We went to Curacao this May for 9 days. Flew AA out of Atlanta thru Miami. All went well. The return was not as great, but who cares, right? Most of it was weather related in MIA. Can't do anything about that. But AA handled it well, and we hung out in the Admirals Club most of the time, so no big deal. The FA's on the AA flights were so nice. It was almost freakish!

The Hato Airport is nice/clean and has jetways. Car rentals are a short walk from the arrivals area. Immigration lines were short. In Customs they make you scan your bags through a machine. Different.

We rented from National--or as we affectionately called it during our week--Rent-a-Wreck. The car was a junker with 73k miles and brakes that were very grindy sounding. Also, the girl at the desk tried to overcharge me, but I wouldnt budge. I had my internet receipt and wasn't paying a penny more. And didn’t! (wink)

We stayed at the Lodge Kura Hulanda. Highly, highly recommend. The only downside of this place is its on the western most tip of the island (West Punt)and about 45 min from town or airport.

The island itself is like Arizona desert. Very arid, cacti everywhere, dusty. No rain to speak of. I loved it!! The beaches are the draw and wow...very nice.

The LKH has an excellent snorkeling beach, Kalki, fabulous. Saw seahorses, eels, rays, and more fish of varying sizes. This was the best spot other than Hawaii that I have ever snorkeled. You def. need reef shoes or dive booties to negotiate the shoreline. We didn’t bring them and had to back in and out with our fins on. Hehehe...what a sight! Great dive shop next door. My hubbies masked cracked in transit and we were able to buy him a quality mask for not much more than it would have cost here.

We also visited Knip beach (really nice), Cas Abou (loved it...snorkeled in a school of sardines...wild), Porto Mari (best beach bar food ever). Loved them all.

The LKH is a small resort with less than 100 rooms. Not a lot of walking. Everything was very well laid out. They also had two computers in the bus. ctr with free internet.

We had a oceanfront studio. Nice and roomy with a wonderful patio that looked out on the sea. The place is clean and well managed--about 2 years old. The manager was always around and new us by name. The food was really good. Always something really good on the menu for dinner.

The pool area was great with thatch covered huts to lounge under. Teak loungers with pads--always a plus--and one of the cleanest pools I've ever seen. The watered just sparkled! Nice, never crowded either, with bar service (well the bar was a few steps from the pool anyway).

LKH was one of the most relaxing places. No hassles (big plus in my book). If you want it, they'll get it for you.

They have a sister resort in Willemstad that has a big spa and several dining options. We went to town one day but it was so crowded and hot...we couldn’t wait to get back to LKH.

I want to go back again next year. I just wished Delta would fly direct. They did until about April and then stopped (seasonal).

My wife and I decided to go to curacao for our honeymoon because of its relaxed attitude. We went back and forth between staying in the city or on the west side. We couldn't have been happier with our choice!! The lodge was a beautiful, quiet, romantic setting perfect of a relaxing honeymoon. There is plenty of space in relation to the amount of people so it feels very private... even at the pool! The service was excellent and the people couldn't have been more accomodating and friendly. You do have to get use to the speed of service ( slow and relaxed). The beach was private and full of snorkling adventure and wildlife. We stayed in a 2nd floor room with a beautiful view. Again, our room service was outstanding. The only downside was the cost of the food and the limited selection but thats the price you pay for staying in such a remote area. I can't say enough good things about this place and would reccomend it to anyone who just wants to relax.

Before I get started a quick thanks to all who post here, as your tips made our trip very easy at points along the way.

My girlfriend and I spent four nights here and had a great time. The overall resort is well described by others and is beautiful and very remote. We would definatly return. Below are a few tips that we found helpful along the way.

1. Become members of their leading hotel of the world leaders club. We got the best rate throught the leadings hotels website and best of all we got upgraded to an oceanfront suite. All of this is free.

2. We rented a car at budget which also has a great map you can buy. Both are essential and very affordable. You need a car to visit this island.

2. We bought food and wine at Centrum supermarket on our way to the resort and we found it to be very cheap and gave us the option to explore more. Since all restaurant meals in Curacao seemded to take at least 2 hours to complete we found that having sandwichs and beers on our terrace allowed us more sun time. As stated by others, to get to Centrum from the airport, go through the traffic circle toward williamstead, and take a right at the second stop light and then a quick left. Also, for a supermarket their wine selection is huge!

3. Check the message board in the lobby, their was a mangers party and happy hour we were never told about.

4. Book a boat trip with the concierge with Jerry on the Yuana Blau. He is amazing and his boat only hold 4 people so do it early. Also do this early in the trip as he can give you some great inside knowledge of the island. We did this our last day and we had a lot of "if we had time we should of"

5. The beach is very rocky, almost unswimable (water shoes a must). However the snorkling is amazing, start at the dock and work you way across the beach. Just be careful, the current is very strong and we got a few cuts when we got hung up on some rocks on the way in.

6. Go the the other beaches like Grote knip etc. They are clean, sandier and very close with great parking

Our only complaint was that We felt that the qualitly of the food and waiter and waitress service lacked for this resorts reputation and what the food was priced at. Maybee because it all comes with a manditory service charge. We did go to Janncies, Daniel, etc?, however didn't feel that we had the option to eat at the resort without spending a fortune for low quality food. The beach bar is probably your best bet. and that is only open during the day.

All in all it was an amazing time and we liked that the island has not been over americanized and that the resort was very remote.

We stayed at the Kura Hulanda Lodge in Westpunt from April 5 through the 12th. We had a Gardenview Junior Suite. We rented a Toyota Yaris through Avis for less than it would have cost us in Orlando. The drive to the hotel was about 40 minutes and very easy. We stopped at the California Supermarket just past the Landhuis Daniel and bought essentials like coffee and sugar and bread and eggs.

The staff at Kura Hulanda Lodge was wonderful, and made every effort to ensure our stay was everything we hoped it would be. The pool, bar, and grounds are wonderful, well maintained, and everything we hoped for. Our suite was on the second story, looking out at the tops of the trees. Every day we had parrots, orioles, and bananaquits visit us, along with the constant parades of blue-footed anole lizards on the grounds. We had a king-sized bed and nice bathroom, all airconditioned. Our living area and kitchenette were all open air, furnished with comfortable rattan furniture. The kitchenette had a small refrigerator, 4 burner electric stovetop, drip coffeee maker with filter, 2 slice toaster, and microwave. Cups, saucers, plates, and glassess, including wine glasses were furnished. Since we wnat to cook while we were there, we called the front desk and were brought pots, pans, and utensils. You can wash the dirty dishes and pots yourself, or pay $10 a day for the maid to do them.

The bar at the lodge is great, as is the pool. The resturants share the same menu, but eating at the Christofel resturant while the sun goes down over the sea is beautiful. We loved the wild mushroom lasagana.

We snorkeled at the beach in front of the hotel and at various beaches along the coast from Westpunt south to Daaibooibaai. The best, in our opinion, was along the cliffs on the south (left side) of Lagun, where we snorkeled with turtles, squid, all kinds of Caribbean reef fish, huge schools of ballyhoo, baitfish of all kinds, big snappers and barracuda. One day alone we saw 3 spotted moray eels and one green moray. Just about all of the beaches had nice snorkeling along the cliffs on either side. Most of the beaches are free during the week. Some charge a few guilders to rent a beach bed for the day. The best were Lagun, Knip, Kenapai, and Jeremi, all within 20 minutes of Westpunt.

We also visited Shete Boca Park near Westpunt and enjoyed the caves, natural bridge, and Boca Pistol, where the waves smash themselves into a small hole and shoot thirty feet or more into the air. Visit the park in the early morning or late afternoon if you can when it is cooler.

The people of Curacao are kind, intelligent, and happy. We were never once approached and asked for money or to buy drugs, unlike other Caribbean islands. we have visited. The parts of the city we were in were clean and safe. While there may be parts of Curacao that are the opposite, we didn't see them. Call us innocent, but we drove all over the island and didn't have a single problem. The only thing one needs to watch out for while driving is the traffic circles and the goats wandering around on the roads. We did not drive after dark.

The weird thing about Curacao is the beer sizes. Most beers are sold in either 8.5 or 9.3 ounce containers. When you buy a case of Amstel beer, you get 24 little cans of beer, for 36 guilders (1.77 guilders to the dollar). They go fast, so buy more than you normally would in the states or the Netherlands. At the bigger stores you can buy Corona or Grolsch in 12 ounce bottles, but thats about it. They also sell Polar beer from Venezuela, but its not a great beer. I'd stick with the Amstel Bright or Heineken.

We will go back, and will stay again at Kura Hulanda Lodge. I can't think of a better place to stay for those who peace, quiet, and natural surroudings.