We stayed at the Kura Hulanda Lodge in Westpunt from April 5 through the 12th. We had a Gardenview Junior Suite. We rented a Toyota Yaris through Avis for less than it would have cost us in Orlando. The drive to the hotel was about 40 minutes and very easy. We stopped at the California Supermarket just past the Landhuis Daniel and bought essentials like coffee and sugar and bread and eggs.

The staff at Kura Hulanda Lodge was wonderful, and made every effort to ensure our stay was everything we hoped it would be. The pool, bar, and grounds are wonderful, well maintained, and everything we hoped for. Our suite was on the second story, looking out at the tops of the trees. Every day we had parrots, orioles, and bananaquits visit us, along with the constant parades of blue-footed anole lizards on the grounds. We had a king-sized bed and nice bathroom, all airconditioned. Our living area and kitchenette were all open air, furnished with comfortable rattan furniture. The kitchenette had a small refrigerator, 4 burner electric stovetop, drip coffeee maker with filter, 2 slice toaster, and microwave. Cups, saucers, plates, and glassess, including wine glasses were furnished. Since we wnat to cook while we were there, we called the front desk and were brought pots, pans, and utensils. You can wash the dirty dishes and pots yourself, or pay $10 a day for the maid to do them.

The bar at the lodge is great, as is the pool. The resturants share the same menu, but eating at the Christofel resturant while the sun goes down over the sea is beautiful. We loved the wild mushroom lasagana.

We snorkeled at the beach in front of the hotel and at various beaches along the coast from Westpunt south to Daaibooibaai. The best, in our opinion, was along the cliffs on the south (left side) of Lagun, where we snorkeled with turtles, squid, all kinds of Caribbean reef fish, huge schools of ballyhoo, baitfish of all kinds, big snappers and barracuda. One day alone we saw 3 spotted moray eels and one green moray. Just about all of the beaches had nice snorkeling along the cliffs on either side. Most of the beaches are free during the week. Some charge a few guilders to rent a beach bed for the day. The best were Lagun, Knip, Kenapai, and Jeremi, all within 20 minutes of Westpunt.

We also visited Shete Boca Park near Westpunt and enjoyed the caves, natural bridge, and Boca Pistol, where the waves smash themselves into a small hole and shoot thirty feet or more into the air. Visit the park in the early morning or late afternoon if you can when it is cooler.

The people of Curacao are kind, intelligent, and happy. We were never once approached and asked for money or to buy drugs, unlike other Caribbean islands. we have visited. The parts of the city we were in were clean and safe. While there may be parts of Curacao that are the opposite, we didn't see them. Call us innocent, but we drove all over the island and didn't have a single problem. The only thing one needs to watch out for while driving is the traffic circles and the goats wandering around on the roads. We did not drive after dark.

The weird thing about Curacao is the beer sizes. Most beers are sold in either 8.5 or 9.3 ounce containers. When you buy a case of Amstel beer, you get 24 little cans of beer, for 36 guilders (1.77 guilders to the dollar). They go fast, so buy more than you normally would in the states or the Netherlands. At the bigger stores you can buy Corona or Grolsch in 12 ounce bottles, but thats about it. They also sell Polar beer from Venezuela, but its not a great beer. I'd stick with the Amstel Bright or Heineken.

We will go back, and will stay again at Kura Hulanda Lodge. I can't think of a better place to stay for those who peace, quiet, and natural surroudings.

My husband and I stayed at the Lodge Feb. 19- 25th. We were looking for a laid-back, relaxing vacation with some good snorkeling. The Lodge Kura Hulanda exceeded our expectations. The snorkeling was excellent, especially if you venture out to the drop off. The reef is healthy, and the different types of coral are beautiful. The marine life is abundant. It was wonderful to just snorkel whenever we wanted to, rather than to take scheduled trips to a reef. The beach was small, mostly coral.....so all of the suggestions about water shoes are relevant.
We did not use them, and awkwardly (and sometimes painfully) entered the water to put on our fins. We also learned to place our towels on beach chairs before eating breakfast....prime spots filled up quickly!
We stayed in an Ocean front studio room, which was very clean and well-appointed. Views from the room were stunning....the sea, the gardens, the birds, and the wildlife (lizards and iguanas).The room had a great kitchen, contained in a cabinet. Since we were on the all-inclusive plan, we didn't use the kitchen much, but it was nice for making coffee/tea in the morning, or keeping beer cold! We had a beautiful patio and terrace beyond, with lounge chairs, tables, chairs, etc. At one point we were a little concerned when a family with 2 young children moved in next door, but the noise level was never a problem.
The food was for the most part good, and some meals were excellent. The bar service varied. On a few occasions, bartenders seemed swamped with responsibilities of preparing drinks and serving food. We learned quickly to order our drink/wine before being seated for dinner, since it might take more than several minutes to be served after being seated.
We took two trips from the lodge, both with Jerry. One morning we went on a fishing trip. Although we didn't catch anything, we had a great time and learned a lot about Curacao from Jerry. The next day, we booked a snorkeling trip with Jerry. It was lots of fun, though the snorkeling in front of the lodge was far superior.
We had been to Curacao on two other trips, so we only took a few hikes around the area on this vacation. The island is well worth seeing if you haven't been before.
We hope to return to Lodge Kura Hulanda with our whole family sometime in the future!

Having been to several Caribbean islands, this time we decided to go to one of "our own" Dutch islands. From a few hotels in the upper comfort range, we selected the one likely most quiet.
We weren't disappointed. The hotel is very nice, in a well kept garden, with friendly helpful staff. Obviously you have to prepare for an "easygoing" pace of service, but it adds to the feeling of getting away from it all. Upon arrival we were upgraded from a groundfloor seaview studio to a firstfloor seaview suite. After all this was not a good move: the groundfloor suites have a shaded outside sitting area and a large garden section with a sunscreen. The upstairs suites have a rather small balcony, without only limited sun protection. So groundfloor studio is a better choice. We also had a brief look at the garden rooms too: the groundfloor ones only have very small (2x2 meters) wooden sundeck, the upperfloor ones have a large shaded balcony with comfortable seats. Look much nicer!
Our room was well laid out, bathroom was clean. Only problem in our room was the noisy airco unit in the bedroom. Room cleaning was fine, though sometimes not before 3PM.
The resort's beach is small, be early to capture a sunbed and a place with some shade. Snorkelling is great. There is however no other watersport equipment, no windsurfing or sailing. Beach bar is fine for snacks, light lunches and drinks. Pool area provides sufficient beds with shade. Fitness center is adequate but not great, limited equipment choice.
There are two real points for improvement. The dinner food quality in the restaurant was really below standard for a resort of this price category. Also staff didn't have a good feel for the fact that guests also come to enjoy a Caribbean atmoshere: the bar area usually suffered from loud hard rock and rap music, making most conversation impossible.
The resort is located on the most western point of the island: make sure you rent a car for at least a number of days. Drive to Willemstad is about 45 minutes. Good restaurants on Curacao are The Boathouse (east of Willemstad at Brakkeput), Landhuis Daniel (on the way to Willemstad from the resort), Jaanchi's (around the corner from the hotel) is something you must have visited though food is average.
We had a very nice, relaxing week.

We loved our four night stay at Kura Hulanda. It was immaculately clean. The grounds were beautifully kept and very thoughtfully laid out. It is evident that a lot of planning went into the lodge in terms of design. We had a beautiful ocean front room with a magnificent patio, it had a great kitchen area which is closed behind doors so doesnt detract from the room. The beds werent terribly comfortable which was my only complaint about the room. I loved the small touches - flowers in the room and chocolates at night with a little note. The rooms do not have milk or coffee. We brought our own instant coffee, but did not have milk. I called the reception and in five minutes someone from the restaurant arrived with those little containers of creamer. The bathroom was beautiful,spotlessly clean and I actually was able to take a bath in the tub, something I very rarely do in a hotel as I never feel they are clean enough. I thought all the staff were great and the front desk kept checking on our flight to see if it was on time. The restaurant was very slow one night and of the three nights we ate there only one entree was disappointing the rest were good. The pool was beautiful - lots of shade and privacy - No aerobics in the pool or loud music- a couple of kids running around, but nothing terrible. The swimming on the beach was magnifient - warm water excellent snorkeling. We used the dive shop for dives and the service was beyond five star. We dived each time with only two other people and the dive masters were completely attentive and put me, being a nervous diver completely at ease. The beach is small and rocky which is a little disappointing, but I guess you cant have everything and the snorkeling more than made up for it. We did visit another beach - Playa Knip which is the one you see in the guide books. While it is beautiful and the swimming and snorkeling are great the beach is a little dirty - which is what I found on the public beaches in Aruba also. I saw one person just throw a pringles can and other garbage onto the sand as he was leaving completely unselfconscioulsy. There were also two little pigs snuffling around on the beach which was rather cute actually. In summary the Kura Hulanda is a fabulously hotel, that was well priced for what you get- I am planning a trip back to aruba and bonaire and there are no equivalent resorts for that price. All in all a five star resort for a three star price.