New Hotels in Curacao

Curacao is undergoing a bit of a building boom: two major new hotels have recently opened, a pair of others are coming, and four more have undergone significant renovations.

Opened officially in April, the Lodge Kura Hulanda and Beach Club is located on the quieter west end of Curacao. The 74-room resort, part of The Leading Hotels of the World, is the sister property of Curacao's Hotel Kura Hulanda Spa and Casino and has a mix of villas, suites, and standard rooms. Resort highlights include rooms with garden or ocean views, the open-air Watamula restaurant, weekly theme parties and a sunset lounge.

Business travelers will welcome the 200-room Clarion Hotel & Suites, opened in March at Curacao's World Trade Center in the Piscadera Bay resort area. In addition to its proximity to Curacao's premiere conference facility, the hotel has extensive meeting space of its own, welcoming groups of up to 1,500 attendees. The Clarion also has a pool, hot tub, and sauna.

Scheduled to open in December 2007, the Renaissance Curacao Resort & Casino will add a major new resort to the Willemstad waterfront, with 240 guest rooms, a restaurant and shopping complex, movie theater, and casino. Slated to open in 2008 is the Hyatt Regency Curacao, which at 350 rooms will become the island's largest hotel when it debuts. Part of the Santa Barbara Plantation development, the hotel will sit on 27 acres on Spanish Water Bay and join a marina, beach club, vacation club, condos, and residences. Hotel amenities will include two restaurants, a full-service spa, salon, fitness center, casino, pool, tennis courts, and a P.B. Dye 18-hole championship golf course.

How do you make a beachfront resort better? Add more beach! As part of its recent renovation, the Curacao Marriott Beach Resort & Emerald Casino freshened up its beachfront with 40 tons of new white sand. The resort also added a new surfer-themed Board Room beach bar and a new themed dinners on weeknights. The Marriott also is located adjacent to the World Trade Center.

The Hilton Curacao has opened a new executive floor and lounge with private check-in, free Internet access, and a business traveler's lounge/meeting area. A new business center also was added. Future plans include a meeting-room renovation and ballroom, all to be completed by the end of 2006.

Also by the end of 2006, the boutique Avila Beach Hotel plans to open its new Octagon Wing, adding 68 rooms to the 100-room property, each with flat-screen TVs, high-speed Internet access, and oversized baths. The top floor of the wing will be occupied by the luxury Bolivar Suite, and the Avila also is adding a new infinity pool and spa.

The Lions Dive & Beach Resort on Mambo Beach also has added a new wing with 36 new rooms, as well as a new beach bar and restaurant, a second pool, and high-speed Internet access.

For information on these and other Curacao hotels, see my Curacao island pages!