Best Beach for Beach Day in Curacao

[mosetter]

Hi,

 

Playa Porto Mari has a dive shop that rents gear. A lot of folks on the beach last week had rented from them.

 

Monika

[Lsimon]

Your pictures are great. Did you take your own snorkel equipment or is there a dive shop where you can rent?

 

Thank you. We carry our own gear as I like the fit of the masks and my own personal snorkel - as opposed to one that's been in someone else's mouth. Sometimes we bring our own fins and sometimes we rent - did each between our two trips to Porto Mari.

 

One suggestion - for plain swimming bring water shoes. While the beach has nice clean sand it is a little rocky (coral) right at the water line.

[MommaFaye]

Thank you. We carry our own gear as I like the fit of the masks and my own personal snorkel - as opposed to one that's been in someone else's mouth. Sometimes we bring our own fins and sometimes we rent - did each between our two trips to Porto Mari.

 

One suggestion - for plain swimming bring water shoes. While the beach has nice clean sand it is a little rocky (coral) right at the water line.

 

Lsimon and Mosetter - Thanks for the tips! We will have our water shoes with us for an excursion on Dominica, so we'll just throw them in the bag for Curacao, too!

 

I'd love to take our own gear, as that's always better for fit and the idea of not having something in my mouth that's been who knows where! Taking just the snorkel is a good idea ... not sure I can fit fins and everything in our luggage. Still, it's nice to know there's a dive shop if we need it. Thanks!

[shavdog]

We have been to many beaches in the carrib.....this one was a big dissappointment for us..we were there 12/21/10....it was crowded, lots of coral on the beach made it impossible to walk on, not all that easy to get in, the coral in the water was dead and the fish I would say..fair....I would not go back....

[ladeeesquire]

We have been to many beaches in the carrib.....this one was a big dissappointment for us..we were there 12/21/10....it was crowded, lots of coral on the beach made it impossible to walk on, not all that easy to get in, the coral in the water was dead and the fish I would say..fair....I would not go back....

 

that is so disappointing! We were planning to visit there in march....

[mosetter]

We have been to many beaches in the carrib.....this one was a big dissappointment for us..we were there 12/21/10....it was crowded, lots of coral on the beach made it impossible to walk on, not all that easy to get in, the coral in the water was dead and the fish I would say..fair....I would not go back....

 

We were there the same day you were. Yes, it was more crowded than when we were there 10 days earlier. That's because it was Christmas week and everyone was on vacation. Yes, the coral is dead from the hurricane in 2004, but there were still more fish here than at any snorkel spot we were at in the 21 days we were on the cruise. Yes, if you didn't walk over to that one entry spot into the water where there was much less coral to step on then you would have found it uncomfortable to get into the water. All in all, they have sun loungers, shade umbrellas, restrooms, restaurant/bar, showers, and crystal clear water with snorkelling that is less than 8 feet to the ocean floor. We saw lots of flounders, squid, parrot fish, trumpetfish, and dozens of other species. Along the wall behind the beach were many species of iguanas and several types of birds. I'm not claiming it's the best snorkelling ever, but it was a very nice spot and of the 24 people in total who went there on our two visits, every one of them said they had a fabulous day and wished we didn't have to leave.

[dec2007w3boys]

We took a tour of Curacao and the last stop was Mambo Beach. The tour guide suggested we just exit the tour at this point then take a taxi back. So, we took a very nice tour including the rum factory and city tour for one hour fifteen min for $30/couple. Oneway to or from Mambo is $20/couple. So for $10 more we had a nice tour.

 

I can't say enough about the beach. When you pull up it is a muddy parking lot (of course they had lots of rain prior to our Arrival) but don't let that turn you away. There is a $3 charge for beach entrance but not with the tour guide as they are there for a bit then leave. Of course, dh and I just stayed so $6 saved there. They have chair rentals for $3/each and plenty of shade trees. There are clean restrooms and a nice place to get some carryout food. Or the servers will come to your chairs. We had some delicious fries for $2.50. Note they provide change in their currency but you can exchange back closer to ship. Of four miracle ports, Curacao was our favorite.

[Sand seeker]

Does Holiday Beach have another name? I'm not finding it on the Curacao website list of beaches.

[Sand seeker]

Does anyone know if its possible to do a day trip to Klein island during a docked day in Curacao? I've heard its a 8 hour trip - with an hour boat travel time there and back.

[mamaofami]

Does anyone know anything about Cas Abou beach? Looking for something with chair and umbrealla rental, restrooms, and a restaurant. Which beach would be most suitable? Also, I will be using a travel scooter. Thanks.

[jg2256]

Sand Seeker:

 

The new name for the resort at holiday beach is Veneto Holiday Beach Resort and the website is venetocuracao.com I will be there is 3 weeks and have an email into them to see if they have Day Passes.