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[deepfnord]

From December of 2006 until September of 2007, I resided on the island of Curacao. While there are some neat things to do on Curacao, I would recommend that you avoid this wretched little island at all costs.

First, the good stuff. Curacao is known for having excellent diving. There are supposedly many interesting shipwrecks to be seen and the water is warm and calm, which always makes for a smoother experience. Curacao also has a lovely little vista known as the Handelskade, which is a group of colonial Dutch buildings along the waterfront in the Punda district that are very scenic and photogenic. The Pontjesbrug, or swinging pontoon bridge, is a nifty sight to see especially if it is illuminated at night. The Rif Fort in the Otrobanda district is newly renovated and looking nicer by the week, and also there is an ostrich farm on one end of the island that is cool to see.

Now, the bad stuff. The island as a whole is shabby, run down, and filthy. It's like one gigantic bad neighborhood. There is garbage in the streets. The buildings are crumbling. The people of the island are largely nice, but there are tons of junkies, beggars, thieves, and other miscreants who want nothing more than your money. There is open drug dealing: walking around downtown in broad daylight I was approached at least once daily by people selling marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or whatever. Should you encounter criminals, the island's law enforcement (the polis) are 100% useless: when my wife and I were robbed there, it took them more than three hours to show up and they were drunk. Repeated inquiries at the police station led to them telling us to go away and stop bothering them. The public services on the island are a joke. There is no scenery: the entire island is arid and brown.

On the whole, I found the island to be a huge waste. I would not recommend a trip there to anybody. It is dirty, poorly maintained, and generally unpleasant. The island authorities are incompetent and unpleasant to deal with. The businesspeople will screw you first chance they get. The relatively few attractions of Curacao are not worth the airfare and the cost of the hotel. Take my advice please: avoid this wretched island at all costs and spend your money somewhere more civilized. I hear Key West is nice.

[troispistoles]

Are you really sure it is that bad, or is it just because of a few bad experiences?

I went to Colombia, where everybody told me not to go, and I had such a good time. I couldn't believe all the bad stuff people are telling, when they know nothing about the place.

For sure every island in the Caribbeans have bad stuff, lazy policemen, ditrty places etc, you need to get use to that.

But is everybody really that bad so we shouldn't go there?

It is just a question... I met quite a few people from Curacao, they were all nice, but I cannot judge the place only because of them, as I have never been there.

Anyways, I went to Aruba, part of the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) and I kind of liked it very much, loads to do! So let's send people there instead of Curacao!

[mmbcross]

Regarding the drugs...it's Dutch. What do you expect!

All the rest could be a description of just about any island in the Caribbean, and most countries in the world for that matter, probably excepting the Cayman Islands, which are so rich with illegal bank accounts they have enough money in their coffers to clear up all the garbage.

I have been to Willemstad, and found it extremely clean, as was Oranjestad in Aruba. I also found the people extremely kind and accommodating.

If you stay where tourists congregate, you tend to experience much less objectionable sights and sounds. This is true of pretty much all the islands. Once off the tourist path, things often change drastically in regards maintenance, garbage, cleanliness and litter. If you require pristine conditions, stay in Europe or North America. Garbage and litter just don't seem so important when you are only earning a few dollars a day. No matter where you go in the so called "third" world, be it Mexico, China, Brazil, Thailand, India, wherever, you will find situations such as this.

Looks like you had a pretty miserable 10-month stay in Curaçao. I would say you have given the island a bum rap.

Indeed, Key West is very nice, clean and well organized, and it's in North America!

Oh, the businesspeople will also screw you first chance they get. I think that's pretty general worldwide. Buyers beware!

[starlagurl]

Ohhh interesting, I was thinking about going to Curacao once, but ended up in St. Martin/Saba/Anguilla instead... maybe I made a good choice.

BTW welcome to the forums deepfnord, where do you live now? I hope you are happier there.

[mmbcross]

Louise...you did indeed make the best choice. I still think Curacao got a bum rap, but on the other hand, it's not nearly as scenic as St. Maarten and Saba. More like Anguilla, but without the beaches.

[starlagurl]

Ohhhhh, I didn't really like Anguilla, too many cars...

[mmbcross]

I thought there were no cars at all on Anguilla.

[starlagurl]

No, everybody has a car, it's kind of ridiculous.

[loolie]

I've visited all 3 islands, and keeping in mind that I was only at each for a day while on a cruise, I enjoyed all three. My favorite was Bonaire, hands down - talked to quite a few locals there, and they were all super nice and welcoming. Fantastic scenery around the island, too! I found Aruba to be a little too commercialized for my tastes, although we didn't get a chance to see much of the natural scenery there, which I regret. I've heard that Aruba is quite nice, too.

In Curacao, we mainly walked around and went shopping and we enjoyed our time there. It's too bad that you had some bad experiences there - although you would have a different experience since you've actually lived there. Thank you for posting this though! It is good to get multiple points of views about the islands.