Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort

My wife and 16 year old son and I just spent a week at the Santa Barbara Resort. All I can say is it far exceeded our expectation and we all just loved it. Since it was off season we got a great bargain, and the resort was just fantastic. I was a bit hesitant about their beach as they have a long pier that protects the beach. I am a "beach person" and really wanted to spend some time hanging out one the sand and in the water. I did not know what to expect. But it turns out that it was great! The sand was great and well groomed and they have trees as well as large umbrellas for shade. The pier turned out to be quite fun. It was built in entertainment as many locals would tie up and enjoy the water. One day we got to see three boats tie up and three groups hold up their catches for the day with each boat cheering as they help up their progressively larger fish. We got to witness the trophy presentation as we floated peacefully in the wonderful water. The only negative experience we had was around the golf shop. My son and I went by the golf shop one afternoon. We had a tee time the next morning and just wanted to check it out and see if perhaps we could get onto the driving range and hit a few balls that afternoon. The Pro could not figure out a way to allow us to just pay for a bucket of balls grab a few rental clubs and go hit some practice balls without charging us for a full set of rental clubs and a cart! Not exactly "customer friendly" Otherwise our entire experience at Santa Barbara was fantastic. The golf course was great as well despite the driving range issue.

Visited Curacao to celebrate my daughter's graduation and 18th birthday. I'm in the travel industry so spend a lot of time planning trips and picking out a top hotel on the islands. The Santa Barbara did not dissapoint and I would highly recommend it as a family friendly, full service, resort with something for everyone and a warm and welcoming staff. For those who like to stay at their resort for the duration of their stay and have a lot of nice amenities, this would be a perfect choice. For those who like to explore the island, you will need to know that this hotel is quite a distance from the West Coast beaches and the city of Willemstad. You should really rent a car if you plan to explore. In addition, once you go through the gates for the hotel, it's another 2-3 miles through the grounds of the plantation until you reach the hotel. We mentioned more than once that if you were dropped off and didn't know where you were, you would think you were in Arizona (grounds driving in are filled with cacti and mountainous and dry terrain). These grounds are actually great for hiking/biking and I would highly recommend you take their hiking trail all the way to the top for the amazing views and caves! Amenities at the resort are plentiful: Several restaurants (MUST try the gelato in the Italian market), several stores, great pool, snorkeling, diving, paddle boats, kayaks, tennis, hiking, as well as daily activities (yoga by the water, movie night by the pool, etc). The beach is large and there are plenty of chairs as well as beach service for drinks or food. As others have mentioned, there is a pier that protects the beach from the open waters as many boats travel in and out in front of the resort. We thought this would inhibit good snorkeling but we saw a ton of fish right at the resort, especially right at the entrance to the pier. I would also recommend walking to the end of the pier and dining at Boca 19 for lunch or dinner (get their fresh fish). If you do go off sight, I would recommend visiting the west coast beaches (our favorite was Cas Abou- we did not make it to Porto Mari but that also looks just as nice). We also enjoyed Mambo beach where we found amazing snorkeling in the inlet right in front the Lions Dive hotel next to the Aquarium. We rented chairs from this hotel and spent the day. I would also recommend the aquarium if you have younger kids or would enjoy swimming with the dolphins or the sea lions. Finally, we went to Willemstad one evening to shop (check out the fort near the Renaissance), take in the beauty of the colorful buildings, and have a a nice dinner. Highly recommend staying until it is dark to see the bridge lit up. A very pretty sight. As with every hotel, there is always rooms for improvement and we did have a few issues (i.e.: no clean glasses during our stay even after we asked for them, no one picked up our room service ticket hanging on our door, there was no soap in the bathroom when we arrived, our room had cooling issues), but we also realize it was off season so staff was probably at a minimum. Wifi was also spotty for several of our phones in the rooms but worked great in the lobby or on the beach. I will say whenever we dealt with the front desk for anything, they went out of their way to accommodate and correct. You can tell customer service is a high priority. There are not many large, full service, resorts on the island currently. One is shut down, one is 40 years old (we flew next to another couple who left that resort and came to Santa Barbara), one is right in the heart of town with no real beach. If you are a traveler that enjoys a large resort with all the amenities you could ask for and a high level of service, you will absolutely be happy with Santa Barbara!

Best 5 days in quite a long time Made reservations at Shore restaurant and told them it was my anniversary and they took very special care of us. Added to an already GREAT time. I will be back! Can't imagine it being better next time

This was a beautiful resort with excellent dive shop. We had a European plan with breakfast only and it was quite a spread of delicious food! The beach is spacious with plenty of chairs and sufficient shade, but the swimming area is small and drops off quickly. The manager, front desk ladies, and housekeepers were terrific and greeted us with enthusiasm at every pass by. The rooms were very clean, well equipped, comfortable and spacious. The local Aloe products (Curaloe) were available in the bath as well as the resort's own products. However, this place is quite secluded on the southeast side of the island and you need a vehicle to do much exploring or to go out for dinner. I would definitely return.

Santa Barbara Resort is about a 20-30 minute drive from Williamstad, but well worth the trip. The resort is beautiful and the amenities such as pools and beach access are very nice. Excellent service. It is situated in a bit of a secluded area of Curacao and is best if you're looking for a resort that you can stay at and not leave the property.