# Aruba, + Curacao? or Bonaire?



## Laurie (Jun 20, 2017)

Thinking about finally going to Aruba (timeshare), and maybe piggybacking another week or so at a neighboring island for reasonable flights (probably private rental). Which one? I suppose we could do shorter stays on both, but would there be any point? 

We don't dive, light snorkelers (calm waters, shoreline access preferred), like some variety in scenery, wildlife, and cultural/historical sightseeing with a car. Prefer to be on a scenic beach, so we can walk out and hang there maybe first thing, and then at end of day. We have been to St. Maarten & Grand Cayman and liked both, though not as much as Hawaii - but the flight times from the east coast. I'm leaning towards Curacao, but would like to hear opinions - thanks!


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## Passepartout (Jun 20, 2017)

A few months ago we had cruise stops on Aruba and Curacao- not Bonaire. I frankly was unimpressed with Aruba- probably because we are just not particularly 'beachy'. I thought Willemstad Curacao was the kind of place I could go back to. Nice walking areas, History. One thing about all the 'A-B-C' islands. They are all desert islands. ALL the water is either imported (from Venezuela- as close as 17 miles) or by desalinization at very high cost using (imported) oil- consequently all the resort reviews I've seen comment on dirty floors.  That's my $.02 worth.

Jim


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## LisaRex (Jun 20, 2017)

I'm thinking that Costa Rica might be a more viable option for you.  The ABCs are known for their snorkeling and beaches, but not necessarily their history or wildlife.


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## Laurie (Jun 21, 2017)

Passepartout said:


> I thought Willemstad Curacao was the kind of place I could go back to. Nice walking areas, History.


Thanks, Jim, that's helpful. Did you have a chance to visit any specific sites there that you liked, or was your stop too short for that?  And, any idea how parking is there? We usually rent a car for the week. We could either locate just outside town with short bus-ride, or within historic area, before moving to a beachier spot.



LisaRex said:


> I'm thinking that Costa Rica might be a more viable option for you.  The ABCs are known for their snorkeling and beaches, but not necessarily their history or wildlife.


That'll be another trip in the future, this time we are going for islands.


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## Passepartout (Jun 21, 2017)

Laurie said:


> Thanks, Jim, that's helpful. Did you have a chance to visit any specific sites there that you liked, or was your stop too short for that?  And, any idea how parking is there? We usually rent a car for the week. We could either locate just outside town with short bus-ride, or within historic area, before moving to a beachier spot.


We were there (Willemstad) on a Sunday, so I can't address weekday parking and such. We went to the Curacao distillery. Interesting if you like that sort of thing. There was a 'farmer's market' with loads of colorful boats along one inlet/street/dock with people peddling their wares from Venezuela. It seemed that locals got much or their veggies and seafood there. There is a fairly large inlet with a floating bridge across the mouth and fort(s?) on each side that the city built up around. It's very Dutch, and the people are proud of their heritage and the local language that only is spoken on the ABC islands. If I were there longer it seemed like it might be fun to acquire some of that language.

One takeaway from what we saw on both the islands we visited. It's WINDY! The sea seemed downright angry except in few and far between sheltered areas. If you have long hair, plan on a hat with a chin strap. The locals wore theirs short.

Jim


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## x3 skier (Jun 21, 2017)

Passepartout said:


> One takeaway from what we saw on both the islands we visited. *It's WINDY!* The sea seemed downright angry except in few and far between sheltered areas. If you have long hair, plan on a hat with a chin strap. The locals wore theirs short.
> 
> Jim



That's why the Divi Divi Trees are always pointing SW

"The famous Divi Divi tree is Aruba's natural compass, always pointing in a southwesterly direction due to the trade winds that blow across the island from the north-east.

An interesting observation is that attempts to plant this tree in other parts of the world have proved futile - it seems the Divi Divi is most comfortable in Aruba!"

Cheers


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## Pappy Mentos (Jun 21, 2017)

We have been to every island you mentioned, so we might be able to give you some perspective. You didn't mention which of the Hawaiian Islands you visited, but I don't think any compare to the ABC islands anyway.

To us, Aruba is very similar to 7 Mile Beach in Grand Cayman-everything along the coast in one stretch, with resorts/restaurants/shopping along the road that runs along behind the resorts, with the capital city at the bottom of the stretch. GC does have the bay side resorts and Rum Point, as well as the National Park which is clearly greener. Aruba's National Park landscape is desert-like. Some museums, but not much. Diving and snorkeling are OK, of course plenty of water sports, etc.
Curaçao is very populated - one side of the island is filled with residences, oil tanks, industry, etc. Most of the beaches are in coves, not near resorts-similar to Friar's Bay in St. Maarten if you drove there during your stay. There are only a few timeshares-none that have a really great beach. The big chain hotels are in one stretch outside Wilemstead. Wilemstead has a nice stretch of shopping and restaurants along the canal with the pontoon bridge. National Park at other end of the island is similar to Aruba's except it runs along the coast, so it looks like Aruba's north side with the jagged rock and rough waves.
Bonaire is by far the least developed. Very few resorts, mostly smaller places catering to divers. One of the best places to dive/snorkel. Very little beach areas with sand-best beach is probably Klein Bonaire, the small uninhabited island off the coast. Main island is a nice place to explore to see the pink salt lake, the salt pyramids and flamingos at the one end, or the national park at the other.  A few museums, distillery and cultural sites which can probably all be seen in one day, so wouldn't recommend a long stay if you are not into diving/snorkeling.
There are small airlines that fly between daily, like Tiara Air. I think Intel Air went bankrupt so not sure if they are flying. Seats can be as low as $79 per person if you book far enough in advance, they go above $100 as the date approaches. We went to Bonaire when United was running a very cheap flight out, but otherwise of the two, you may find more major airlines go in/out of Curaçao.


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## dioxide45 (Jun 21, 2017)

Pappy Mentos said:


> We have been to every island you mentioned, so we might be able to give you some perspective. You didn't mention which of the Hawaiian Islands you visited, but I don't think any compare to the ABC islands anyway.
> 
> To us, Aruba is very similar to 7 Mile Beach in Grand Cayman-everything along the coast in one stretch, with resorts/restaurants/shopping along the road that runs along behind the resorts, with the capital city at the bottom of the stretch. GC does have the bay side resorts and Rum Point, as well as the National Park which is clearly greener. Aruba's National Park landscape is desert-like. Some museums, but not much. Diving and snorkeling are OK, of course plenty of water sports, etc.
> Curaçao is very populated - one side of the island is filled with residences, oil tanks, industry, etc. Most of the beaches are in coves, not near resorts-similar to Friar's Bay in St. Maarten if you drove there during your stay. There are only a few timeshares-none that have a really great beach. The big chain hotels are in one stretch outside Wilemstead. Wilemstead has a nice stretch of shopping and restaurants along the canal with the pontoon bridge. National Park at other end of the island is similar to Aruba's except it runs along the coast, so it looks like Aruba's north side with the jagged rock and rough waves.
> ...


This is great information for the OP. We have been to Aruba and Curacao, both times for land based stays. You really need a car in Curacao and most likely Bonaire. You could get by without a rental in Aruba, but I would recommend it there. I actually like Curacao more than Aruba. There are great coves with great beaches all along the west coast. Westpunt is a great place to trek out to as many of the tourists never make it that far. The snorkeling in Curacao was far better than Aruba and I have heard it is even better in Bonaire.


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## dioxide45 (Jun 21, 2017)

Passepartout said:


> A few months ago we had cruise stops on Aruba and Curacao- not Bonaire. I frankly was unimpressed with Aruba- probably because we are just not particularly 'beachy'. I thought Willemstad Curacao was the kind of place I could go back to. Nice walking areas, History. One thing about all the 'A-B-C' islands. They are all desert islands. ALL the water is either imported (from Venezuela- as close as 17 miles) or by desalinization at very high cost using (imported) oil- consequently all the resort reviews I've seen comment on dirty floors.  That's my $.02 worth.
> 
> Jim


Aruba has a desalination plant and has water from the tap that is probably better than many places in the USA. There is no need to buy bottled water at all. Not sure how much the locals and resorts have to pay for water though but their electricity comes as a byproduct of desalinization. I wouldn't let some dirty floors keep be from these great islands.


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## Pens_Fan (Jun 22, 2017)

Pappy Mentos said:


> There are small airlines that fly between daily, like Tiara Air. I think Intel Air went bankrupt so not sure if they are flying. Seats can be as low as $79 per person if you book far enough in advance, they go above $100 as the date approaches. We went to Bonaire when United was running a very cheap flight out, but otherwise of the two, you may find more major airlines go in/out of Curaçao.


Tiara Air isn't flying any more.  Insel Air is going through bankruptcy and is not flying a reliable schedule.

We had tickets to fly on Insel in July between Aruba and Curacao, but decided to abandon that part of the trip as we did not want to get stuck on Curacao and not get home.


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## Laurie (Jun 22, 2017)

Pens_Fan said:


> Tiara Air isn't flying any more.  Insel Air is going through bankruptcy and is not flying a reliable schedule.
> 
> We had tickets to fly on Insel in July between Aruba and Curacao, but decided to abandon that part of the trip as we did not want to get stuck on Curacao and not get home.



Hmm, Insel Air is still taking reservations online, it appears. Are there other options for low-cost island-hopping? I just confirmed a timeshare exchange for next spring to Aruba, based on Insel website and wanting to make this a 2-destination trip, and was about to put some non-refundable $$ on a Curacao rental. Guess I'll hold off, but I sure hope there's another way to do this. Please post more news as you hear - thanks!

I found this: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/n...eclared-bankrupt-airlines-struggles-continue/


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## Passepartout (Jun 22, 2017)

I don't remember what our guide told us about transport between the islands. Ferry? possibly. Flights? few and getting fewer.


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## Laurie (Jun 22, 2017)

I found an airline called PAWA or PAWAD, Pan Am World Airways Dominica, which flies 1x / day except not Saturday which we need, thru Dominican Republic, for low cost. Both this airline and Insel get terrible reviews on tripadvisor... We don't do ferries, I sure hope there's a decent flight option, soon because both Willemstad and pretty beach coves on Curacao look really enticing. Just when all the pieces were falling into place... sheesh, the life of a timeshare-trader!


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## Pappy Mentos (Jun 22, 2017)

Laurie said:


> I found an airline called PAWA or PAWAD, Pan Am World Airways Dominica, which flies 1x / day except not Saturday which we need, thru Dominican Republic, for low cost. Both this airline and Insel get terrible reviews on tripadvisor... We don't do ferries, I sure hope there's a decent flight option, soon because both Willemstad and pretty beach coves on Curacao look really enticing. Just when all the pieces were falling into place... sheesh, the life of a timeshare-trader!


Sorry, never heard of PAWAD. We used Insel Air the last time we went, but heard they have stopped these flights due to the bankruptcy. We heard the company has an international division that is still active, which is why you may be hearing conflicting news, but it definitely looks like they are not flying the ABC Islands anymore. Didn't know about Tiara Air, but not surprised as it seems a lot of the small airlines don't last long. We flew on DAE from St. Maarten to Curaçao a few years back and they went out of business soon after. 

You should post on the Aruba message boards or Facebook page to see if anyone that travelled there in the last few months knows of other options. There are definitely no ferries. We were last in Aruba in April, but didn't take notice at the airport of what small airlines were there.


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## Laurie (Jan 9, 2018)

I have just purchased tickets on Insel Air. Prayers appreciated!


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