Great golf resort 4.5 stars

We stayed January 11-18, 2015. The golf course is in great condition and we were told it is the best course on the island. The rooms are very clean, comfortable and tastefully decorated. The beach is small but nice and family-friendly. Beach chairs were always available. The pool area is nice however they do not have a separate adults-only pool. On the weekends they have an influx of patron patrons from South America.. The number of children at the pool increased on the weekend and they seem to  [... read more]take over one of the two pools. They do not have a swim-up pool bar and the service at Splash the pool-side restaurant waa little slow. The staff are friendly and accommodating however the increased weekend traffic seem to slow things down quite a bit. The resort also regularly hosts company conventions which can impede the level of service provided. The marina restaurant was very nice and the staff were very friendly. We did not rate the resort five stars because of the slower service on the weekend and due to the company conventions. We also had issues at check-out which were eventually cleared up. They tried to charge us for our rounds of golf even though they were included in our package. We had to contact our Sunwing rep to get it resolved. FYI the beverage cart on the golf course is included because it is supplied by the resort but the there is miscommunication among the staff so you should check your bill. We rented a car and drove around the island. The nicest place to go is downtown Williemstaad. We would go back to this resort.

Great Place - Loved It!

We really enjoyed our stay at this beautiful resort. The grounds were gorgeous - so many beautiful palm trees - and very well maintained. Staff were very friendly and helpful. We spent most of our time at the beach, there are always plenty of beach chairs and there is a small beach hut to get drinks and bbq hamburgers, hotdogs, and delicious chicken or beef kabobs. If you want more variety the pool restaurant is nearby. At first I was a bit disappointed with the beach since you can only swim ou [... read more]t so far and then get cut off by a long pier. But I ended up loving it since it had a nice sandy bottom (which I found out from other people I met is not the case at some of the other hotels) was great for swimming and snorkeling and had a nice gradual slope from shallow to well over your head if you want to go that deep. The pool area was also very well appointed with never any shortage of chairs nor beach towels. And the Splash restaurant nearby for food and drinks. We had the all-inclusive pkg which you have to understand is a relatively new concept for this hotel since it is primarily an EP resort. So don't expect it to be like an all-inclusive in Mexico for example. Having said that, we were not at all disappointed, it was just different and going to the SunWing briefing made it easier for us to understand what was included and what wasn't so there were no surprises. All in all, we loved this island for its authenticity, its people and culture, and we absolutely loved this resort - would definitely return!

Can't wait to go back!

This hotel exceeded our expectations for an all-inclusive resort. We travelled with two small children (2.5 and 4.5 years old) and stayed in a partial waterview room (West Wing, nearest the beach). The positives: - The exceptional service and sincerity of the staff. As they say, they were "Dushi!" Everyone we met seemed genuinely happy to work at the resort and to interact with guests. Even us, with our family chaos, felt welcome at even the most formal restaurant (Shore). The hotel is truly a  [... read more]family-friendly resort. - The private and protected beach was extremely calm and we felt very safe with small children - The tap water is drinkable - The kids club was a nice option - The tastefully appointed decor and well-maintained gardens - Hot weather (30C) every day (early January) - The food was good. Medi (the main restaurant) provided healthy options at all meals and the food always seemed fresh and generally well-prepared - The international flare of the guests from around the world (we met mainly Canadians, South Americans, and Europeans) lent a cosmopolitan vibe to the resort Room for improvement: - Lidded plastic cups with straws for children - Foot-level taps to rinse off sand around the beach entrances in the West Wing would help control the amount of sand tracking into the hotel suites - Slightly warmer pool temperature would have been nice - A playground for children would have been a nice touch on the grounds

Incredible Stay at Santa Barbara

My fiancé and I stayed at Santa Barbara during the week of New Year’s Eve & had a fantastic & fun filled experience, we regret not booking for 2 weeks. For the past 5 years we travel to the Caribbean for NYE/Christmas and Curacao has hands down been the best vacation spot, with the weather being the #1 highlight. The Santa Barbara resort is a beautifully situated on an old plantation, it is very isolated and about 30 minutes to Willemstad or 20 to Jan Thiel, that being said if you need to be  [... read more]able to leave the resort for excitement, either get a car or stay closer to the city. We rented a car which gave us the freedom to tour around the island, there is a lot to do, but everything is pretty spread out. Resort: The scenery at Santa Barbara could not be more beautiful, you’re in the middle of a lush but rocky desert situated on pristine blue waters. The resort is well maintained and very modern. There are 2 pools and then a long strip of beach. The beach is in front of a blocked off waterway in a bay, so when sitting on the beach you see a wall where boats go by on the other side and then a large rock mountain on the other side. The resort is fairly large end to end and all you need is centrally located with the exception of Shore Restaurant & Golf on the East side and Ocean Encounters on the West, that being said stay on the East side if you plan to golf & on the West if you plan to dive. The resort has perfect Wi-Fi, but you pay quite a bit for it. The customer service in all areas of the resort was top notch, we received the best experience from Sugheeny who manages reservations and Medi as well as Missy at the pool, we never went hungry or thirsty during the days at the pool! We also had several run-ins with the Director of Food & Beverage – Rob, I believe it was, he was a very pleasant man who you could tell had extensive experience in the industry. He does a phenomenal job with the food and beverages, everything was outstanding! Another thing I liked about this island/resort is that you can tell people were living well & well educated - we never felt a culture barrier and no one bothered us for a tip, although we still did tip. In terms of the room, we upgraded to the premier ocean view and the view was spectacular. The cleaning service did not come until later in the day, but this wasn’t a problem since we were never there. Plus, there were no bugs anywhere, not even outdoors. Food: The food was absolutely delicious and very easily accessible all hours of the day. We had the all-inclusive package and it included everything except Jun’s Sushi & Bella Italia, which is an Italian style café with Gelato (It seemed like we received ~30% off at these locations because the bill was always less than expected). The buffet, Medi, was excellent for all meals and changed daily for dinner. In addition to the buffet, you are able to have lunch at the pool at Splash (fish tacos are amazing!) or you can go to Pincho’s on the beach. For dinner you also have the option to dine at Shore which is on the East side – this restaurant was incredible! Everything from the food to the service to the atmosphere was impeccable! Try to go for the sunset – such a beautiful view Activities/Entertainment: Each night there is something different playing at Medi, also the resort puts on a beach party once a week with dinner and entertainment. For NYE they went all out and they put on a fantastic pool party with a live band, food/drinks & fireworks – it was a lot of fun! During the day they had music at the pool once for the week and you also have the option for golf, tennis and scuba/snorkeling. They do not have a busy bar or nightclub scene, so you would have to leave the resort if you are looking for night life. Also, there is a fee for tennis and if it’s a windy day, I recommend not wasting your money. Overall our experience at Santa Barbara was our favorite thus far, it was a luxurious vacation with the best weather we have ever had on an island this time of year. I would mostly recommend this for a family vacation as we saw a lot large families and kids around. There weren't any other couples around that were our age (high 20's) but this wasn't an issue for us, we didn't feel annoyed being around all families and kids. We will return 100%, probably even NYE 2016!

Great resort

Nice beach for kids and/or seniors, big pool, pretty grounds, nice and clean room... The food was above average for an all-includsive and customer service was wonderful--they even accommodated our gluten-free needs, including a special-order gluten-free birthday cake.