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Curacao - Girls Week OutCuracao - Girls Week Out
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We're old, so instead of a night we are taking a week! Read more
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  • TravelerCuracao - Girls Week Out
    11
    Day 1

    Snow on the 🌄, sand in the evening.

    November 18, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ -1 °C

    The trip has begun! Gabi (my travel companion for this trip) was picked up bright and early at 5:45 AM. Then they picked me up around 6:00 AM. The drive was easy (Not us driving 😁) and we arrived at Toronto Airport in good time. Through security and now relaxing at the airport lounge with some breakfast.

    Boarding is great. We are all tucked into our Business class seats. Yeah, I need extra wide seats. The flight was good, very little turbulence. The dinner was also good.

    The trouble started when we landed. Since we both had carry-on only, we left the plane and went through customs. Then proceeded to find our tour operators for a ride to the hotel. We checked in and were told to wait down the lane. We waited about 20 minutes before some showed up to take us to the bus. They stowed our luggage and we got our seats on the air conditioned bus. Then we waited and waited and waited some more. After an hour and a half, I got off and talked to the gentleman. Apparently some of our passengers luggage didn't make it on the plane. They had to wait to fill out forms for their luggage. Some inconsiderate people decided that this was a great time to hit the bar. ( Who cares about the people waiting on the bus) We finally got going after another 15 minutes. By the time we got to the resort it was dark.

    Check on at the resort was not much better. By this time I have a headache and am hangry. I had paid for an upgrade and we were to have priority check-in. We did, with 12 other people and one host!

    The room is okay and at the far end of the resort so it will be quiet.

    I'll get pictures tomorrow since it is dark now.

     Gabi and I went for something to eat and we will call it a night.    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao - Girls Week Out
    Day 2

    What A Difference A Day Makes

    November 19, 2022 in Curacao ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We woke to sunshine and whole new attitude. Nothing like what a good nights sleep will do for you. We both slept very well last night. The beds are very comfortable and the place is quiet.

    I have to hit the water this morning. So, I get changed into my bathing suit and walk outside. We are at the end of the property and there is a nice beach area 3 meters from our door. The sand is fine and very soft but hard packed enough to walk with ease. I pull up a sun lounge into the shade and head down to the ocean. There was no hesitation at all just walk right in and dive. The water is beautiful and at least 29C– 32C. They have a break wall to enclose a swimming and snorkeling area and protect it from the open ocean. This keeps large fish and predators out of the swimming area. The water is crystal clear and you can see the bottom for most of it. I haven’t been swimming since Greece so this was so nice. I get out and lay on my lounge chair and read and soak up the atmosphere.

    Gabi and I head out for breakfast at a different restaurant than last nights dinner. We both had crepes for breakfast with a selection of fruit and sweet breads. Afterwards we lounged around in the beach chairs and people watched and read for a while. We spot a couple of wind surfers out beyond the break wall having a blast in the wind and waves. I'm a little old for that myself (and way too out of shape!) but it is nice to see. The weather is beautiful. There are a few clouds and a gentle breeze, thank goodness. Gabi and I are both not sun people so we stay in the shade even with the sunscreen on.

    As we were sitting there, we found our first little friend; a sand crab. He was actually a nice size. We also spotted a nice green lizard. Check out the pictures!

    We head off for lunch and see a couple from our plane ride down. They invite us to join them for lunch so we do. This place is more of a bistro type restaurant with bar food. I grab the roast chicken and fries and Gabi has a burger with fries. This couple was from Curtis, up by Oshawa. They unfortunately had lost their luggage and it was still not here. They also liked to travel. They liked to go to Portugal and it is somewhere I would also go. It was a pleasant lunch. While there we spotted a couple iguanas. More photo ops!

    The rest of the afternoon was spent reading and relaxing. After another swim I have a shower and we checked out the casino. It is small but has a fair number of machines. Mostly 1 cent to 5 cent machines. Gabi lost her amount of money pretty quickly and I managed to play for a while and came out even.

    We then went for dinner afterwards at the buffet again. On the way in we stopped at the bar a each got a Pina Colada. They were yummy! I think we found our drink for the week!

    Afterwards we head back to our room to write this up and relax.    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao - Girls Week Out
    11111111
    Day 3

    Relaxing Day Here, More About The Resort

    November 20, 2022 in Curacao ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Today we lounge around the resort and enjoy the amenities here. So, I thought today we could show you where we are staying. Somehow, we ended up in a wheelchair accessible room. While this means that there is more open floor space for a wheelchair to move around there are also a few things different.

    We have two queen size beds, which are very comfortable. They are a little high for me but Gabi is used to the height from home. There is a wardrobe with drawers underneath and a nice dresser that has more drawers and a mini fridge stocked with water, pop and beer. This is replenished daily at no charge. Gabi and I only drink the water but for someone who does drink pop and beer this would be great! We have a nice patio area because we are ground floor. There is a drying rack for your bathing suits and a couple of chairs with a table.

    Just a few feet away is the adults only pool which is an infinity pool where you can see the ocean from. Back in our room we have a very spacious bathroom. As I mentioned above this is a wheelchair accessible room, therefore there is no bathtub but a wheel in shower. There are plenty of grab bars and a comfort height toilet. The only issue we have is that there are no counters. The sink is a ‘floating’ sink so a wheelchair can role underneath it. Since there are no counters there is nowhere to put your toiletries. This is a pain for us. I have come up with a unique solution to this problem. Take a look and let me now if you like it! Also, don’t forget this on your next trip if you need extra space. You can adjust the height to whatever you need. I actually got this hack off of a YouTube travel video.

    The grounds here are nice with all the tropical plants you can imagine. The sounds of the birds, the sounds of the ocean and the tropical music all combine for a relaxing atmosphere. There are 5 different restaurants and most are open air. There are also many pools but they all close at 6:00 PM. They also have shuffleboard, checkers and a bean bag toss game for all to use.

    I have a few more shots of the wildlife that is here on the grounds. The birds here are amazing and very colourful. They are also little bandits when it comes to the restaurants. They even steal the sugar packets off the tables!

    All in all a nice place for a relaxing stay by the ocean.    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao - Girls Week Out
    Day 4

    Checking Out A Different Resort - Dreams

    November 21, 2022 in Curacao ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    A change of pace for today. We are heading over to another resort in the Hyatt family of resorts called Dreams. They have a tour and we get a free breakfast over there. Might as well compare, right?

    The hotel here books us a taxi and off we go. On the way we get to see a little of the city. I love the tropical coloured houses and lots of cactus and plants.

    Dreams is a class above the one we are staying in. It recently renovated and different layout. While our resort is spread width wise and we have quite a trek to get from our room to the food and lobby areas, the Dreams resort is more centrally located with a 5 story main hotel with the lobby and main buffet right on the first floor. Easier to get coffee in the morning or a drink in the evening. They also have an elevator so you don’t need to book a ground floor room to avoid the stairs. Dreams is also set back from the main road so you don’t hear the traffic like we do here.

    The rooms we saw were the penthouse suite, with a mini bar area, sitting area, dual TV’s and a large bathroom with a walk-in closet. We also saw a standard room with 2 queen size beds a nice bathroom and still a large balcony. This is probably the room that we would book being the average Joes. The grounds are nice with all the amenities you would expect: spa, several bars, several pools, beach area, sun loungers, different restaurants for varied food options.

    The food is also a notch above where we are currently staying. They had a better variety for both breakfast and lunch. Presented better with covered dishes, properly labelled and with a better layout and flow. They also had more selections and just looked fresher. The wait staff was more attentive and we felt more valued there.

    I also liked the view a little better. It was tucked into a cove area where you could see another part of the city from the resort. I don’t know if the swimming was better because we didn’t go in the ocean there.

    We didn’t get back until after 4:00 PM and were exhausted! Nap time before we head to the casino and a bite to eat.

    Stay tuned for more adventures tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao - Girls Week Out
    Day 5

    The Cruise That Wasn't.

    November 22, 2022 in Curacao ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We both had a nice sleep in this morning. I had a massage at the spa this morning. I haven't had a message in years and wonder why I haven't bothered to enjoy one. The young lady was wonderful and I always end a pile of goo when done.

    I take a nice swim in the ocean and then get ready for tonight.

    We are heading out for a sunset cruise this evening. We head off in the taxi. We arrive at the boat which is a catamaran, my favourite. We all load up and get a rum punch and settle in for our cruise. They start up the engines and then they quit. Oops. Let's try again. They quit again. The crew bounce around and check this and that. They try again and again. Then they cancel the tour. They try to make it fun and offer us another drink and some cheese. After an hour we get back on shore and wait for our transport back to the hotel.

    We get back to the hotel around 6:30 and decide to try out the Blue Grill restaurant. It is like a steakhouse restaurant here at the resort. We have seen a lineup every night so we are curious. We head over and wait in a small line up. We have to put our names down on a wait list and were told to come back in 20 minutes. Off we go like good little Canadians. We come back 30 minutes later and the hostess is nowhere to be found. We wait another 20 minutes for her to show up to her station where the lineup has grown very long again. The frustrating thing here is that we can see at least 6 empty tables but here we wait. We finally get seated and wait another 15 minutes for someone to come and take our drink orders. Then we wait another 15 minutes for them to come back with our drinks and then wait again for our orders to be taken. We both order the chicken florentine with a greek salad to start. We wait another hour for the food to get there. The greek salads come and they must be the Carribean version because in Greece they did come as a lettuce salad with a few olives, onions and cheese sprinkled on top! When we did get dinner, it looked good but the chicken was dry and the three potatoes wedges and couple of flouretts of broccoli were good. So basically it took us over 2 hours to get a meal that took us 30 minutes to eat and it was terrible. Yeah, not doing that again, not even picture worthy. The best thing about the dinner was the view of the water and the nice gentle breezes that accompanied them.

    Afterwards Gabi headed back to the room and I hit the casino. I actually won tonight, enough to cover most of the losses from previous nights.    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao - Girls Week Out
    Day 6

    Day At The Spa And A Wonderful Dinner

    November 23, 2022 in Curacao ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We have breakfast at Di Marino for breakfast. You can order omelets made to order, fruit plates, sweet breads (breakfast pastries) and such. We both do omelets with a side of bacon, a fruit plate and pastries to share. It is a very nice and relaxing breakfast.

    Today we have booked facials in the spa. They lather, scrub, message and warm towel us until we are floating away in to a land of bliss. They were about 45 minutes long and we come out feeling pampered. I think we have found something that can continue on when we get back home and want to treat ourselves. We spend the rest of the day relaxing and reading.

    We head back to Di Marino’s for dinner. In the evening, when open, it is an Italian restaurant. Unlike the Blue Grille, this experience was wonderful. The service was quick and the food…marvelous. We both had the vegetable linguini with a caprese salad to start. The food was delicious and in just the right amount for portions. The linguini was done with a basil and oil base with tender vegetables mixed in. We each had the passion fruit pudding for dessert. Once again, delicious. This restaurant has redeemed the resort from the other night.

    Tomorrow, we want to go into Willemstad to see the main port area where the cruise ships dock. They have a trolley tour that takes you around the historic city center. I have tried to book this from the first day we were here. There was a tour lady named Abigail, who I think was an Air Canada tour rep. Well, this has been a ridiculous endeavor from the get go. We were going back and forth on WhatsApp planning to meet up and book this tour. Once a meeting time and place was booked, she wouldn’t show or was an hour away. This went on for three days! I finally went to the VIP manager and he graciously booked it for us. I tried to message Abigail back and she still wouldn’t answer. If this is how they operate, Air Canada tours can go fly a kite!

    The manager, Victor (I believe) has been the perfect host. Anything we need or question we ask is dealt with quickly, efficiently and pleasantly. A big thank you to Victor for making our stay here lovely.    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao - Girls Week Out
    Day 7

    Swinging Bridges And Lots Of Humidity!

    November 24, 2022 in Curacao ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    It is our last full day in Curacao today. We head into Willemstad for our trolley tour. First, we have breakfast at Di Marino’s and then get our stuff together to go into town. We had a thunderstorm last night and it is extremely humid today. We have had rain off and on this morning but it gave us a chance to check out our umbrellas.

    We take a taxi into town and he drops us off right at the trolley. It turns out that Victor, our VIP manager, has booked us a private tour! We have the whole trolley to ourselves with our own tour guide. Marvelous! Off we go! The lady tells us about the different houses and when they were built. Apparently, many people of the Jewish community came to Curacao to start businesses in the 1800’s, they built these beautiful houses all in the downtown area. They have been handed down to different generations or sold off over the years. Many have been converted into government offices or cultural centers.

    We stop at the Queen Of The Most Holy Rosary Cathedral. We head inside to take a look around. The church is plain but beautiful. The stations of the cross are all paintings done by a Flemish painter but the artist is unknown. The altar has beautiful stained glass but the sun is not shining on us at the moment so our imagination will have to do. Back in the trolley we head to the meeting point which is outside of Fort Amsterdam. We check out the fort where the solders were housed in barracks and protected the island from the British. There's even a cannon ball lodged in the side of the building. Now it is government offices and the residence of the Prime Minister and the Governor General of the Netherlands.

    When we finish with the tour, we head out on our own for a little walk. We check out some of the souvenir shops and back streets. They have unique street art on many of the buildings and that is as much of the culture as the food. They are also decorating for Christmas now as well. It seems out of place to see a Christmas tree in 40 degree weather. They have a street market as well where local people sell their wares along the waterfront. We make our purchases and head back to the main harbour area.

    When we were at the resort this morning, I saw a wonderful 3 mast schooner going by. It was quite hazy but I tried to get pictures the best I could. Well as we head back to the harbour, I see the same schooner parked here. You can check out the two pictures (side by side) to see it at sail and in the harbour.

    We stop at a waterfront café to rest and get something cold to drink and something to eat. The area here has a port area where the cruise ships anchor. There is currently one in port so the main area here is going to be busy. The town is split in two and connected with a swing bridge. This is an amazing engineering design where the bridge will detach from one side (with pedestrians and all) and swing open to allow smaller boats to enter the harbour. They have a warning horn that the bridge will swing and away it goes. I’m not sure of how often it does this but it is kind of unique. We have a nice lunch and some margaritas and watch the bridge swing and the boats come and go.

    After a nice lunch we are ready to head back to the resort. It has been a very hot and humid day today and we both desperately need some air conditioning. We will miss this heat in the middle of February at home!

    We have a rest and then head out for dinner. We head out to Di Marino’s for another wonderful meal. However, we are disappointed when we find it closed. The buffet is also closed. Apparently the buffet is being held on the beach tonight. It is a nice evening so this should be okay. They have tables set up on the beach, however they have crammed 10 to a table which is not doable if they are all adults. We arrive at 6:00 PM but apparently dinner was not ready yet. So, we picked a spot and waited along with everyone else. This of course created a line that wove through the tables so that you waited a good half hour in line to get your dinner. They ran out of plates half way through the line so more waiting. This was badly planned and poorly executed. If this is something they do on a regular basis it should be better planned. The other issue is trying to move your chairs in and out of the table while on sand! The chairs inevitably sank into the sand so you were off kilter. People in wheel chairs and with walkers had even more issues. This wouldn’t have been so bad if they had the other restaurants open for people to choose where to eat.

    Well tomorrow is our last day here. So, I head to the casino and Gabi heads back to the room to pack. At least one of us is responsible!    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao - Girls Week Out
    Day 8

    From 40 C to 4 C, The Magic Of Flying

    November 25, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    Well the day has come when we have to say good-bye to Curacao. We pack our bags and head out for breakfast. After one last omelet for me and crepe for Gabi we head back to the room to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything. We have a later flight so we don’t leave the resort until 1:30. Our luggage is whisked away and we head to the lobby to check out and wait for our bus to take us to the airport.

    We have filled out the pre-boarding on our phones so check in is even easier. The Curacao airport is small with only 8 gates. It is not crowded and is air-conditioned! A nice way to end the trip. We board on time and take off. We have a mimosa to celebrate our trip and settle in for our 5 hour flight. Dinner is good ( I think they have greatly improved air line food since Covid! ) , we both have the ginger chicken and salad. That done we settle in to read or write this blog.

    Our flight is good, some turbulence but that is to be expected. We land around 9:00 PM and debark in Toronto. I was reading an article on line while I was flying, Toronto airport has been voted as the #1 worst airport in North America for frustration level in passengers. As we head through the new security kiosks, I have a tendency to concur. It is crowed, unorganized and a pain in the ass. You still have to go through security anyway, not seeing the benefit to passengers. We get through security, I’m so glad we can skip the luggage retrieval part (yeah for carry-on luggage) and then head out to call for our limousine to take us home. This part doesn’t take to long by 10:00 PM we are in the limo and by 10:45 PM am home.

    It has been a good trip with no major hiccups. I think Gabi had a relaxing time as well.

    Since I took so many pictures yesterday, I’ll include some more in todays blog!    Read more

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