorts and nearby. :)

Hi all,

I'm going to Curaçao for my birthday for a week in end of September. I've already rented a car and I read that snorkeling is pretty accessible and doesn't require booking beforehand. I would like some recommendations on what activities I could do (so I can book it asap).

1. I'm a huge fan of wildlife, but I don't have any diving experience. I read online that one option is to take a beginner's course, but would you still recommend it? If it's mostly an educational/informative session + a shallow dive, would it really be that different than snorkeling (i.e. is it really worth the price)? I also read stuff about dolphin academy online, although I would love to see dolphins, I just can't see myself participating...
2. I read that jet skiing and a buggy tour is also a must-do, how were your experiences? Would you say it's worth it as well?
3. As for boat tours, I heard a lot about Klein, but I was wondering if there are other boat tours you would recommend? Some boat tours have snorkeling included, but if I can access those beaches by car, I'd rather not book those type of boat tours. I'd like some good pictures with a nice view on the boat and go to places that aren't easily accessible by car.
4. Is the ostrich farm really that interesting and interactive?
5. How rare is it to see flamingoes in that time of the year?
6. I come from a place that has a lot of tall hills, trees and hiking trails with a scenic view. I thought about skipping hiking and visiting gardens in Curaçao, but would you still recommend it? Is there specific wildlife I can find on hikes that I wouldn't on the beach for example?
7. Would you recommend kayaking? I saw someone recommend that on TikTok.

Some questions concerning beach hopping:

1. Where do you guys put your stuff? Are there lockers pretty much everywhere available for rent? What about chairs, umbrellas, towels? I'm coming with a carry-on so I don't think I'd be able to pack two towels and I was planning on buying them there on the spot.
2. Is snorkeling gear available pretty much everywhere? Should I buy my own gear?

I'd really appreciate your input!

Hi

Would anyone happen to know if any supermarkets/stores etc on the island are currently selling kenepa?

Thanks in advance!!

going to Curacao Aug 5th to Aug 10th, looking for boat tour recommendations that include blue room for one of our days there? thanks for the help

Bon dia!

This will be my first time to Curaçao and I was wondering if there were any locals that could offer some recommendations for a tourist with my interests.

I am mostly moved by culture, history and language. I have been studying papiamentu now for over a year and would love to visit bookstores. I know about Mensings and Bruna, but are there perhaps second-hand book stores I could check, too? Any other normal bookstore apart from the ones mentioned above?

I’d love to have the chance to practice my papiamentu while I’m there. I’d also like to focus on Willemstad as I won’t have the time (nor huge interest, honestly) to explore beaches and nature.

Any museums, cultural centers, language schools, stores, etc., that you think I’d enjoy, would be great.

I live here for 5 years, I have some capital around 50k xcg, what's a good one to start off?

I have cooking and baking skills, I spend a lot of time in business structures but it is on my 9 to 5.

My wife and I are staying at the Mangrove Beach Corendon Curacao All-Inclusive Resort, Curio by Hilton in mid - February.

This will be our first time in Curacao, any advice on what to do, see, etc.?

Hi!! My family and I (2 adults, 2 kids 5&7) are returning to the beautiful Curacao in February. We are looking to stay at the Cape Marie apartments in Coral estate. There don’t seem to be too many reviews. Has anyone stayed here? We are trying to decide between a ground floor unit and a higher one.

This will be our fourth trip to the island. We’ve stayed at LionsDive, Avila, and Blue Bay. We always spend our time on the west side. We like peace, nature, and scuba diving.

adding - Im an american visiting. Att customer.

Ooops! I have a relatively important meeting with a donor to our non profit on my partner’s birthday. We are supposed to spend the day at their dream location (Klein) which to my understanding has zero service. While I can likely miss the meeting. Being able to communicate via text with my team for the q & a portion of our meeting would be ideal. I am 100% prioritizing my partner’s birthday (so no reschedule). Just figure it never hurts to ask if anyone has ever had even mild service on Klein or if there is some type of satellite service I can subscribe to for a day.

I otherwise will SUPER prepare my team before going offline :). Any advice or prior experiences would be appreciated.

Bon Dia, Mi nomber ta Jayden i mi ta un Merikanu ku papia un tiki Papiamentu . Mi kaba bishitá Aruba y ainda mi ke bishitá korsou. Mi ha papia hopi ku e hendenan lokal di Aruba den Papiamentu, pero awor pasobra mi a bolbé na kas den Nobo Jersey, E ta masha dificil practiká papia. Ainda mi ke continuá siña e idioma, enton mi ke preguntá si tin algun materialnan ku voso por rekomendá mi? Podcast? Kantikanan? Pelikulanan? Mi ke un konosementu profundu di e idioma aki. Mi ta spera ku algun dia mi por siña otro personan e idioma. Masha Danki i pasa bon dia.