Sunset Waters Resort in Curacao
(This trip took place from February 3rd through February 11th, 2006). After lots of research, I decided that Sunset Waters would be a great place for our group of 12 friends to spend a nine day vacation. Six of us are dedicated divers, and six are snorkelers. We all like low key, relaxed vacations and don't require the luxury and amenities of a five star resort complex, so this seemed like a logical choice. It turned out to be a wonderful choice for all of us.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned with the handful of terribly negative reviews that have popped up on Trip Advisor recently. Let me address those few negatives before I get into the positives. First, yes, a bedspread cover did show two small holes worn by washing...no big deal. Second, the managers, Jim and Gaynor Hunter, were always gracious and accommodating. Third, we didn't have goat stew offered to us during our stay. If we did, however, we would have tried it and, if it was not to our liking, we would have tried something else.
There were only two "glitches" during our stay. They had a special open house for Super Bowl Sunday and the kitchen crew and wait staff were very slow that night. It took us over an hour to get our meals. That was the only poor service we encountered. Other than that, we had our orders taken quickly and meals served in a timely fashion. During buffet meals this wasn't an issue, but someone was always at out table taking orders for drinks.
Four of us are tennis players. When we first arrived, we were appalled to find the area around the tennis court totally overgrown with thorn and bramble bushes. We lost a can of balls very quickly since the growth was impossible to get through. I complained about this to Jim and the next day a crew was out cutting down all the unwelcome growth. The tennis courts were perfect from then on and Jim said they would be maintained that way.
Now for the good stuff! We were greeted at the airport by a Sunset Waters van with drinks waiting for us! Rum punch, soft drinks, water was all there after our flight in. What a way to start a vacation.
On arrival, we found the resort to be well maintained and in excellent shape. The grounds are kept clean, the rooms are clean and spacious, the food is excellent and well prepared, the house reef is superb for snorkeling or diving, and the staff will do anything for you. The on site dive operation, Sunset Divers, runs a smooth and efficient service.
In our group, five couples had junior suites, and one had a superior room. The suites are huge, nicely appointed, and have a balcony or veranda overlooking the ocean. One couple had a kitchen; another had a Jacuzzi in their rooms. The superior room was smaller and had no balcony, but was still quite nice. Some rooms had new fixtures, others not. Most rooms had large showers, but some also had tubs. There was plenty of hot water and good pressure at all times. One of our group had no hot water in their room, but that was quickly fixed by the maintenance crew. Our room had a phone, but not all did. (A phone was supplied on request). None of the rooms had closets, but this was not an issue since there were numerous drawers and a rack with hangers for jackets and pants. Housekeeping was excellent and the rooms were kept clean, with fresh towels being supplied daily.
We all enjoyed eating here. The open air main dining room has ample seating and a bar. Breakfasts were the typical breakfast buffet featuring an omelet bar, toasted bread and bagels, and a buffet with sausage, bacon, potatoes, and scrambled eggs. There was also a salad bar at all times with pineapple, watermelon, melon, bananas, as well as coffee and orange juice. Lunch and dinner were sometimes off a menu, sometimes buffet style. There were always choices of fish, poultry or meat dishes, vegetables, and a variety of delicious cakes. Ice cream had to be ordered separately, and it was rich and creamy. The only complaint anyone had about the food was that we were eating too much of it. My personal surprise was the prune cake. I hate prunes, but this specialty cake was so moist and rich that I had it several times. Most evening meals were accompanied by live entertainment guitarists and vocalists who were very good.
The beach area is much nicer than I expected. The majority of the beach is smooth, white sand. There is a rough area at one end that is covered in coral debris. We found plenty of beach chairs and shade at all times. Occasionally, someone would come down to take drink orders. It usually took a while before the drinks came, but they always made it. The drinks are lowered from the bar to the beach on a pulley with a tray, so the beach staff doesn't have to climb the steep stairs when they order drinks. The beach fronts the house lagoon and reef. Note that the entry, while not steep, is littered with rocks and coral. You should be wearing beach shoes or you will have a tough time getting in and out.
There is very good snorkeling and diving on the reef that surrounds the lagoon. Our snorkelers saw squid, balloonfish, eels, spotted drums, parrotfish, and a variety of other tropical fish right around the lagoon reef. Snorkelers can go out on the dive boats, but the $20 charge is steep. The pool is a lovely place to spend some "off" time. It's small, but does have a swim up bar, (they give you popcorn with your drinks), and is surrounded by flowers. I found the hot tub to be plenty warm, but that wasn't my highest priority on this trip.
The diving from Sunset Waters on-site dive op was very good. The Divemasters are all very friendly and seem to know the various dive sites very well. During our stay, I did 13 dives and dove with Lynne, Kurt, Steve, Kevin, and Carlos. All were attentive and offered as much help with your gear as you wanted. The boats we used were all roomy, clean, and comfortable. All had O2 and radios, and provided rinse tanks for camera equipment. The largest group we ever had on a boat was 12 divers, the fewest was 6 divers. Gear storage is in a rather cramped cage with hangars for wetsuits. Everything else is stored in plastic baskets.
Aside from diving the house reef off the beach, we visited Pelican Bay, Mikes Place, Radio City, Long Island, Harrys Hole, Porto Marie, College Reef, Blue room, Black Coral Forest, Lost Anchor, and Curacaos signature dive, Mushroom Forest.
Most boat rides were fairly short, being less than 20 minutes from the resort. Fish life was prolific at most sites, and we were treated to several seahorses, scorpionfish, octopus, lobsters, and the usual array of tropical denizens. The reefs were generally very healthy with only minimal bleaching seen at the sites we visited. Mushroom Forest is a must do dive, with impressive coral formations towering over the sea floor. I also enjoyed our surface interval at the Blue Room. Underwater, this site is a more sedate version of Mushroom Forest, but it does feature a cave that is cut into the side of a hill. During our interval, we all snorkeled over to the cave entrance, did a short surface dive and wound up in a beautiful cavern. The water is crystal clear and glows a bright blue, illuminated by the outside light which filters in.
I dove Nitrox the entire time I was there, and all fills came in at about 33%. Standard protocols were followed, with individual testing and logging being done before each dive. Water temperatures were surprisingly consistent during our stay. The lowest I saw was 79 degrees, and the highest was 80 degrees. This was warmer than I had expected. Visibility ranged from 60 feet to as much as 90 feet. Currents were generally mild, although we did hit some fairly heavy current at Mikes Place. That current came on very quickly and put us in a position of having to make a long underwater swim back to the boat against the current. One diver ran out of air and was taken to the surface by our DM, Lynne. We all wound up having to surface quite a distance from the boat, but the boat driver was looking for us, spotted us, and came around to pick us up.
That was when I found out that my Dive Alert horn didnt work. I warned all the other divers to put their heads under water or cover their ears, but all I managed to get out of it was an embarrassing little squeak. After I got home, Dive Alert did replace the unit at no charge.
Overall, the diving here was very impressive. I had been to Curacao years ago and dove with a horrible dive op, thankfully no longer in business. The dive sites we dove were forgettable, and they never went to Mushroom Forest. This trip more than made up for that poor experience. The reefs were healthy and vibrant, the fish life abundant, and the dive op very professional. I've been to Bonaire several times over the years, and I really think, on this trip anyway, the best sites on Curacao were as good as most of the dive sites on Bonaire. That, plus the great location of Sunset Waters relative to the best sites, made for a truly relaxing and enjoyable stay.
We did a day trip into Willemstaad and had a pleasant 35 minute ride in the resort van. The town has lots of shopping and dining, but one day was enough for me. The "girls" did a couple of trips into town... they loved the shopping.
Jim and Gaynor Hunter were fantastic hosts. Jim was there constantly checking on anything you might want. This is such an easy place to settle in to. We all commented that we felt perfectly at home here after the first day... something we don't often experience. Everyone felt like they were part of the resort family. No, it's not a five star resort. It's just a plain and simple Caribbean beach resort that caters to divers, snorkelers, and those who just want to relax and lay in the sun. If you love high rise resorts, casinos, and enjoy getting dressed up for dinner, this is probably not the place for you. For the rest of us...it's wonderful!
(This trip took place from February 3rd through February 11th, 2006). After lots of research, I decided that Sunset Waters would be a great place for our group of 12 friends to spend a nine day vacation. Six of us are dedicated divers, and six are snorkelers. We all like low key, relaxed vacations and don't require the luxury and amenities of a five star resort complex, so this seemed like a logical choice. It turned out to be a wonderful choice for all of us.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned with the handful of terribly negative reviews that have popped up on Trip Advisor recently. Let me address those few negatives before I get into the positives. First, yes, a bedspread cover did show two small holes worn by washing...no big deal. Second, the managers, Jim and Gaynor Hunter, were always gracious and accommodating. Third, we didn't have goat stew offered to us during our stay. If we did, however, we would have tried it and, if it was not to our liking, we would have tried something else.
There were only two "glitches" during our stay. They had a special open house for Super Bowl Sunday and the kitchen crew and wait staff were very slow that night. It took us over an hour to get our meals. That was the only poor service we encountered. Other than that, we had our orders taken quickly and meals served in a timely fashion. During buffet meals this wasn't an issue, but someone was always at out table taking orders for drinks.
Four of us are tennis players. When we first arrived, we were appalled to find the area around the tennis court totally overgrown with thorn and bramble bushes. We lost a can of balls very quickly since the growth was impossible to get through. I complained about this to Jim and the next day a crew was out cutting down all the unwelcome growth. The tennis courts were perfect from then on and Jim said they would be maintained that way.
Now for the good stuff! We were greeted at the airport by a Sunset Waters van with drinks waiting for us! Rum punch, soft drinks, water was all there after our flight in. What a way to start a vacation.
On arrival, we found the resort to be well maintained and in excellent shape. The grounds are kept clean, the rooms are clean and spacious, the food is excellent and well prepared, the house reef is superb for snorkeling or diving, and the staff will do anything for you. The on site dive operation, Sunset Divers, runs a smooth and efficient service.
In our group, five couples had junior suites, and one had a superior room. The suites are huge, nicely appointed, and have a balcony or veranda overlooking the ocean. One couple had a kitchen; another had a Jacuzzi in their rooms. The superior room was smaller and had no balcony, but was still quite nice. Some rooms had new fixtures, others not. Most rooms had large showers, but some also had tubs. There was plenty of hot water and good pressure at all times. One of our group had no hot water in their room, but that was quickly fixed by the maintenance crew. Our room had a phone, but not all did. (A phone was supplied on request). None of the rooms had closets, but this was not an issue since there were numerous drawers and a rack with hangers for jackets and pants. Housekeeping was excellent and the rooms were kept clean, with fresh towels being supplied daily.
We all enjoyed eating here. The open air main dining room has ample seating and a bar. Breakfasts were the typical breakfast buffet featuring an omelet bar, toasted bread and bagels, and a buffet with sausage, bacon, potatoes, and scrambled eggs. There was also a salad bar at all times with pineapple, watermelon, melon, bananas, as well as coffee and orange juice. Lunch and dinner were sometimes off a menu, sometimes buffet style. There were always choices of fish, poultry or meat dishes, vegetables, and a variety of delicious cakes. Ice cream had to be ordered separately, and it was rich and creamy. The only complaint anyone had about the food was that we were eating too much of it. My personal surprise was the prune cake. I hate prunes, but this specialty cake was so moist and rich that I had it several times. Most evening meals were accompanied by live entertainment guitarists and vocalists who were very good.
The beach area is much nicer than I expected. The majority of the beach is smooth, white sand. There is a rough area at one end that is covered in coral debris. We found plenty of beach chairs and shade at all times. Occasionally, someone would come down to take drink orders. It usually took a while before the drinks came, but they always made it. The drinks are lowered from the bar to the beach on a pulley with a tray, so the beach staff doesn't have to climb the steep stairs when they order drinks. The beach fronts the house lagoon and reef. Note that the entry, while not steep, is littered with rocks and coral. You should be wearing beach shoes or you will have a tough time getting in and out.
There is very good snorkeling and diving on the reef that surrounds the lagoon. Our snorkelers saw squid, balloonfish, eels, spotted drums, parrotfish, and a variety of other tropical fish right around the lagoon reef. Snorkelers can go out on the dive boats, but the $20 charge is steep. The pool is a lovely place to spend some "off" time. It's small, but does have a swim up bar, (they give you popcorn with your drinks), and is surrounded by flowers. I found the hot tub to be plenty warm, but that wasn't my highest priority on this trip.
The diving from Sunset Waters on-site dive op was very good. The Divemasters are all very friendly and seem to know the various dive sites very well. During our stay, I did 13 dives and dove with Lynne, Kurt, Steve, Kevin, and Carlos. All were attentive and offered as much help with your gear as you wanted. The boats we used were all roomy, clean, and comfortable. All had O2 and radios, and provided rinse tanks for camera equipment. The largest group we ever had on a boat was 12 divers, the fewest was 6 divers. Gear storage is in a rather cramped cage with hangars for wetsuits. Everything else is stored in plastic baskets.
Aside from diving the house reef off the beach, we visited Pelican Bay, Mikes Place, Radio City, Long Island, Harrys Hole, Porto Marie, College Reef, Blue room, Black Coral Forest, Lost Anchor, and Curacaos signature dive, Mushroom Forest.
Most boat rides were fairly short, being less than 20 minutes from the resort. Fish life was prolific at most sites, and we were treated to several seahorses, scorpionfish, octopus, lobsters, and the usual array of tropical denizens. The reefs were generally very healthy with only minimal bleaching seen at the sites we visited. Mushroom Forest is a must do dive, with impressive coral formations towering over the sea floor. I also enjoyed our surface interval at the Blue Room. Underwater, this site is a more sedate version of Mushroom Forest, but it does feature a cave that is cut into the side of a hill. During our interval, we all snorkeled over to the cave entrance, did a short surface dive and wound up in a beautiful cavern. The water is crystal clear and glows a bright blue, illuminated by the outside light which filters in.
I dove Nitrox the entire time I was there, and all fills came in at about 33%. Standard protocols were followed, with individual testing and logging being done before each dive. Water temperatures were surprisingly consistent during our stay. The lowest I saw was 79 degrees, and the highest was 80 degrees. This was warmer than I had expected. Visibility ranged from 60 feet to as much as 90 feet. Currents were generally mild, although we did hit some fairly heavy current at Mikes Place. That current came on very quickly and put us in a position of having to make a long underwater swim back to the boat against the current. One diver ran out of air and was taken to the surface by our DM, Lynne. We all wound up having to surface quite a distance from the boat, but the boat driver was looking for us, spotted us, and came around to pick us up.
That was when I found out that my Dive Alert horn didnt work. I warned all the other divers to put their heads under water or cover their ears, but all I managed to get out of it was an embarrassing little squeak. After I got home, Dive Alert did replace the unit at no charge.
Overall, the diving here was very impressive. I had been to Curacao years ago and dove with a horrible dive op, thankfully no longer in business. The dive sites we dove were forgettable, and they never went to Mushroom Forest. This trip more than made up for that poor experience. The reefs were healthy and vibrant, the fish life abundant, and the dive op very professional. I've been to Bonaire several times over the years, and I really think, on this trip anyway, the best sites on Curacao were as good as most of the dive sites on Bonaire. That, plus the great location of Sunset Waters relative to the best sites, made for a truly relaxing and enjoyable stay.
We did a day trip into Willemstaad and had a pleasant 35 minute ride in the resort van. The town has lots of shopping and dining, but one day was enough for me. The "girls" did a couple of trips into town... they loved the shopping.
Jim and Gaynor Hunter were fantastic hosts. Jim was there constantly checking on anything you might want. This is such an easy place to settle in to. We all commented that we felt perfectly at home here after the first day... something we don't often experience. Everyone felt like they were part of the resort family. No, it's not a five star resort. It's just a plain and simple Caribbean beach resort that caters to divers, snorkelers, and those who just want to relax and lay in the sun. If you love high rise resorts, casinos, and enjoy getting dressed up for dinner, this is probably not the place for you. For the rest of us...it's wonderful!
