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Curaçao |
| Curaçao is what you get when you mix Amsterdam with
South American and Dutch culture in a southern Caribbean location that looks
suspiciously like the Baja in Mexico. Got that? And, with GREAT weather year
round! |
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U.S. Citizens: Passports are
required for international air travel to all destinations outside the
USA.
 The
only "legal" nude beach on Curacao belongs to the resort although other beaches
on the island may be topless, since the Dutch and European influence is strong
there. The resort is thankfully secluded but close to the airport and
downtown., about 30 minutes away. minutes away.
Sunset Waters is a
family resort with a very small nude beach. The rest of the resort includes
plenty of conventional beach space and a great dive operation. Frequently, on
the weekends primarily, you may see Dutch ex-pats with their kids at the resort
but mostly the little nude beach is used by adults primarily.
Wow, this
island is one of our favorite places in the Caribbean! A big plus for the
resort is that it's located in Curaçao, a neat as a pin Dutch island,
owned by the Netherlands. Curaçao is what you get when you mix Amsterdam
with South American and Dutch culture in a southern Caribbean location that
looks suspiciously like the Baja in Mexico. Got that? And, with GREAT weather
year round!
 Curaçao's capital is Wilemstad, which looks like a
smaller clone of Amsterdam, complete with Dutch architecture and buildings.
Curaçao (population about 150,000) is a legal part of the Netherlands
along with its neighbor, Bonaire, plus Aruba, a former Dutch colony, now an
independent member of the commonwealth. The three carry the nickname of the
A-B-C islands, due to their name spelling. The ABC islands are only 20-40 miles
north of the Venezuelan coast of South America and on a clear afternoon, you
can see the tip of one of the mountain ranges north of Maracaibo. Most all the
locals speak Dutch, English, Spanish and the local dialect, Papiamentu......and
do so very fast!
 Beaching, diving, fishing, snorkeling and hanging out at
Sunset Water's beach and pool are great during the day. Believe it or not,
there is also a casino on site, too, for nightly "contributions" but don't
count on the casino being open continuously…it seems to operate on an
intermittent basis. Gamblers never fear: There are several full service casinos
in town and according the Champagne, they DO pay off.
Savage Turtle is
the beach bar and has a deck upstairs, too. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are
served in the open air main restaurant upstairs on the bluff overlooking the
main beach area with a drop dead view of the southern Caribbean. Seventy rooms
comprise the resort, with most of them located on the cliff overlooking the
spectacular Caribbean in the northwest part of Curaçao, closest to the
best diving on the island.
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U.S. Citizens: Passports
are required for international air travel to all destinations outside the
USA.
American Airlines and other international airlines
service the island frequently from South America, Central America, Europe and
the U.S.A. (about a 3 hour flight from Miami). KLM flights also bring tourists
in from Europe throughout the week plus several charters arrive weekly from
Holland and Germany.
The resort itself is about 30 minutes northwest
of Hato Airport on Curaçao and about 40 minutes from downtown Wilemstad,
the capital of the island. Rent a car if you wish or take a transfer shuttle to
the resort. Driving is on the right-hand side and the roads and highways are in
great condition, maintained in the efficient Dutch tradition.
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| World Map |
Caribbean
Map |
Curaçao
Map |
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 A full service resort for many years, Sunset Waters is now all
inclusive with your room, all meals, local bar drinks, beer and wines, taxes
and tips included. Fantastic diving and snorkeling are available at the scuba
shop on site. Many of the resort's 70 rooms are actually over sized compared to
an average hotel room. Many are large suites with some room arrangements
accommodating as many as 6 people all in separate bedrooms, a great arrangement
for a crowd that likes to party. 
NOTE: SCUBA services are optional and an extra
charge. Diving is not included in the room rate.
A good
tennis/basketball court is there plus non-motorized water sports including sea
kayaks and snorkel equipment are included.
 A nice touch at the hotel includes a
complimentary shuttle to town at designated times throughout the week. Other
facilities and services include a new swimming pool, with swim up bar, SCUBA
diving and instructions & certification, beach and lawn games such as
volleyball, fitness and workout room, miniature golf, lighted tennis court and
nightly entertainment.
Guest services on site include a Gift Shop,
laundry, ice machines, direct dial telephones, rental car and tour
desk.
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The main open air restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and
dinner daily off the menu with a breakfast and salad buffet, too. For
breakfast, an omelette station serves made to order eggs. The Savage Turtle
Beach Bar serves  drinks and daytime snacks and grilled food. We found the meals
to be not only superb but plentiful, creatively served and well prepared. Our
compliments to the chef-de-village. We look forward to returning....the seafood
dishes are outstanding, especially since the fish are caught fresh daily. Home
grown fruits and vegetables are delivered from the local produce truck farmer
daily.
All inclusive bar drinks include house brands for liquors, beer
and wines. Premium call liquor and wines are extra cost or you can bring your
own if you wish. If you venture into town, there are many local restaurants to
enjoy and some fun bars and taverns in villages all over the island. Added
treats: Amstel Beer and the liqueur, Curaçao, are also brewed right on
the island. You can tour both facilities, too.
Three bars include the
swim up pool bar, the main bar in the restaurant and the Savage Turtle Bar
& Grill.
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 Guest rooms and suites, while not palatial, are over sized
and offer plenty of room and spaciousness with color TV, air conditioning,
amenities. Room layouts vary as well as bedding: Some have king size beds and
some have two queen beds. Room rate is "all inclusive" and includes: All meals
and snacks, all bar drinks, accommodations selected, entertainment, hotel
taxes, tips and service charges. Airfare and airport transfers extra.
Room descriptions include:
Superior:
Large room
perched on the cliff offering ocean views from the room or balcony. TV, Air
conditioned.
Junior Suite:
Similar to Superior but
more square footage including a sitting area facing the cliff side overlooking
the Caribbean.
 1 Bedroom Suite:
Two level suite offers
large room with sitting area and sofa, private balcony with terrific ocean
views. Open air loft with king bed on second level entered via a spiral
staircase.
2 Bedroom Suite:
Rooms are large, air
conditioned with two double beds or a king bed (s), and contain satellite color
TV, direct dial telephones and full private bath with tub and shower.
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This is a family resort with a small nude beach and a large
conventional beach. You will see kids and babies, teens, adults and seniors all
enjoying the resort.
PLEASE NOTE: The hotel is NOT a nudist resort.
Only a specific and small portion of the beach is set aside for nude sunbathing
so don't plan on walking around the resort in your birthday suit!
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The beach, swimming pool & Jacuzzi, pool bar and deck
provide most of the fun places to gather during the day, other than the dive
shop for scuba and snorkeling. Miniature golf is on site plus the casino may
operate in the evenings (on an intermittent basis). We really like the hotel
rooms since they're larger than average and most of them sit atop the cliff
which overlook the nude beach and the southern Caribbean.....a great way to
wake up in the morning. Sun up and sunsets are spectacular
 as you get to see both of them since
the rooms face a southerly direction. Most rooms are oversized and some suites
even have romantic lofts with spiral staircases to the upper deck where the
master bedroom and king bed are located.
Hotel employees as well as
most of the locals are a great mixture from all over the world, reflecting a
combination of South American, Caribbean, African and European heritage and
culture, a most interesting melting pot. One common trait they all share: They
do like to party.....any excuse to dance and any dance goes....from soca,
salsa, zouk, Cuban to tango, disco to blues to you name it, they do it.
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 World-class diving, snorkeling, fabulous beaches (some
topless), windsurfing, several casinos plus terrific shopping, shopping,
shopping for European goods are just some of the reasons to visit
Curaçao. Nightlife in town is great as long as you know the fun places
to go and the place is safe! The locals seem to find a reason to dance at
almost any time, so expect to "lively yourself up" and shake your bootie.
Several country houses serve as great hangouts for a drink and dancing, so
don't be surprised if you round a corner where a crowd has gathered to dance
and party....the locals are great to make friends with.
 Walking tours downtown are the best
way to see the Punda (the Point) and the Otrabanda (the "other" side), the two
parts of downtown Wilemstad. St.Anna's Bay (actually a channel) separates the
city's two parts and connects the lower Caribbean to the huge bay just east of
downtown Wilemstad, designated as a UNESCO "World Heritage City." Refineries,
manufacturing, ship building and a huge dry-dock company maintain operations in
Schottegat Bay, reported to be the second busiest port in the world..
In Curaçao, hotel rooms number only about 2,000 total, providing
you with a chance to be a part of the local culture without sticking out like a
tourist. The Plaza Hotel on the point in front of the harbor entrance is one of
two hotels in the world with marine insurance in the event a ship plows into
its building. Our favorite restaurant we found in town is the open air TuTu
Tango, where on Wednesday nights, the Dutch buffet, risjtafel, (rice table) is
featured...our favorite dish: peanut sauce that goes great with just about
everything (yum, yum!). Favorite seaside spots are the public Mambo Beach where
lots of open-air parties are held. Last time we were there the Mambo Kings
played, driving the crowd wild. Sunday nights bring out the crowd to Mambo
Beach's best party. If you like to dance, pick a beat and party......these
people know how to move! Our other favorite spot is at Waterfort, a converted
look out point and fort (built 1634) and located adjacent to the Plaza Hotel
downtown at the entrance to the harbor. Waterfort now houses several ocean side
restaurants for Italian, Mexican and Continental cuisine, a great place for
dinner with a great ocean view. Amstel Beer is brewed right on the island, too,
as is the liqueur, Curaçao....you can tour both places.
 Two equally famous and historical
bridges join the two sides of Wilemstad together: The Queen Emma pontoon
bridge, over 100 years old, links both sides of downtown for foot traffic while
the huge Queen Juliana Bridge spans the industrial and residential sections of
town. Downtown Wilemstad is both quaint and compact so you can visit most of
the interesting spots downtown on foot. Plan on having a cold Amstel or Polar
(from Venezuela) by the pontoon bridge about 6 PM at one of the many sidewalk
cafes for a spectacular sunset. Many days, you will see a huge ocean liner or
tanker moving in or out of the bay right in front of you.
One of the
canals off the main bay in town is the site for colorful boats from Venezuela
who visit dock-side daily to sell fresh produce and fish to the locals.
 Such a mix people has
produced a diverse island population representing South America, Europe as well
as African and Caribbean descendants, each with its own section of town. The
Otrabanda on the west side of Wilemstad has made an outstanding comeback with
an almost complete restoration that has taken place the last five years or
so....a great place for a walking tour. If you're into cultural anthropology
and enjoy Caribbean history, you'll have lots to see and do in Curaçao.
Outside of town in the country side, you have more tourism choices than
you'll have time for including:
1) Mountain climbing in Christoffel
National Park
2) Hiking and horseback riding
3) Spelunking and visiting
the ancient caves
4) Touring the nature parks and the underwater park
5) Seeing spectacular, world-class diving/snorkeling spots
6) Visiting
the many small, diverse towns spotted around the island's perimeter
7)
Golfing
8) Horseback riding
9) Sail boarding
10) Running
11)
Visiting the Seaquarium, the best in the Caribbean where you'll have a chance
to experience sea creatures right in front of you in the water in a safe
environment.
12) Visiting Landhuis (plantation homes)
13) Taking a
driving tour of the island
14) Touring the Hato Caves
15) Visiting the
seven historical forts on the island
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Whatever you do at the resort, try to join up with
the dive shop if they visit the underwater cave nearby for a spectacular site.
Around sunset at 6 PM daily, you can enter the cave (actually a huge opening in
a coral cliff with three feet of clearance from the water's surface) to
experience the sun's reflection directly into the cave and off the sandy
bottom, making for an unforgettable illusion and experience similar to the
green flash well known around the sea world at sunset. |
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Diving and snorkeling are absolutely WORLD-CLASS,
with no thermoclines and virtually no current at the many dive/snorkel spots.
World-famous spots include the Mushroom Forest near the resort plus others on
the island. Visibility is normally up to 150 feet with average water
temperatures 75-85 F, so no wet suits are needed unless you want one. |
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Looks like the big cruise ships have discovered how
"quaint" Wilemstad and Curaçao are so some days you may see more than
your share of tourists bustling through downtown but most ships depart by 5-6
PM. |
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The bird's eye view of Wilemstad from the Queen
Juliana Bridge is one of the top scenic vistas in the entire Caribbean along
with some of the forts built atop several of the imposing mountainous
outcroppings. |
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Curaçao and the ABC islands are outside the
hurricane belt so you can visit and enjoy sub-tropical weather year round. |
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Only about 22 inches of rain falls a year, so you
will enjoy a dry and warm climate year-round. |
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The ABC islands are only a few miles north of South
America...a great reason for taking 2-3 extra days to see Angel Falls or spots
close by in Venezuela. |
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Anytime of year is a perfect date to visit Curacao, since
it's outside the hurricane belt in the Caribbean.
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Just about right....Curaçao has a significant sized
population residing on a small island so you get around easily and converse
with just about everyone.
Wish the entire beach at Sunset Waters resort
was clothing-optional ALL the time other than for the Castaways' group.
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• View the Photo
Album
Click on the Photo Album link above to view personal photos of
Sunset Waters Beach Resort. We just got back with these fresh photos of the
resort. You can contribute to this section - all you have to do is go to our
Contribute Trip Report /
Photographs page.
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• View the Photo
Album
We need trip reports from from folks who have recently visited
Sunset Waters Beach Resort. You can contribute to this section - all you have
to do is go to our Contribute Trip
Report / Photographs page.
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You can arrive any day of the week so call CASTAWAYS TRAVEL
for your vacation. You can stay as long as you like.
Now that you
know, GO! Contact CASTAWAYS TRAVEL via our
quotes / reservations page or
800-470-2020 during the business day to book your trip. Thank you for visiting
our website. We appreciate your kind consideration. |
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