Janet has gone swimming with the dolphins in Grand Cayman, the sea lions in the Galapagos, and the pigs in the Bahamas. After our inspection trip to Sandals Royal Curaçao this past May, she can add iguanas to that list. Not entirely by choice — but it counts.
The trip was a last-minute decision. Relatively. We’d had a Curaçao inspection trip on the books for 2027, but when an April trip to the Caucasus fell through, we pushed it up. A little over three months from making the decision to arriving at the resort. For a couple that plans our trips often a year in advance and longer, this was quick.
Janet managed to book us into an Awa Seaside Butler Bungalow — one of only five on the property, each with butler service and a private pool — at a great rate. Unusual for such a last minute booking. But the question we wanted to answer for our clients was whether it is worth it at the regular rate. It is.
Sandals offers a range of discount programs and unlike other suppliers, they allow many of their discounts to be stacked on top of each other. It makes the resorts much more approachable than you might think considering it is one of the upper tier all-inclusive resorts.
At a Glance
- Rooms: 351 rooms and suites, 25 room categories across 6 building zones (Sunchi, Carisia/Subi, Melemele, Rondoval Villas, Awa Seaside Bungalows, Kurason Island Bungalows) · Maximum capacity 702 guests
- Opened: June 2022 · Former Hyatt Regency Curaçao (2010), $72 million renovation · First and only Sandals property on the island
- Setting: 44 acres within the 3,000-acre Santa Barbara Estate nature reserve · South coast, sunset-facing
- Dining: 8 signature restaurants, 3 food trucks (truk’i pan), 1 café, 13 bars
- Pools: Dos Awa bi-level infinity pool (Sandals’ first) · Sunchi pool · Melemele pool · Heart-shaped Kurason Island pool
- Fitness: 24-hour fitness center, Life Fitness equipment, free weights, treadmills, elliptical, Jacob’s Ladder
- Activities: PADI dive center · Water sports center · Racket Academy (tennis/pickleball) · Red Lane Spa · Adjacent Pete Dye-designed Old Quarry golf course (fees apply) · Island Routes excursions
- Getting There: Non-stop flights from Miami (daily), JFK (3x/week), Charlotte and Newark (Saturdays only) · 40–45 min. transfer from airport · No private transfers available on property
Setting Expectations
Curaçao is an autonomous country (constituent country) within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with internal self-government while the Kingdom retains responsibility for certain kingdom-level matters. As a practical matter that means Curaçao governs its own internal affairs through its own parliament and government. It became a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 10 October 2010 when the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved. The Kingdom of the Netherlands remains responsible for defense, most foreign policy, nationality law, and some aspects of justice and oversight.
Local residents hold Dutch citizenship and they carry Dutch passports. However, Curaçao has no role or privileges within the European Union, even though the Netherlands is an EU member. That’s an important factor when looking at entry requirements. A visa is not required, nor is an electronic travel authorization, but travelers are required to complete a Digital Arrival Card within 7 days before departure to Curaçao. After completing all required steps, travelers will receive a confirmation which can be printed or saved to your mobile device. You will need to show it upon arrival. It’s also important to note that approval may be automatic, but that isn’t the final word on any traveler’s entry into Curaçao. Immigration officials have the final say. Other entry requirements apply and can change at any time, so be sure to visit the State Department’s travel website before you book and again before you depart.
The people of Curaçao speak Papiamentu, a Portuguese-based creole with strong Spanish influence and some Dutch, West African, and Arawakan influence. If you speak Spanish in particular, you’ll recognize some words in Papiamentu but you probably won’t get enough context to be able to follow a conversation. I can tell you even though I understand quite a few Spanish words, I had no clue what the resort staff was saying. The good news is English is widely spoken, but as with any destination, learning a few words of the local language means a great deal to the people you are visiting. That’s true even if you stay within the confines of a largely English-speaking resort like Sandals.
One of the best features of Curaçao from a travel perspective is that it sits outside the Atlantic hurricane belt. That doesn’t mean hurricanes can’t hit the island, just that they usually don’t — the last storm to make landfall there was in 1877. That makes it one of the more reliable weather bets in the Caribbean.
The island’s climate is semi-arid, averaging 22 to 24 inches of rain a year, mostly between October and January, and what does fall tends to arrive as a brief hard shower that evaporates off fast. We were there in mid-May and saw maybe one very brief period of drizzle. I’m not even sure I would call it drizzle. More like a drop or two.
Temperatures are steady year-round, highs in the upper 80s, with consistent trade winds in the 15-to-25-mph range that cut the heat nicely at the pool, but that also mask how much sun you’re getting. The sunburns we saw on other guests suggested not everyone accounted for that. If you go, don’t make the same mistake they did.
The semi-arid climate pushes ocean salinity higher than elsewhere in the Caribbean, producing the island’s signature vivid blue-green-turquoise water and visibility down to 100 feet. It’s a diver’s dream. You see the extraordinary color as your plane makes the turn to line up for its final approach into Willemstad’s international airport. The drive from the airport to the resort takes about 40 minutes even though the distance is just 15 miles. Not because the roads are particularly hilly or full of curves, but because it is a pleasant, scenic drive over a combination of local roads and resort access roads with reduced speed limits.
The Property
Sandals Royal Curaçao sits within the protected Santa Barbara Estate on the island’s southern coast — 44 acres carved from a 3,000-acre nature reserve. Sandals acquired the former Hyatt Regency Curaçao in 2021, put $72 million into it, and reopened the property in June 2022. It quickly became one of the more popular resorts in the portfolio.
The 25 room categories sort into six zones. The west side of the resort covers the spa, Aqua Center, and swim-out rooms onto a lazy-river-style pool; most west-side views are canal or garden, not open ocean. The east side is quieter. The three specialty tiers — the Rondoval Villas, Awa Seaside Bungalows, and Kurason Island Bungalows — sit here. The Rondovals are beautiful circular butler villas with private plunge pools, though they’re a walk from the restaurants and main pools.
During our stay the property was at near full occupancy, roughly 80% capacity — around 580 guests. It didn’t feel like it was nearly full…it felt more like half-empty. Between adequate staffing and a layout that spreads guests across a large footprint, the resort masks its occupancy well.
The Food
The food program is consistent with what we’ve come to expect across Sandals — creative, well-seasoned, properly executed, and not pretending to be something it isn’t. “Gourmet” is a word resort marketing reaches for that no resort kitchen consistently earns. What we got was good food, and I didn’t have to cook or clean up. That goes a long way.
A few notes the list below won’t tell you: Gatsu Gatsu — exclusive to this property and Sandals Saint Vincent — is widely cited as among the best sushi in the portfolio. We’d agree. We only stopped by for a late-night order and regretted not booking dinner there. Butch’s Island Chop House continues to underdeliver on beef for being a self-designated flagship chophouse, but their breakfast is quite good — Janet ordered their BLE (bacon, lettuce, and eggs between two slices of Texas French toast) delivered to the bungalow and declared it decadent. The bao bulgogi at the Kishi/Thaiger Thaiger food truck was the surprise of the week: well-balanced heat, ready within minutes. I ordered it twice.
Where to Eat
- Aolos — Mediterranean · Breakfast & dinner. Ocean views; the go-to breakfast venue on property.
- Pietra — Italian · Dinner. Antipasto buffet at the entrance; pasta execution gets mixed reviews.
- Gatsu Gatsu — Sushi, ramen, Asian. Exclusive to Royal Curaçao and Sandals Saint Vincent; among the best sushi in the portfolio.
- Vincent — Modern European · Reservation required. Roasted duck, beef tenderloin, classic preparations — the duck was about the best I’ve had anywhere.
- Zuka — Latin American · Dinner. Surf and turf gets strong reviews; some guests rank the steak the best in the portfolio.
- Butch’s Island Chop House — Steakhouse & seafood. Underdelivers on beef quality at dinner; excels at breakfast (see above).
- Strand — Seafood · Lunch & dinner, beachside. Al fresco, consistently strong execution — our entrees were superb both times.
- Kanaal — Café · Coffee, crepes, Dutch sweets. Dutch-themed; open 6:30a–10:30p. Coffee subpar — room service Blue Mountain was better. Becomes a wine and cheese bar during evening hours.
- Food Trucks — Curaçao, tapas, Asian bao. Toteki (traditional Curaçao), La Palma (Spanish tapas), Kishi/Thaiger Thaiger (bao & bowls) — the bao bulgogi is worth a repeat order.
The Island Inclusive Program
Guests in the Awa Seaside or Kurason Island Butler Bungalows — with stays of at least 7 nights — get the Island Inclusive Program: a $250 dine-out credit at participating Willemstad restaurants with private taxi service included. We used ours at Kome in downtown Willemstad, which came well-recommended in the resort’s Facebook group. Other guests warned us we’d be hard pressed to spend the full $250 given the favorable exchange rate. We managed, though we would agree — it wasn’t easy and we left stuffed.
The program also includes a one-time, 3.5-hour use of a convertible Mini Cooper, prepped with a map, gas, and a butler-prepared picnic basket, bookable through your butler at arrival. We passed. After what I saw of Curaçao’s traffic on the drive from the airport, the last thing I wanted was to be behind the wheel of a Mini Cooper.
The Pools
This is where the property separates itself from the rest of the portfolio. The Dos Awa — Sandals’ first bi-level infinity pool, its name meaning “two waters” in the local Papiamentu dialect — overlooks Spanish Water Bay and is enormous. The smaller upper pool uses its infinity wall to create the illusion that it spills into the larger lower pool below; it doesn’t, but the effect works. The lower infinity pool wraps around the base of the upper level, with a swim-up bar tucked into the corner near the water. Guests gravitate toward the glass walls on both levels, which leaves the center largely empty and surprisingly calm.
Less than two months after the resort opened, that glass infinity wall collapsed with the pool full of guests, sending water and people onto the beach. No serious injuries, fortunately, though it took Sandals 13 months to repair. The official explanation was too many guests during a pool party. One of our butlers, who’d been at the property since opening day, told us the real reason: the concrete supporting the glass wall hadn’t properly set. I can believe that.
Beyond Dos Awa, the “quiet” pool in front of the Sunchi building is large and pleasant, though the quiet designation is aspirational — it’s close enough to Dos Awa that staff-led games carry over, and the area has ping-pong and foosball tables nearby. If you want genuine quiet, head east to the quiet side of the resort and the Melemele pool: small, lounge chairs only, no bar, tucked behind Aolos restaurant. It borders the 18th hole of the Old Quarry Golf Course, but golfers aren’t known for being loud. Unless they double bogie the hole. Then the expletives fly, at least until the next foursome moves them along to the clubhouse.
The Beach
One thing to set expectations on up front: this is not a beach-first resort. The main ocean shoreline is rocky and largely inaccessible. What the resort offers instead is a man-made canal connecting to Spanish Water Bay, with a protected, sand-bottom saltwater lagoon carved from the shoreline rock and fed by the ocean. A floating marina dock separates the swimming area from the canal — boats tie up there, including Sandals’ dive boat, and their wakes are about the only disturbance you’ll feel in the water.
The beach itself is well-packed sand — not the widest in the Sandals portfolio, but wide enough for several rows of loungers and cabanas. No beach vendors, which is a welcome contrast to properties like Sandals Barbados where local law gives vendors access to all public beaches. The water entry is gentle: sandy bottom, gradual slope, no breaking waves. We spent one day there and enjoyed it. But with a private pool and ocean-front bungalow, we saw no reason to spend more than one. If a true ocean-facing beach is the priority, this may not be the right Sandals for you.
Activities, Entertainment & Spa
Included activities cover the full water sports spread — PADI-certified diving for certified divers, snorkeling, kayaks, paddleboards, Hobie Cats — along with four tennis courts that more often run as eight USA Pickleball-approved courts. The adjacent Old Quarry Golf Course (Pete Dye design, green fees extra) and Island Routes excursion program round out the options, with off-property trips ranging from Klein Curaçao and ATV tours to a visit to the original Curaçao liqueur distillery.
Evening entertainment rotates nightly — piano in the lobby bar, beach parties at Coconut Grove on the beach, silent disco, salsa class, saxophone serenade on the beach — which kept the week from feeling formulaic. The lobby bar piano is, honestly, the quietest and most pleasant spot on the property. The landscaping throughout is among the best we’ve seen in the Sandals portfolio, with color-themed plantings that delineate zones without feeling engineered. Hummingbirds are everywhere.
Red Lane Spa is not included in the stay, but worth the add-on. Staff do solicit appointments at the pool and beach; a polite no ends the conversation. No repeat asks, and no hard sell on retail products afterward — a welcome difference from the typical cruise ship spa experience.
About that iguana.
On one of our last days, Janet was in her floating chair in the bungalow pool — Kindle in hand, butler-delivered rum drink nearby — when she heard a splash. Our resident iguana, a daily fixture poolside, had fallen in. Iguanas are cold-blooded, and unlike the marine iguanas of the Galapagos, ours had no particular adaptation for extended water time. If he stayed in too long, he’d lose the ability to move and drown.
Having to call staff to clean out an iguana carcass would mean downtime for the pool, so Janet swam over to see what she could do. Mainly to cheer him on because she certainly wasn’t going to rescue him. She was worried about what he might do if she tried to lift him out. Not much, I told her later. People keep them as pets. She eventually started pushing water toward him, hoping to propel him close enough to the edge to pull himself out. It worked. He grabbed the ledge, hauled himself onto the concrete, rested for a minute, then moved a safe distance from the edge and resumed his position in the sun. Janet had gone swimming with an iguana in Curaçao. Not intentionally. But it counts.
Final Verdict
Sandals Royal Curaçao earns its reputation as one of the more refined and preferred properties in the portfolio. The Dos Awa pool is genuinely spectacular, the Awa Bungalows are among the best accommodations we’ve stayed in across any Sandals resort, and the Island Inclusive Program is a real perk worth planning around. Go in knowing it’s not a beach-first property and you won’t be disappointed by the beach. Go in knowing Butch’s will let you down and eat at Gatsu Gatsu instead. Getting there requires some flight routing compromises, and the absence of private transfers is a small but genuine annoyance. None of that changes the bottom line: we’re going back.