Renting a car and exploring?

Hello,

We will be in Curacao in November (party of 2) and unfortunately, we are not interested in the Carnival excursions and the private tours I have found are more than I would like to spend or not available.

Has anyone had luck renting a car and taking off to explore? Is Curacao easy to navigate for first time visitors?

Some sights we are interested in are Shete Boka, Hato Caves, Jan Kok (flamingos), and any beautiful sights that may be recommended and of interest to first timers. Could go either way on beaches and swimming and would love to see a bit of Willemsted, too.

Any suggestions/tips/ideas?

Thanks!

I am curious too! Do I need a little SUV or are the road conditions decent enough to take a compact car?

We renting a car last week from Avis right at the Megapier. You have to reserve in advance though. We were in port until 10:30 pm so a full day. We rented a small car and didn't have any problems. We have been to Curacao many times and are very comfortable driving there.

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We have been renting from Avis (right at the Mega Pier) for years. The cars are not up to typical Avis standards, but they do run :). Our primary purpose to have a car is that we go to distant beaches (some over 25 miles from the port) to snorkel. This also gives us a chance to explore the quiet back roads far from any cruise ship excursion.

Hank

Hank - we intend to do exactly what you have done when we go to Curacao in February. If you wouldn't mind, could you tell me which beaches or areas you've found that have good snorkeling? Thanks!!

Gene and Kathy from Cape Cod

Hank - we intend to do exactly what you have done when we go to Curacao in February. If you wouldn't mind, could you tell me which beaches or areas you've found that have good snorkeling? Thanks!!

 

Gene and Kathy from Cape Cod

Consider that for us, it is as much about escaping the hoards as it is to find great snorkel areas :). But if the weather is good we will often head out to the West end of the island (actually its Northwest) to Jeremy, Playa Lagun and Knip. But much is dependent on the winds, and if it has been windy and the seas a bit rough the water can be cloudy (especially on the right side of the coves). Sometimes we just like to explore each West end beach (some can be hard to find) and there are good days and bad. Tugboat is also another popular snorkel spot (not at the West end) much closer to the ships but the entry does truly suck. Keep in mind that many of these little beaches have no facilities (or what they have is locked). Another west side (not really near the end) beach is called Cas Abao...but we have never had great luck at this beach. But others have told us we were just there on the wrong day.

One key to finding these small beaches/snorkel spots is to do you homework before your trip. Signs can be far and few between and we are talking about some back roads (sometimes no paved) to reach some beaches (especially at the west end areas). And keep in mind that you might find yourself parking at a totally deserted beach (with no facilities) which is not everyone's cup of tea or level of comfort.

Hank

Thanks Hank. We went to Cas Abao a couple years ago, nice beach and beach bar (if I recall correctly....) but no, the snorkeling was pretty uninteresting even considering that they had installed those big underwater concrete perforated beach ball thingies to attract marine life. We also went of another small resort on another trip that had no beach but steps down to the water; the snorkeling was just OK. So this is why we're intending to do some exploring on our own this time. I will spend some time looking at maps. Years ago I found a web site called "shore diving the ABC islands" or something like that was helpful, will try to find that one again.

Gene

We went to the Marriott for the day and they actually had some great snorkeling right off of the beach. Plus the pool :). It was a funny story of how we ended up there. Originally we were supposed to rent a car and go to the distant places BUT on our first stop in St. Martin, my husband lost his drivers license, mine, and my sons in the water. AND a paper copy as we found out the hard way does not work with Avis in Curacao even though my husband is a preferred Avis member for many years and is in the computer. Anyway, we were standing with our hot and annoyed teenagers baffled and a cab driver offered to take us to the Marriott. I said well we didn't make reservations. He said just hide your cruise ship towels in your bag and walk onto the resort. They have no idea who you are. And we did. We packed the towels up, got a few chairs on the beach using the Marriott towels and had a great day. We ate at the restaurant there. And we enjoyed the snorkeling and the pool. And tipped our cabbie well. :D

How much was the cab? Also is it a natural beach to man made? Thanks

How much was the cab? Also is it a natural beach to man made? Thanks

I don't remember because it was in November 2014. There were 5 of us. I have no idea if man made. Probably parts of it. I just know the snorkeling was very good but there were some waves so flippers would be helpful but if you are an avid snorkeler as we are, you probably have them. It wasn't crowded at all. Maybe 20 people outside at the hotel and on the beach total. I liked it for the outside shower and the pool as well as onsite restaurant/bar and good snorkeling. We were on a 7 port cruise and it was nice to just hang out on a beach with a pool and everything for the day.

How much was the cab? Also is it a natural beach to man made? Thanks

FYI.. there is no Marriott anymore on Curacao...it was recently bought and is closed for renovations for the next year or so..want to save you the trouble...

I am curious too! Do I need a little SUV or are the road conditions decent enough to take a compact car?

We rented a car last minute but they came and picked us up at the ship. Good roads and civil traffic. Spent all day driving and exploring. Got back to ship and dropped off the family only to get caught in rush hour traffic back to off site rental shop. leave yourself at least an hour to drop off the car.