Hotel Accommodation
Curaçao Hotel Accommodation
Whatever the type of Curaçao hotel accommodation you’re looking for, providing you book it early enough – there’s a hotel to suit your budget somewhere on the island. One of the good points about taking a vacation in Curaçao is that, as yet, the island’s not been over-developed and you can be guaranteed a relaxing time. The downside of this, if there is one, is that top class hotels are not easily to be found. Don’t let that make you think that therefore there’ll be plenty of great budget accommodation at great prices – there isn’t a lot of that either. Fortunately the mid-range, and especially the top end of the mid-range, is quite good and there are a number of Curaçao hotels you can select from in that range.
Budget Curaçao hotels
A relatively new Curaçao hotel, in the Otrabanda district of Willemstad, is the Howard Johnston Plaza. If you book here specifically ask for a room at the front, as these look east out over the Sint Annabaai harbor. I’m afraid if you get a room at the back of the hotel – well let’s just say that the view isn’t very interesting.
Being one of a chain of hotels the rooms are rather predictable and whilst perfectly comfortable – they are basic. Unfortunately even the rooms overlooking the harbor don’t have balconies, which even the free internet access doesn’t compensate for; a pity as the idea of sitting on a balcony over-looking the harbor with an evening drink at sunset would be divine. In the same district is the Otrobanda Hotel itself. At $80 to $100 per night for a double room this hotel is about $20 a night cheaper than the Howard Johnson Plaza. For a Curaçao hotel on the waterfront this might seem a great price to pay – but most folk leave here saying they’d have had no problem paying more if the décor had been better looked after and finished. On that basis see what sort of a deal you can work for yourself if you’re booking this hotel independently?
Mid-range Curaçao hotels
Technically outside the city of Willemstad and a couple of miles north of it, clustered around the Piscaderabaai, are some very good mid-range Curaçao hotels; three of which are on the John F Kennedy Boulevard. The Floris Suite Hotel is not on the beach nor does it have rooms with sea views, but to compensate for those two things the rooms in this hotel in Curaçao are as big as suites in many American hotels. There are also some delightful grounds to relax in and a fabulous pool, if you can’t be bothered to go down to the beach. $160 in the low season rising to over $250 a night in the high season, this is one of the hotels at the top end of the mid-range budgets. Not far away is the Hilton Curaçao. Internet prices start at around $160 a night for a double room, but with a range or rooms and suites available prices can rise to over $300 for a suite. This is one of the hotels on Curaçao offering special Curaçao honeymoon deals. It has parking for 500 cars and can help you to arrange a Curaçao car rental. Finally on John F Kennedy Boulevard is the Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort. Rooms and prices are virtually the same as for the Hilton – but this one, as the name implies, fronts onto the beach. Unfortunately not many rooms have a beach view, but most of them have a balcony and at least overlook the pool. Moving back to Willemstad itself, on the south side of the Sint Annabaai, in the Punda district, is one of the waterfront Curaçao hotels – the Plaza Hotel Curaçao. Recently renovated and refurbished this is one of the Curaçao hotels to consider spending a Curaçao honeymoon in – it actually has dedicated honeymoon suites. It is one of the few tall multi-storey buildings in Curaçao, let alone on the waterfront, and the views out to sea from most of the rooms are stunning.
The best hotels in Curaçao?
Of course things can change but in successive years the Avila Beach Hotel and the Hotel Kura Hulanda have consistently been the best hotels in Curaçao. The Avila Beach Hotel is about ½ a mile south along the coast from Downtown Willemstad. There are classically furnished and finished rooms in the original 18th century building, the home of a former Dutch governor, which are complemented by some very stylish designer rooms in the newer buildings. The hotel has a historical connection with Simón Bolívar and absolutely oozes class and elegance. A basic double rooms starts at about $300 a night with two bed roomed suites rising to nearly $600 a night in the peak seasons. However, the Hotel Kura Hulanda will probably win the prize as the best Curaçao hotel. Set back from the harbour in Willemstad on Klipstraat – here you have a choice of staying in a lodge or the spa hotel. There are some cheaper rooms and lodges but one with a sea view will cost at least $320 a night. The Kura Hulanda is also one of the few places offering Curaçao all inclusive hotel deals.