Curacao - Car rental and turtles

[Duanerice1]

We were in Curacao last week and wanted to give an update since I checked here for ideas before we went. 

 

We rented a car for the day and it was fantastic.  Rented from Advanced Car Rental www.advancecarrentalcuracao.com.  Celestino was fantastic.  Probably the best car rental I've had anywhere and we've traveled a lot.  When we met him at the port the car was clean, filled up, had a map with places highlighted and a GPS that had the coordinates for the places marked on the map.  Couldn't have asked for anything better.  Compared with Royal on Aruba where they were late, gave me a car with less than 1/8 tank of gas and no maps or GPS, for the same price....  Oh and he gave me a cell phone to call him when I wanted to bring it back.  How cool is that?  

 

We had fun traveling around the island although we only went to the Northern half.  It started pouring later in the day so we brought the car back.  

 

Turtles - my gosh they were amazing.  We went up to Playa Grandi for a swim with the turtles.  Get there early as when we were leaving around 10:00 it was filling up.  When we first got in there were some cool fish but then it gets all sandy which is not good for snorkeling.  But out of the blue, literally, came 5 or 6 turtles.  They hang out because local fishermen clean their fish and throw the guts in the water I guess.  They were fantastic.  A couple were huge!  Even the small ones were big.  Pretty much my wife and I alone for quite a while until a woman comes in and starts chasing them all over so she can get pictures.  Just float and they come to you.  As we were leaving a small tour bus ans about 5 cars were coming in.

 

We headed down to another couple of beaches to snorkel and it was like being in an aquarium.  Wow is all I can say.  We also headed by the Flamigos and they were there just strutting around.  But, it was pouring by this time so we didn't get out.  Besides, we see them at home.

 

 

We brought the car back early then went back to the ship for a bite to eat then back off to go shopping.  Unfortunately we were there on a holiday so ALL the stores were closed. Bummer

 

Overall we had a great day even with the rain and the stores closed.  

 

 

 

[dibbitz]

Can you tell us what beaches had the best snorkeling/ The one you said was like an aquarium?  

Thanks much, 

[Duanerice1]

On 10/28/2018 at 1:18 PM, dibbitz said:

Can you tell us what beaches had the best snorkeling/ The one you said was like an aquarium?  

Thanks much, 

Every beach we hit was fabulous but some were more swimming than snorkeling.  One that stands out for snorkeling is Playa Lagun as it is a little cove and great snorkeling in a small protected area.  Just fantastic!   It's small and not crowded at all.  It's close to some condos that have a bar and restaurant too.  But we just started in the North at Playa Grandi for the turtles before the crowds got there then worked our way down stopping at beaches along the way (West shore). 

 

Best shore snorkeling I've ever seen and we've been to a lot of great places. 

[dibbitz]

Thanks so much. I will put it on our list.....does anyone know if there is someplace we can rent snorkeling gear?  That would save us from trying to pack it.....

[CM1984]

On ‎10‎/‎31‎/‎2018 at 9:06 AM, dibbitz said:

Thanks so much. I will put it on our list.....does anyone know if there is someplace we can rent snorkeling gear?  That would save us from trying to pack it.....

 

Good question, I asked a month or so ago, everyone told me to purchase them, considering cleanliness, etc.  But we would use it maybe two times during the rest of our lives.  So would rather rent, glad you asked.

[dibbitz]

I think I will try to find an germ killing spray  and wipes... I am retired from a health care field, so I am a bit freaky about germs, but not so much so that I want to lug snorkeling equipment from home...LOL

Thank you so much for the response...

[cpayne]

We just returned from Curacao.  Many of the small beaches have dive shops located directly at the beach.  I THINK Playa Marie (pig beach) and Playa Lagun did.  Not 100% positive.  I know there were others that did, but can't recall.  Try this link for determining which dive shops are located directly on which beaches.  They would all be able to rent you snorkeling equipment. 

 

https://www.curacao.com/en/directory/do/dive/dive-operators/

[Fritz]

On 10/19/2018 at 6:57 PM, Duanerice1 said:

We were in Curacao last week and wanted to give an update since I checked here for ideas before we went. 

 

We rented a car for the day and it was fantastic.  Rented from Advanced Car Rental www.advancecarrentalcuracao.com.  Celestino was fantastic.  Probably the best car rental I've had anywhere and we've traveled a lot.  When we met him at the port the car was clean, filled up, had a map with places highlighted and a GPS that had the coordinates for the places marked on the map.  Couldn't have asked for anything better.  Compared with Royal on Aruba where they were late, gave me a car with less than 1/8 tank of gas and no maps or GPS, for the same price....  Oh and he gave me a cell phone to call him when I wanted to bring it back.  How cool is that?  

 

We had fun traveling around the island although we only went to the Northern half.  It started pouring later in the day so we brought the car back.  

 

Turtles - my gosh they were amazing.  We went up to Playa Grandi for a swim with the turtles.  Get there early as when we were leaving around 10:00 it was filling up.  When we first got in there were some cool fish but then it gets all sandy which is not good for snorkeling.  But out of the blue, literally, came 5 or 6 turtles.  They hang out because local fishermen clean their fish and throw the guts in the water I guess.  They were fantastic.  A couple were huge!  Even the small ones were big.  Pretty much my wife and I alone for quite a while until a woman comes in and starts chasing them all over so she can get pictures.  Just float and they come to you.  As we were leaving a small tour bus ans about 5 cars were coming in.

 

We headed down to another couple of beaches to snorkel and it was like being in an aquarium.  Wow is all I can say.  We also headed by the Flamigos and they were there just strutting around.  But, it was pouring by this time so we didn't get out.  Besides, we see them at home.

 

 

We brought the car back early then went back to the ship for a bite to eat then back off to go shopping.  Unfortunately we were there on a holiday so ALL the stores were closed. Bummer

 

Overall we had a great day even with the rain and the stores closed.  

 

 

 

We are renting a car from Celestino in March. How was it it driving in Curacao? Did you have to fill the car back up before returning it and if so how much was it and do the accept US currency? Thanks for your help.

[cookingmom]

We are also renting a car in March. I'm also curious if there is parking near the port so that we could stop back at the ship during the day.

[CM1984]

We rented in November and had a blast!  Cannot say enough good about Advance Car Rental and Celestino (and he's cute, too!)  But seriously, emails were very helpful, he was right at the dock when we left the gate.  Very smooth and easy transaction.  Yes, GPS loaded with sites to see, cell phone provided, and driving was a breeze.  We stopped at many of the suggested beaches, and it was a true island experience - no hype, no commercialism.  There IS parking right at the port, there is a hotel next door with free Wifi.  We stuck to meandering and did NOT go shopping.  And here is a little video of the flamingos we stopped and saw, just beautiful!

[Fritz]

19 minutes ago, CM1984 said:

We rented in November and had a blast!  Cannot say enough good about Advance Car Rental and Celestino (and he's cute, too!)  But seriously, emails were very helpful, he was right at the dock when we left the gate.  Very smooth and easy transaction.  Yes, GPS loaded with sites to see, cell phone provided, and driving was a breeze.  We stopped at many of the suggested beaches, and it was a true island experience - no hype, no commercialism.  There IS parking right at the port, there is a hotel next door with free Wifi.  We stuck to meandering and did NOT go shopping.  And here is a little video of the flamingos we stopped and saw, just beautiful!

Did you need to refill the gas? If so where and what did it cost?

[CM1984]

8 minutes ago, Fritz said:

Did you need to refill the gas? If so where and what did it cost

 

 

Celestino recommended a gas station, not too far from the dock, we found it after some twists and turns, cost was around $15.00 total, our friends paid so we weren't sure of cost, possibly $4.00 per gal.

[Duanerice1]

5 hours ago, CM1984 said:

 

 

Celestino recommended a gas station, not too far from the dock, we found it after some twists and turns, cost was around $15.00 total, our friends paid so we weren't sure of cost, possibly $4.00 per gal.

It's a little strange filling up at least when we did.  It's the gas station he recommended just down the street.   You pull up to a booth and you can't see in.  You tell them how much you want to pump and they put up a number in the window for which pump to go to.  Never saw anyone.  We didn't ay by credit cars, thinking they only took cash so we guessed at the amount.  

 

It's a great island to drive around.  make sure you go North and do the turtles first as it can get crowded. 

[KayKayKay]

Does this make sense to do if we are in port from 1:30 - 10:30?  I’ll be traveling with my 76 year old mother and my 10 year old twins.

[Mud_Shark]

Thanks for the great info.  We have made a reservation with Celistino for November.  This sounds really good.  We plan to try the western beaches for some snorkeling and then head to Hato caves.  We always bring our snorkel gear with us on cruises.  We rarely rent cars on cruise port days, but this was just too good an opportunity.  He says he will meet us right at the gate just outside the port.  What company does that?  Looking forward to this day.  

[CM1984]

2 hours ago, Mud_Shark said:

We have made a reservation with Celistino for November

 

You will be so happy with Advance!  Have a great trip!

[BoozinCroozin]

I can only speak for myself on snorkeling gear. I am so glad I purchased my own through a local dive shop. I bought and returned 4 sets from Amazon. First, all of the fins killed my feet. They felt great on for a few minutes but after 10 minutes, they started hurt the arch or nerves in my feet. It would take 30-45 minutes to stand up again. After the failed attempts, went to the dive shop. Yes, they were about 50% more, but much better quality. Got to test out the fins and mask there. Everything was great. First time really using the fins, same problem with my feet. Go back, they say I should go with a boot fin. What a massive difference. No pain at all and so much better. Best part is mask, snorkel, fins, and boots were only $125. Yes, it is ~$75 more than an Amazon bundle, it will also last 30 years. The only downside is bulk. Our snorkel gear requires a second suitcase.

[Duanerice1]

On 3/11/2023 at 7:09 AM, BoozinCroozin said:

I can only speak for myself on snorkeling gear. I am so glad I purchased my own through a local dive shop. I bought and returned 4 sets from Amazon. First, all of the fins killed my feet. They felt great on for a few minutes but after 10 minutes, they started hurt the arch or nerves in my feet. It would take 30-45 minutes to stand up again. After the failed attempts, went to the dive shop. Yes, they were about 50% more, but much better quality. Got to test out the fins and mask there. Everything was great. First time really using the fins, same problem with my feet. Go back, they say I should go with a boot fin. What a massive difference. No pain at all and so much better. Best part is mask, snorkel, fins, and boots were only $125. Yes, it is ~$75 more than an Amazon bundle, it will also last 30 years. The only downside is bulk. Our snorkel gear requires a second suitcase.

Ha ha, agree.  Many times we don't even take our fins.  Not usually needed so much less space.

[jean87510]

Speaking of fins, a great side option to purchase are snorkeling socks.  I started wearing them in 2019 and I never have issues with feet.  Plus they are great for those inevitable walks over rocks.