Just grat. Silent, nature, birds, flowers, service etc.

We took our Easter break in April 2005 we had our four boys ages 7-17 with us a grand total of six our three bedroom bungalo was just adorable with a huge deck with ocean view we loved the deck and patio furniture , but spent most time at the beach the crystal clear water was unreal you could see fish just looking over the platform the snorkelling was awesome...looking at beautiful tropical fish we saw stripped eel too the swim deck was fun to swim out to . The Chogogo pool area had three seperate swim areas we thought it was perfect for small children up to adults . We would definately go back to Chogogo the staff was excellent and very helpful, I was suprised there were no bugs anywhere there during our stay , it was a pleasant surprise since our trip to Antiqua that Feb was very buggy. The beach had a neat water play center for the kids it was a very short walk to the beach our family always needs to burn off energy so not a problem for us we enjoyed the beautiful flowery bushes and enormous aloe plants also loved all the neat lizards that come to breakfast at the restaurant the kids loved watching them gobble our spilled eggs take comfy shoes though for the small walks, Only downfall I think we were the only Americans there everyone spoke Dutch so there wasn't alot of new freind making ...thats ok it was a terrific bonding experience for the family.

OK, first things first - arrivals! The airport was a bit rough around the edges, and there were clear signs of construction work being done. The taxi driver we found to take us to the hotel was really friendly, called Axel ("like from Beverley Hills Cop") as we were reminded. Chogogogogogogo (!) was quite pretty, but looked inferior to the two surrounding resorts. Our 2-bedroom bungalow was very spacious, even for 4 of us. As other reviews mention there were mosquito nets provided and they were essential for a good nights sleep. There were some language problems, due to the local language being Papamango (I think), and most people having Dutch as a second language. Most people spoke some English, however. The pool was the highlight, featuring two levels, a waterfall with a shelf under it to sit on. During our stay it was never uncomfotably busy. The Zanzibar restaurant near the hotel served very good food, although there was a bit of a wait at busy times. The restaurant in the hotel was disappointing. The beach was not like traditional beaches, but instead was a metre above the water, on top of a concrete "shelf". There were plenty of steps going down, however, and the sand met the sea for a very short stretch at one end of the beach. There is a nice pontoon about 50m from the beach, very good for jumping from, just don't try swimming under it - there are anenomies living on the underside and the securing chains, and it is surprisingly easy to get stung by them! Car Hire is easy from the hotel, and allowed us to explore other beaches. Most beaches charge to get in, and amenities are generally limited (few beaches even have toilets). The snorkelling is reasonable, particularly in Jan Thiel Bay, however most of the coral very near the beach was dead or damaged, so you have to make a short swim around the corner to find living coral and exotic fish. We only ventured into Willemstad once, and did not stay very long, as we did not feel particularly safe, partly due to large number of drug dealers openly offering their wares on many streets. At night there are helicopters and armed warships (!) patrolling the coast. After returning to the UK, we discovered that Curacao is one of the main corridors for drugs being smuggled from South America to Europe, via Amsterdam. As we flew back to the UK via Amsterdam, we were stopped and searched at the airport. This added a delay of about an hour on top of the normal baggage collection etc, and nearly resulted in us missing our connecting flight. BE SURE TO LEAVE PLENTY OF TIME BETWEEN ARRIVING IN AMSTERDAM AND CATCHING THE PLANE BACK TO THE UK! It was a generally good holiday, but we would probably not return again, because for the price we have been to better Carribbean islands, for instance the Dominican Republic.

After reading some of the earlier reviews we were a big unsure of what to expect, but we found this place absolutely perfect for a holiday with two young kids. Bungalows are minimalistic, which is very practical for us. They are very well equipped but a microwave & toaster would have been good. We have been here a week now and have not seen a single mosquito, so appears that the mossie problem is seasonal (i.e. wet season). The pool area is fantastic for everyone, particularly kids with lots of other young kids and water toys to play with. Only problem was that only bedrooms have air-conditioning and main living area has ceiling fans which are not really enough, however, we spent most evenings on the deck with awesome sea breezes to cool you down. Villas are surrounded by gardens and visited by a wide variety of colourful birds including a hummingbird. All the staff have been very friendly, organised and helpful. Jan Theil Beach is just a few minutes walk and has a really cool Morrocan style beach restaurant with great pizzas and tapas, also boats to hire, nice corals to snorkel/scuba dive over and a small water play area. Overall, we rarely return to the same place more than once but this may be an exception.