morecowbells
Contributor
After a four-year absence, we finally returned to Curacao on Feb 3-10. Covid threw a wrench in our plans on previous visits. I have been looking forward to returning to the island for years.
On our way!:
Airfares from St. Louis were consistently on the steeper end of what we normally pay. After stalking airfares for a while, we knew that they were not were not going to decrease. We booked on Delta. 6 am departure from St. Louis, layover in ATL, arriving in Curacao at 2:40 was a nice gig. The return trek had us leaving Curacao at 4:30 and returning to STL at midnight. As much as I have gripped about Delta in the past, I have to say, everything ran smoothly without any drama or delays.
I did due diligence in filling out the e immigration card. We disembarked, walked through the jetway to a long, snaking line, where security was allowing small groups at a time to ride the escalator up toward customs. It didn’t matter if I had the pre-immigration paperwork or not, we were all lumped into one massive line. From there, another plethora of lines.
We had a rental car booked with D &D. They gave us clear instructions on where to catch the shuttle. Once we schlepped our luggage to designated area, there were multiple people waiting for shuttle to arrive. It took a couple of shuttle trips to get everybody to the office (about ½ mile from airport). We have used D & D several times, and never dealt with crowds. I have to say, once we arrived to office, it was 5 minutes and we were in our rental. All in all, still worth it!
I was worried about leaving our luggage in the rental car while shopping at Centrum, but tired and hungry we were determined to soldier on, stocking up our food, libations and coffee supplies before making our journey up to Westpunt; with the peace of mind of not having to focus on anything but diving and sleeping in for the next few days.
Staying at Marazul:
This was our third time staying at Marazul. Stunning ocean views. Units are basic but comfortable with all the necessary comforts of home. The downstairs bathrooms are perfect for storing and rinsing gear. The complex consists of mostly older, retired owners and guests which it ideal for me since I don’t want to be around screaming children and the partying crowd. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly. While unpacking our bags, one of the neighbors informed us of a pod of dolphins in front of the resort. What a way to start our vacation; drinks in hand, watching the dolphins frolic.
We had a king bed which was actually comfortable (unlike some of the beds encountered in Mexico). The bedroom windows were not louvered, but paned(halleluiah!) which kept the room quiet. Pool area was clean with plenty of loungers available despite being peak season. One of my favorite parts of staying at Marazul, was during sunset, every one would head out, overlooking the ocean. Basically a happy hour. During the evening of our second night, there was a manta ray swimming in front of condos. I managed to get my camera and capture some craptastic video. Excited about my first manta sighting.
Food:
For lunches and occasional dinners, we ate a lot of charcuterie style meals and salads on our patio. For dinner, we dined at Sol Food, Cactus Café and Isabelle Off the Beach. All of those places were wonderful. When diving at Cas Abao and Daaibooi, we would spend our surface interval eating a greasy, fried and oversalted lunch; lacking any nutritional value, which didn’t bode well with second dive. We ate lunch at the restaurant Coast, at Blue Bay Beach twice. First day, service was top notch and food unique and flavorful. The next time service was painful, practically non-existent, but food still good.
Our Dives:
Instead of doing a tank rental package, we decided to rent as we went.
Day 1) We used Go West and dove Playa Kalki twice. I noticed that a security guard was present during the days in parking lot. The steps down to the dive shop have been replaced and the new ones are much more uniform, still plentiful and steep. Out of those two dives, I liked the northwest dive better. We encountered numerous eels, squid, scorpionfish and the usual suspects. The one and only turtle I saw during entire vacation was at a distance.
Day 2) We used Sublime Diving, which is at Rancho Sobrino, behind Marazul. Maneuvering the car in and out of the entrance to the parking area required some fine tuning. We did two dives in front of Marazul. The steps can be tiring, but the short swim out and convenience makes this my favorite dive on the island. We saw some eels and octopus.
Day 3) While driving to Cas Abao, I somehow ended up driving us to Daaibooi beach instead. We don’t bring our phones with us, so navigation is old school. We saw Divers Republic so decided to try this site. The swim out is long! We descended at 10 feet, since I enjoy looking at the creatures in the sand. Right away I spotted a flying grunard. He ran faster than Usain Bolt, and I didn’t want to chase him, so sadly, no photos. We did come across a very large bait ball and grouper. Upon returning, the beach was full with no chairs available. Fortunately, Divers Republic has two picnic tables where we ate our lunch away from the crowds.
Day 4) The set up at Cas Abao could not be easier. Parking lot is right behind dive shop B Diving. I realized that we should have contacted them ahead about our Nitrox requests, as they only had 2 tanks. Not a big deal. Diving was meh. Apparently, there was an eagle ray spotted by other divers, but eluded us. I visit this site because the beach is a stunner.
Day 5) All week the weather had been hot and muggy, with no breeze, unlike my other visits to the island. In the evening it was breezy with spotty drizzles. Our plan on the following day, was to dive the touristy turtle circus at Playa Grandi, getting there early, before the tour buses. All night long I kept hearing what sounded like a gong, randomly pounding at night. I had no idea where this noise was coming from. The winds were active but not strong. Once light outside, the ocean looking absolutely crazy! Lacking whitecaps, replaced by large swells and water surge. One resident saw a wave lap over the wall at Marazul. One of the benches which sits up a set of steps, a good 20 feet above the sea was washed away. There was plenty of flotsam which included parts of docks and boats drifting by. We walked up to Playa Kalki and Playa Grandi and it was sad seeing the powerful waves damaging the docks and washing the sand away. We spent the day sitting at the pool and reading.
Day 6) Hoping that the ocean has calmed down, but it is still rough with obvious poor visibility. Sitting around moping about not getting in to the water, we headed to Blue Bay in hopes of calmer waters. Glad we made that decision! The water was flat and calm. We did two dives using Blue Bay Dive. This was my first dive at this site. We saw an eagle ray in the distance. I enjoyed the wall more than the gardens.
Farewell Day:
Day 7) Alas, our last day on the island. Our Delta flight didn’t leave until 4:30. A Carnivale parade was scheduled in Barber, so we knew it was prudent to head out early. We decided to head to Blue Bay beach for some beach time, drinks and lunch before flying out. We tried stopping at the airport to drop off our check- in bags early, but were told that they don’t allow check in bags until 3 hours before departure. We headed to Blue Bay (all of our luggage in car). It was a real treat to enjoy the beach, and knowing we
were only a few minutes from the airport. We stopped by D & D to drop of our rental. As soon as we pulled up, one of the employees took over the driving of our rental car and dropped us off at the airport. I love these guys, and will continue to rent through them.
We arrived at the airport three hours prior to departure. The line to check in was all the way to the doors. The line moved at a snail’s pace. After dropping off our bags, we had to get into the security line, which was also extended to the airport doors. I was seriously stressing out about making it to our flight. We finally arrived to the gate 15 minutes prior to boarding. I don’t remember things being so slow and aggravating at the airport. I love Curacao, and plan on returning, but I hope they can remedy handling their process at the airport.
Wrapping it up:
I was surprised that being peak season, we didn’t see many divers. There was moderate coral bleaching, which especially seemed to target the brain corals. However, the bleaching was not as devastating compared to what I saw in Cozumel in Oct. Marine life was still plentiful, but bummed about not seeing any turtles. We did not have any issues with theft. I didn’t see any broken glass or other signs of break ins in parking lots. The number of stray dogs is worse. I love dogs, and it broke my heart to see so many strays.
Aveda makes a great shampoo bar. I cut a bar in half with a steak knife and packed in carry on without having to place in bag with liquids.
Pack some chip clips. They worked in keeping coffee fresh, and ants away from snacks.
A jar of Everything But the Bagel seasoning is easy to pack and a great addition to meals at condo.
On our way!:
Airfares from St. Louis were consistently on the steeper end of what we normally pay. After stalking airfares for a while, we knew that they were not were not going to decrease. We booked on Delta. 6 am departure from St. Louis, layover in ATL, arriving in Curacao at 2:40 was a nice gig. The return trek had us leaving Curacao at 4:30 and returning to STL at midnight. As much as I have gripped about Delta in the past, I have to say, everything ran smoothly without any drama or delays.
I did due diligence in filling out the e immigration card. We disembarked, walked through the jetway to a long, snaking line, where security was allowing small groups at a time to ride the escalator up toward customs. It didn’t matter if I had the pre-immigration paperwork or not, we were all lumped into one massive line. From there, another plethora of lines.
We had a rental car booked with D &D. They gave us clear instructions on where to catch the shuttle. Once we schlepped our luggage to designated area, there were multiple people waiting for shuttle to arrive. It took a couple of shuttle trips to get everybody to the office (about ½ mile from airport). We have used D & D several times, and never dealt with crowds. I have to say, once we arrived to office, it was 5 minutes and we were in our rental. All in all, still worth it!
I was worried about leaving our luggage in the rental car while shopping at Centrum, but tired and hungry we were determined to soldier on, stocking up our food, libations and coffee supplies before making our journey up to Westpunt; with the peace of mind of not having to focus on anything but diving and sleeping in for the next few days.
Staying at Marazul:
This was our third time staying at Marazul. Stunning ocean views. Units are basic but comfortable with all the necessary comforts of home. The downstairs bathrooms are perfect for storing and rinsing gear. The complex consists of mostly older, retired owners and guests which it ideal for me since I don’t want to be around screaming children and the partying crowd. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly. While unpacking our bags, one of the neighbors informed us of a pod of dolphins in front of the resort. What a way to start our vacation; drinks in hand, watching the dolphins frolic.
We had a king bed which was actually comfortable (unlike some of the beds encountered in Mexico). The bedroom windows were not louvered, but paned(halleluiah!) which kept the room quiet. Pool area was clean with plenty of loungers available despite being peak season. One of my favorite parts of staying at Marazul, was during sunset, every one would head out, overlooking the ocean. Basically a happy hour. During the evening of our second night, there was a manta ray swimming in front of condos. I managed to get my camera and capture some craptastic video. Excited about my first manta sighting.
Food:
For lunches and occasional dinners, we ate a lot of charcuterie style meals and salads on our patio. For dinner, we dined at Sol Food, Cactus Café and Isabelle Off the Beach. All of those places were wonderful. When diving at Cas Abao and Daaibooi, we would spend our surface interval eating a greasy, fried and oversalted lunch; lacking any nutritional value, which didn’t bode well with second dive. We ate lunch at the restaurant Coast, at Blue Bay Beach twice. First day, service was top notch and food unique and flavorful. The next time service was painful, practically non-existent, but food still good.
Our Dives:
Instead of doing a tank rental package, we decided to rent as we went.
Day 1) We used Go West and dove Playa Kalki twice. I noticed that a security guard was present during the days in parking lot. The steps down to the dive shop have been replaced and the new ones are much more uniform, still plentiful and steep. Out of those two dives, I liked the northwest dive better. We encountered numerous eels, squid, scorpionfish and the usual suspects. The one and only turtle I saw during entire vacation was at a distance.
Day 2) We used Sublime Diving, which is at Rancho Sobrino, behind Marazul. Maneuvering the car in and out of the entrance to the parking area required some fine tuning. We did two dives in front of Marazul. The steps can be tiring, but the short swim out and convenience makes this my favorite dive on the island. We saw some eels and octopus.
Day 3) While driving to Cas Abao, I somehow ended up driving us to Daaibooi beach instead. We don’t bring our phones with us, so navigation is old school. We saw Divers Republic so decided to try this site. The swim out is long! We descended at 10 feet, since I enjoy looking at the creatures in the sand. Right away I spotted a flying grunard. He ran faster than Usain Bolt, and I didn’t want to chase him, so sadly, no photos. We did come across a very large bait ball and grouper. Upon returning, the beach was full with no chairs available. Fortunately, Divers Republic has two picnic tables where we ate our lunch away from the crowds.
Day 4) The set up at Cas Abao could not be easier. Parking lot is right behind dive shop B Diving. I realized that we should have contacted them ahead about our Nitrox requests, as they only had 2 tanks. Not a big deal. Diving was meh. Apparently, there was an eagle ray spotted by other divers, but eluded us. I visit this site because the beach is a stunner.
Day 5) All week the weather had been hot and muggy, with no breeze, unlike my other visits to the island. In the evening it was breezy with spotty drizzles. Our plan on the following day, was to dive the touristy turtle circus at Playa Grandi, getting there early, before the tour buses. All night long I kept hearing what sounded like a gong, randomly pounding at night. I had no idea where this noise was coming from. The winds were active but not strong. Once light outside, the ocean looking absolutely crazy! Lacking whitecaps, replaced by large swells and water surge. One resident saw a wave lap over the wall at Marazul. One of the benches which sits up a set of steps, a good 20 feet above the sea was washed away. There was plenty of flotsam which included parts of docks and boats drifting by. We walked up to Playa Kalki and Playa Grandi and it was sad seeing the powerful waves damaging the docks and washing the sand away. We spent the day sitting at the pool and reading.
Day 6) Hoping that the ocean has calmed down, but it is still rough with obvious poor visibility. Sitting around moping about not getting in to the water, we headed to Blue Bay in hopes of calmer waters. Glad we made that decision! The water was flat and calm. We did two dives using Blue Bay Dive. This was my first dive at this site. We saw an eagle ray in the distance. I enjoyed the wall more than the gardens.
Farewell Day:
Day 7) Alas, our last day on the island. Our Delta flight didn’t leave until 4:30. A Carnivale parade was scheduled in Barber, so we knew it was prudent to head out early. We decided to head to Blue Bay beach for some beach time, drinks and lunch before flying out. We tried stopping at the airport to drop off our check- in bags early, but were told that they don’t allow check in bags until 3 hours before departure. We headed to Blue Bay (all of our luggage in car). It was a real treat to enjoy the beach, and knowing we
were only a few minutes from the airport. We stopped by D & D to drop of our rental. As soon as we pulled up, one of the employees took over the driving of our rental car and dropped us off at the airport. I love these guys, and will continue to rent through them.
We arrived at the airport three hours prior to departure. The line to check in was all the way to the doors. The line moved at a snail’s pace. After dropping off our bags, we had to get into the security line, which was also extended to the airport doors. I was seriously stressing out about making it to our flight. We finally arrived to the gate 15 minutes prior to boarding. I don’t remember things being so slow and aggravating at the airport. I love Curacao, and plan on returning, but I hope they can remedy handling their process at the airport.
Wrapping it up:
I was surprised that being peak season, we didn’t see many divers. There was moderate coral bleaching, which especially seemed to target the brain corals. However, the bleaching was not as devastating compared to what I saw in Cozumel in Oct. Marine life was still plentiful, but bummed about not seeing any turtles. We did not have any issues with theft. I didn’t see any broken glass or other signs of break ins in parking lots. The number of stray dogs is worse. I love dogs, and it broke my heart to see so many strays.
Aveda makes a great shampoo bar. I cut a bar in half with a steak knife and packed in carry on without having to place in bag with liquids.
Pack some chip clips. They worked in keeping coffee fresh, and ants away from snacks.
A jar of Everything But the Bagel seasoning is easy to pack and a great addition to meals at condo.
