There certainly was nothing wrong with the Marriott accommodations - I'd characterize them as typical 4*. We had a 2nd floor ocean-facing room with a balcony - this was an upgrade from our booking (due to Gold status). The room was very large, with a comfortable bed. I think there was a tile floor - not unusual in the tropics. The bathroom was medium-sized. The room wasn't sumptuous or super up-to-date in its furnishings, but it was just fine. My recollection is that the rooms do not look like the guest room samples on the Marriott webpage - i.e., no carpet, I don't remember blue walls. The room didn't have the style of a Ren or of an upscale hotel like the Marriott in Cairo, but as I said, it was perfectly fine.

I didn't get a good sense of whether the dive op would be a good place to do your PADI Open Water. While I certainly thought the divemasters and land-based crew were good for a resort operation, I just didn't see anything that would indicate that they are good, or not, as instructors. However, I think Curacao would be a good place to learn to dive, whether you do it at the Marriott or somewhere else on the island.