Curacao marriott beach resort & emerald casino

If your first question when I tell you I just visited Curaçao is, “Where’s that?” you’re not alone.

This Caribbean island may not be as well known as some other popular vacation spots but it shouldn’t be counted out. Located in the southern Caribbean between Aruba and Bonaire, it makes up the last third of the “ABC Islands.” Known for its beautiful beaches, colorful buildings, and great scuba diving, Curaçao is a hidden gem among Caribbean islands.

During my 4-night trip, I stayed at the Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort, a room property on the island’s southwestern shore. This resort re-opened in after a $40 million renovation that modernized the property.

In this Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort review, I’ll give you a look at this resort’s amenities, location, dining, and accommodations so that you can decide if it’s right for your next vacation.

Let’s get to it!

Location

Curaçao is a Dutch Caribbean island located between Aruba and Bonaire, about 40 miles north of the Venezuelan coast. Often overlooked when it comes to vacation destinations, this island is known for beautiful beaches, excellent scuba diving, colorful buildings, and its namesake orange-flavored liquor.

Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort is located on the southwestern coast of the island, about 15 minutes from Curaçao International Airport (CUR). It’s located next to 2 other resorts — Dreams Curaçao Resort Spa and Casino and Zoëtry Curaçao Resort and Spa (both all-inclusive Hyatt properties).

The resort is convenient to the town center so you can explore when you need a break from the beach. A quick 5 to 10 minute cab ride that costs $20 will get you to Willemstad near the famous Queen Emma Bridge. Be sure to walk around to see the colorful buildings and vibrant murals that embellish the local shops.

Booking

This trip was a sales incentive trip that my husband earned at work, so I didn’t actually book this hotel myself. His company rented out the whole resort and paid for everything (not a bad way to travel, if you ask me).

I looked up the prices for this resort and discovered that rooms range from about $ to $ per night (before taxes and fees), and there’s a 15% service charge added to the cost of each room. The room we had, a partial ocean view king bedroom, would have cost ~$ per night, including taxes and fees.

If you’d prefer to pay with Marriott Bonvoy points, rooms start at 33, points per night, although the cost for the time I traveled was 35, points per night (still a great deal). At that price, I would have gotten cents per point in value, which is great considering we value Marriott points at cents each.

This resort definitely felt like it should cost more than 35, points, so I would consider this an excellent use of a 35K or 40K Marriott free night certificate, especially if you’re looking for a laid-back Caribbean vacation.

Another great reason to use points at this resort is that while Marriott Bonvoy charges resort fees on award bookings, this location’s fee is a 15% service charge, which means it shouldn’t apply to award bookings (since 15% of $0 is $0).

Hot Tip: You can book the Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort starting at 35, Marriott Bonvoy points per night. If you need more Marriott points for your redemption, you can transfer them from Chase or American Express or open a new Marriott Bonvoy credit card.

Elite Benefits and Check-in

We arrived at the hotel and entered the open-air lobby and lounge area. We checked in quickly but had to wait about 1 hour until our room was ready. Since we were traveling as part of a group, there were no elite benefits.

We decided to grab some lunch at the lobby restaurant, Zala Gastro Lounge, which overlooks the main pool, while we waited for our room.

Amenities

Beach

Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort is located right on the beach. The white sand took on a slightly pink tint in a certain light to be reminiscent of the pink sand beaches I’ve seen in Bonaire and Bermuda.

The beaches at the resort don’t stretch out for miles like you may see on other islands. Rather, there were multiple smaller half-moon-shaped sections. While much of the sand was soft, there were some rocky patches, so I’d recommend bringing water shoes if you have them.

Pools

There are 2 pools at Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort — the Harmony Pool and the adults-only Serenity Pool. The main Harmony Pool is the bigger of the 2 and is located at the center of the resort next to the beach bar and restaurant. Both pools are open 24 hours a day.

It’s a large pool with lots of nooks and crannies and plenty of shady areas.

Next to the Harmony Pool was a stand where you could get fresh beach towels, water, and sunscreen.

The Serenity Pool was for adults only and was the quieter of the 2 pools. I prefer chilled-out pools instead of party pools, so this is where I stayed.

It had a nice infinity edge that overlooked the beach.

One of my favorite things about this pool was the cabanas that were available all around it. They were perfect when you were looking for a little extra shade.

There was a bar and restaurant located next to the larger Harmony Pool and there was a small bar at the Serenity Pool where you could order food and drinks.

Bottom Line: Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort has 2 pools. The centrally located main pool is next to the beach bar and restaurant and is open to everyone. The smaller pool is for adults only. Both are located steps from the beach.

Fitness Center

The resort’s fitness center, open 24 hours a day, is located just off of the main pool area was very bright and spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the gardens and patio.

There was a selection of cardio equipment, as well as free weights, a weight machine, exercise balls, and yoga mats. There were clean towels available as well.

Kids’ Club

The resort has a kids’ club, but since I was on an adults-only trip it was closed during my stay. According to the resort’s website, the Green Turtle Kids Club offers different activities including video games, crafts, toys, and games for young travelers.

Gift Shop

Right off of the lobby, there was a gift shop selling snacks, drinks, vacation essentials, and souvenirs.

Outdoor Games

The resort had a couple of games available hidden away among the gardens. There was a ping-pong table located next to the fitness center.

Nestled in the gardens on the way to the massage cabanas was a giant chess set.

Massage Cabanas

Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort doesn’t have a spa but they do have massage cabanas located in the quiet garden area overlooking the ocean. It was a wonderful spot to get a massage with the sounds of the ocean waves in the background.

Scuba Diving

If you’re a scuba diver like me, you’ll love the convenience of having a dive shop on the resort property.

Goby Divers offers shore diving, boat diving, and dive courses from the dive shop and dock located on the beach just steps from Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort. My husband and I did 4 boat dives on 2 separate mornings during our trip.

The warm, clear water and abundance of reef life make Curaçao a great diving spot. One of the highlights of these dives was seeing an octopus during the day. Our dive guide, Dr. D, made the rare sighting possible.

Accommodations

We had a 1 King Bed, Partial Ocean View guest room on the fourth floor of the hotel, which was the top floor. The room itself was bright and modern with plenty of space to move around.

While most of the room was decorated in blonde wood tones and neutral colors, the blue and white wall and orange accents gave a tropical vibe to the space.

The king-sized bed was flanked by built-in nightstands. Each had a lamp with a separate reading light. There was also a plug with a separate USB port. You’ll need an adapter to use the plugs.

Opposite the bed was a large television and a desk and chair. Additional storage was located under the TV.

There was a bar area that housed snacks and a Nespresso coffee machine.

Hidden away in drawers were a minifridge drawer and a safe.

There was also a separate luggage storage area that was super handy to keep empty suitcases out of the way.

We had a balcony with 2 chairs and a small table.

Our balcony overlooked the quiet area gardens with a partial view of the ocean. I really liked this location since it was a bit quieter than the rooms that overlooked the pools.

Bathroom

I loved the bathroom at Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort. It wasn’t overly fancy but it was spacious and super functional. It was separated from the room by a giant sliding door.

The closet was open and integrated into the bathroom. I’ve never seen a setup like this but I absolutely loved it. I generally have an aversion to hotel room closets (don’t ask me why) so I loved that this was open. Plus there was lots of drawer space and shelves for more storage.

The single sink had plenty of counter space along with some extra storage and an adjustable magnifying mirror.

The mini-sized bath products from The Spa Collection weren’t remarkable, but they did have a nice lemongrass scent.

I’m very particular about hotel showers and this one passed my test with flying colors. In addition to being spacious, the adjustable shower head had great water pressure and the blue tile accents were stunning.

The toilet was located in a little alcove next to the shower, but unfortunately, it didn’t have a separate door.

Bottom Line: There are guest rooms and suites at the Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort. Every room has a balcony and most have at least a partial ocean view.

Food and Beverage

There are 3 main restaurants at Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort as well as a grab-and-go coffee shop.

Zala Gastro Lounge

Zala Gastro Lounge is an open-air bar and restaurant located in the resort’s lobby area that serves Asian-fusion cuisine and small plates. We really enjoyed eating lunch here on the days we weren’t at the pool or beach.

The food was great, but the service was hit-or-miss. On our first night at the resort, we ate dinner here with 3 other couples. It took 50 minutes to get water. Then we had to go up to the bar to get any water refills. There were lots of people working that night, but none of them seemed to claim responsibility for our table. The staff definitely embraced “Caribbean time.”

Izakaya Sushi Grill is listed on the hotel’s website as a separate restaurant, but it’s actually part of Zala Gastro Lounge.

Zala Gastro Lounge is open Monday to Thursday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 1 a.m.

ÇSpice

ÇSpice is a restaurant located close to the main pool that serves steaks, pasta, and pizza. There is both indoor and outdoor seating available. The service was much better here than at Zala Gastro Lounge but the food wasn’t amazing.

ÇSpice is open Monday to Friday from a.m. to 11 a.m and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, it’s open from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Salty Iguana Ocean Grill

The Salty Iguana Ocean Grill is the resort’s beach bar, located right next to the main pool and the beach. Here you could order snacks, salads, sandwiches, and pizza, as well as tropical drinks and beer. It’s open every day from 11 a.m to 7 p.m.

I enjoyed having lunch delivered from Salty Iguana to my cabana at the Serenity Pool. My chicken quesadilla was the perfect laying-by-the-pool lunch.

Papiamentu Market Place

Papiamentu Market Place, named after the island’s native language, is a great spot to grab a coffee, pastry, or sandwich when you’re short on time. It’s open every day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

There was also an assortment of beverages, including bottled water, sodas, juices, wines, and beer, available for purchase.

Service

With the exception of the dinner service at Zala Gastro Lounge, the service I experienced at Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort was pretty good. The staff was all very friendly, especially the ladies who worked in the Papiamentu Market. They were always bright and cheery when I ordered my daily almond milk latte.

There was daily housekeeping (which is a welcome perk these days) so we always had a clean room and fresh towels.

Final Thoughts

Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort is a lovely property located on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao. The warm, clear waters and relaxing pools make this a great spot for a Caribbean getaway. Even better, this resort can be booked for as few as 35, Marriott Bonvoy points per night, making it a great spot to redeem your points or free night certificates.

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