Hilton Curacao {CUW} (no longer Honors)
Jan 22, 2009, 2:29 pm
#61
Join Date: Oct 2008
Programs: AA-Gold, UA-Gold, HH-Diamond, MR-Plat, SPG-Plat
Posts: 42
Impressed by fellow FT'ers willing to inform others, even though simple form of search not done.
Stayed in this hotel twice, 8 days when Sheraton, 7 days after Hilton conversion. IMHO its a good hotel, the small beach is never crowded, most pax prefer pool. Upgraded both times to exceutive floor. Service is very good by Carribean terms. Not 5*, but prices also not.
One 6 night stay in neighbour Marriott - only senior guests (no other guest visible after 10 pm), restaurant slightly better, rooms duller but brighter. Conversation mainly about disease, pension funds, deceased relatives and greatgrandchildren.
Stayed in this hotel twice, 8 days when Sheraton, 7 days after Hilton conversion. IMHO its a good hotel, the small beach is never crowded, most pax prefer pool. Upgraded both times to exceutive floor. Service is very good by Carribean terms. Not 5*, but prices also not.
One 6 night stay in neighbour Marriott - only senior guests (no other guest visible after 10 pm), restaurant slightly better, rooms duller but brighter. Conversation mainly about disease, pension funds, deceased relatives and greatgrandchildren.
Mar 21, 2009, 8:18 pm
#63
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: Delta Platinum and Million Miler, Starwood Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 59
Hilton Curacao great for kids
We just got back from a week at the Hilton. We had a GREAT time. Hotel is nice -- though not particularly new. Rooms are a bit smallish (we had two double beds, which also took up sapce), but overall facility is nice. Two nice pools (one a large 2' kids pool, the other a larger infinity pool), and two beaches.
On-site dive operation was attentive and helpful -- though shore diving from the hotel was poor (by Curacao standards) as the hotel got a direct hurricane hit a few months back which really tore up the reef there. If yo're a diver, check out The Dive Bus, a local dive operator that will pick you up and drop you off at the hotel. We dove with them for a day and they were great -- they get consistently rave reviews.
As a Diamond they upgraded us to 5th Exec floor -- which has simple lounge that does breakfast in the AM, and cocktail hour in the PM.
Hotel is very kid friendly. Kids 5 and younger eat free -- I believe kids 6-12 eat for half price. Property has a "kids club" day care type facility from 8-12 and 1-5 each day, which allowed us to go scuba diving, and the hotel can help arrange sitters for other times.
Marriott is right next door. Not so kid oriented, and restaurant prices much more expensive -- but the property/pool looked very nice.
If you go, eat at Hook's -- restaurant you can see from the pier at the Hilton. It's a very neat beach front restaurant with good food -- and when I say beach front, I mean it. They set up table on the sand -- we ate ~4 feet from the lapping evening waves. Very nice.
Cheers!
Matt
On-site dive operation was attentive and helpful -- though shore diving from the hotel was poor (by Curacao standards) as the hotel got a direct hurricane hit a few months back which really tore up the reef there. If yo're a diver, check out The Dive Bus, a local dive operator that will pick you up and drop you off at the hotel. We dove with them for a day and they were great -- they get consistently rave reviews.
As a Diamond they upgraded us to 5th Exec floor -- which has simple lounge that does breakfast in the AM, and cocktail hour in the PM.
Hotel is very kid friendly. Kids 5 and younger eat free -- I believe kids 6-12 eat for half price. Property has a "kids club" day care type facility from 8-12 and 1-5 each day, which allowed us to go scuba diving, and the hotel can help arrange sitters for other times.
Marriott is right next door. Not so kid oriented, and restaurant prices much more expensive -- but the property/pool looked very nice.
If you go, eat at Hook's -- restaurant you can see from the pier at the Hilton. It's a very neat beach front restaurant with good food -- and when I say beach front, I mean it. They set up table on the sand -- we ate ~4 feet from the lapping evening waves. Very nice.
Cheers!
Matt
Mar 21, 2009, 8:22 pm
#64
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: Delta Platinum and Million Miler, Starwood Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 59
Jun 10, 2009, 2:10 pm
#65
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: berkeley, Ca, USA
Programs: Hyatt globalist, Alaska mvp gold, Marriott platinum, ihg diamond
Posts: 438
Spent 1 night at the Hilton Curacao on Sat., and was pleasantly surprised. We were bumped off a AA flight to MIA and were first told we were going to the Marriott where we stayed last year on a bump. Marriott ran out of rooms so were given the Hilton. At first I was disappointed and really got concerned as we drove up because the place looks very funky and 60s from the outside. But we actually enjoyed it more than our Marriott experience, it was smaller and the beach & pools were great for swimming. The beds were great and yes, the rooms need some updating but they were clean and spacious. As a gold, I was upgraded to a sweeping oceanview room on the 4th floor and given access to the executive lounge for free cocktails at night and a nice breakfast in the morning. All the rooms have balconies and the oceanview was truly breathtaking. The restaurants were not very good and would probably go into Willemsted if we end up there again. AA only gave us $10 for dinner so it's not really worth using at the hotel restaurants. The place was pretty quiet, very low occupancy.
Jun 12, 2009, 10:26 pm
#67
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 151
Family of 4 spent 4 nights here in April on an award stay and loved it. As lowly silver VIP, we were astonished to find a letter in our room on arrival providing access to the executive lounge during our stay - sure saved us a bundle on breakfasts. We had a rental car, so all of our other meals were eaten off-site at relatively inexpensive restaurants. All of their rooms have either ocean or bay views.
Feb 19, 2010, 9:13 pm
#68
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 783
I wanted to bump the thread as no one posted in many months. I am thinking of going there with my wife next January, 2011. I am Diamond, so it's good to hear about the exec lounge. It seems to have some bad reviews in early threads, and some good ones more recently (since 2007). We are intersted in SCUBA and snorkling, and just laying out on the beach. I understand that it is not top Hilton property, but it sounds like majority of the people enjoyed it. Any recent opininos? Any opinons about Curacao in January?
Thank you!
PedroNY
Thank you!
PedroNY
Feb 20, 2010, 6:18 pm
#69
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: Delta Platinum and Million Miler, Starwood Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 59
Hilton Curacao is a winner
Diving was phenominal -- though right out back of the hotel was poor as it took a direct hit from hurricane a couple of years back. I suggest checking out the Dive Bus as dive operator. Small husband-wife outfit that will drive you to best shore diving sites, and really know what they're doing
Also, Captain Hooks -- restaurant just down the beach from Hilton (though you can't get there walking along the beach due to a wall) -- is a don't miss. Casual with tables right on the sand feet away from the lapping waves. Lots of character -- lots of fun.
We'll go back one day for sure.
Mar 2, 2010, 9:42 am
#70
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 67
I wanted to bump the thread as no one posted in many months. I am thinking of going there with my wife next January, 2011. I am Diamond, so it's good to hear about the exec lounge. It seems to have some bad reviews in early threads, and some good ones more recently (since 2007). We are intersted in SCUBA and snorkling, and just laying out on the beach. I understand that it is not top Hilton property, but it sounds like majority of the people enjoyed it. Any recent opininos? Any opinons about Curacao in January?
Thank you!
PedroNY
Thank you!
PedroNY
Does anyone remember if the odd number or even number rooms on the 5th floor face the ocean?
I may look at checking in online this Friday, just to see if an upgrade is available and if so, try to determine if it's ocean or island view.
David
Mar 16, 2010, 9:00 am
#71
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 67
We just returned from a week at the hotel and will pass along what we thought of it.
We did get upgraded to the 5th floor which is the executive level with executive lounge. First the room: It had been remodeled in the past 1-2 years and was plenty big enough. We had a king size bed with an ocean view and all the rooms have a balcony. The hotel has concrete interior walls which was a plus as it makes the rooms quiet. We were at the end of the hallway with a corner room so that was probably the quietest room on the floor as it was away from the elevators. Everything had pretty much been replaced in the room & painted so I think reviews from a couple of years ago may not do it justice. The bathroom had the usual amenities with hair dryer, shampoo, soap, etc. It was hit or miss each day as to if you would get wash clothes or not when they cleaned the room. Sometimes we would get clean towels twice a day, depending on when they cleaned the room. Turn down service at night with chocolate on the pillow and filled up the ice bucket.
The executive lounge was probably the smallest we have seen and reminded me more of what Hilton has in the USA. It was basically the center wall removed from two rooms and built using this floor space. There was a loveseat & four chairs to sit around the TV. There was 4-5 small tables inside with chairs to eat and 4 tables out on the balcony with two chairs each. So you could seat about 25-30 people inside & out. There are 40 rooms on the floor, so potential of 80+ people, along with those on the other floors who were Diamond members that did not get upgraded, but had lounge access. Continental breakfast was from 7:00am – 10:00am. It was juices, coffee/espresso machine, fruit, some breads & sliced meats with cheese. Also a couple different types of cereals. It was never crowded for breakfast as it appeared most people went down stairs to the Aqua Restaurant and had buffet. The cost was around $18 or you could upgrade for $6.50 if you were eligible to have breakfast in the lounge and wanted to eat down there. We did once and it was a good American buffet with bacon, eggs, potatoes, breads, drinks, etc.
They had evening cocktails & snacks in the lounge from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. The consistent problem I seen was they would put out a few snacks and once they were gone, they may or may not order more. So some nights, by 7:00pm, there was nothing left if you did not beat the 6:01pm crowd. They usually had one hot snack like meatballs, cheese sticks or a local food along with cheese & crackers. There was usually some cold veggies & sliced up sandwich wraps too. They did put out beer, wine and liquor for you to make your own drinks, so that was a plus. The lounge also has free wireless internet for you to take your own laptop in there but it does not seem to work much outside the lounge on purpose as it was just for those allowed inside. They also had two PC’s that could be used with a printer. During the day the lounge is open but nothing really in there. I think the coffee machine may have worked and left out a pitcher of juice or two.
--Continue in another post---
We did get upgraded to the 5th floor which is the executive level with executive lounge. First the room: It had been remodeled in the past 1-2 years and was plenty big enough. We had a king size bed with an ocean view and all the rooms have a balcony. The hotel has concrete interior walls which was a plus as it makes the rooms quiet. We were at the end of the hallway with a corner room so that was probably the quietest room on the floor as it was away from the elevators. Everything had pretty much been replaced in the room & painted so I think reviews from a couple of years ago may not do it justice. The bathroom had the usual amenities with hair dryer, shampoo, soap, etc. It was hit or miss each day as to if you would get wash clothes or not when they cleaned the room. Sometimes we would get clean towels twice a day, depending on when they cleaned the room. Turn down service at night with chocolate on the pillow and filled up the ice bucket.
The executive lounge was probably the smallest we have seen and reminded me more of what Hilton has in the USA. It was basically the center wall removed from two rooms and built using this floor space. There was a loveseat & four chairs to sit around the TV. There was 4-5 small tables inside with chairs to eat and 4 tables out on the balcony with two chairs each. So you could seat about 25-30 people inside & out. There are 40 rooms on the floor, so potential of 80+ people, along with those on the other floors who were Diamond members that did not get upgraded, but had lounge access. Continental breakfast was from 7:00am – 10:00am. It was juices, coffee/espresso machine, fruit, some breads & sliced meats with cheese. Also a couple different types of cereals. It was never crowded for breakfast as it appeared most people went down stairs to the Aqua Restaurant and had buffet. The cost was around $18 or you could upgrade for $6.50 if you were eligible to have breakfast in the lounge and wanted to eat down there. We did once and it was a good American buffet with bacon, eggs, potatoes, breads, drinks, etc.
They had evening cocktails & snacks in the lounge from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. The consistent problem I seen was they would put out a few snacks and once they were gone, they may or may not order more. So some nights, by 7:00pm, there was nothing left if you did not beat the 6:01pm crowd. They usually had one hot snack like meatballs, cheese sticks or a local food along with cheese & crackers. There was usually some cold veggies & sliced up sandwich wraps too. They did put out beer, wine and liquor for you to make your own drinks, so that was a plus. The lounge also has free wireless internet for you to take your own laptop in there but it does not seem to work much outside the lounge on purpose as it was just for those allowed inside. They also had two PC’s that could be used with a printer. During the day the lounge is open but nothing really in there. I think the coffee machine may have worked and left out a pitcher of juice or two.
--Continue in another post---
Mar 16, 2010, 9:01 am
#72
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 67
The common areas of the hotel were nice and looks like a lot of remodeling had taken place. The beach area was clean and there was plenty of chairs to go around. The water was calm most days and some were snorkeling as you could see a few fish swimming around. Overall, the hotel was quiet down at the beach & beach bar area during the day. In the evenings, they may have happy hour at Captain Blights Bar and break out the big screen TV or some music for the everyone to enjoy. They also had a BBQ night, a local food night and steak night in which that was for supper outside, near the beach bar. The costs for that was around $32 a person depending on the event. The Cielo Restaurant is Italian and opens at 7:00pm and reservations are required. It’s outside on the patio and also has a tent are you can sit under.
There are only three restaurants close enough to the hotel that you could walk too. The Indonesian restaurant is a little bit of a walk as it’s up hill to get to it. We did not eat there but others said it was good. Across the road was Sjalotte restaurant. We also heard the food was good but never ate there. Down the beach is Hooks bar & grill. They did have good food and was cheaper than Hilton. Example a burger & fries at Hilton was $15 and hooks was $11. Both were good as we had both. Given the location of the hotel I think you would need to drive or take a taxi to go elsewhere to eat. Room service was the same as the Aqua Restaurant menu, but they only charge a $5 tray charge, no matter what you ordered so a little cheaper than the 18-20% a lot of hotel tack on for it.
We seen the workout room and it looked decent sized. The pool area was next to this and never seemed crowded as neither was the beach. There was Budget rental car location onsite along with a group who could book various tours.
Overall, I would give the hotel a 4/5 star rating.
There are some observations I will point out that we didn’t have a problem with, but hope Hilton continues to improve on the hotel. There were signs of cracks in the concrete walls & balcony that I think should be fixed. The balcony had about 4-5 different color tiles from fixes thru the years and it was obvious this was not suppose to be a pattern. The bathroom door scrape the drop down ceiling when you opened it. Other things like the bathtub faucet was loose and wobbled around and towel rack in shower was hanging down on one side. We fixed the door handle going onto the balcony as it was about to fall off and was concerned we might get stuck outside. The drop down ceiling tiles in the bathroom & hallway are much need of replacement as they are old & stained, even though the rest of the ceilings & walls were painted. It just a few things they may still be working on and attention to that kind of detail is what would make it appear much more up to date. We have traveled a lot in the Caribbean so not a problem to us, but we heard others in the lounge complaining about these same issues, so just take it for what you will
I am not sure if I can link to pictures from here but as they say, their worth a thousand words. If the link does not work, PM me and I will send it to you as they are on Google’s Picasa.
This all may be more details than you wanted to know
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredi...xgE&feat=email
David
There are only three restaurants close enough to the hotel that you could walk too. The Indonesian restaurant is a little bit of a walk as it’s up hill to get to it. We did not eat there but others said it was good. Across the road was Sjalotte restaurant. We also heard the food was good but never ate there. Down the beach is Hooks bar & grill. They did have good food and was cheaper than Hilton. Example a burger & fries at Hilton was $15 and hooks was $11. Both were good as we had both. Given the location of the hotel I think you would need to drive or take a taxi to go elsewhere to eat. Room service was the same as the Aqua Restaurant menu, but they only charge a $5 tray charge, no matter what you ordered so a little cheaper than the 18-20% a lot of hotel tack on for it.
We seen the workout room and it looked decent sized. The pool area was next to this and never seemed crowded as neither was the beach. There was Budget rental car location onsite along with a group who could book various tours.
Overall, I would give the hotel a 4/5 star rating.
There are some observations I will point out that we didn’t have a problem with, but hope Hilton continues to improve on the hotel. There were signs of cracks in the concrete walls & balcony that I think should be fixed. The balcony had about 4-5 different color tiles from fixes thru the years and it was obvious this was not suppose to be a pattern. The bathroom door scrape the drop down ceiling when you opened it. Other things like the bathtub faucet was loose and wobbled around and towel rack in shower was hanging down on one side. We fixed the door handle going onto the balcony as it was about to fall off and was concerned we might get stuck outside. The drop down ceiling tiles in the bathroom & hallway are much need of replacement as they are old & stained, even though the rest of the ceilings & walls were painted. It just a few things they may still be working on and attention to that kind of detail is what would make it appear much more up to date. We have traveled a lot in the Caribbean so not a problem to us, but we heard others in the lounge complaining about these same issues, so just take it for what you will
I am not sure if I can link to pictures from here but as they say, their worth a thousand words. If the link does not work, PM me and I will send it to you as they are on Google’s Picasa.
This all may be more details than you wanted to know
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredi...xgE&feat=email
David
Mar 16, 2010, 2:01 pm
#73
Join Date: Sep 2005
Programs: AA PLT, WN CP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 251
This all may be more details than you wanted to know
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredi...xgE&feat=email
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredi...xgE&feat=email
Jun 10, 2010, 7:12 pm
#75
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: AUS
Programs: AA Plat, DL FO 1.5 MM, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 111
We recently spent 5 nights at the Hilton Curacao and were very pleased with our stay. Eagle_and_Hawk has described the hotel quite well in the earlier post. When we were there a number of rooms on the Executive Floor were being renovated, much more than just painting I think. They worked on the room next to us for the entire time we were there.
There was a reception for HHonors members on Wednesday evening downstairs by the bar, although I am not sure whether this is regular event or not. The lounge is run by interns in the evening, a couple were very interesting. As a Diamond we were offered breakfast in the lounge or a continental breakfast in the restaurant, there was an added fee for a full breakfast.
The staff was excellent. I have never received a personal e-mail 10 days in advance of the stay inquiring about the purpose of our visit and going over the amenities. We were there to celebrate our anniversary and were welcomed as soon as we arrived, before we checked in, wishing us a happy anniversary.
There was a reception for HHonors members on Wednesday evening downstairs by the bar, although I am not sure whether this is regular event or not. The lounge is run by interns in the evening, a couple were very interesting. As a Diamond we were offered breakfast in the lounge or a continental breakfast in the restaurant, there was an added fee for a full breakfast.
The staff was excellent. I have never received a personal e-mail 10 days in advance of the stay inquiring about the purpose of our visit and going over the amenities. We were there to celebrate our anniversary and were welcomed as soon as we arrived, before we checked in, wishing us a happy anniversary.