Just got back from a week in Curacao. Curacao is a Dutch island in the Netherlands, Antilles. It's next to Aruba, and a little larger. The nearest mainland is Venezuela, which is about 2 hours south by plane. All the photos are on my wife's or my kids' cameras, so you'll have to wait for those. But here's my impressions, in more-or-less chronological order.
We left on a Monday afternoon and flew to Miami. Spent the night in a Hilton. We got to the hotel so late, the pool and kitchen was closed. So we were left with tv and pre-made room service. $100 and 4 bad entrees later ... I forgot that the kids went into the pool anyway, even though the sign said it was closed. There were raccoons cruising the pool decks looking for scraps. Kind of funny. Good thing they weren't alligators.
Back on the plane to Curacao the next morning. Mechanical problems and we were four hours late leaving, a foreshadowing of American Airlines' problems. The Curacao airport is small, but clean, and we got there after dark, so it was really hard to see much. We did see a bunch of little snack shops with different types of food, but we couldn't tell what type because there was no signs. No street signs, either. The cab took about 20 minutes, and cost us about $30, with the tip. Again, very late getting in (thanks, American) and we were still kind of tired so we ate at the Hilton hotel buffet, where we were staying. The food wasn't bad, but not great. Service was pretty slow. And they follow the European tradition of not bringing the check until you ask for it. The problem with that concept is that the server needs to be visible to the guest so they can ask for it. Most servers were distracted, or just not around. They don't seem to be looking at their customers. At first I thought that might be just the hotel, but it turns out to be pretty true everywhere. On the other side, the hotel pours a pretty heavy drink, so that was a real bargain.
The rest of the days I don't remember what we did on what day, but here's my general memories and impressions.
Punda is a shopping district in Willemsted, which is the main city. We wandered around there one afternoon via the hotel shuttle, which only runs from the hotel and back twice a day. Punda is about 8 square blocks and the shops are mostly tourist clothing, etc. with some jewelry stores, etc. We ate at a covered but open bazaar kind of place where several kitchens operate, called Plaza Bieu. They serve these stew-like dishes and I ordered goat. It was really good, but kind of bony. Prices were not bad, and the food was better than most. We also found a little place called the Pastechi House which serves an empanada-like dish. They take American money, but some places only list prices in Gilders, which is the Dutch currency.
When you're there, find the old pontoon bridge and walk across it. It spans the main channel into the harbor, and it's pretty odd how it opens and closes. It's not an auto bridge, but it's pretty cool.
You're better off renting a car, which is pretty cheap, relatively. Getting around the island is fairly easy if you stick to the main roads and get a map. They use a lot of round-a-bouts instead of stoplights, but the maps are accurate. The Curacao-ians drive really fast, however, so pay attention to where you're going. Also, the gas stations don't take credit cards, which is a bit of pain.
As for the beaches, they're fantastic. The water is very clear, and the perfect temperature for swimming. The Hilton beach was kind of rocky, but it connects to the Marriott beach, which was nicer. The kids rented a jet ski and rode around for awhile. It was really funny hearing them screaming every time they hit a wave.
One night we went to an old plantation house (Landhuis) for lobster. Dinner was pretty good. We all had lobster, except for Emily, who had a mixed grill. The service was better than the Hilton. Drinks about the same. We also went to a nightclub the kids wanted to go to called Cinco. It was really just a shack with a very loud, overdriven sound system (that means crappy) and a few cheesy lights that looked like they were bought at Radio Shack. Used. The dj played a lot of newer house, but he wasn't that good.
Mary and I drove to the western edge of the island and had lunch at a place she read about called Jaanchi's. Supposed to be really good. But it wasn't. It took over an hour to get our food after we ordered. And what did we order? More of the stews similar to what we had at Plaza Buis. Only more expensive. They served iguana and I tried a sample. It tasted like chicken but with more bones. I wouldn't order it again, unless it came boneless. Iguana are common in the area, and we saw several at the hotel.
The highlight of the whole trip for me was our day trip to Klein Curacao, which is a little spit of land about 20 miles off the coast of the main island. It's uninhabited, and not much to see. But the beach is very lush. We went over on a catamaran with about 30 - 40 others, mostly Dutch tourists. There are sea turtles to snorkel, and there's a lighthouse and a couple shipwrecks. Unfortunately, they're on the other side of the island, and we couldn't have made it there and back in time for lunch. Getting lunch was very important because we were starving after "breakfast." They provided "breakfast sandwiches" when we got on the boat at 7:30 AM, but the "breakfast sandwiches" consisted of one slice of ham on a roll. Yummy. Emily was sick from too much sun the days before, so it was just Mary, Becky and I.
Saturday night we went to a place called Mambo Beach. It's an outdoor restaurant and club area. The only sign to direct us there was on the back of a bus stop bench and it took us a while to find it. But it led to the best meal we had on the island. Driving into the parking lot, it looked like we drove onto an abandoned construction site. No lights, unpaved, and really deserted looking. But they did charge us $3 to park. How considerate. Anyway, we sat outdoors, and had some really good fish. They keep the whole fish right there, and you decide which one you want. They had bass, something called Rainbow Runner, tuna, mahi mahi, etc., maybe 20 different varieties. They had a dj, who played a lot of more vocal house, chill stuff.
I'll come back later and finish up.
