Sunscape Curacao Resort Spa & Casino

First off I’ll start by saying, I’m so glad we booked this with Cheap Caribbean instead of directly with the hotel. This is the best way you can ensure you get a true “all inclusive” experience. Bring USD! Widely accepted and preferred over the local currency...and second best option is Euro, but still less preferred than USD. We arrived at the airport and were greeted by our shuttle agent. She was nice enough to let us get gelato from a stand in the airport— which also happens to be known as the best gelato spot on the island. Once at the resort we were greeted by the bellhops and they took our luggage for us while we were checked in, now this is where things get a little weird. So the check-in process is not as smooth as I would’ve liked; you are escorted to concierge, then if they determined you have a “VIP” booking, afterwards you are instructed to finished your check in with the Member Services center. Member Services checks you in, then redirects you to concierge. So for the first 30 min we were passed back and forth between these two groups just for check-in. The final step in this is Concierge giving you the resort coupons (if applicable to your booking code) for a preset value. Now the value of the coupons only comes into play if you decide to pay for bottle services; spa services (not inclusive of all treatments available) ;and a 1 time customized romantic dinner for a partial discount. Being fully transparent here— we didn’t feel the need to use any of the coupons because all the stipulations/guidelines were not worth the hassle. There’s also a push by the staff to attend a “breakfast” to earn more coupons/discounts if you listen to their 45-90 minute presentation. I wanted no part of that at all, so we declined. Moving on to the room— breathtakingly gorgeous. I can see why there’s a rumor by other guest that they use their presentation to try to sway people to becomes members so they have “VIP” access...because if you don’t get an ocean view room; then your room will have limited to no views. Our room also included room service & was restocked with beer and mixers (cola & club soda) 2x a day. We also had 2x a day house keeping. The only drawback is that there’s no elevator in the building we’re were in (which can be rough if you are on the top floor & buzzed) and we had a small leak in the ceiling due to exterior construction they were doing. Maintenance came and fixed the leak within a reasonable timeframe the same day and none of our belongings were ruined. But the next day, construction started up again, which caused some debris to fly around our front door. Again, not horribly bad, but just not something we expected to see in such a coveted section of the resort. Dinning... now this is where you either loved it or hated it...and by that I mean food and service! So don’t go to the buffet ever unless you bring your own drinks... it takes forever to get just a glass of water! Like you could finish your entire meal and they still wouldn’t have been back with your first glass of water! Same goes for the Blue Grill restaurant. This made it very hard to justify tipping. So we didn’t. Also, don’t waste your time booking the Japanese hibachi restaurant (oddly enough the only one requiring a reservation out of all the ala cart restaurants) because the options are very limited. They were nice enough to “kind of customize” our meal by adding egg to the fried rice and giving more fish to me since I’m a pescatarian; but that’s as custom as it got. The rosé was too dry as well. Definitely eat at the Italian restaurant...then Oceana (the sea food restaurant) since they had the best service! We made sure to tip big at both. Excursion & the beach— beach awesome, just get down early for your towels and preferred cabana area. Bring water shoes as well since there’s so much coral near the shore. The towel centers all close at 5 including the VIP one... so get there before 5 if you don’t want to bring a towel from your room. Booking your excursions is best if you do so with Cheap Caribbean instead of the onsite staff. The onsite guy had no clue what he was offering and will misrepresent what he’s selling just to get his commission! I think his name was Ayara. Book any excursions via Cheap Caribbean or through Trip Advisor! Overall a decent value for the price. A great alternative if you can’t find accommodations in the Bahamas during February.

The resort itself is nice; the staff throughout are pleasant and are well dressed. The pools are clean and pretty. The grounds are maintained and have iguanas living on the premises. We had a garden view room, but it overlooked large dumpsters of either garbage or dirty linens and I knew that the resort was not fully booked, so I requested a change of rooms, which I was able to get with a bit of effort. The 2nd room was modern, roomy and nice. The sheets were particularly clean smelling and nice feeling (like they were bleached). Two days before our departure, they cleaned or emptied their septic system(s) and it caused an unbearable stench throughout our building--numerous people complained--the smell was a combination of stench and chemicals. I got very sick and had to work hard at getting another room. The only available room had not been updated, but it was okay compared to the horrific scent in the other room. The food at the buffet was just okay; they ran out of items towards the end of breakfast and dinner. The other restaurants were busy and usually required waiting for quite a while, as no reservations were allowed except for the Japanese restaurant. The Italian restaurant had good lasagna. The Blue Grille had the best overall food. Although people are not allowed to reserve chairs on the beach, many people would put their towels and belongings on chairs in the morning and just leave them there, so they always had a sunny and shady place to sit when they returned while others had nothing. Overall, I did like the resort and the staff (except for management, who were rather difficult when they had to deal with a problem). I would stay here again, but would be careful about which room I had and which building I was in.

If you’re used to a luxury all-inclusive you will be disappointed. The main issues: - Old property that’s falling apart - Unfriendly staff - 3 staff members of about 100 were nice - Food is mediocre at best - Not enough lounge chairs on the beach or at the pool. 16 chairs for a pool that had 42 rooms. Really? - Broken shower/holes in room - Housekeeping didn’t bring essentials like towels, wash clothes, bath mats, soap, coffee & we were in the Club - “Upgraded” minibar had 3 beers, 1 Coke, 1 Sprite, 3 bottles of water & 1 soda water (not sure what that’s for???) - No show at night, just a beach party - Other guests said the walls were paper-thin - Drinks mediocre, they served a blue lagoon regardless of what you asked for... including a chocolate drink!! - They were constantly out of everything, types of alcohol, chocolate for coffee shop, chicken??? - Don’t waste your time if you require gf. They will assure you they have it but then they are always out!?! - Pigeons walked on tables at breakfast and lunch. They were EVERYWHERE! - Dinner took 2 hours every night - seated at 6:10-6:30, plate delivered at 7:30-8 every night at every restaurant Very disappointing!

The behavior of other tourist was very disappointing I feel the hotel management should have stepped up in assisting us with on going problems.policies need to be put in place and enforced@pool and beach chairs to be fair and considerate of all guest..dining area needs to be netted to control the filthy birds...the Italian restaurant was the best need to learn to seat people as tables open sometimes skipping next in line put 2 people at a 2 top not A4 top .the staff was pleasant and accomidating to the best of their ability....better training pray least an interpreter just waking the common area yo assist would make guest feel better and make the workers less stressed I am not not picking I have traveled to manyplaces by land and sea and truly believe with some on property training you'll get there.the entertainment was fantastic better than I have experienced in recent travels daily paper and entertainment paper great idea kept me informed with no confusion 38 $for a manicure that was less than good was a disapointment..the sunshine was great.