My spouse and I stayed at Kura Hulanda for 3 nights in late
February 2005. (“Kura Hulanda” is Papiamentu [Curacao's native tongue] for
“Dutch courtyard”.) This hotel offers a boutique
village experience in the center of Willemstad, the island's capital. The hotel
is located approximately 20 minutes from the airport and within walking
distance to shops, restaurants, and nightlife. Spread over an eight-block area,
the resort village includes two pools (one is a dark “Eco” pool), multiple
restaurants and bars, shops, a world-acclaimed anthropological museum, spa,
courtyards, and gardens. Cobblestone pathways wind through the meticulously
restored buildings that showcase the intricate Dutch architecture of the 17th
and 18th century. This Dutch Colonial historic district is a UNESCO World
Heritage site.
Museum Kurá
Hulanda is an anthropological museum that focuses on the predominant cultures
of Curacao. It offers a world-class chronicle of the Origin of Man, the African
slave trade, West African Empires, Pre-Colombian gold, Mesopotamian relics and
Antillean art.
Restaurants included Jacob’s Bar and Terrace, Jaipur,
Astrolab Observatory, and the Museum Restaurant.
The
hotel boasts 80 guest rooms and suites, no two of which are alike. Every
accommodation features hand carved furnishings, antiques, and art, hand-painted
walls, and luxurious linens, creating an international appeal.
Room
types include Standard, Superior, Deluxe, Junior Suite, One-Bedroom Suite, Spa
Loft Suite, Deluxe One-Bedroom Suite, Presidential Suite, and Indian Bridal
Suite.
I stayed in a regular (deluxe) room, but I peeked into some
FABULOUS rooms when the windows/shutters were open and no one appeared to be
inside. Definitely upgrade if you can! I don't know what category of rooms I
was looking at--but they were surely beautiful, and couldn't begin to compare
with the room that I was staying in (which was quite nice for a standard room,
by the way). The rooms that I saw had cathedral ceilings. We were hoping for a
complimentary upgrade (as members of the Leading Hotels of the World), but no such
luck, even though the hotel didn't seem to be completely full.
There is NO beach at the Hotel Kura Hulanda because it is in
the city of Willemstad. The do provide a complimentary shuttle to a section of
beach that they own between the Marriott and the Hilton. I don't remember it
being particularly rocky, nor was it particularly memorable. But it is a beach,
and you can pop over to either of the previously mentioned hotels for lunch or
drinks. I think the shuttle took about 10-15 minutes. I'm a HUGE beach person,
but I thought that the Hotel was so special and memorable that I was willing to
give up direct access.
Kura Hulanda now operates a Lodge property as well, which is
ON the beach on the northern end of the island (near Klein Knip). Some guests
split their time between the Hotel and the Lodge to have both a city and a
beach vacation.
