January Curacao trip advice

[DeLaCruz]

We're heading to Curacao at the end of Jan. thru mid Feb. and would like to benefit from the collective wisdom and experience here. We would like recommendations on where to stay - looking for clean and simple with cooking capability. What area? Are there any safety concerns? We will be doing mostly shore dives so I imagine renting a car is the norm? Are cars better rented locally or from the bigger companies? Also wondering (since we have almost 3 weeks) if an excursion to Bonaire or Aruba at some point might be feasible - Are there ferries? We will be taking our own gear (excl. tanks and weights) so recommendations on where to rent gear will be appreciated. I heard and read really goo things about the island and am looking forward to this trip. There's nothing like first hand knowledge so thanks in advance for your input.

 

[TheWizard]

It's a bit late to be booking lodging for just two months from now.
Westpunt is good; try AllWest or Marazul.
Good luck...

 

[keesmon]

DeLaCruz,
I would certainly take a flight to Bonaire for a few days in the middle of that trip. There are no ferries, but it's only a 10 minute flight between the Islands.
I love diving on both Islands, but would make the trip to Bonaire in the middle week, just to break it up a little.

Regarding Curacao, there is a lot to be said for staying in Westpunt.
The diving is great, and the crew at GoWest is top notch:
GO WEST Diving - EN - Home
I think with 3 weeks of time though, I would probably opt to stay somewhere more central.
From Westpunt, every dive is a drive in the same direction, and after the first few close sites, the drive gets longer, and longer.
I would hook up wih Niels from Dive Charter Curacao as well:
Curacao Scuba Diving - Dive Charter Curacao the boat dive adventure in Curacao.
After several days of shore diving, it's nice to hook up with Niels and have him take you to some spots that others simply don't go to.
I hope this information helps you further,
Kees

 

[Bas Harts]

The westside of the island is the best for diving imo, but not much too do at night. If u guys plan to do shore dives on ur own a rental is a must, but if you stay on the westside of the island u need a car anyway to get around. Lagun Blou @ lagun is a nice clean place with cooking abilities. (they can hook you up with a car too, bigger company means more money).

Renting tanks and equipement depends on where you will stay, but if you are on the west site maybe Bas Harts Diving can help you out.

Safety is not a big concern on the west side of the island, just be careful where and how you park your car and what is in there. Best is too have nothing in ur car and leave the windows open when you dive remote sites.

A trip to bonaire and aruba would be awesome. Bonaire has some great dives and aruba has a good nightlife.

Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions

Bas@bashartsdiving.com

 

[curious2dive]

Hi DeLaCruz,

Diving at Curacao is awesome not only the west but also the east part and of course Klein Curacao. We dive all the island guided, but we also brief everyone that visits the shop and wants to know something. As locals we know our way around as the best. That also counts for some pristine spots on the Island. You can search the review sites to find out about the best scoring dive operators.

And diving on your own well safety wise don't leave anything behind you don't take diving with you. With most of the dive shops you can leave valuables behind.

Want to know more about dive spots all over or Klein Curacao as an all day all inclusive attraction, mail us.

 

[diversteve]

For a sort of central location try Piscadera Bay Resort. It's 10 mins. to downtown, 10 mins. to the Airport and maybe 1/2 hr.+ drive to Westpunt. Full kitchens, many of the units were fairly recently refurbished. Its fenced and gated - a 5min. walk to their private beach. They're all 2BR duplex condos with private decks and large yards. Mine even had a 2nd table for 12 out in the yard - and a washer/dryer outside on the patio. Two other units my friends rented didn't though.

Not waterfront, there's a Marriott and older Hilton in front of it. A few restaurants/beach bars nearby and a food market one mile away. It's the same market (Centrum) you'll likely want to stop at if you decide to stay at All West or Lagun Blou - there's not much out that far west.

If you stay in Lagun, Discover Dive is at the beach there and rents tanks - they have a drive-up dock area. Makes it easier if you rent a truck. In PBay, Caribbean Sea Sports is at the Marriott and there's a Ocean Encounters shop at the Hilton, IDK their policies. Go West Diving is on-site at All-West. Many of the Curacao shore dive sites will have on-site dive operators also. Some that do - Playa Lagun, Varsenbaai, Porto Mari, Pierbaaai (5mins. to the Dive Bus), the Tugboat - others I can't recall.

If you go over to Bonaire, we liked BelMar Oceanfront Apts. Full kitchens, quieter area south of town, smaller complex, all units are oceanfront. The other Buddy Dive shop is on-site so you can use the Buddy north side tank drive-thru also. Downside is you pretty much have to drive to town (5mins) for food.

Other options on the north side are Den Laman or Sand Dollar condos. Some of the Sand Dollar condos rent privately on vrbo.com. Both properties have on-site dive operators also. On Bonaire you should bundle accommodations/truck rental/shore dive pkg. - most do. My next Bonaire trip I'm likely staying at Den Laman - they look very nice. Also very secure since many of the units are upstairs and only guests have access.

If you do shore dive the more remote areas of Bonaire (anything outside of town) there are no facilities at any of them. It's also advisable to not leave anything in the truck you want to keep - there's some theft - usually while you're diving. Most trucks are 4 door small pickups so we just threw our gear loose in the backseat - from the salt stains - we weren't the first. Tanks ride in the back, no one will take them as they can't get them filled.

 

[Kevin Batey]

Lot's of great diving on the west side of the island - what area are you interested in the most and are you more interested in off the beaten path pristine sites or more popular sites with full facilities (or bot)?

 

[sonar]

(sorry for the hijack)

I'll stay in Jan Thiel in my friends appartment. How long is the drive to Westpoint from there? How is diving in the Jan Thiel/ Spaanse Water- area?