Jan Thiel beach visit June 29

[70sGringo]

This is a repost from another thread... if you're interested in Jan Thiel, here's my 2 cents' worth :cool:

 

We visited Curacao on June 29. We decided that snorkeling at a beach would be the day's excursion. We actually did three snorkel beaches during our weeklong AOS trip. Jan Thiel was probably our third favorite, because they "nickel and dime" you here (we also did St. John, Cinammon Bay--easily the favorite and Arashi Beach, Aruba, also very good).

 

Right as we got off the boat, there were taxi drivers trying to get your fare. I talked to one who hurriedly wheeled his car around to me. I asked him how much to Jan Thiel beach? He quickly replied $30 (me and my two boys). I quickly shut his open door and decided to walk the 3 blocks to town. Near the foot of the pontoon bridge, I found another taxi stand. They wanted $25. I came back with $20. The driver said "you got a deal". I suspect you could even get them lower, but there are no posted rates, so you have to rely on your ability to bargain and/or move on to another driver. The short walk saved me $20 (if you count the roundtrip, so I was satisfied).

 

The trip to Jan Thiel was further than it looked on the map. It took about 30 minutes of driving. Winston (a genial guy who I realized spoke better Spanish than English, so I conversed with him in Spanish) drove us there in his ~1978 Cadillac. He assured me that the snorkeling was better at Jan Thiel (over Seaquarium beach). We pre-arranged with him to meet us in three hours.

 

My tourbook said it would be $3.50/carload at Jan Thiel. This was flat wrong. It was $3/person. While I was out snorkeling with one son, the other grabbed a lounge chair (probably one of a hundred not in use). He was eventually asked to pay for this chair. The girl said "3". He wasn't sure if she wanted NaFlorins or $US. She shrewdly acted dumb about exchange rates and got $5US out of him. I'm certain that she pocketed the $2 extra. No one came around again, but I made sure I got use out of at least one more chair. Jan Thiel also has a bar and a restaurant and a dive center. Also windsurfers and catamarans to rent. I wouldn't call this place cut-rate, but it is also a fairly nice destination. The snorkeling is good, but you must get out of the small bay and around each point to get the best snorkeling. I made sure to ask "where the best snorkeling is", and the tips about getting out of the bay were worth the asking.

 

Winston was back at Jan Thiel right when he said he would be there. Another $20 got us back to the ship.

 

One lesson learned from the AOS cruise. The boat is in port (3 of 4 ports) from ~8AM to 5:30PM. If you are going to do an activity such as snorkeling, pick ONE quality destination and go there and have fun. Stretching for more than one beach or activity would really be a time crunch.

[hilltopfamily]

Thank you very much for taking the time to post all this useful information! Your posting is very much appreciated!