Out of this world snorkelling!

My husband, two kids (13 and 11) were at Sunscape from December 27, 2015 to January 3, 2016. Our goal was to relax at a great beach with extraordinary snorkelling. Mission accomplished! The snorkelling right outside our room was superb! The beach and snorkelling are definitely 5 stars in our books. The reason for our overall rating of 3 stars is the food. There was not much of a variety and it wasn't great. Not a big deal and we still had a great time. Our room (8117) was on the main floor of  [... read more]the Flamingo building (west end of the property). Initially, we were kind of disappointed as we did not have too great of a view and as other reviewers have pointed out, our room had a musty smell. Before long, this didn't even matter as we spent every waking minute outside enjoying that gorgeous beach! It turned out to be great not to have to haul our luggage/gear up one or two flights of stairs. Our room was definitely spacious enough for our family of four. While we didn't really participate in organized activities as we preferred to do our own thing (snorkelling!) the entertainment team seemed to be doing a great job. While the food was nothing to write home about, it was great to just show up for dinner and not worry about keeping a schedule. We took a half day excursion to visit other snorkelling sites (Porto Mari, Cas Abao and Big Kenepa). While the beaches were beautiful and it was fun to tour around, the snorkelling was not as good as right outside our bedroom door at Sunscape. We also went to the Dolphinarium which was approximately a 15 minute walk east of the resort. This was worthwhile and only took up approximately 2-3 hours. We did not partake in the pricey swimming with the dolphins experience but did take in a few interactive shows. The highlight was feeding the nurse sharks. Very cool! Rather than walking back to the resort on the main road, we opted to follow the shore. This took us back via Mambo Beach which was quite scenic. Our final excursion was a trip to Klein Curaçao aboard the Miss Ann (Miss Ann Boat Trips). We were picked up at Sunscape and travelled by bus 45 minutes to the boat. The actual boat ride took an hour and a half. If you are prone to motion sickness this excursion is NOT for you. There were lots of pukers on board. We had taken Gravol prior to the voyage and were quite grateful for that. (The return voyage was with the current therefore much smoother). While the snorkelling at Klein Curaçao was not great, we did sea a sea turtles which made the treacherous expedition totally worth it. We also enjoyed seeing all the cool geckos and crabs. We were all very pleasantly surprised by the two delicious shore lunches provided. I cannot even describe the amazing fireworks on New Years Eve. Awesome! All in all, our experience in Curaçao was a positive one. Our goal was to get in plenty of snorkelling and we definitely gave our fins and snorkels (and our new GoPro) a good run. Since we had read about the one hour daily limit on the free snorkel equipment, we had "invested" in our own gear prior to the trip. Best. Decision. Ever. One more thing to mention is to not expect much in the way of vegetation (read zero lush landscaping) however we thought the cacti and iguana were neat.

Amazing resort

check in - very quick and efficient activities - activation staff are too mellow need to be more engaged and up beat food - amazing best food that we have had at an all inclusive location- excellent close to willemstad free shuttle to town or the public bus for 1-2 dollars this resort is a very clean resort , however it is also a very mellow resort they play piano music widespread drinks are very good quality with ^premium brands over all our trip here was awesome , beatiful sunsets off the ocea [... read more]n , beautiful weather and very friendly staff , Norma at the Oceana bar was awesome

Great value for the money - relaxing vacation!

My husband and I went to this resort with two other couples from Jan. 10-17, 2016. It was a very relaxing yet fun vacation. One great thing about this resort - NO WRISTBANDS! Was that ever a nice change. They had security on site asking people to give room numbers if they didn't recognize you. Free Wi-fi in lobby. Good sized Casino if you're into that. Food: really good at the a la cartes but slightly repetitive at the buffet, but all in all you can still find something to eat. We are not that  [... read more]fussy, and never went hungry. We ate off the resort one night, and be prepared for Canadian restaurant prices. Food is good and very safe off the resort. There are also chain restaurants in Curacao (ie. McDonald's, Subway, KFC). The water on the island is safe to drink. Beach/Pools: The beach is very nice with a break wall to calm the tides coming in and makes snorkelling/swimming easier. When getting into certain areas of the beach, beware of coral at the beginning, but you can walk around this. Once in, it's beautiful! The snorkelling is amazing and is the best we've done from any resort we've visited. We could even feed the fish right out of our hands! The pools and areas around them are always kept clean. We had no issue at all. And although the resort was at full capacity, we could always get a beach/pool chair. Granted, we're early risers but during the day even saw empty chairs. Yes, people saved them, but this didn't bother us. We did the same. The beach is long enough for a nice walk. Getting towels was never an issue for us. Bars: They seem to rotate their bartenders often, so finding a favourite one to tip exclusively was a bit hard. Most were friendly, but not over the top. We found the female ones to not know the drinks as well as the male bartenders, but just tell them what you want, and they'll gladly make it for you. The only issue we might have had, which isn't a big one, is that down at the swim-up bar part, they don't serve you as often as most resorts we've been to. The drinks are good, and have "drink of the day" everyday. They serve a lot of premium alcohol such as Crown Royal, Bailey's and Jack Daniels. Amstel is the main beer there, but run out often because we found the local beer they served not as nice (called diNos). Service: We never really wanted for anything; if we asked we got it. Most staff were extremely courteous, happy, and genuine. Just treat them like a human being and you will get the same in return. Be a good guest, you'll get good treatment. We loved Yvonne and Raysa in the Coco Cafe, the coffee bar there. There were also some staff in the buffet restaurant, World Cafe, that were excellent. You will get a "Bon Dia" no matter where you go. Rooms: The rooms were always kept extremely clean and tidy, the beds were very comfortable, and very few, if any, bugs. Really, we were there to mainly sleep in the room, so not much time was spent there. There is a free in-room safe which worked for us just fine. We were in room #2218. There was a plumbing smell when we first got into the room and on a couple of days there, but just running the bathroom fan, a/c and flushing got rid of it. It wasn't bad enough, or even frequent enough, to bother getting another room. Again, we don't spend our time there, and this was NOT an issue for us. We tipped the maid daily with chocolates and US money. If you need anything, just write a note and we never had a problem with getting it. All in all, a wonderful, relaxing, fun vacation. We would come back in a heartbeat!! If we had any cons, here they are: Need more upbeat music after breakfast. They had parlour-type cover songs (ranging from BeeGees to current songs) playing over the speakers, which is fine, but even island type music would have been nice afterwards. Lobby bar is small (we walked by it two times not knowing it was there!), but it's a smaller resort so no biggy. The only problem we had for a la cartes was at the Italian restaurant-the wait time there was over 2 hours! They initially said 30-40 minutes, but they don't seem to service the tables as fast in order to have proper turnaround. Recommend: Either reserve the free shuttle into town (must be done a day ahead) or do like we did and just use the public bus. It's $2/person each way. Takes you straight into Willemstad. They run constantly, but just be sure you look which bus you're getting into to get back to your resort. We felt completely safe on and off the resort. Plenty of shopping, restaurants and things to see. Rent a car for a day or two and explore! We met a couple who did this and found a beautiful beach and restaurant to eat at. Wish we had done the same. From Sunscape, there's about a 5 minute walk to Mambo Beach where there's more boutique stores, restaurants and a really nice beach. You must pay to use the beach, but it's cheap. You're paying for the upkeep of the beach.

Fantastic resort!

We had a great experience at this resort as a family with 2 small children. The food was great, beautiful kid-friendly beach with hardly any waves. We enjoyed the variety of food and there was always something of please everyone. The entertainment team made sure that the guests were kept busy the entire time - virtually every hour there was an activity going on, plus a fabulous kids club. We are seriously considering coming back th this resort the next year. Curaçao is a beautiful island with v [... read more]ery friendly people, you will not be disappointed!

Relaxing pre-Christmas break

Low rise buildings make the resort feel more intimate and welcoming. Rooms were clean, spacious, and well maintained. Great multi-lingual staff. Good mix of guests from around the world. Dive shop on site, Ocean Encounters, is top-notch. A breakwater has created a calm 'lagoon' for swimming as the ocean is quite rough. Food at the specialty restaurants is good, though a line-up is unavoidable. However the hot dishes at the main restaurant buffet are sometimes cold so you have to watch what you c [... read more]hoose.

Wonderful as always

Great place to relax and snorkel. Nice island and great people. Mostly for water fun and swimming. Town is quaint and island tour well worth it to get a feel for outside the resort. Great weather and lots of fun.

A REAL HIDDEN GEM TO BE EXPLORED!!!!

An absolutely great resort! The Sunscape Curacao and Air Canada Vacations have the best check in ever.NO WAITING. You don't touch your baggage and wait in line at all. They drop you off in a convention room where hostesses treat you to drinks, hors doevres and a cool hand cloth.Your room key card, info and baggage tags are already there. You simply identify your luggage and the porters put the room number tag with it and deliver it. Best check in ever! Each of the restaurants on site by themselv [... read more]es can stand up to any restaurant in Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York or Vancouver. The food was excellent, well prepared and well presented. The resort is to be complimented on their culinary attributes. The large dining area which had the buffet was also great.We went to the St. James Club in Antigua last year and thought that their buffet was huge and delicious. I must admit that we were blown away by the buffet at the Sunscape. It was larger and had many more choices than you could imagine. Absolutely well done and delicious. The rooms were clean, the grounds were immaculate, the pool areas very nice.The beach was protected by a rock break which made snorkelling great.The staff was probably the best we have encountered on any trip so far. hey are friendly, helpful and always smiling. They had entertainment each night and even a small Carnival. My wife and I have travelled to numerous islands in the Caribbean. You should not overlook The Sunscape Curacao.You will be pleasantly surprised. And by the way, the Capital Willemstad is a must to visit!! An incredible experience and the best shopping in the Caribbean.Forget the larger islands and get to Curacao where smaller is better!!!

Beautiful... A must go

Best vacation ever.... Beautiful resort wonderful food.... I will definitely be going back ... Not one bad thing to say... Beautiful beach rooms were very nice staff was excellent as were the drinks.... Perfect weather everyday

Really Enjoyed

Customer service was amazing. No issues. Everyone friendly. First resort I have been to where members of management asked on a continual basis if all was good. Great for snorkelling. Room in Sunclub A+

Amazing Resort!!!! LOVED IT!!!!

Great food, incredible beach, beds are really comfortable. Rooms are clean. Staff is always happy and smiling. Loved everything about this place!!!! We stayed in the new part of the hotel it was great!

Beautiful resort grounds

The grounds for this resort were beautiful with multiple pools and the ocean a stones throw away. The food for the most part was good with Japanese, seafood, Italian and rib/steak house restaurants to choose from, as well as a cafe . We found the cafe food not as good as the other eateries. The rooms were not as well appointed. We were moved on the third day because our room was musty and damp - even the bedding. The first room was not nicely appointed (e.g., had scrape marks on the floor where  [... read more]the door gauged the tiled flooring). There was a dirty glass in the bathroom. The coffee machine had no coffee with it and only one cup. The second room was in a different building and seemed better. At least there was no musty odor. We found the rooms still basic. It took us three days to get a wash cloth which we held onto for the rest of the visit as the replacement of these towels seemed haphazard. For example one day we would have 5 bath towels and no hand towels or bath mats. Small details but showed a lack of attention to details. The people we dealt with on the resort seemed quite nice. There was nightly entertainment. Having said all this, we enjoyed our visit overall. The weather was great and we enjoyed the uniqueness of this country.

Nice resort

Room was clean and nice, beach was gorgeous, grounds and workers were nice, food was average, needed more of a variety for buffet, weather was hot and beautiful each day, great location from airport. Anna, Juliette, Christina were my favorite staff

Amazing Staff

This resort had a very accessible location, great food and amazing staff. Our luggage was delayed five days and everyone, including the manager was so helpful from resort vouchers to a couple of free shirts from the hotel. The snorkeling on the beach was perfect - better than some of our snorkel trips we have paid for at other islands. We can not say enough about the level of service we received.

Average Resort

Resort needs some updating, Rooms are average/we toilet back up everyday. Food was a three at best, la carte restaurants where not very good. No activities , poor service. No service at beach. Needs updating and better cleaning....

Lots of Fun

The daily activities were fun the entertainment team did a great job to accommodate us with football and pool volleyball. Dinner was good at most restaurants, we did not enjoy the Italian restaurant. All the beer except for the beers in the mini bar in the room were not enjoyable. All other drinks were good. Night time shows needed more seats to be able to sit and enjoy, after the show the guests all when back to their rooms not much nightlife unless you go off the resort.

A Good 1st stay with a few glitches.

The Good- The resort is very Safe and Clean and nicely laid out. In our room,the beds were fantastic, mini fridge topped up daily (beer/water/ and sodas), bathroom was great, (tub and Shower with rainfall head and hand spray ), modern and clean. We had a partial view of ocean and the resort/pools. The a la carte restaurants, had outstanding food and service, incredible meals, and was able to get in every night no problem 1st come 1st serve no reservations required, I can not stress how good the [... read more] meals we had were, both quality quantity and presentation, never once used salt or pepper. we ate at Oceana twice Bluewater Grill twice and Da Mario once, as well the café shop was good ( better coffee's and frozen caffeine drinks) The people were very friendly and did try hard to make everyone's stay the best as possible. The entertainment group were fantastic keeping everyone busy and entertained, they filled a canoe with ice and beer, while they brought a chef with a huge 3 foot wok style skillet and cooked a Paiyee on the Beach, walking through the how too, and ingredients, that was soo delicious, they had a Carnival parade that was free and loud with costumes and a marching percussion.... Awesome, daily games, nightly music, and gave away shirts, and bottles of liquor for participating. Beach always had chairs and easy to find nice natural palm tree shade, the water was fantastic for snorkeling,( great fish to observe) and floating, we did bring floating chairs to use as the rock break eliminates the waves making floating in the Ocean sooo enjoyable, and a nice way to soak up the sun with your favorite beverage, floating like a big pool. The Bad The Buffet on the other hand I really did not enjoy the breakfast on any day, the coffee was awful, the fruit was soft, or out (melons), the eggs were watery, it was the only meal as we did try dinner two nights and the dinner was ok, it was only the breakfast that was very unappealing. The A/C in our room was very weak, stayed on turned to 16 degrees and ran always and never even came close to 24 degrees, ( but to be fair it hit 37 degrees celcius out while we were there, it was extremely hot way above normal) We had an odd slight sewer smell walking into bathroom always. No iron or ironing board ( other couples did have our room did not). No blow dryer, called and one was brought, but no 110 plug in bathroom, had to use the plug in the room. Oddly 1st room ever to not have a alarm clock, no time unless you used TV. Had a few issues with our safe, required maintenance to come twice. Sliding Door fell off of track 1st 5 minutes we were there and sliced my big toe, turning it black and blue, the door was really hard to open as I pulled hard it came off, the hotel staff did come and have a look, at my foot, and apologised. I did not press for anything other than the door to be fixed so we could start our holidays, they reinstalled it back on the track and said it would be fixed the next day, four days later Maintenance did come and "fix " it, they screwed the door shut and asked to only use the other half.

Beatiful resort, but....

Resort has beatiful location, rooms are bit dated ( 7000, 8000 buildings). Beatiful beaches, perfect for snorcheling. This hotel has lousy entertaiment staff (not much going on all day long! There is no disco at night, so You' re better off at Mambo Beach, righr next to the resort.) The food at A La-Carte Restaurants is allright ( no reservations needed) Main Bufet is very repetitive. (Lousy service) We upgraded our room to VIP ( worth the money to my oppinion, room # 7222), beatifull panoramic  [... read more]ocean view. Bathroom dated with bad layout. The best bar service is definitely at VIP section ( 8000 building), thanks to perfect service of bartenders Rosio and Keneth ( well done gyus!) I would come back, but only with our kids ( very kids friendly) Travelled as a couple in mid August.

It was okay. .

The beach and locations was great !! However rooms were pretty run down , food was mediocre and drinks all tasted the same. The staff sat around talking alot instead of serving and when serving the were very slow !!

Good resort

This resort is nicely located a short bus ride from down town Willemstad. The bus ride is $1.50 while a cab ride is $15- and takes just as long. The rooms were large and clean although the cleaning during the week was not as thorough as we would have liked. The beach was small but safe and clean while the break wall makes for easy swimming and or snorkeling right in front of the hotel. The food was quite good especially at the a la carte's which do not accept reservations by the way. check in wa [... read more]s a breeze and no bracelets is nice except for being asked your room number multiple times. Mostly a good deal for the money

Very nice resort

The food and drinks are excellent. Plenty of variety. You can drink the water. The rooms are not very large but you can be right on the beach with a nice terrace. It is a windy area but with the heat and the humidity, it's a blessing ! We loved every bit of it and we will go back.