Dolphin Hearthouse

My girlfriend and I stayed in one of the 2 Studio apartments for one week. It's perfect for a couple, I'd say much less so for a family with children. This is a quiet area, where generally older folks relax and generally lead healthy, quiet, relaxing lifestyles. The view is stunning and undoubtedly the best asset of this place. Right in front of the front door to the Studio was a large terrace with table/chairs, a BBQ set, a hammock, sunbeds and its all literally on the water, facing exactly West which means there are some breathtaking sunsets. You have to walk about 1 minute down a path and stairwell to reach the ladder that lowers you into the water, which is located roughly 10-12 meters below the terrace. The sea is a great place to take an early morning or late afternoon swim/snorkel, but honestly on an island with so many beautiful beaches and coasts you probably arent going to spend too much time swimming here. Still, waking up to this view, having breakfast and dinner on this terrace is worth the money. Hope you can stand iguanas tho, as they WILL walk along the terrace :) Theyre harmless and honestly dont bother anyone, theyre just hoping to receive food but DO NOT feed them! In all honesty I must also add that twice we witnessed a rat running across, which is unfortunate, but then again theres only so much you can expect from ANY of Curacao's accomodations as this is a very wild island, blame cant be placed on the owners here. Fortunately the apartment is modern, with no holes in the wall, and even insect screens on windows so you will never risk finding one indoors, no worries. The Studio apartment in itself is rather basic, but sufficient if luxury accomodation isnt your primary concern. The bed was comfortable, cookware basic but the kitchen is still fully equipped with stove, small oven, toaster, pots and pans and water boiler/coffeemaker. The place is clean, although the bathroom has no windows or ventilation system, which makes for a damp, somewhat smelly situation but its manageable if your expectations arent too high. Just remember - if you stay here, it's because you want the Sea, as well as a great starting spot to move around and visit the parks, beaches, flamingo sanctuary, and all the little small villages scattered around the island. Not good if youre looking to party a little bit, if you want to go out to dinner and have a couple of drinks, and in general if youre not looking to have a calm relaxing holiday. This place and Lagun in general, is far from the city life of Willemstad, both physically and metaphorically. This is why you MUST have a car. (Theoretically there is a bus system but dont rely on it, it will ruin your holiday). Wifi connected with 2/3 out of 4 bars in the Studio, so its fine for writing emails or listening to music, makes it a bit hard for streaming any series or movie, but generally OK. We never felt unsafe here, and the Safe provided in the room gives added security. The gate is chained shut. The apartment is about a 10min walk or 1min drive from Playa Lagun, whereas in the other direction you reach Playa Grandi (sea turtles!), the lovely Kenepa beach and up to Westpunt (amazing diving/snorkeling and eating) very easily and quickly. Willemstad feels and is kind of far (40min drive), but the drive down is very scenic (especially if you drive thru St Willibrordus and check out the sites on the way down - oh and stop at one of the many local places for Batidos. Owners werent on site but they have a trusted person who lives on the island, Martin, who takes care of matters when they are away. He was very friendly and will answer any of your concerns. Be careful of your A/C consumption, and make sure you ask about any expenses beforehand - we had a small issue with unexpected additional expenses but thankfully i had written proof of the exact breakdown of all charges we agreed on before arriving. It felt like an honest mistake, im not casting the owners in a poor light, but these things can happen so make sure you ask beforehand. Of course they honored our prior agreement without hesitation and apologized. All in all this is a fantastic place to stay considering the quality-to-price ratio. I will be recommending this place and possibly visiting again in the future.