bup1224

15 hours ago, Florida Glamazon said:

Hello Everyone,

 We decided to book a walking tour of Willemstad, and my only other wish is to see flamingos after we end this tour. Is there any way to hop a trolley to the Seaquarium?

Also, is this the best place to spot flamingos? Or is there another (better) place to see them?

I have adored them since I was a child.

 

  

There isn't a trolley but you can take a taxi or the local bus to the Sea Aquarium. 

If you want to get up close to the flamingos,  the Sea Aquarium is the place to go.

Here is another option,  screenshot of the Facebook page. 

2 hours ago, hrmkr said:

Can you give a rough idea how much a bottle of Curacao is at a store?  Same with a bottle of salt.  Any particular stores that you can get a good deal since probably most stores have it.

 

trying to plan my souvenir budget.

We bought the salt/spices in Bonaire in 2016, they were cheap, a few dollars each.

I checked with our favorite souvenir shop in Curaçao,  Copperstone,  and they sell the large bottles of the liquor for $18.

10 hours ago, Beach feels said:

Does she have a website? is she perhaps on a tripadvisor?

Look her up on Instagram under Tours by Anna or her Facebook page Anais M. Arundel.

On 8/19/2019 at 4:05 PM, peanut1277 said:

cruiseapril any particular recommendations on a beach ? thank you for your info  

If you are wanting a calm no rocks in the water, Mambo beach is it.

5 hours ago, dctravel said:

Wait! Is this now called the Curacao Caribbean Resort Spa & Casino? That was our take off point for the Atlantis Submarine Tour and the pictures are remarkably similar! If so, I agree that the beach was tiny. It also seemed to be more focused on divers than anything else.

Yes it is, soon to be Dreams resort (all inclusive).

Honestly,  before I moved here, I always stayed at what was the Hilton and the beach had some of the best snorkeling we experienced on the island 

On 8/26/2019 at 1:25 PM, peanut1277 said:

bup1224 you mentioned Salt in Bonaire for a souvenir (for skin) ? what is  Curacao's speciality item be ? is it the liquor-from distillery?

Salt that we got in Bonaire was for cooking (spice/seasoning).

Yes, the liquor and as mentioned,  you can get it anywhere not just a the distillery. 

9 hours ago, Beach feels said:

I Looked up  both of these recommendations and unfortunately they are not what we are looking for, for our Curaçao experience. Are there any other companies that you could recommend?

What exactly are you looking for? I know Tours by Anna will customize.

8 hours ago, Beach feels said:

I'm looking for a private tour with a local guide to show my wife and I around the island of Curaçao. We are looking for a flexible and  easy going tour and we would like to be able to customize our own experience. We are open for any suggestion, please let me know!!!

Look up Tours by Anna on Instagram 

11 hours ago, hrmkr said:

bup1224,

 

Is there any specific souvenir/item that can only be found in Bonaire?  i like to try to find stuff specific to each island we visit.

 

Thanks,

Howard

Salt made in Bonaire 

Christmas is a huge holiday here and most stores in Punda will be closed.

Punda is a great town to walk around in but again, most places will be closed.

Mambo beach is a calm beach and may be perfect for a few hours. 

On 8/23/2019 at 3:06 PM, CntPAcruiser said:

Curacao is a lovely town to just walk around and check out the shops and restaurants. It's a bit like a European town plunked down in the Caribbean, with Dutch-looking buildings in tropical colors. Once you cross the floating bridge, there is a manageable area to walk around and check out the window displays from the Handelskade (first street along the channel you crossed on the bridge) to Columbusstraat, which parallels the first, and several alleys and cross-streets between. The floating market, which ran along the street turning the corner from Handelskade, is reportedly greatly diminished because of the issues with Venezuela. Of course there are the usual touristy (junky) souvenir stores and more commercial chain store, but there are still smaller, local shops. We really like one of the local t-shirt shops, but the name is escaping me at the moment. I will try to add it to this thread later. 

The floating market does not have but a few local vendors now.

Check out Copperstone store to meet local artist Melissa of Dhanarts, located at the back of the Gomezplein (Hanchi Snoa #9) and see Skadey, the "official Cat " of Curaçao. 

18 hours ago, crazycruzer68 said:

Our original tour has now been canceled, we just want to hang out at a beach and lounge for the day. Anyone having recommendations?

Mambo Beach may be perfect for you,  no rocks at all, beach bars, normally plenty of people especially on a cruise ship day.

1 hour ago, son3cruisers said:

Interesting.... we put a deposit on a tour with this company a few months back . I had no idea the business has sold to another owner. Hmmm. 

I am also finding it difficult to find reviews , although I did find recommendations here on CC.

Just recommendations, no recent reviews. 

Gina trained so to speak the new owners.

They are getting great reviews on Facebook, you will have an amazing customized tour!

2 hours ago, Airrace said:

Hello Bridget

 

I didn’t have any luck contacting her. Do you know of anyone else that might be interested in giving us a walking tour of Curacao?

 

Thanks

Bill

Bill this one you can find on Facebook or by Google. 

Free Walking tours Curaçao.

They are free (you need to make a reservation) and are tip based at the conclusion of the tour, as in tip what you like.

On 8/1/2019 at 11:06 PM, cruiselvr04 said:

Back to nature with Gina.  Not a walking tour but a Jeep ride around the island.  We had a great day seeing the non tourist areas.  Highly recommend. ( google back to nature Curacao)

Gina sold Back to Nature Tours to another person many months ago but the company is still in business 

19 hours ago, ridgerunner51 said:

 

Anyone?

 

Santa Barbara gives access to anyone for a fee almost everyday, not just local people 

16 hours ago, DaMom said:

How far is that from the port, and how would one get there (roughly 🙂) from the port? Thanks in advance!

15 - 20 minute walk.

Walk through the Rif Fort,  over the Queen Emma floating bridge, make a left immediately on the Handelskade (street with the colorful buildings) and walk to the end, make a right and go past the Round Market (Marshe Nobo), Plasa Bieu is behind it and the post office (called C Post)

13 hours ago, Airrace said:

Hello

 

Do you have anymore information on how to contact Anna?

 

Thanks

Bill

On Facebook,  message her on Anais M. Arundel (let her know Bridget Merker sent you, just as a courtesy)

On 7/29/2019 at 1:08 PM, Tracey.kinney425 said:

Where's some good local places to eat?

Plasa Bieu in Punda for lunch is perfect for you!

On 7/20/2019 at 3:30 PM, Airrace said:

Hello

I am looking for a local tour guide to give us a guided walking tour of Curaçao. I have all the maps and guides but would like to find someone that can explain some of the local architectural homes and history. A bonus would be a tour inside one of the homes. 

Tours by Anna (find her on Instagram)

On 7/16/2019 at 12:22 AM, NW2sun said:

Is there a place to get hair braided close to the Carnival cruise port?

Outside of the Rif Fort (5 to 10 minute walk) there are street vendors and one of the ladies does hair braiding

On 7/10/2019 at 4:34 PM, TEGL said:

We will be heading to Curacao this September and are looking at the Irie Tours west package.  We will be traveling with our 5 year old son (who is also on the autism spectrum and has severe ADHD) and he is busy, busy, busy and a total adrenaline junky - he isn't much of a beach lover because he gets board quickly but because this tour seems to jump from beach to beach I think it will be up our alley.  It gives us the ability to see all the amazing beaches and not just sit at one beach all day and get board.  My question is those that have done this tour, is it worth it?  Irie seems to have amazing reviews so I imagine its worth it but would love any input.  We will be there from 8am-8pm and the tour is from 9am-330/4pm, is there anything else that would be interested to see after we finish that excursion?  Any input of places that are recommend to go/see/do are appreciated especially since we have 4 hours to kill between the excursion ends and our before 'all aboard'?

We were also looking at a boat trip to Klein Curacao but an 1.5 boat ride there AND back seem a bit much plus it doesn't seem like there was much on the island once you were there.  
 

Klein Curaçao excursions start early and the ride out can be rough. I would not suggest this for a cruise ship stop.

On 7/7/2019 at 12:06 PM, SimplyMarvie said:

 

Advance was able to hook us up and we're all set to go. Thank you so much for the advice, we're looking forward to checking out the island! 🙂

My pleasure!

3 hours ago, SimplyMarvie said:

 

Thanks, that's what I was hoping -- if we can get the rental company to pick us up at the cruise pier, we can probably do both (and be at the beach before it's a mob scene). 

 

As far as moving, I really wish we could stay longer. But usually when we're relocated for work we've never even visited the country we're going to, so getting to make a stop and see anything is a huge bonus. (Plus, after living in Jamaica for a few years my husband swore we'd never live on another tropical island ever again, so I'm kind of hoping he ends up charmed so it's an easier sell...)

Check with Advance Car rental for a 1 day rental.

You will have time to do both, enjoy your day here, it's a wonderful island!