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Retreats with a Purpose

Curaçao hotels service guests and the greater good

By Els Kroon

Whether you’re looking for relaxation or action, or even an environmentally conscious hotel, visitors to Curaçao have a myriad of choices when it comes to accommodations, each with its own distinctive characteristics. Opened in April 2010, The Hyatt Regency Curaçao Golf Resort Spa & Marina is beautifully situated on a remote site on the eastern part of the island. The 350-room hotel, with its delectable cuisine offerings and superb ATABEI Spa, is in the center of the 1,500-acre Santa Barbara Plantation, which borders Spanish Waters and Barbara Beach. The striking greens at Pete Dye’s 18-hole, par-72 golf course challenge beginner, intermediate and advanced golfers alike. The hotel also introduced summer golf and tennis courses to get aficionados, tourists and locals off the couch and in the game.

Located 10 minutes from downtown, Blue Bay Curaçao encircles one of the most beautiful bays on the island. Its spacious, luxuriously furnished and beautifully decorated villas are outfitted with every modern comfort, and its apartment complexes, named for the views best experienced from their unique location on the property, such as The Ocean and The Hill, each have their own pool. Under the management of Ron Schouwenburg, an experienced businessman and jack-of-all-trades, the service at Blue Bay is utter perfection and many construction projects have been completed. The Garden apartment complex includes 89 new villas, each featuring a spacious terrace with wide-open doors that provide a tremendous panoramic view of the spectacular 18-hole golf course. In addition to improved amenities in the beach area, the resort’s former Sunset Beach Bar was turned into a bar/lounge with a Far East flair, featuring teak beds and introducing the Bento box concept. All in all, Blue Bay provides a comfortable, home-away-from-home feeling.

Hotels With A Heart

A result of the Curaçao Dolphin Therapy and Research Center’s (CDTC) unique Dolphin Assisted Therapy program for children with physical and/or mental challenges, the Curaçao Dolphin Suites was designed with a purpose. This boutique hotel offers the special accommodations that participants at CDTC need, including wheelchair accessible rooms, medical assistance, specialized babysitting and assistive equipment in the guest rooms. Plus, every guest will feel at home in this unique retreat’s outdoor library, lounge and beautifully designed swimming pool.

Dolphin Suites also takes great pride in being home to the first Caribbean Therapy Center of Brucker Biofeedback, a subtle and innovative training technique used to enhance mind-body control for patients who have suffered permanent or temporary muscle dysfunction due to damage to the brain, spinal cord or other neural parts. Supported by an innovative business stimulating program from the Dutch Ministry of Internal Affairs and Kingdom Relations, the hotel is an important addition to the hospitality industry with regard to the development of medical tourism in Curaçao.

Nearby Sea Aquarium Beach, one of the liveliest beaches in Curaçao, features the Animal Encounters Dive Center, which is happy to accommodate customers with disabilities. Special needs visitors can participate in an introduction dive, snorkel with dolphins and enjoy scuba diving courses.

Found in a historical building in the heart of Willemstad, the first thing most people notice at the Academy Hotel Curaçao is the friendly atmosphere created by students and their management team. Opened in December 2008, the hotel has become a learning place for almost 1,000 students from 35 local and international schools and institutions, a great achievement for a foundation that was initiated and sponsored by the private sector in Curaçao.