The Caribbean - Heading to Curacao

Greetings.....I am looking for advice on where to stay, what to do, etc. in Curacao. Are there hotels with a shuttle from the airport? Also, do you clear U.S. customs in Curacao - as in Aruba?

Thanks much!

We're going to switch this to our Caribbean Forum.

Have fun on your trip! :)

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Cholula
CommunityBuzz! Co-Moderator

Greetings.....I am looking for advice on where to stay, what to do, etc. in Curacao. Are there hotels with a shuttle from the airport? Also, do you clear U.S. customs in Curacao - as in Aruba?

Thanks much!There is no US preclearance at CUR. I always take a taxi from the aiport to the Hilton. I think it's around $20 each way. The Marriott is right next door. These two hotels are approx mid-way from the airport to the city.
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13F

Just returned from there. What you want to do depends on what you want to do...

We stayed in a private villa, so cannot help too much with accommodation. I would say, the Hilton looks ghastly from the outside, as did the Crowne Plaza, so we are very glad we avoided the chains on this occasion. Most of the chains are in Willemstadt, which may not be where you want to be depending on what you want to do - for example, some of the better snorkelling beaches are quite a way west of Willemstadt. Best hotels on the island are Kura Hulanda and the Kura Hulanda Lodge.

Things to do - it's a major diving and snorkelling island, so a lot of our time was spent on beaches. Willemstadt is very pretty and worth a wander round. There a a number of old estate houses (Landhuises) to visit, and various museums, if history is your thing, plus a number of really quite touristy things...

Good place for a nice relaxing holiday. Not much to "do" in the sense of activities, events or typical tourist destinations. Mostly scuba and shops in town for the cruise ship tourists. I like it for its slow, relaxed pace.