A short hop from Bonaire, Curaçao's colorful, historic, cosmopolitan Dutch city of Willemstad offers something for the non-diver, making it popular with diver/non-diver couples and as an extension to a Bonaire sojourn.... There's good diving, international shopping for high-rollers, night life, hiking (bring boots), an orchid-filled forest, beautiful rural villages and country homes, windsurfing, half-naked Europeans, and horseback riding. Excellent Indonesian restaurants offer all-you-can-eat rijstafels (rice tables). Tours of the Amstel Brewery are also available.... Marine Park, southeast of the public aquarium ("Seaquarium"), offers rough boat rides in exchange for the best wall dives on the island. There's outstanding beach diving from protected coves on the northwestern side of the island, which is usually calmest and has easy access by car. The windward side is almost always too rough to dive, but the diving's good if the wind shifts from its prevailing pattern. Favorite boat dives include the towboat (tugboat) featured in posters, the wall at Piedra Pretu, and the wreck of the Superior Producer.Favorite shore dives include Blauwbaii, Vaersenbaii, Playa Lagun, and Playa Kalki.... Expect water temperatures in the low 80s most of the time....

All West Apartments and Diving, September 1997. Ed and Marlene Sailer. Great deal for low budget diving. New studio apartments at $55 per night or three room apartments for $85 per night. Full kitchens, King size beds, quiet air conditioning, limited maid service. On extreme northwest end of Curacao (West Punt) at the water edge with your private porch overlooking the ocean. No phone or TV. . . . All West Diving on the premises; fully stocked with new rental equipment; efficiently run. Since Hans van den Eeden has a 10-passenger whaler, fast and a little tight if crowded. Puts you in the water with a guide and pick you up at the end like a drift dive except most of the time there is no current. Sympathetic to shore diving and gave us good advice and directions for each spectacular dive. Only small criticism: reluctance to change the rinse tank more often. Did one dive with him on Mushroom Forest (spectacular) and many others as shore dives. Secure area for storing gear. Shore diving is unbelievably easy. Unlike Bonaire that often has rocky, slippery shore entries, Curacao has beautiful white sandy cove entries with a 3 to 4 min. swim, in placid seas, to the wall for diving. All dives distinctly different and all sites with profuse coral and sponges in tip top shape with almost no damage. The variety of fish life was typical of Bonaire type but more abundant. Many medium sized drum fish and a beautiful sea slug with its back covered with a bouquet of blue flowers. No crowds on this end of the island. In fact on several days we only saw one or two people on the same beach. . . . local food great. Jaanchie's a restaurant you can walk to was outstanding for service, price and freshly served fish and fowl. We cooked a few breakfasts and dinners in fully stocked kitchen. Vis: 60-80 ft. Water: 80-82 degrees.

All West/Kadushi Cliffs, July 1998, Mike Toris, So. Amboy, NJ. Fantastic trip! Weather fantastic! People friendly. Food a little spicy. Money exchange difficult at first. Dive operators the best, prices reasonable. Vis: 50-80 ft, water: 80 degrees. Walking in the water and dive from 15 ft to 90 ft.

Eden Roc/Holiday Beach Resort, May 1998, Dale G. Johnson, Helena, MT. Dive operation small but does adequate job. Helpful and good attitude. overpriced. Vis: 60-90 ft., water: 82 degrees. Resort is seedy, i.e., stained carpets and walls, air conditioner doesn't work well (room slightly cooler than outside temp). Quality of hotel about same as an old Motel 6. $90/night for room degrees. Main restaurant food at the resort was really poor except for a few lunches. (Holiday Beach, Ph: 800-223-9815, Fax: 011-599-9624397)

Habitat Curaçao, September 1997, Gene Levin and Donna Scott, Sunnyvale, CA. Diving: Excellent facilities featuring PRO-42 boat, new tanks, plenty of rental equipment. Two a.m. dives and two p.m. dives with shore diving any time. Coral and critters similar to Bonaire but less damaged (so far). Provisions for shore diving around the lee side of the island but these are not as extensively developed or as easily available as in Bonaire. Shore dive in front of the resort was great with plenty of things to see including sea horses and a resident frog fish,Samson. The resort is located about mid-way up the island and far from the main town of Willemstadt. Diving is much better here than near the resorts close to town such as the Lions Den and Curaçao Princess Beach. E-6 processing is available and there is a well-stocked dive and photo store. Dive staff very helpful, enthusiastic (still) and responsive to requests. Resort: Facilities are new and very comfortable with ocean views and well located with respect to the dive docks, the swimming pool and the restaurant. Breakfast buffet is included in the price of the room and is outstanding-the rest of the meals at the restaurant are reasonably priced and the proportions are generous. Rooms have a refrigerator and kitchenette but no nearby place to buy provisions. Car rental from the resort is overpriced; check other rental sources. You can stock up your kitchenette by taking the free shuttle towards town, asking to be let off at a supermarket and then catching the same shuttle back about 45 minutes later. (Ph: 800-327-6709 or 305-438-4220, Website: www.cuacao-tourism.com/habitat)

Habitat Curaçao, November 1997, Kathy Canzona, MO. Nice new resort. Rent a car: shuttle times not often enough. Diving great. Food good, service lousy. One night all the tables were reserved for big groups. We had groceries and a kitchenette so we fared okay, others weren't so lucky. Dive staff excellent. Conditions great. Vis: 50-100 ft. Water: 76-82 degrees. Depth restrictions enforced. We photograph so like to do our own thing. Not a problem there. Lots of great critters: seahorse, frogfish, etc. Resort is far from town, but we took shuttle a few times and rented car twice. Town is quaint, good shops and restaurants.

Habitat Curaçao, February 1998, Evelyn D. Russell, Greensboro, NC. Fifty-six Junior suites have a two burner stove (no microwave), refrigerator, utensils, balcony or patio, all facing the west, for beautiful sunsets, queen size beds, a large bathroom and plenty of closet and drawer space. All units are air-conditioned. Two bedroom cottages on the hill. Beautiful pool appears to cascade into the sea, a bar and a restaurant on the property. You can dive 24 hours a day in the front of the resort, with interesting critters and a healthy reef. Dive lockers conveniently located near the dock that you can secure with your own lock. Tanks both 80's and 50's. Dive package; two morning boat dives, unlimited shore diving, buffet breakfast. Rent four wheeled drive pick up trucks with built-in tank racks in the rear. $50 a day and should be arranged in advance. Resort is 40 to 45 minutes from Willemstad; we rented car at airport for $270/week. Tuki and Dr. D exceptional divemasters; helped you if you needed them, but were unobtrusive. You can dive your own profile, except for the Superior Producer, a 100-foot wreck dive; queen angels, sergeant majors, fair amount of soft coral; long boat ride for short bottom time! Water 78 degrees, vis 60 to 80 feet. Depth limit 130 ft. 6 foot green moray swimming around, in front of the Habitat. He was gorgeous! Saw barracuda, spotted, green and golden morays, large stonefish, fairy basslets, flamingo tongues, anemones, peacock flounders, squid, scrawled file fish, puffers, spotted drums, barjacks, long lure frogfish in front of the Habitat and a few large groupers. Large stands of black coral, occasional nurse shark. E-6 processing and photography courses. Rental dive and photography equipment is available. Our boat rides were about 15 minutes each day and we enjoyed good diving. Bar and restaurant pretty wretched; bartender did not know how to make common drinks, such as a daiquiri. With the exception of Brune, the service in the bar and the restaurant was terrible. The food is not good and prices high. Hamburger OK, but most items tasteless or tough. Restaurant is on two levels, open, and everyone has a good view of the sea. We shopped for food and preparedmost of our lunches or had them in Willemstad. Front Desk people were very helpful and nice. Safes in every room. Room cleaned daily. Current 220-240 volts, 50 cycles. Some outlets 110; able to charge our strobe and use a hair dryer, in our room. Maduro Dive Travel first quoted $1086 for 7 nights, including air from Miami. Then they changed to $826/person. Another diver paid $662. ALM awful, as usual. Canceled our flight on the return. . . . Salt pans with flamingoes, many Lanhuls to tour, the floating market in Willemstad, shopping, hiking, diving and at Chobolobo, Senior Liqueur Factory, distillers of the original Curaçao liqueur, to taste and tour, Amstel beer processed using seawater. Curaçao is a lovely island, with typical Dutch architecture.

Habitat Curaçao, March 1998, Jann Taylor, Cave Junction, OR. Nice accommodations in brightly colored, two story, stucco condos. Rooms had a mini kitchen, though long distance to town could make grocery shopping difficult. Restaurant good for lunch and dinner but breakfast buffet was always the same. The dive operation was well run and organized. Shore diving excellent: frogfish, flying gurnard, lizard fish, tons of tropicals, lots of eels, lots of macro. Daily shuttles to town, rental cars at resort. Sea-Quarium has a sting ray/shark feed dive that is fun and great for photos. Resort has nightly slide shows and other entertainment. Vis: 50 feet, water 78-82 degrees. Note: When checking out, I left a jacket in the lobby. The resort took it upon themselves to deliver it to me at the airport. Service beyond the call of duty.

Habitat Curaçao, March 1998, Graham McMullen, Sacramento, CA. Bill Knoblauch, Rancho Cordova, CA. Accommodations very comfortable and roomy with a large covered patio to enjoy the setting sun. Two queen-size beds, a nice sized bathroom, a little kitchen area containing a sink (with potable tap water), refrigerator, two burner stove, coffee pot, and cooking utensils. Room is air-conditioned, but we only needed the ceiling fan. Also, two-bedroom bungalows overlooking the resort; a long walk up and down the stairs to these units. . . . Resort is away from towns or resorts, so it was quiet and peaceful. Grounds attractive. Nice swimming pool with a small wooden bridge crossing it, and a waterfall overlooking the ocean. A little store attached to the reception area carries items you may have forgotten. When one of us wanted an item they didn't carry, the resort manager's wife purchased it for us in town. Bar and restaurant are on a low cliff overlooking the ocean with open-air ventilation. The food and drink are fairly expensive, but more reasonable than most other resorts. . . . You can dive your brains out without as much as one question about how deep you were, or for how long, or how many dives that day. You can go out on the dive boat and do 2-tank dives, or you can do beach dives off the wooden dock. Wall is a 50-yard swim from the dock; goes down to a 150 feet a ledge, and then goes on forever. Vis: 60-100 ft. Water: 78-80 degrees. Tanks always available for our use with at least 3000-PSI air fills. Two freshwater barrels for cameras and 2 big tubs for rinsing your gear, and lockers to store your dive gear and a freshwater shower available on the dock area. . . . Dive boat not very comfortable (it was transported over from Habitat Bonaire), because the day before we arrived the regular dive boat was stolen. Then, the day before we left, it was reported that the stolen boat had been found damaged off the Columbian coast. Photographed frog fish, sea horses, queen angelfish, mature spotted drums, rock beauties, elephant ear and tube sponges. Visibility 60 to 100 feet and the water temperature was from 78 to 80 degrees.

Habitat Curaçao, April 1998, Ronald C. Kendall, Elgin, IL. Nitrox. Vis: 80-100 ft.

Habitat Curaçao, May 1998, Calvin Emery, Belton, TX. Restaurant operation barely adequate, everything else great. Vis: 75-100 feet, water: 75-80 degrees. Several varieties of each fish species, great shore diving, friendly and accommodating staff. Hard to get to town, but not much there anyway. Shore diving at the resort provided great variety.

Habitat Curaçao, May 1998, David E. Reubush, Yorktown, PA. Took my daughter; she has a Master's in Ichthyology and works at Sea World in Orlando to visit the Seaquarium and do some diving not in a tank. Thought the diving was better than Bonaire. The house reef right off Capt. Don's was great and easy to get to; put on a tank, hop in the water, swim a few yards and you're there and it starts fairly shallow to boot. Sand flats full of macro stuff and small, golden morays, a zillion scorpion fish, many juvenile fish, and a sea horse. Always tanks available. Abundance of spotted drum (both juveniles and adults), a frog fish, one nurse shark at Mushroom Coral Forest (great location-the coral heads are neat), the large number of scorpion fish, and the golden morays. Water 78 and the viz. was reasonably good, always a slight current that kept the water slightly murky. Boat was reasonably comfortable and relatively fast, no head, so, by the time you return after a two-tank dive you are either very uncomfortable or you have peed in your wetsuit. You could smell the results in the locker room. Rooms were nice, the beds comfortable, and the grounds attractive. Food in the restaurant was good, but the choice of moderately priced items was limited so we got tired of eating the same things. Rooms have a small refrigerator, stove, and cooking utensils, but no store where you can buy things to cook so without a car you are stuck with the restaurant.

Habitat Curaçao, May 1998, Gary Dorman, Washington, DC. Water 78-80 degrees, visibility: 50-80 feet. Habitat's new PRO 42 dive boat was stolen and found badly damaged in Columbia. An older 42' dive boat from Bonaire was used, an adequate substitute but could get crowded. Two DMs gave minimal but sufficient briefings. Divers free to dive their own profiles or accompany a DM who knew the reefs well. Sites were in good shape but some had trash. Lots of healthy coral and critters plus loads of fish, although no big stuff. Over all, dives were good, occasionally excellent. Habitat reef excellent for shore dives and one could dive on it for days, a good idea considering the risk associated with parking a car for more secluded sites. There were frogfish, barracuda, eels, turtles, sea horses, good corals, and a wide spectrum of fish on this reef. All just a step off the dock. Unlike Bonaire, not many shore dive sites are easily (and safely) reached by car. Most boat dives are within shore diving range, there is no way to reach many of them. Dive facility is nicely set up to allow unlimited shore diving (tanks are free only on the days that you've signed up for boat dives). Habitat has a fine location, quite far from town and isolated. The dive shop gives the diver a list of all the dives and locations made from the boat when you depart. Best dive sites: Mushroom Forrest (10/10), Mike's Place (9/10), and Superior Producer (7/10). . . . Not an island for nondivers unless they are ardent naturalists. Iguanas, goats, and an impressive variety of birds complement the desert-like scene. The few roads are in decent condition. Most roads to the shore sites are dirt, but serviceable. Willemstad cheesy, corny, and filthy. Litter is ubiquitous on Curaçao but the government is making slow progress toward clean up. Cars are rented with two locks, one for the transmission, and an electronic ignition lock. Cars being disturbed at shore dive sites a major problem. . . . Wished we'd have known how poor the service and operation was for the premium prices, which are out of whack with services rendered. Were this a bargain rate dive lodge the service would have been merely annoying. Facilities are new and in good condition. No TV (as advertised) and no phones in the cottages. Not resort-like considering the cottages are several hundred yards up a hill from the main facility. They are air conditioned, but only in the two bedrooms; the large living room and good kitchen are not. No screens on the windows, a shame because there was generally a vigorous breeze. There are bugs, so open the windows at your peril, or dose yourself with DEET. . . . Front desk people are capable and helpful. Restaurant food is OK, restaurant service is as bad as it gets: very slow and inattentive. After a two-tank dive most folks could use an occasional refill on a glass of water, especially after they've waited 45 minutes for a sandwich. Maid service rivals restaurant service. The words soap and toilet paper are not well recognized. We considered it a victory to finally get three sets of towels for three divers in a cottage. Rooms had safes that gave a sense of security. The booking agent, Maduro, took three tries to get the arrangements correct. When the airline changed the flight time on the first leg of the trip. Maduro never informed us. Had we not checked with the airline we'd have missed our connecting flight to Curaçao.

Habitat Curaçao, May 1998, Chris Cozzi, Rohnert Park, CA. Service at onsite restaurant stank. It is bad enough not to return to this resort though everything else was top notch. Two hours to get through lunch or dinner. Good diving and dive operation. Diving off the hotel is outstanding, sea horses, eels, octopus and corals from 20 to 130 feet. Divemasters helpful, knowledgeable and fun.

Habitat Curaçao, May 1998, John Harrison, Temple, TX. Reef in excellent condition, with a lot of aquatic life, micro was the best I've seen. Easy access for shore diving, with lockers and showers on the entry and exit dock. We saw seahorses and frog fish on most dives, along with all other fish, etc. 24 hours a day diving. Vis: 100-120 ft., water: 80-82 degrees. Resort and dive operation was friendly and accommodating, professional staff. Shuttle to town twice a day. Kept rooms clean and helped every need. There is only one restaurant. The service was slow, the selection was small and it was a bit pricey. Had a great time.

Habitat Curaçao, June 1998, Gary De Barba, Southington, CT. Two tank boat dives a good deal, however, they did not schedule afternoon dives several days. You could dive your own profile and the divemasters were knowledgeable and helpful. Buffet breakfasts were good but the other meals were dull and boring. Vis: 60-70 ft. Water: 80 degrees. No dive restrictions. You could dive your own profile.

Habitat Curaçao, June 1998, Beverly Tisnower, Chicago, IL. Attractive new building and resort layout, beautiful rooms with balconies facing the ocean, slide show, rum punch party. Dived at 4 a.m., and 5:30 a.m.! Nobody blinks if you go alone. House reef was thick with coral and some sponges. So good, we decided to forego the car rental to dive elsewhere. Mushroom Forest: strange, treelike coral formations. Not many big fish: huge green morays, a conger eel, a couple hawksbill turtles, seahorses, peacock flounders, a humongous Southern Stingray.

Habitat Curaçao, September 1998, John McGill, Austin, TX. Grab a tank 24 hrs a day and shore dive. Nice reef yards from the dock: turtles, cornetfish, frogfish and the usual reef suspects. Vis: 70-100 ft. Water: 84 degrees. No dive restrictions.

Princess Divers/Princess Beach Hotel, January 1998, Colleen Kanke, Smyrna, GA. Dive operation outstanding. Alex helpful in repairing our flooded camera. Both Johann and Elvis were exceptional divemasters. Right mix of fun. Vis: 50-80 ft. Water: 80-84 degrees. No diving restrictions; They were alert and observant without interfering with your diving or hindering your independence. Healthy and abundant coral formations.

Princess Diver/SAFE Diving/Sonesta, April 1998, Bruce Medway, Roselle Park, NJ. Underwater park has great walls that start in 25-30 ft of water. Bast Point-a chance of seeing big animals (saw two baby dolphins with parents). Most dives by boat. Princess Divers first class. Western end of Curaçao like Bonaire; excellent shore diving. Playa Kalki and Playa Lagun (along with Jeremi) have unique formations due to "bioerosion." The coral heads are eaten away near the bottoms, with new coral growth on the tops. They look like giant mushrooms. Mushroom Forest coral is healthy; billions of Christmas tree worms, giant sea dusters, many crinoids. Vis: 40-80 ft, water: 80-82 degrees. SAFE Diving is at Playa Lagun. Cris and Simone have neat dive shop complete with hammocks and full refrigerator on which you write your name and number of beers or sodas you've drunk. New dive boat, good rates. guided shore dives to the Superior Producer (a great wreck). Good people. The telephone number is 864-1652. They also rent houses with dive packages. Sonesta a beautiful hotel.

Princess Beach Resort, May 1998, Russ Lido, Sterling Heights, MI. Curaçao a good dive location similar to Bonaire. Reefs in good to great shape. Mushroom forest and Seloom Reef outstanding. Some dive sites had some current. Vis: 80-120 ft., water: 82-84 degrees. Did 15 dives. Dive operation was courteous and helpful also very safety minded. Boat was never full. Hotel, food fair but many other good places to eat. Price's moderate. Ocean front room was excellent, worth the extra money. (Ph: 800-223-9815, Fax: 011-599-9614131)

Princess Divers/Princess Resort/Coral Cliff Resort, September 1998, Matthew E. Kreegar, Indianapolis IN. Water 82-86, vis 60-80 feet. Found 3 large living cockroaches in the room at Coral Cliff Resort. Room seemed dirty and in need of repair. We checked out without spending the night. Princess Resort only $5 more per night. Diving easy and relaxed. Similar to Bonaire although not quite as pristine. Lots of shopping, restaurants, bars in Willemstad. Lots of theft-do not leave valuables in vehicles. Nice destination for those who like more activities than Bonaire has to offer.

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