Petertrips Curacao

[anniegb]

Hi

 

Has anyone used Petertrips Curacao - looking for feedback.

 

Looking to do an island tour - any other recommendations gratefully received.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Annie

[Ms411]

I used him in Sep when I was on the Serenade. Someone else on cruisecritic had mentioned him last year, so I sent e-mails to him and a few others that were mentioned on the Curacao thread.

 

I must have e-mailed him maybe 8-10 times with questions before I finally booked. I chose him, because out of all the others I contacted, he was timely and thorough with his responses.

 

When I met him in Curacao, I was the only one on the ship who had booked with him, so he picked me up first, and then picked up the hotel guests who had booked him. I got a chance to see some of the hotels, and I thought that was kind of neat. I think there was only one other American couple on the tour, so he conducted the tour in Dutch and English. It was fun for me to try to figure out what he was saying in Dutch before he got to "MY" English part!

 

Peter is a very hands-on tour guide. Every stop we made he explained everything and did some demonstrations. When we went to Boca Tabla, he escorted us down to make sure it was safe instead of letting us go down by ourselves.

 

I was in Curacao the year before, and spent most of my day at the Kura Hulanda Museum in town. They have a beach resort further out, and I was curious about that since the museum is absolutely incredible. Well, that's where Peter took us for lunch, so I got a chance to see that property! It is truly gorgeous, and Peter put sugar on all our tables so the colorful Curacao birds would keep us company as we ate.

 

I really just can't say enough good things about Peter's tour. I learned so much, and am trying to figure out how I can do another trip that will include Curacao so I can spend more time there. Curacao is unique among the Caribbean islands, because they've managed to restore so many of the colonial buildings including the slave quarters.

 

He also took us to a beach that had good snorkeling, but you couldn't rent snorkeling equipment at that beach, because it was a mostly local beach. I met some ladies from Holland who come every year, and I showed them the fish that you can see if you're just standing in the water. One was so excited, and said she was going to come back the next day so she could see the fish.

 

IMO, Peter sets the standard for tours. Not only did I learn a lot about Curacao, but I learned a lot about the shortcomings of the US educational system, because we don't encourage our students to become fluent in another language. Sigh.

 

If you like edutours, Peter's your guy, IMO!

[anniegb]

I used him in Sep when I was on the Serenade. Someone else on cruisecritic had mentioned him last year, so I sent e-mails to him and a few others that were mentioned on the Curacao thread.

 

I must have e-mailed him maybe 8-10 times with questions before I finally booked. I chose him, because out of all the others I contacted, he was timely and thorough with his responses.

 

When I met him in Curacao, I was the only one on the ship who had booked with him, so he picked me up first, and then picked up the hotel guests who had booked him. I got a chance to see some of the hotels, and I thought that was kind of neat. I think there was only one other American couple on the tour, so he conducted the tour in Dutch and English. It was fun for me to try to figure out what he was saying in Dutch before he got to "MY" English part!

 

Peter is a very hands-on tour guide. Every stop we made he explained everything and did some demonstrations. When we went to Boca Tabla, he escorted us down to make sure it was safe instead of letting us go down by ourselves.

 

I was in Curacao the year before, and spent most of my day at the Kura Hulanda Museum in town. They have a beach resort further out, and I was curious about that since the museum is absolutely incredible. Well, that's where Peter took us for lunch, so I got a chance to see that property! It is truly gorgeous, and Peter put sugar on all our tables so the colorful Curacao birds would keep us company as we ate.

 

I really just can't say enough good things about Peter's tour. I learned so much, and am trying to figure out how I can do another trip that will include Curacao so I can spend more time there. Curacao is unique among the Caribbean islands, because they've managed to restore so many of the colonial buildings including the slave quarters.

 

He also took us to a beach that had good snorkeling, but you couldn't rent snorkeling equipment at that beach, because it was a mostly local beach. I met some ladies from Holland who come every year, and I showed them the fish that you can see if you're just standing in the water. One was so excited, and said she was going to come back the next day so she could see the fish.

 

IMO, Peter sets the standard for tours. Not only did I learn a lot about Curacao, but I learned a lot about the shortcomings of the US educational system, because we don't encourage our students to become fluent in another language. Sigh.

 

If you like edutours, Peter's your guy, IMO!

 

Thanks very much for takig the time to give such a detailed reply - very,very helpful. I will contact him.

 

Thanks again

 

Annie

[Ms411]

You're welcome, Annie. Please let us know if you liked his tour when you return from your cruise.

 

Sigh. Wish I could go to Curacao this year.:(

[Isa65]

Sigh. Wish I could go to Curacao this year.:(

 

Ms411, every time I see the Peter Trips van pass my house I have to think of you. When are you coming down here again?

[Ms411]

Ha, ha! And everytime I check the Curacao thread, Isa65, I think of you!

 

Sigh. Since the Serenade of the Seas won't be in the southern Caribbean this year, I didn't book a cruise to your neck of the islands.

 

I'll be in Trinidad in July for a week of hiking with the St Croix Hiking Association; I'll be on the Carnival Freedom in October for the Capital Jazz Supercruise because a friend of mine wants to do that one; and I'll be on the Celebrity Summit in November, because the price was too good to pass up! Unfortunately, none of those trips have Curacao on the itinerary.

 

Did your family do Peter's tour? I've done island tours in St Kitts, Aruba, and St Thomas, and Peter's was by far the most comprehensive. I'll probably do an island tour this year in Antigua and maybe St Martin since I've never done a "professional" island tour on either of those islands.

 

Yes, you can get cheapie "island tours" outside the gate, but one thing I learned when in Aruba, those cheapie tours usually lack something. If you're only there for one day, it's worth it, IMO, to spend a few dollars more to get a greater return on your vacation experience.

 

So when are YOU coming to STT again???

[Isa65]

Ha, ha! And everytime I check the Curacao thread, Isa65, I think of you!

 

Sigh. Since the Serenade of the Seas won't be in the southern Caribbean this year, I didn't book a cruise to your neck of the islands.

 

I'll be in Trinidad in July for a week of hiking with the St Croix Hiking Association; I'll be on the Carnival Freedom in October for the Capital Jazz Supercruise because a friend of mine wants to do that one; and I'll be on the Celebrity Summit in November, because the price was too good to pass up! Unfortunately, none of those trips have Curacao on the itinerary.

 

So when are YOU coming to STT again???

 

Wow, you're all set for 2012! Exciting stuff! I used to go to Trinidad for work years ago, very nice people over there. There used to be a small place called Monsoon in Pot of Spain where they sold the BEST Shrimp roti with mango chutney. Please have one for me...LOL!!

 

I'm working on STT - still long to go to Trunk Bay! Take care!