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Sea Aquarium Curacao

M

mlpmd56

Tug Review Crew: Rookie
TUG Member
Joined
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Location
Flagstaff, AZ
Hello Tuggers,
Just back from a fantastic week on Curacao. I'll write a full review of the Sea Aquarium in the resort review section but suffice it to say I loved it! We were in D 208 overlooking the pool and ocean which was a great unit considering I had traded in. Fantastic snorkeling (parked for $5 at Kura Hulanda and hiked down below the restaurant to their beach, Alice in Wonderland I guess they call the coral reef there, with the most gorgeous fishes I have ever seen). Went to several other beaches on the north/west end that were nice but Alice in Wonderland was the clear winner for beautiful fish. Also snorkeled from the resort in the protected areas behind the man made coral barriers.....also very pretty fish. Ate some good places, some bad. Augustos on site at the resort was expensive, had surly service, and very small portions but the food was good. Discovered Seaside 5 minutes down the road with plastic chairs and delicious inexpensive fish dinners at the end of the week....wish we had found it sooner. Went to the Bistro one night with expensive but good food, I find their fawning service a little much. Just leave the basket and rolls for goodness sake! Watched the dolphin and sea lion show every day at the aquarium, and paid to swim with the dolphins twice. Definitely worth it and a really great experience. I guess they had new furniture on the terrace, it was comfy and very nice. Staff at the resort could not be more friendly and helpful. Really REALLY nice. They even opened the laundry almost 2 hours early for me when they realized I wanted to get my laundry done so I could go snorkeling that day. Since I am not an owner the cost was $3 per token, one for wash and one for dry. Did not do a time share talk, but asked about prices. They are fixed weeks, and a 2 bedroom in May was about $23K and January was about $30K. Of course if I decide to buy I will do ebay or classifieds here or redweek or whatever. Had a great time. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask! Marcy
 
This is a place that has always intrigued me. It sounds like it would appeal to the beach lovers and the snorkeling enthusiasts.

How is the location? Is it an easy cab ride to shopping and restaurants or would we need a car?

Are there any resorts nearby with casinos?

Thanks for the insight.

Mike
 
Hi Boater Mike and all,
I am from St Louis....go Cardinals! Do you think they will keep Al? I hope so! As a kid, I always used my Straight A tickets from Augie Busch to take my grandpa to the ball games...but I digress!
You need a car for this resort, I think. My guess is a cab ride to the airport would be really expensive. My friends used Priceline and got a small car, everything included, for $270 per week. I am not sure if they used their own insurance or what. I think if I use my AmEx card I am covered for rental cars anywhere, even out of the US. The restaurant on site was expensive and not that good. The concierge stated there are 8 restaurants in walking distance, but that is definitely much farther than I want to walk! Also very cool beaches away from the resort that I would not want to miss. The local grocery has a shuttle that picks people us frequently (daily?) in the a.m. to get groceries. Driving here is somewhat of an adventure as roads are poorly marked and drivers seem to either go really slow or really fast...... Once you kind of know your way around it is much better, a learning curve. The snorkeling is fantastic.....good at the resort, but fabulous on the north end of the island. Entering the water can be a little rocky but not terrible. Resort was quiet and not busy, but I prefer that. I chose this for the Sea Aquarium and was not disappointed, loved watching the dolphins and sea lions every day. I want to go back, and absolutely would consider buying every other year.....Marcy
 
Oh yeah, missed the Casino question, sorry. Went in a few....very smoky as are most. I am a Las Vegas fan for slots and gambling so I am hard to impress. I guess I would equate the Casinos here to similar to Lake Tahoe. There was one by the Denny's that advertised Texas Hold Em poker but I never got there. Another thing I should mention is that there were not obnoxious smokers here as I found in St. Martin. I was apprehensive about that as smokers ruined my vacation in St Martin (I have asthma) as they would sit next to you in the restaurant and smoke with one hand and eat with the other, and our terrace was uninhabitable due to smokers around us. But I rarely smelled a whiff of smoke on Curacao. :cheer:
 
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Thanks, Marcy. I appreciate the insight. We had thought about doing a split trip between Curacao and Aruba. However, it's still a trip we could not do for a couple of years because of other higher priority bucket list places on the board.

[Apologies to non-Cardinal fans] The Cardinals are surprising a lot of people by winning games without Wainright and Albert not playing up to his standards. I would have expected him to play better than in the past since this is the last year of the contract. Go figure. He may actually play himself down to a more acceptable salary level. [/apology]

Thanks again, Marcy.

Mike
 
Marcy, I am green with envy! One of our earliest exchanges was to the now defunct Kadushi Cliffs, in Wetpunkt. Loved the resort, loved the diving/snorkeling, loved the island. Would love to trade into the Sea Aquarium. May I ask what you used for the trade?
 
Since the best snorkeling and wonderful beaches are near westpunt, I suggest people just stay at the Kura Hulanda Resort, it trades in II. It's a wonderful place.
 
Trading

I used a 2 bedroom Maui Schooner and did request first through II. I think my exchange came through late last year. Your maintenance fees have to be paid ahead if you do a long range request first like I did. I agree the best beaches are up by Westpunt, and the Lodge Kura Hulanda looked nice (we paid $5 to park there when we snorkeled off their beach) but I enjoyed seeing the dolphins every day at the Sea Aquarium (entrance is free when you stay at that resort). I am going to try to go back! Marcy
 
We will be doing the Aruba-Curacao thing this year, last week of July at the Marriott Surf Club and the next week at the Sea Aquarium. We've been to Aruba many times but this will be the first trip to Curacao and are pleased to read your report. Any tips on car rental, restraunts, snorkling, and sights in Curacau from Tuggers are appreciated.
 
Hi Marcy,

Thank you for your review.

Since you own on Maui and Kauai I would be interested in getting your perspective as to how Curacao compares. We absolutely love Maui and I love, love snorkeling.

Also, how kid friendly is the area?

We are looking for a Summer 2012 destination with our 2 boys who will be 10 & 12 yrs. old :)

I would guess flying from LAX, we would have to stop in Miami or Puerto Rico?

Many Thanks!
 
Hi Quimby,
I LOVE snorkeling too. "Alice in Wonderland" at the Kura Hulanda resort (5 bucks to park) was maybe the best snorkeling I have ever done. There were these neon blue fish that were fantastic. Curacao is MUCH less developed than Maui. Not nearly as many restaurants nor as good......can you tell I like to eat? However, for me, the dolphins were absolutely a fair trade off. I don't need Roy's every night anyway! Feel free to ask more questions.....I think my review is online for the resort now.
Marcy
PS I've been to Maui probably 20 times, so having all the restaurants figured out, and snorkeling, and not needing directions makes it an easy fantastic vacation every time!
 
Oh yeah, sorry missed this part....Kids would LOVE the sea aquarium. I flew through Miami from Phoenix. It does take a whole day to get there and a whole day to get back, which for me is way less convenient than Hawaii.
Marcy
 
A few quick questions.

Will my laptop power work there or do I need a converter?

Do they provide soap and Conditioner or should I bring my own.

Has anyone used the babysitting service?

KT
 
Ok sometimes I am just oblivious. I always bring my own soap and shampoo as I am allergic to the universe, and I did not bring my computer. My cell charger worked with no problems though, if that helps!
Marcy
 
When we were there 4 years ago, I had to go down to the bar/restaurant (or to the lobby) in order to get a usable wifi signal. We will be there again in 2 weeks, so perhaps I can let you know if anything has changed. I did not need a converter for my MacBook Pro.
 
We are back at the the Royal Sea Aquarium again, and the internet is not great, but it is serviceable...as long as you don't need anything real time such as video or telephone via internet. Also, we no longer have to go down to the restaurant to get internet. The signal is strong in our unit...just slower than it should be, and with interruptions. I am currently (9:40 pm) getting 1.23 mbps download and 0.52 upload speeds, and pingtest.net is giving me an F rating with a 6% packet loss.
 
Wow. So great to find this thread. We just exchanged into Royal Sea Aquarium (RCU) for November of 2012. Talk about luck. We traded our Marriott Grande Vista (MGV) studio to get a studio there. Never been. In fact, our first international exchange altogether. Glad to hear it seems a good property and destination.

Next up - scheduling an XYZ exchange with II on top of this one. :whoopie:
 
We just returned from the Royal Sea Acquarium and found it to be wonderful. The staff was most helpful and friendly adding to an overall nice experience. The only weaknesses are the slow wifi and beach chairs that have seen better days. We had an outstanding dining experience at the Wine Celler and highly recommend it. Insel Air just started non-stop service to Charlotte USA, however we had previously booked another flight.
 
LOVED this resort. my DD was taken under the wing of Julie the dolphin trainer who let her hang out and train the dolphins all day every day, along with feeding the sharks, etc. She had her first scuba experience (age 7)inside the dolphin enclosure. The units are the same as the tri royals in Cancun and scrupulously clean. My only complaint is that they used high gloss ceramic tiles on the steps, which are lethally slippery with any moisture. I saw several people wipe out.
 
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