Very relaxing, enjoyable week at the Royal Resort Sea Aquarium

Could not have asked for a more relaxing, laid-back, week's worth of turquoise water, sunbathing and breathtaking sunsets! The Sea Aquarium is perfect for families - young with kids and still aptly ideal for couples! The staff, the surroundings, location in relation to Willemstad, the beach, and the Ocean Encounters (two minutes walking distance) scuba diving accommodations were superior! Within walking distance to several eateries and nightlife, if you choose to do so! From the front door of the villa, one sees the ocean waves gently crashing in against the man-made rock wall, and out the back door is a stunning view of the beach and inlet. Next door to the resort is the Sea Aquarium...what an informational exhibit, show and viewing of the tropical marine life! Sea lions, sea turtles, nurse and lemon sharks, dolphins and many different tropical fish are viewed here!

The Real Deal

Seeing Ken's review, I had to respond. If you come to the island to get the export version of US (like in Cayman or Aruba), then you wil probably be as disappointed as Ken. If you come expecting to experience a unique Caribbean culture, you won't be disappointed.

Royal Resorts is not a hotel, do not expect full hotel amenities. The Blue Ocean restaurant provides good food at a reasonable price. The fixed menu is breakfast and lunch/dinner only, but there are evening specials that are quite good if not gourmet. You can get a better dinner by walking across the bridge to Nemo's at the Lion's Dive Hotel (a relaxed 5 minute stroll). Numerous stellar restaurants around the city if you look, but not so many within walking distance. Kon-Tiki is good, but unfortunately Friday's has closed.

Downtown has t-shirt shops, but also the oldest synagogue in w. hemisphere, and numerous museums. The buildings are original colonail architecture, not re-creations (as in Aruba).

Don't come to Curacao to go to casinos or look for an amusement park. Diving/snorkelling is the primary attraction, but not the only one if you're an imaginative person. Be a visitor, not a tourist!

Excellent Resort

Stayed at the Sea Aquarium in April. There were only two of us and we had a two bedroom apartment which was miles to big for us. The apartment was excellent with maids coming in every day and cleaning the room. The staff at the resort were extremely helpful and went out of their way to make our stay good. You do really need a car if you stay here, although there are several good restaurants within walking distance, you are quite a way from the shops and the main town. The restaurant on the resort is more like a snack bar and is not ideal for evening meals as they have a very limited menu. The beach is lovely and the pool was very quiet with plenty of sun beds if you like catching some rays. When you walk in and out of the resort you have to pass the sea lions pool and you can see the dolphins in the aquarium depending where your room is. You also get a free pass to the Aquarium as part of your stay. The Ocean Encounters Dive Company was excellent and their rates are very good. If you like a relaxing time in a quiet resort with good rooms and facilities, this is an excellent place to stay.

Greatttt place!!!!!

The Staff, Grounds, Restaurants and Sea Aquirium encounters are terrific. The hotel is new with a very friendly, willing to please staff. I was there with my wife, two children and brother and sister inlaw. The purpose of our trip was to experience the Dalphins and do some scuba diving. Once again the staff is top notch. The rooms are not plush but considering our room was approximately 25ft from the ocean we felt the view and feeling was outstanding. We will return!

This place is not recommended

The place is not that nice for the price. Its very generic, and has that man made feel, in fact the island, beach, and surrounding area is all man made. The beach is not very nice and the beach clubs across the way are no better. Also they try to scam you into purchasing a timeshare there. We spent a whole day being pressured by a high pressure sales person using high pressure sales techniques....doesn't that make for a relaxing vacation....I think not. Oh ya, if you go to Curacao there are nicer places to stay. Consider the Avila Beach, it has way more character and is closer to the beautiful city of Punda.

The Avila also has waterfront accomodations, with a beautiful beach for snorkelling....tons of fish, and great restaurants and entertainment...

Definitely avoid the Sea Aquarium Resort.

GREATTTTTTTTT

My friends and I spent 7 wonderful days at the resort and was very pleased with the attitude and friendliness of the staff. Yes, there were ant problems but the staff accommodated us with spray which eventually solved the problem. Its a island for diving and relaxation, along with duty-free shopping which we gladly ventured into. I have returned home and have recommeded the experience and resort to all who listens to my adventure. Thanks for a lasting impression...

Comfortable, inviting, relaxing

We stayed at the Sea Aquarium Resort during our visit August 26-31/03. We had originally booked a deluxe room, but decided to upgrade to a suite once we arrived. The rooms are attractive enough for a week's stay, but small. The suites are spacious, well appointed, clean and ours overlooked the pools (3) and the ocean with a view of Willemstad in the distance. Staff were extremely friendly and responsive. We reported a leak in the kitchen ceiling (from the a/c) and the front-desk person responded and fixed the leak herself within a matter of minutes.

There is not much to do in the immediate vicinity of the resort. We are not keen on laying on the beach or snorkelling, but found the atmosphere very conducive to simply relaxing either on the huge balcony to our suite, the Blue Resort Restaurant on the premises, or at any of the nearby beach bars. Our favorite was the Kon Tiki, with its quaint individual little thatched huts, and Rumors. We also had dinner at Fridays. Prices were reasonable and they are all within walking distance.

We rode the minibus into Willemstad and strolled around the tight, narrow streets of Punda before crossing the pontoon bridge to Otrabanda. We found the streets and alleyways of Otrabanda less inviting than those in Punda, but thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Kura Hulanda Museum (this entire complex can only be described as a rose among the thorns of a congested, noisy city!).

Normally our vacations are hectic; we try to visit as many historic and cultural sites as we can. This time we decided to simply relax. The Sea Aquarium Resort proved to be an excellent place to do just that.

Think Twice!!!

We spent 8 days in the Sea Aquarium Resort. The resort was nice and very well kept. We did have a problem with alot of ants in the kitchen several times but the resort responded very quickly and provided a can of ant killer to get rid of them. Rooms were very clean otherwise and the view of the sea was excellent! Beds were fine and you couldn't ask for better service from the staff. Restaurant left something to be desired. They only had a breakfast and lunch menu. The breakfast menu advertised a buffet but we had to get the lady at the front desk to go down to the restaurant with us to get it. From the little I could understand of the discussion...they did not have enough guest to put out a buffet because too much food was being wasted. So... they gave us what we wanted at the buffet price. (These are vacation condo's and they do try to sell you a week or two for a return visit. We did NOT even get asked to buy though because my children advised them the first day that we had stayed at their resort in Cancun Mexico several time in the past and I guess they figured that if we didn't but the time share there we wouldn't buy here either but we did see MANY people getting a tour. Probably for a discount to the Sea Aquarium next door.) Sea Aquarium was nice but if you've ever been to Sea World or something like that... you will be VERY disappointed. It's a very small facility. Nice shows and if you want to swim with the dolphins ($138 per 1/2 hr) it OK. The only MAJOR problem we encountered at the resort was on the night we were supposed to leave the next morning. We went to sleep about 11P.M. only to be awakened by a VERY LOUD BAND playing just outside our room about 11:30 PM. I called the front desk and was advised that someone was having a party next door and that it would only last about 15-30 minutes. I last heard them sometime after 1:10 A.M. Needless to say, 7:00 A.M. ,the morning we were to leave, came VERY early. The resort is only a year or two old and they have very few activities. My son went to the pool for the scheduled vollyball game the one day but... no one else showed up. They try to schedule activities but because they only have somewhere around 30 "villas" , and most of them were not occupied while we were there, it is difficult. The island has NOTHING to offer unless you like to dive. The sand on the beaches are very tough on your feet. We went to several of the beaches and they all seem to have the "pebbles" and 'shells" in the sand. The 'hot' spot we were told was the casino at the Breezes Resort just down the road. We were there twice and found very few others in the casino. There may have been 35-40 people in the casino and most of the tables that were open had A player or two. Not much else on the island to see. We rented a car and went all around the island. The downtown "Punda" area was a typical island tourist trap with all of the little "T-shirt" and jewelry stores that were open when the tour ships come into port. Many of the stores were not even open when we went to town the one day and no ships were in port. I've been to Aruba, Grand Cayman, St. Thomas, St Johns and several other islands...Curacao is one I will never go back to. NOT BAD just NOT GOOD EITHER!Ken

Great resort, 5 star bar/grill

This is a great resort.The resort sits on a manmade island just off the mainland.The views of the ocean and the coastline are great.The pool area is on the ocean side and is a perfect setup for kids.(2 pools,1 baby pool,and jacuzzi.There is a private beach on the bay side that sits across from the mainland beach.The bar/grill area sits on the bay side of the resort and was the biggest surprize of the week,the food at the grill is the best food on the island period.The staff at this resort are on island time all the time.This is a dutch island and most of the tourist are from holland(unlike aruba). You don't really need a car on this island(there's not much to see.)Stay close to the resort and relax. I would recommend Hooks hut resturant.We have been to some of the finest beaches in the caribbean and this could be on of them if royal resorts would take an interest in this place.

Thumbs up for Sea Aquariam Resort

Very nice place,very clean. It has about 30 rooms in all, it offers a nice relaxed atmosphere. Very freindly staff and service that are willing to help with travel directions, attractions, etc. The resort has two pools and one jacuzzi. The villas are set up like apartments. There is two large bedrooms, with one master bed in the master room and two beds in the other room. There is a living room, dining room, large spacious kitchen and two bathrooms in all. For the price of it, its one of the best deals you can get on the island.