Hyatt Regency Curacao Golf Resort, Spa & Marina Reviews

Last week I was at the Hyatt on Curacao for four nights. The primary purpose of my trip was to go scuba diving, although I was also interested in visiting Willemstead and spending some time in the downtown area. Specifically, I wanted to see the floating market, the architecture, local shops and restaurants, and the pontoon bridge. While the Hyatt resort is a first-class property offering great views of the Caribbean and a staff that is extremely friendly and attentive, I was disappointed when I learned how far away from downtown we were. The cab ride downtown cost $35 one way, and there is nothing (in terms of shops or restaurants) within walking distance of the Hyatt. Granted, the Hyatt has three restaurants on site and a few shops, but I can buy Izod shirts and a Rolex without leaving my living room. I felt like a captive on their property. The Santa Barbara Plantation, which is where the Hyatt is located, has apparently not experienced a lot of development by hotels and restaurants. In terms of service, the staff is friendly and eager to help, yet they were sometimes not forthcoming with information. On the day before we were scheduled to depart, an employee at the towel hut showed us a map of the property - something that, in my opinion, should have been handed to us when we arrived, or posted in every room. That is also when we were given the resort's schedule of daily activities. It would have been nice to have had access to these things from the very beginning. When we went to the concierge desk to inquire about tours and activites off the Hyatt property, we talked to the concierge for about 20 minutes before she pulled out a binder which contained tour information. This is something that should be more accessible to visitors, not something that is hidden in the drawer of the concierge's desk. Make sure you ask for it, even though you shouldn't have to. On our last day, we spent a few hours at the swimming pools - which are VERY average - not at all what I expected at a luxury resort like this - and when the waiter from the Swim Bar came by to take our food and drink order, I asked for plantain chips. It was late in the morning, and the bar had just opened. He told us they were out of plantain chips. I then ordered chips and guacamole. They were out of guacamole. I certainly didn't expect this, especially given that it was the beginning of the day. I would understand running out of something if they'd been serving it all day, but that was not the case. Despite the expense of the property, it looked like the Hyatt cut corners in some areas. One night I was showering when the shower curtain rod - a cheap rod that is secured to the walls by tension, just like the flimsy thing I have in my house - fell on my head. Although there are three restaurants on the property, they only carry chocolate muffins for breakfast. Sometimes it seemed like there were not many options, in spite of the grandeur of the place. And if it's a bagel you want for breakfast, you won't find it here. Overall, our trip to Curacao was a lot of fun. I was impressed with the wheelchair access in Willemstead, people were friendly and willing to lift me into and out of their taxis (all of which seemed to be vans, not passenger cars), and SCUBA diving with the staff at Ocean Encounters was a great experience. I would go back to Curacao, but I would not stay at the Hyatt again. The room rates that are posted in their literature show resort-view rooms for $600+ per night. I found a special on cheapcaribbean.com and got my whole trip for that much! I would also rethink the time of year that I go because many of the shops and restaurants were closed at 6:00 p.m., and they were also closed on Sunday. Apparently this is different when the cruise ships are in port.

The resort itself is very beautiful and our room was gorgeous. We had a Premier Water View and it was truly luxurious. The hotel staff was very nice and helpful (except for one but I will get to that later) and our room was always clean when we returned. It was fairly quiet when we stayed at the resort, which meant there were no crowds at the restaurants, bars, pool or beach. The beach was a nice little place to pass a lazy day, even if the water wasn't as clear as I thought it would be. It was nice to have food and drink service available on the beach itself as well. The restaurants had good food, but it was (as is to be expected at hotels) a tad on the expensive side. This wouldn't have been an issue had the hotel been closer to other restaurant options. However, the resort is a good 30 minute drive from the town itself and the hotel does not offer a shuttle service to get there. Instead, you have to pay for a taxi (which can easily run $100 round trip) or rent a car and figure out how to get places yourself (not my idea of a relaxing vacation). Also, we found that if it rained (which it did on 2 of the days we were there), taxi drivers were reluctant to come up to the hotel (not sure why). We tried to book an excursion or two through the hotel's tour desk. But the lady who was at the desk was no help at all. She was nice but she didn't know any of the tours listed in the tour book and couldn't answer simple questions (like what time the tour departed or if transportation back to the hotel was included in the price). When we asked about one tour, she spent 20 minutes trying to find it on her computer (even though I could clearly see it on the monitor, she couldn't) and then said it was fully booked. Well, we went back to the hotel room, called the tour company directly and found out not only was it NOT fully booked, it was cheaper than the price she was quoting us. And while the concierge was nice and tried to be helpful, if you asked at all about local tours, she directed you to the tour desk and refused to provide any other assistance. While the resort itself is beautiful, I would only recommend it if: 1. You like driving around unfamiliar places on your own on vacation. 2. You have already booked excursions before getting to the hotel. 3. The hotel wises up and offers a regular shuttle service into town.

I definately chose the right hotel for my honeymoon! The hotel is beautiful with great rooms, great pool and a very lovely private beach. It is also right next to ocean encounters where my wife and I took an amazing half day snorkle trip with lunch and all the booze you want. The hotel is secluded and tucked away in the southweastern part of the island on the Santa Barbara platation. The seclusion is actually very nice, but I would recommend getting a car if you want to drive into Willemstad/take a tour of the island/or drive to the public beaches on the northwest side of the island. There are other options for getting into town, but the car really gives you much more freedom to explore on your own time. The directions to the hotel from the airport are funny at first but driving in on the island is very easy. The food at the hotel was consistently good at all three restaurants, although the hotel tab does add up [it is hotel priced and gets expensive]. If you are a big wine drinker and dont want to pay $10 a glass, there is a great wine store halfway to town which is crazy cheap, very nice and offers excellent wines. The hotel room comes with a fridge and that helped us save a little bit on drinks. Definately recommend this hotel. What an amazing deal for such a nice resort.

This has to be one of the best experiences that my wife and I have had in a long time. The Staff was very attentive and out going. From the spotless room to the pool and Shor resturant, the place was more than we expected. The Hotel was beautiful but the staff whom we encountered were high caliber and well informed. The staff was well chosen and the service showed. We will definitely return to not only the island but this great hotel. It was truely a 5 star experience! We highly recommend this property. Pat n Marge

This was a beautiful property. It was built in April 2010 so everything was new and beautiful. Staff was fantastic, could not do enough for you. Food in both restaurants was very good, and had a fantastic breakfast buffet. Served us a drink with Blue Curacao when we arrived which was quite refreshing and added to the opinion of the impeccable staff. Although the beach had beautiful white sand it was built right next to the marina so the water was not as clear or pretty as the rest of the island. Thus we decided to rent a car and each day explore other fantastic beaches on the island. You really need a car on this island. Everything, including this hotel, is quite isolated. Property could use a casino so there is something to do at night besides eating, although they had the most amazing gelati shop!