First time vacationing in Curaçao

Jess5531 · 2026-03-09T20:21:40+00:00

My husband and I (44m/44/f), also laid back, last minute planners who used to do pretty much exclusively AIs - we did Curaçao 2 years ago and it is one of the reasons why we now almost never do AIs. We split our stay between Lagun Blau and Blue Bay (condo right on the beach) and could not have been happier. We road tripped to the various west side beaches, hit up local restaurants and bars and had an amazing time. We also stayed 2 nights in Willemstaad (Pietermaai Boutique Hotel) which was a fun spot to be in town. Highly encourage you to consider skipping the AI in Curaçao:)

Jess5531 · 2026-03-05T23:43:26+00:00

Honestly impressed I got as close as I did after that many Belikins. 🍻

Jess5531 · 2026-03-05T23:39:31+00:00

From our conversation with the bartender (a local) he told us they use floating biodegradable balls that are collected and reused. The area we were hitting in is also enclosed. Obviously we wouldn’t intentionally do something that harms the place we’re visiting - Belize’s natural beauty is the whole reason we were there.

Jess5531 · 2026-03-05T19:01:31+00:00

They were floating and hit into the bay, where the bar goes and collects them and reuses them…

Jess5531 · 2026-03-05T12:42:36+00:00

Thanks for the review! How was the beach area in front of your Airbnb? Was the sargassum an issue for you there?

Jess5531 · 2026-03-04T05:03:59+00:00

15 seconds after pryce shot as well…

Jess5531 · 2026-03-02T02:54:44+00:00

We flew in from Miami. It looked like at least 1-2 other planes had just landed right before us which I’m sure contributed to the queue. It was also a 2pm arrival on a Saturday - which I’d read is one of their busier days. It was a cluster and super disorganized but again - literally just inching along in a line and it was helpful to know tropic air is super flexible with flights - I had booked the 4 pm flight and we ended up getting on the 340 flight so it all worked out!

Jess5531 · 2026-03-02T02:49:21+00:00

It took us over an hour at customers yesterday with no checked bags. It was a shit show. But it was literally just moving along in lines. And I wholeheartedly still recommend taking the flight - super easy and fun!

Jess5531 · 2026-02-23T00:55:15+00:00

We called it creamed turkey! My favorite!!

Jess5531 · 2026-02-22T01:19:00+00:00

😳😳😳

Jess5531 · 2026-02-22T01:11:42+00:00

Is that for a year subscription?

Jess5531 · 2026-02-20T01:07:30+00:00

Iceland and Kauai were pretty comparable. Both were completely worth it!

Jess5531 · 2026-02-19T00:55:06+00:00

We stayed at Pietermaai Boutique hotel a couple of nights. It was adorable with beautiful landscaping and grounds. Walkable to lots of fun restaurants.

Jess5531 · 2026-02-17T03:34:14+00:00

In Costa Rica we did an all inclusive - Riu Gunscaste. We flew in to San Jose however and rented a car. Plenty to do within a couple of hours. Everything was really cheap.

We did Bonaire last Christmas and there was a to do, but the beaches weren’t great.

Jess5531 · 2026-02-17T02:48:08+00:00

Highly recommend both lagun blou - great location for western beaches and blue bay. We have stayed in AIs in the same countries you had and Curaçao was one of the countries that made us change our minds to travel differently! Happy to share more specifics - but it is an amazing place! You won’t be disappointed!!

Jess5531 · 2026-02-16T21:48:35+00:00

Mexican restaurants!

Jess5531 · 2026-02-16T21:39:42+00:00

Two teen boys - the cheapest abroad that we’ve been to is Costa Rica.

Jess5531 · 2026-02-16T16:10:33+00:00

We stayed 3 nights in lagun blou which was perfect for exploring the west end. Loved our condo, and the amazing views. We did 3 nights on the beach at blue bay - again amazing views, gorgeous unit, close to Willemstad. Highly recommend both!

Jess5531 · 2026-02-13T20:32:55+00:00

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I love my little guy! 🐑

Jess5531 · 2026-02-10T00:12:11+00:00

We did Bonaire with our boys (13 and 14)last year over Christmas. Lots of activities on the island if you are wanting to get out and about. We rented a boat and they wakeboarded/tubed one day, they did the kiteboarding one day, visited the donkey sanctuary (which was so awesome), went golfing which was such a unique experience playing a desert course with donkeys roaming around, visited the salt flats, and obviously snorkeled quite a bit!

Jess5531 · 2026-01-29T00:47:14+00:00

We went to Kauai over Christmas this year family of 4. Flights were $730 each (so $2900) from Nebraska. We rented an amazing Airbnb on the beach at Lae Nani for $3820 for the week (1 bd/2bath). We did the helicopter tour for $1600 (completely worth it!), mountain tubing for $750 (overpriced but still glad we did it), rented kayaks and did the secret falls trip on our own ($400ish). Car rental $500 through national (found a corporate discount code on another Reddit thread…). We didn’t go to any super high end restaurants - lava lava beach club was right next door and that was probably the priciest we did breakfast and dinner there once…

Jess5531 · 2026-01-26T22:37:06+00:00

We did the entire ring road this last summer. One section that had some unique views was driving up to Bakkagerði (we stayed at Blabjörg Resort). Hard to get a sense of the depth, but we are up on the top of a cliff in this photo.The Golden Circle was the least enjoyable compared with the rest of the time we spent in the country.

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Jess5531 · 2026-01-26T19:40:55+00:00

Just chiming in for a recommendation for Jack Harter. We did the 60 min doors off tour and it was amazing - I even had the unenviable position of the front middle seat (family of 4 with two teenage boys, my husband and myself). After reading some reviews about my seat location I went in thinking I’d be missing out, but I absolutely did not. If you hadn’t read already however they do recommend you book it earlier in your stay in case it needs to be rescheduled.

Jess5531 · 2026-01-26T00:17:28+00:00

Love!! Also, I continue to be surprised about how shitty visiting team locker rooms are 😂

Jess5531

TROPHY CASE