Thanks for heads up. I wasn't expecting much given it's only 30,000 points/night. Doing this on the cheap. United miles through Aruba, connecting on Insel Air. Shame not enough volume for United to go direct anymore. I say can't be any worse than Plaza Resort Bonaire. It sounds same, $$$ meals, rooms in need of upgrading. For us, it's about the diving and we don't spend much time in rooms.
Open to ideas on alternative dining options.. Walking distance.. Will likely have meals in town in evenings and will have to cab to town.
Set your expectations even lower in order to avoid disappointment. The Curaçao Hilton is a dump; Plaza Resort in Bonaire is a Four Seasons, by contrast. Have been to Curacao many times, and I gladly pay out of pocket to stay at the Marriott rather than stay at the Hilton for free on points. That said, if you're just using it as a place to sleep and bathe you'll probably be OK. Note that there is no beach, unless you count trucked-in sand in front of the little bit of a bay there.
There's not much within walking distance of the Hilton, Pirate Bay (formerly Hook's Hut) is about it, other than the Marriott. I've used Caribbean Sea Sport (CSS) at the Marriott on three different trips and they are fine. If they're handling the dive op at the Hilton they'll be fine.
Personally, I would rent a car - for at least a few days - to get out and about. You're looking at paying $45-$50 roundtrip for taxis to/from Willemstad which I'm assuming is the "in town" to which you're referring. Cheaper to rent a car when you think about it.
There's lots of great beaches, many/most of which have an on-site dive op if you want to rent tanks there. CSS has a pretty good deal on unlimited tanks for the week, so getting them at your hotel and driving around as in Bonaire is an option. I would make it a point (or punt, as the case may be) to get up to Westpunt for a day. Go to All West diving right at Playa Kalki, do a few shore dives in the morning right off the dock, have a burger for lunch at restaurant up the steps from the beach, then do an afternoon boat dive to Watamula or Mushroom Forest. When you get back from that have a few beers and enjoy the beach. Be sure to schedule this excursion on a day when Sol Food is open so you have dinner with Sunshine (above poster) and David at their great restaurant.
Do note that the geography/topography of Curaçao is very different than Bonaire, and shore diving/driving requires a bit more understanding of where you want to go before you set out. While the diving itself is very similar to Bonaire, the island's logistic/traffic situating is very different. If you look at a typical, no-detail "dive site map" of Curacao you'd think "wow, look how easy!"
But in reality, Curacao is much more irregularly shaped than Bonaire (certainly far more so than the map above) with many coves, hills, etc. Accordingly, unlike Bonaire, there is not a single "main road" that runs along the coast.
Link to hi-res version of above:
http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/islands/cr/images/curacao-map.gif
Many people get to Curacao and are surprised to discover that driving from one divesite to another - though perhaps only a 1/2 mile apart - requires traversing back out the opposite direction, up to the main road, heading back towards the next site, down a series of poorly marked roads and turn-offs, getting to the wrong beach, heading back to the main road, and eventually finding your way to the next site.
As far as I'm concerned, it's no problem as long as you know that going in.
Enjoy!
Ray
