Just back from Southern Itinerary, want a great day, try this beach!

[canadiancruisers11]

Hey everyone,

 

I can't thank everyone enough for the positive comments that everyone has made for the review we posted...I had no idea it would help this many people in their decisions on what to do on particular islands...So, many thanks again...For those of you having problems seeing the pics, just go to post #6 and click on the pic of myself, Kim and Trent and view it as a slideshow...Should do the trick...

 

Have a great day everyone

 

Newts

[mississauga]

canadiancruisers11, thanks for all your great tips. We are going in 3 weeks time and will definitely go to KonTiki. You mentioned that it was $3.00 to get in and then mentioned $3.00 for the chair. Are these separate charges or does the $3.00 entrance fee give you the chair? Where there any shops in the area or only the resorts and aquarium? I read your review...great! You said in Aruba, after you dropped your son off at the ship, you and DW went downtown to sho. Was this near the pier or did you have to take a bus or cab to get there? Go Leafs Go!

 

blyle, you posted that there were other hotels/resorts like the Mambo etc right beside KonTiki. Were their entrance fees $3.00 also?

 

Thanks in advance for your info.

[blyle]

I was just checking this thread and saw your question "Mississauga. Actually from what I remember, there are separate beach clubs all along the beach and each taxi driver has a deal with a special club. They will take you to the one they deal with unless you question it and say , "I prefer not to pay an entry fee and prefer to give you a better tip." They should then take you a little further down and show you the place to enter! It's worth a try! If you say that you want to go to Kon Tiki beach they will take you to the Kontiki beach club but you could say I want to go to a beach near Kon Tiki! We walked the beach and they all looked good to us!

[mississauga]

Thanks for your quick response, blyle. Very interesting..........:p

[canadiancruisers11]

Hey Mississauga,

 

Thanks for the props on the Leafs although after last night's game, I don't think I'll be breaking that out again for a while...In reference to your question, separate price to get in and then separate for the chairs, but well worth it...There is another resort right beside but didn't know what they charged...Like I said, nothing against Porto Mari, its a beaut but just a little pricey in terms of the cab fare to get out there when we had what we had that day which totally suprised us.

 

Take care

Newts

[Minoushka]

Curacao is one of my favorite islands Kontiki was nice beach ...yes my boys got an eyeful but it is European in style .

Rented chairs with umbrella near water .Snorkeling was so-so I did not go to right place ...needed to go into opening of "reef"to other side for best views ...will try it next time

We were there in March and water was a tad chilly . I could not stay in that long

Shopping in Curacao is GREAT .Everyone comments on my shoes and the boys love their designer shirts

I shop in AM BEACh in PM

Aquarium was NOTHING special very limited displays not impressive Keep your money !!!

Could not do snorkel -very expensive -water was WAY TOO MURKY got a refund

Really enjoy Curacao

Check out oldest synagogue in Western Hemisphere ...with sand on the floor .....really different

Bought fruit in floating market .Offered Heineken to my son

Looking forward to going back this January

 

Michele

[mississauga]

Hey Mississauga,

 

Thanks for the props on the Leafs although after last night's game, I don't think I'll be breaking that out again for a while...In reference to your question, separate price to get in and then separate for the chairs, but well worth it...There is another resort right beside but didn't know what they charged...Like I said, nothing against Porto Mari, its a beaut but just a little pricey in terms of the cab fare to get out there when we had what we had that day which totally suprised us.

 

Take care

Newts

 

KonTiki sounds like the place to go.:D

 

Shopping in Curacao is GREAT .Everyone comments on my shoes and the boys love their designer shirts

I shop in AM BEACh in PM

 

Bought fruit in floating market .Offered Heineken to my son

 

Michele

 

Was the shopping near the pier? Floating market near where the ships dock? It has been over 30 years since I was there so I know things would have changed.

[vickie_bernie]

We are thinking of going to the aquarium, not so much to see the exhibits but to do the animal encounter -- it is $54 for the scuba one. I see you did the snorkel one, or tried to.

 

First did you take a taxi to the aquarium? Then taxi to Kon Tiki? How much? Is it still $4 pp. Can you walk to the beach from the aquarium?

 

Should we bother with the scuba animal encounter?

[carbon]

Mememicheale what shoes did you buy?

[blyle]

We walked from Kon Tiki to the Aquarium and the dock where all the excursion boats are. The Aquarium is the furthest so taxi there and walk back to beach or stay on the beach right there! We stopped and had a drink at the beach bar on the way back!

[Softball20]

Hey,

 

Kon Tiki sounds great. I was just curious as to the food - are there any local type food options there? As in, not burgers or stuff I can get at home?

 

Thanks,

[TorontoGamblers]

Well the beach sounds great but I don't think anyone mentioned the price of the massages. Does anyone know?

Also, someone asked if the $3 was gave access to the beach chairs or is that extra?

 

Thanks!!

 

AOS in 1 week!!

 

Go Leafs Go!!!

[Bigrigg]

Do you know how much the jet ski rental was? About how far from the pier was con tiki

[Bigrigg]

Well the beach sounds great but I don't think anyone mentioned the price of the massages. Does anyone know?

Also, someone asked if the $3 was gave access to the beach chairs or is that extra?

 

Thanks!!

 

AOS in 1 week!!

 

Go Leafs Go!!!

If you don't mind let me know what you recommend on the AOS after you go. Im headed on the same boat in jan. thanks

[canadiancruisers11]

Hey all,

 

Since it was me that left the review and I still can't get over the positive responses to this beach, I'll try and answer some of the questions...Massages-fantastic...Best way to explain it is it was about a buck a minute...I think I paid 40 bucks for 45 minutes but I got my son a massage too (his first) so there was a little negotiation there...You can't miss the hut right down by the beach...As far as jet skis, go over by the dock (on your right walking in) and they should be able to hook you up...Anybody want and more info just contact me at cnewton@mountaincable.net

 

I said it once and I'll say it again, we adored this day, was one of our best

 

Craig:eek:

[erin1998]

Good afternoon everyone...:)

We just returned yesterday from a terrific cruise and just wanted to quickly write that we went to Kontiki Beach for the day on Wednesday. The beach is gorgeous and the reviews here on absolutely correct. There was 6 of us that went first thing in the morning, we caught a taxi and were one of the first ones there. The beach did fill up as the morning went on, but it certainly was not packed. There was lots of space for everyone. My brother and father both rented jet skis. It was $70 for a single and $85 for a double for 30 minutes. The place to rent jet skis in to the right of where you walk in. Everyone had a great time and I would definately recommend this place to anyone wanting a beautiful beach. (Oh, we were told that they were changing the name from Kontiki beach to Cabana beach)

Erin

 

 

[2CoolCanucks]

Hey,

 

Kon Tiki sounds great. I was just curious as to the food - are there any local type food options there? As in, not burgers or stuff I can get at home?

 

Thanks,

 

There are some.... but just ask the waiter/tress for "Krioyo food" suggestions and I'm sure they'll be more than happy to recommend some.

Pastechi is a meat or cheese pie/pattie (individual serving).... not as spicy as the Jamaican patties though.

Loempia is a type of chinese egg roll.

Roti is an Indian potatoe roll.

Johnny cakes - jamaican cheese pattie

A Croquette is a dutch style deep-fried, mashed-meat roll (my favorite with mustard)

That's just a few for starters...:D

[SAYHEYRENEE]

Hoping to see more of the island since this is our first visit BUT-

Since we are visiting New Years Day, we may end up doing a beach day and this will be the place.

[luvmy2doxs]

erin1998, thanks for posting new pictures and reviews. We are visiting in January and I am glad we got a current review. Sometimes things to change. Thanks again. Picture is beautiful.

[JamFan]

We just visited this beach last week and I wanted to give my 2 cents. There was a lot of construction going on and when we arrived in the parking lot I thought for sure we were on candid camera or something because it certainly did not resemble anything of a resort. We walked around the corner and into paradise. It was absolutely stunning. We were told to take the orange colored lounges and that if we wanted one of the beds it was $6. We opted for the beds, but no one ever came to take our money. We were ordering drinks and appetizers and tipped the waitresses well, not sure if that's why.

 

There didn't seem to be many tourists (besides my group) that day. There was some topless women and the teenage boys with us wore their sunglasses the entire time. They certainly got an eyeful! The teenage girls with us thought the idea was "gross", but after a little while they learned to ignore it.

 

The water was beautiful and we did see fish all the way out by the rocks. I would go back there any day. I noticed on the way back there was a Breezes resort down the block.

[Optimizo]

For those a little more daring and trying to save some money, there are buses (actually mini-vans) that will take you to the Kon tiki. There is a large parking lot a little past the floating market that the locals use for transportation. Just get in a van with a sign on front that says Seaquarium (which is right alongside the Kon tiki beach). We went two years ago and think we each paid $1 each for one-way trip. The vans do the loop, I believe, every 30 minutes or so. When we left, we went back out through the entrance and waited on the street corner to the left. We had no problems and met some very nice locals (although, they did not speak English). There is an information booth when you cross the walking bridge that can direct you to the bus depot area. I agree, it was a fun beach day. I tried snorkling, but, unfortunately, did not go to the right area. I think I'll try going out beyond the breakwater on my next trip. We met some fellow cruisers at the beach and enjoyed having cocktails in the covered beach huts. It was a very fun day.

[mississauga]

Hey all,

 

Since it was me that left the review and I still can't get over the positive responses to this beach, I'll try and answer some of the questions...Massages-fantastic...Best way to explain it is it was about a buck a minute...I think I paid 40 bucks for 45 minutes but I got my son a massage too (his first) so there was a little negotiation there...You can't miss the hut right down by the beach...As far as jet skis, go over by the dock (on your right walking in) and they should be able to hook you up...Anybody want and more info just contact me at cnewton@mountaincable.net

 

I said it once and I'll say it again, we adored this day, was one of our best

 

Craig:eek:

 

 

Thanks to your earlier postings that we learned about the Seaquarium Beach. Of course we asked the taxi to take us to Kon Tiki but he dropped us off by Mambo since he told us Kon Tiki was under construction. We paid our $3.00pp entrance fee and saw all that you had described. There was no one to ask us for the $3.00 chair rental. We got loungers under some thatched roofs but no huts. The lady at the entrance told us they had been knocked down and were no longer.

 

You were absolutely right! The beach there is beautiful and was one of the highlights of our cruise. Thanks again for your recommendation.

[EileenN]

Would this trip be possible with a wheelchair? My DD can walk short distances but must use a wheelchair or walker to walk more than a few hundred feet?

[cruisecookie]

canadiancruisers11: In your photos I see that you took a water taxi into a hotel in Curacao. Can you give me the details. Which hotel? Did you walk from the dock to the hotel? Was there a charge for the water taxi? Did it matter that you were not a hotel guest? Did you take the water taxi back from the beach to the hotel and then walk back to the dock? Thanks for all the info and wonderful pictures of Kontiki beach.

[canadiancruisers11]

Hi CruiseCookie

 

The only place we took the water taxi was in Grenada to Grand Anse...Kon Tiki, we just got a cab right from the pier