So it’s been a few years since we have ventured away from our beloved Royal Plantation in Jamaica. We decided that we wanted to use our free week from the Sandals loyalty program to try one of the newer resorts. We looked at St. Vincent and Curacao. Curacao won the pick.
We drove from our home in Virginia leaving at an obnoxious 3 A.M. and drove to Charlotte where we would get a direct flight. The problem – Amy woke up with a nasty cold. No fever so we decided to medicate and soldier on. When we arrived we got to the property, had an early dinner and both of us collapsed exhausted from the lack of sleep and long travel day.
One thing we discovered is that Curacao is a desert island. There were cactus and mesas almost like being in the western states. We set out to get breakfast and explore the resort.
We found places by the beach and pool to hang out. We were able to find spots despite it being much more crowded than we are used to. Some neat features are the infinity pool within an infinity pool, this weird motorcycle truck thing I desperately wanted, and the awesome latches and locks on the heavy wood doors to our patio.
Per the usual, we ate and drank, enjoyed beautiful sunsets, went diving and tried to relax and unwind. Amy had a few days were she felt better and then her cold would flare up again. The campus is big and there are bikes to ride across the property. I forgot my GoPro and the ocean was rough this time so I didn’t get many photos or videos of the diving. I will say I had my first close encounter with a moray eel and on another dive found myself surrounded by about 4 baracuda. Pretty but a bit unnerving.
We opted for the tour in town. We tried to get a E-bike tour but there were not enough to go so we did the walking tour instead. The town was beautiful but our tour was short and we didn’t get to do any shopping and only saw a few things downtown. We did get to witness the famous floating bridge open and close.
So what did I think of the resort and island? The resort was nice and larger similar to Sandals Antigua or South Coast. Our first dinner and breakfast we didn’t have the best of service and were concerned that it would be a frustrating week. The staff were friendly but slow to open up and engage with you. If this wasn’t our free week I think I would have been disappointed a little because of the cost. I would recommend a butler if you go here to elevate the experience. With that said the dive group was nice and its always nice to meet folks diving and at the returning guests dinner. The dinner here was a buffet. The food was good but I think it wasn’t as great as the other resorts we have been to.
With all that said I would like to say that Rug, the bartender in the lobby, was the best bartender I’ve seen at any resort. Went the extra mile making drinks, skipped no steps and did it with flare and a smile. Corwin and Jordy at the dive group were fantastic dive leaders. Friendly, funny and most importantly – safe. Oshane was our cabana butler we had for our last day and is from Jamaica. His anticipated our needs keeping us spoiled all day. The manager at the food trucks – sorry I can’t remember your name – but you were friendly and so very kind in helping Amy find foods that were gluten free.
Would we come back? Yes but we do miss our friends at Royal Plantation and there are some others we want to visit now too.
Seek adventure and get busy living.
-Ben