a sneak peek from this week's episode.
Melissa, which one would you choose, Curacao or Aruba?
Scott. And I'm Melissa. And we are the Sunshine Travelers. Our passion is travel and sharing our experiences with those who enjoyed as much as we do, or those who want to learn more about travel, or even those who just want to live vicariously through our travel stories. No matter where you fall along that journey, get ready to hear our first-hand experiences as we visit some of the most interesting and amazing places on Earth. This week, we have an exciting episode for you. We recently visited two islands in the Southern Caribbean and wanted to do a comparison of the two. If you're planning a trip and would like to weigh the pros and cons of each island, this episode is perfect for you. Join us as we debate the merits of Curacao versus Aruba. For the last couple of weeks, we've been talking about our adventures in Curacao and Aruba. It's also generated a lot of interest from our listeners of which one do we like better.
got us thinking that maybe we should do a little game of this or that, where we pick a few high-level topics and choose which one of these islands we would prefer for each one. What do you think,
I think that's
idea. Okay. Because
Because I definitely
an opinion. Yes. So I'm going to start. So which city would you choose? Willemstad or Orgenstad?
definitely picking Willemstad.
good because we really didn't spend any time in Orgenstad. So Willemstad is.
Well, we did. We just stayed down on the Eagle Beach. We didn't stay in downtown, but that's where we were.
Yeah. But I would say we didn't spend any time where the cruise ships come in. But I mean, it's really like a cruise port. So you've been to one, you've been to them all. So Willemstad is the city in Curaçao. And I just felt like it's the one that has a lot more European charm and character. So if you've ever seen pictures of Curaçao, you've seen the buildings that are colorful, that looks like they really belong in Amsterdam. You have the Queen Emma Bridge that crosses over from one side to the other. They have to open up when the ships come in. And so we just felt like it was just fun to walk. We stayed within walking distance of this area. And so totally agree with you.
Melissa, guess what comes in right there in Willemstad? What comes into port there? Cruise ships. Cruise
but it just wasn't. So. So you're asking
me, which one do I like better? Right. They're both cruise ports, right? They're both cruise destinations. I like Willemstad better. I just feel like it was more authentic and unique. And Origenstad, or however you say it, Origenstad, you know, it was any city in Florida that has a cruise
agree it was it was yeah so if you want to have like a european charm in the caribbean like willemstad was was the place to go and we really just enjoyed walking and you know getting an ice cream at a couple of places and and just being able to yeah like walk to the restaurants from our hotel and stuff like that. So it definitely is a city. I would pick that for sure.
So we're going to go through a bunch of different topics and pick our favorites. So let's talk about accommodations. Melissa, would you rather have a boutique hotel in Curacao or a high-rise hotel like the Ocean Club in Aruba?
down, the boutique hotel in Curacao. Why? It was just really charming to, you know, check in at the little office and have that accessible. We had an actual key, which could be a little nerve-wracking to keep up with. But, I mean, the lobby was decorated so well. The one that we stayed at, the Peter and I had partnered with that Van Gogh specialty coffee. But there were lots of cute ones close by. And so I just enjoyed that experience. And what you should know is the price difference is probably incomparable. The place that we stayed was just cute. Had a cute little courtyard and the pool. But I think that the price for three nights was probably less, way less than you could have stayed one night in Aruba. Wouldn't you say?
it was crazy. Very affordable, I thought, from the hotel or lodging perspective. And then especially when you told me how much the regular, you know, the rack rate or whatever of those hotels in Aruba was. To me, this was a hands down. But the other thing that I liked about it was the little boutique hotels. The one we stayed at had, I don't know, maybe 20, 30 rooms. And so it wasn't so huge and overwhelming. And you got to walk five miles, you know, wandering around through the pool to get from the hotel to the beach in Aruba, right? We had to walk all that long ways because we were a long ways away from it. But these were just small boutique hotels. And so I just like it from a size perspective. I don't think that we lost out on any amenities. The Marriott, I guess they did have this big, huge pool with the waterfalls and the lazy river. And for a lot of people, that's going to be very important. But it wasn't for us. But
boutique hotels all had a cute swimming pool. I mean, depending on what you were after. But it had a cute courtyard with a cute swimming pool. And not only that, if we hadn't chosen the Peter Mai, there were like several other ones that we looked at to say, oh, which one of these are we going to pick? Right. Because they were all very cute. And you did say we did have lunch at the scuba lodge that you said that might be a good one because it is right there on the water and they had a nice pool and stuff like that that might be like may have picked that one after have seen it in person but and that one was a little bit more expensive but still not any anywhere near now let's also like just clarify like you can stay at some resort hotels in Curacao. They're not going to be in with the exception I think they had a renaissance one that was on the cruise port and that one's just going to be very much like staying at a hotel. You would have the walking distance to Willemstad and then there's other resorts like Sandals and some other Marriott type things that are away from the downtown area. But if you want the walking distance to downtown, I just it was just very charming, I think. And just something that you don't often get to experience being able to, you know, just walk downtown to a city like that.
Well, let's move on to the next category. So how about your favorite meal? And this remember, is this like All that. right. let's move Well, on to the next So category. how about your favorite meal? And remember, this is this or that. So you don't get to choose from other things. You have to choose from my list. So Ceviche 91 was in Curacao or the Flying Fishbone in Aruba.
choose Ceviche 91, even though they tried to serve me shellfish. We had a little bit of a loss in translation type of a thing. And I really don't know that he really understood about the shellfish. Thankfully, Scott recognized it. That was just a great restaurant. And thankfully, that was another time when we asked a couple of different people. One at the hotel and one at a little gelato shop in Curacao. Like, where should we eat where should we eat and that when that came up the second time i was like let's see if we can get a reservation real quick it was at the fort and it was at the very top and so it just overlooked the whole area and the food was just outstanding and i think the ceviche with the it was just served the way that
it so it was a Peruvian and Japanese infusion or fusion. What's the right word? Fusion. So a Peruvian and Japanese fusion restaurant. And so I think that just meant that they had sushi,
right word? Fusion.
think about it, ceviche is kind of like sushi anyway. So I
that was my favorite. So we can't choose for like another meal. Okay. Let
Okay. Let me give you one more then. If you go back one episode, you said that you love this Azar open fire cuisine. So would you choose that restaurant or Ceviche 91?
I still think I'd pick that Ceviche 91.
I thought that was really good food.
was really good food.
Yeah. The atmosphere was just wonderful. We sat outside. It was a couple of stories up in this old fort. And so it was on the top floor, I think. And the water was crashing in. It was funny because the waves were huge that night. And the water would crash. And somehow, every once in a a while they would splash up there.
Well, and there were restaurants down below us and I think it was splashing on the people down below and we'd actually eaten at a restaurant further down a couple of nights before. And so I think the water was splashing on those people and they were actually getting wet.
us and
they were screaming. But the food was terrific. Yes, they did try to serve you shrimp,
But the
But the food was they did try to serve you but I saw And I have to give the guy a they made it And it you like an honest mistake or Yeah. but sometimes terrific. despite, Yes, shrimp, that. right. was, know, whatever, you know, some hiccups, like it can still you be, know, your favorite because otherwise the service was phenomenal and the food was phenomenal and we had a great view. The other thing that we never figured out was down below, once it got dark, there were lights that they had shown and it honestly looked like that there were sharks out in that water the big shadows and it was just interesting because it was like the shark shot like that we had seen when we were on the boat in the galapagos and so we we never could figure out we tried to ask the guy but he did he didn't know so but he said there
but he said there was no sharks oh that's right they said there
said there were no sharks. Oh, that's right. They said there
right. They said there were no
sharks. That's right. I looked that
I looked that up and that wasn't true.
Oh, okay. So it definitely looks like some sharks.
I tell him not to go swimming down there. Well, let's move on. How about the food in Aruba versus the food in Curacao?
I will say that overall was very good in both places. Oh, that's a tough one. Because I would say just overall. Now, I will say that in Aruba, if you wanted Wendy's, KFC, McDonald's, Burger King, all those places.
Olive Garden.
Yeah, any of those places. Like you would be able to find that there. But I would say just overall, the food was the food was excellent. One over the other. I probably have more memorable in Curacao, I would say, from the breakfast at the Van Gogh specialty coffee. We randomly went to this place after we saw the flamingos where we saw we said, oh, this must be popular. It's beside the side of the road near the Williwood sign. Marfa's Good Hangout. And it was barbecue night and they were cooking the barbecue on a grill across the street. That was good. And we walked in and they were like, oh, you have a reservation. And we were like, you've got to be kidding. Like, it looked like it was like a gas station stop. But that was excellent. Trying to think what else. But yeah, I'd say overall the food. I really enjoyed the food.
I totally agree. I felt like Aruba, everything about the food scene in Aruba just felt Americanized. And that's kind of what I was talking about when I said, if you went to Aruba, it could be any beach in the US. I threw that in about the Olive Garden because there's literally an Olive Garden there, people. And that means when you visit Aruba, you guys are going to the Olive Garden. I definitely would choose the food in Curacao. It was also a lot cheaper. It wasn't
like cheap. So let's not set up for... That's true. It wasn't cheap, cheap, but it was definitely less expensive.
true. It wasn't
How about snorkeling? Curacao or
overall, I think we found more snorkeling spots in Curacao that we thoroughly enjoyed. Three at least. And especially that tugboat shipwreck. And there were a couple of other places, I think, if it hadn't have been quite so windy or rough that we also could have snorkeled. Now, having said that, that last place that we snorkeled, Boca Catalina, near Boca Catalina Beach, that we talked about in the last episode, again, along that rock wall, it wasn't rough. You were kind of tucked away in that bay. I really enjoyed that. Other than that, i would say that the the water in aruba was a bit rougher
we just found more places with good snorkeling in curacao than we did on aruba and you have
too like curacao is known you know i mentioned that the dive hotel i mean there's it's known for people to go down there in the different places and dive too. So definitely would pick Curacao for that.
I'm going to give Aruba the award for the beaches. I think Aruba definitely has nicer beaches. They have the wide sandy beaches, the little palupas, I think they're called, the little huts that you can rent or thatch umbrellas. I wasn't quite sure what the draw was for those because realistically, you had to sit around this like pole to be under them. So I'm not sure why that was so popular with everybody, but it is. It's a huge thing there.
Well, I imagine the sun can be pretty intense too. And especially if you're not used to being out in
But like everybody was just sitting in chairs, like around them, staring at this pole in between them.
between
I'm not sure I really understood that that much, but it is a big thing in Aruba and people fight over those to get, you know, the ones down by the beach. They have the drink service where they'll bring your drink down to the beach. So I believe that that puts Aruba a little bit ahead on that front.
I agree. And in beauty too. I would say that the beaches in Curacao are a little bit more, what's the word, maybe rust rustic i think in the other episode we compared them to like a beach in hawaii where you may have to park and walk and you just have some you know local type amenities and smaller a lot of times like rocks and stuff are you saying
that you didn't enjoy the beach that we went to where we stared at the oil rig that was being refurbished.
That was probably the most interesting. So if I had to do like the most interesting beach in the world or something, because like they had the beach amenities, right? People would rent chairs. And but yeah, that's true. That's interesting. That's a good idea for
By the way, go back to the Curacao episode and you'll hear what we're talking about. Our actual favorite beach that we went to because of the snorkeling was where the tugboat shipwreck was. But there was an oil rig right there that was being refurbished.
back to
was your view for the day.
And that was, we went there the first afternoon that we had gotten there. And I kind of thought, what is, like, what is this place? Like, this is a little strange. You know when you have a travel day and then we had late lunch and you're like, we're going to this place to snorkel. And at first I didn't even get in. And you were like, no, seriously. Like, you have to get in and just see this. And we even missed the tugboat shipwreck the first day. But, yeah, that oil rig, it was interesting. Very interesting.
Next is street murals, San Nicolas and Aruba, or all of the murals that were spread around Willemstad. So
that both of them have like well known for street murals, first of all. So it definitely would pick the ones in Aruba in the little town of St. Nicholas, just because it was, they were, you know, easy to find, like you're wandering around that whole little district. They were more spread out in Willemstad. And even some of them to like, we referenced a couple of blog posts, and then people had them marked. And we didn't even make them to all because some of them were just like you know I don't know exactly where that is but I will say a couple of things like wandering around Willemstad to like see them we happened upon a couple of really cute spots which always goes back to our recommendation which is just like walk and you know see a city and stuff like that because we wouldn't have run across some of those places if we hadn't have but in just in terms of the sheer number of them and how many you could see and actually find but they were absolutely gorgeous both places and there was a few of them in willemstad that were just like massive right and just absolutely elaborate so worth seeing in both places for sure we
some people doing like a scooter tour it's like a big wheel scooter type thing and they were doing a tour and it looked like it was taking them to all of the murals oh so
would be a good tour to look up okay that's good to know i'll have to check into that one
would be
so you could probably do that but this is where we came across the little town our little area called curura Haranda Village. And we walked around up there and said, matter of fact, if we were to go back to Curacao, we might stay at the little boutique hotel that was part of this Cura Haranda Village.
Yeah, it looked like they had some new restaurants. If we hadn't have gone to that Ceviche 91, there was a cute little restaurant there that was recommended, and we had stopped and gotten coffee and gelato. And they had several cute shops in that little village. So from what I understand, that's like a historical area, and they've just tried to revitalize it as well. How about
they had some new
tour experience, the Easy Raider on Aruba or the Curacao Distillery Tour?
say definitely the Easy Raider on Aruba or the Curacao Distillery Tour? So I would have to say definitely the Easy Raider Tour. That was just a unique experience. Like you said, we had never done anything like that. And then I think just having that time to get to, you know, him telling us a lot of stuff about the history and the different locations and then us getting to ask questions. The other was fun. We get to learn where the Curacao came from, why that particular one and the cocktails, but the cocktails weren't really, besides some of them, you could pick ones that use that original Curacao liqueur. We didn't really have a lot of interaction as far as local, besides just making the drinks. Now now that one was interesting though because we did get to talk to a couple that were actually on a cruise ship doing that tour that gave us a lot of great tips for an upcoming trip to south africa so that was a neat experience getting to you know meet some fellow travelers and get some tips for another location well
this next one i think you've got a definite opinion on that and we may not agree. So how about breakfast? Is it Eduardo's Beach Shack in Aruba or the Van Gogh in Curacao?
I would pick the Van Gogh in Curacao. They had, well, coffee and then they had a cute little, like their drive-thru was like this cute little coffee truck. I think I just loved the aesthetic of the inside and then we got to sit on the porch and then they had things like avocado toast and French juices. And so one of the days we had breakfast a little late and so I actually, before we left, had him make me an affogato, which was absolutely delicious. I said better than
you? Well, I'm going to have to say Eduardo's Beach Shack on Aruba. I thought that was great. You know, it was one of those things where we'd eaten out a lot of different restaurants, maybe a lot of different rich food. And so it's really nice just to have that fruit bowl with the acai and, you know, just kind of take it easy from that perspective. But really good coffee, you know, cute little shack there. The people who work there were super friendly. And so I like that. And then, of course, you're out by the beach, which we absolutely love.
Yeah, that was a neat. the location of that was great. So what would you say about the sunsets? Scott, We got to experience a couple of amazing sunsets. Number one, where we saw it when the flamingos in the wild on Curacao,
then the other one on the beach in Aruba, Boca Catalina. Now that's a hard one because both of those were great and they had their own reasons for being wonderful. But I think I'm going to choose the flamingos in Curacao because they're wild flamingos there in Curacao. Yeah, that
amazing to see that sunset over the mountain. But then you also had that church in the background. I mean, it was neat to see that sunset over the mountain, but then you also had that church in the background. I it was neat mean, to see the sunset with the but that boats, could be a lot of places.
Speaking of flamingos, let me throw that one out there. The flamingos in Curacao or the flamingos on Flamingo Island in Aruba?
flamingos in Curacao, for sure. I think that you don't know if you're actually going to get to see them, right? So a lot of people had said, you know, here's where they are. It's in the salt flats, but you don't know if they're really going to be there. And I think there were, do you remember? I think like 16 of them. And I just gasped, I think, when I saw them because I was like, they're actually here. And several people had stopped and parked and were kind of, you know, walking that direction. So that was my favorite.
I think I agree. I mean, it's neat to be up close and personal with them there in Aruba, but then you kind of also know they can't leave there. And I don't know, in my mind, that just makes them prisoners. Now, they're prisoners in a really fabulous place, but they're still prisoners. So I'm going to go with the ones in Curacao. Yeah,
got to, it was after we had walked back to the car, but a few of them like flew a little bit of ways. And that's just neat because when you see them in zoos and stuff like that, you never get to see them They had actually fly. flown by our when you see them in zoos and stuff like you never get that, to see them fly. They had actually flown by our boat when we were in the Galapagos and that was just the neatest thing. So to get to see that again. And then it's free. That's the other thing too, because it was a lot of, it's a lot of cost and a lot of effort to get to go see them on that Flamingo Beach. And then here, this was, you know, we had finished snorkeling. We went to see them.
true. It is Flamingo Beach. I think I said Flamingo Island.
Well, they are on the island because you have to take a boat over there. So
Melissa, which one would you choose, Curacao or Aruba?
I would choose Curacao. And so if I was going to be able to go back to one, I would definitely go back to Curacao. So
of things that I thought were really nice on Aruba. As a matter of fact, you saw even my breakfast pick was there on Aruba. But I just felt like, and I think it was pretty clear when I was talking about this earlier, it could have been any beach in Florida. It was so Americanized, so developed, so commercialized, that it just could have been anywhere. And Curacao just didn't have that. It had more of an authentic, rustic feel to it. And so if I'm going to travel somewhere and I'm going to go that distance to get there, I want that authentic, slightly rustic experience of Curacao.
you were actually talking to somebody. It may have been at the hotel in Curacao or somewhere. Remind me if you can remember. And I think you mentioned. Oh, no, I think it was at the waiter at the coffee, at the Van Gogh specialty coffee. And you mentioned that we were going to go to Aruba next. And he said that you would find Curacao to be more rustic, authentic than when we got to Aruba.
I think what just absolutely sealed the deal on that was when we drove by and we saw that olive garden on Aruba. And I said it earlier. It's there because you guys are going to this stupid thing. But there's just nothing authentic about that. And so I think in my mind, I'm just choosing Curacao. Yeah.
And I mean, we try to eat at local places no matter where, right? Even in the U.S., like if we go somewhere, we want to have, you know, a local experience and promote, you know, or support a local, you know, business and just, you know, experience that. But yeah, for sure. So for more details on Aruba, be sure to listen to both episodes 45 and 57. So in 45, we interviewed a friend when we were planning our trip. And so she gave us lots of good recommendations. And then in episode 57, we tell you what we did and our recommendations in a very different way because we did a much more off the beaten path Aruba. So what to do and then what to avoid. Also, in episode 56, you can hear all the details about our favorite pick between the two, which is Curacao.
have my favorite between the two, but the one thing that I've learned is that everyone has their own reasons for what they prefer. Which one of these is your favorite? Send me an email, scott at sunshinetravelers.com, and let me know which one you would choose and why. We are always encouraged by your travel adventures.
are booking reservations for your next trip, we recommend using Booking.com. Choose from over a million properties worldwide, from cozy country homes to sleek city apartments. Find the best deals with our price match promise. You can enjoy great stays at lower cost. And because flexibility matters, book with confidence knowing you can cancel with ease. You can also make informed choices with millions of reviews from fellow travelers. Start your next adventure now and visit sunshinetravelers.com slash booking to book your perfect stay. Using our affiliate links to book your experiences and travel helps support our podcast and allows us to continue to provide new content each week. Please consider using this link when booking your next travel. There is no extra cost to you and we are compensated through the affiliate.
enjoyed this episode and found some inspiration to help you with your travel journeys. If you could take a moment and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, it'd be greatly appreciated. Your five-star reviews help us get discovered by others and possibly featured on your favorite platform. Don't forget to follow or subscribe to our podcast to get notified of new episodes as they are released. You can also find us on Instagram as Sunshine Travelers Podcast. Remember, that is Travelers with one L. Most importantly, please share it with your friends to help them catch the travel bug. You never know, they may become your greatest travel companion.
