Curacao Marriott Beach Resort

Housekeeping 5/5 Restaurant service 4/5 (except Salty Iguana which is 1/5) Food 5/5. Front Desk 1/5 Beach 3/5

We stayed at this hotel late February and booked this hotel on recommendation and after arriving we’re really excited. The lobby and entry are beautiful. The room was beautiful and clean. The beach was beautiful in itself. We had high hopes for the resort especially being Titanium elite members. We understood  room upgrade would not be available but that was OK because I booked an ocean front room. We were offered Reef Club access. We were not greeeted with anything else like a welcome drink or gift, etc. like you typically would be in a Marriott but that was okay.  The first issue came the next day when we went to the Salty Iguana on the beach for lunch. 6 servers in 20 minutes made eye contact with us and didn’t stop to ask if we were being helped. I had to pull a manager at which point she offered complimentary drinks while we waited for our lunch. The lunch was excellent and we enjoyed, went back to the beach. The next incident came when we went back to the room and I asked for champagne glasses and water bottles. I was told I could not get champagne glasses unless I ordered a bottle from room service. Didn’t make sense to me. I was told I couldn’t get water bottles. I mentioned we had reef club access, then they said we could take from there, but why was this so difficult? We returned to the room and had no room service. At 530pm I had to call for room service. They serviced our room at dinner but then we weren’t given replacement washcloths. I had to call the desk. The next day we went on an excursion. The cab was supposed to be coordinated by Ronald, the next morning he never came. We rushed to call another cab, almost missing our excursion. Further, while in the cab, someone gave the other cab driver who never came my number and was calling to harass me about why we didn’t wait for him even though he was 13 minutes late- why would someone share my personal number?? Later that night we were again exhausted and went to the salty iguana. Again, our waitress forgot about us and I had to get the manager involved. I relayed this to Julian at the desk who was very kind and helpful and he comped us 50% of the bill after confirming with the manager that we did again get skipped over at the same restaurant. Twice in 2 days.  We didn’t like the reef club because the happy hour option the day before was fried food and breakfast was limited. I’m gluten and dairy free so this was not doable for me. Originally I was told the reef club would include sushi, fresh fruit etc. Julian switched us to breakfast option instead. We went to breakfast the next day, we were happy we switched. We went to the beach. I went to the towel hut to get towels, and the young man managing couldn’t get off his phone to help me, there were no towels. When I asked if they’d be getting more, he said “I don’t know”. I walked away again frustrated. I got towels from the front desk, and had to explain again why this was a problem. Next day, second to last day- I went back to my room again, no wash clothes. Julian quickly sent up 6 wash cloths. Why did need to keep asking for wash cloths? On the Last night I asked for late check out which we were told wouldn’t be a problem. That morning I went to the front desk to ask for a copy of the bill, received the bill to review. Noted that breakfast was charged every day. Bill revised. Noticed the free drinks we were supposed to be comped at iguana were charged, again revised. Finally closed the bill and confirmed our ride share for 1PM, late check out. Went to the beach after that this same morning, one last moment to relax got back to our room at 11:50 and locked out. Had to go back to the desk, wait in line. The woman at the desk forgot to add the late check out. For me this was just the last straw. Why, was it so difficult to communicate here?? This resort is so beautiful and has so much potential but there are serious issues with staff. People communicate they’re going to improve things and it falls on deaf ears and empty promises. We were incredibly frustrated as we loved this island and everything it as to offer but honestly I don’t think I would refer or even recommend this to anyone else. I hope since I took all the time to write this review it is taken seriously and you’re able to enforce some positive change at your resort.

If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to pay premium prices to be treated like an inconvenience, congratulations — this resort has perfected the art. From the moment we arrived, it was clear we were interrupting their day simply by existing. The Room Debacle: “Balcony” (Terms and Conditions Apply) We booked an oceanfront balcony — you know, the kind you can actually sit on. Marriott gave us a French balcony, which is basically a Juliet balcony’s sadder cousin. When they finally moved us to the room we actually paid for, they acted like they’d just donated a kidney. Apparently, at this resort, “balcony” means “a railing you can lean on while contemplating your life choices.” Beach & Pool: Welcome to the 6:00am Olympics The chair situation is so absurd it deserves its own reality show. The front desk cheerfully tells you chairs open at 9am, which is adorable, because by 6:30am every shaded spot is already claimed by guests who have accepted that sleeping in is not an option here. If you arrive at 9am, you’ll be lucky to find a patch of sun that won’t scorch your skin off. A reservation system would solve this instantly — but why fix a problem when you can let guests fight it out Hunger Games–style? Salty Iguanas: Where Lunch Becomes a Hostage Situation We stayed at this resort specifically so we wouldn’t have to leave for meals. Joke’s on us. Lunch at Salty Iguanas took two hours every day, not because the food is gourmet, but because the staff operates at a speed best described as “glacial but uninterested.” Requests for water or drinks were treated like we were asking for a kidney. We tipped generously early on, hoping to build rapport — the staff responded by ignoring us with even greater efficiency. And yes, there’s an automatic 10% service charge. And yes, they still expect you to tip on top of that. For what, exactly, remains a mystery. Pool: The Great Optical Illusion The pool looks huge online. In person, it’s more like a large bathtub with delusions of grandeur. Whoever took the marketing photos deserves an award in creative distortion. Housekeeping: A Daily Grab Bag of Disappointment Housekeeping was a roulette wheel of chaos. As Marriott members with a profile full of preferences, we expected at least basic consistency. Instead, we got: • 2 towels one day • 4 towels the next • No towels or washcloths the day after • And a phone call that made us feel like we were interrupting someone’s break The fridge? It’s a decorative drawer. Drinks stayed colder sitting out on the counter. Truly impressive. Front Desk: The Department of “Come Back Tomorrow” Need help in the evening? Too bad. The overnight staff is apparently there for moral support only. Anything beyond “hello” requires the morning team. The disconnect between departments is so severe it feels like the resort is being run by separate franchises that don’t speak to each other. Friendliness: Rare, Like a Solar Eclipse We genuinely try to connect with staff everywhere we travel. Here, it was like trying to befriend a brick wall. The only bright spot was Jayme at the beach bar — and even he was drowning in work. Pros (Because I’m Trying to Be Fair): • The grounds are beautiful • The sushi restaurant is excellent • It’s quiet (probably because everyone is too exhausted from fighting for chairs and towels) • Guests keep to themselves (likely because they’re trying to recover from lunch) Final Verdict We’re not demanding travelers. We don’t need pampering. We just expect basic hospitality, especially at a resort charging these prices. Marriott Curaçao has enormous potential, but right now it’s a beautifully landscaped disappointment wrapped in apathy, mismanagement, and a stunning lack of guest care. Until they overhaul their operations, staffing, and service culture, this resort is nothing more than a cautionary tale with palm trees.

This hotel could be great. But it was really quite average. And for average, it was really quite expensive when 15% service charges are added onto everything. Management will respond by thanking me for mentioning the positives in my detailed review and pledge to ameliorate the negatives, all while doing nothing, other than sending my comments to the appropriate teams for review. Curaçao Marriott is a nice small resort with nothing going on nearby. Arrive here without a car and it's $20 each way by taxi to downtown. (As of April 2026, it's $35 to/from the airport.) There are a couple of small soft sandy beaches. There are also two freshwater pools. Finding a lounge chair to hang out at either is impossible, as other guests come out very early in the morning and stake out the seats and return when they are ready. This practice should not be tolerated by the hotel and the few pool staff visible dispensing towels do absolutely nothing to prevent this. In fact, management actually encourages people to snag loungers early through non-enforcement! There's a tag on the loungers that says items will be removed after TWO hours, which is a ridiculously long period of time, but I never once saw any items being removed by anyone. So given the lack of enforcement by management, it makes absolutely sense that chair-hogs will place one or two items on a chair with impunity and then leave the pool/beach area for two hours or longer for breakfast or whatever! Management must address this issue. It's bad when guests pay big bucks for a resort experience, only to have nothing to sit on by the pool or beach. I'm sure management will respond by saying that they're "always evaluating detailed guest feedback and will pass along to the pool staff" which means nothing will be done. Just be aware if you book this resort, there's not enough chairs by the pool or beach for paying guests. Food at this resort is good, but pricey. Hotel has a 15-percent service fee on everything. But meal receipts make clear it's not a gratuity so tipping additional is expected. Just about every meal will cost you a minimum of $25 USDpp. Sure, some menu items are lower, but all in, you're easily spending that amount per person. Staff at the beachside/poolside Salty Iguana staff will ignore you while chatting among themselves. In my case, they started taking my order, got distracted and then walked away before the order was completed. I was frustrated by the lack of customer-centric service there. Parking Easter Sunday was a mess. We had guests come over to hopefully join us for Sunday brunch at the JFK restaurant, but they weren't allowed to park at the hotel or given any options as to where to park. So, there was no Easter Sunday family brunch at the hotel. We asked the night before if reservations were needed for breakfast and were told "no." We ended up going elsewhere. Not good. We did get nice, friendly check-in from lobby staff. When we arrived, I asked if breakfast was included in our rate. I was staying at a lot of hotels on this trip and didn't check to see what I'd paid for. They wrongly told me that breakfast wasn't included in our rate, so we paid for breakfast or an early lunch every single day of our stay. When we checked out, they noted that breakfast WAS included. So double check when checking in! We ended up paying for breakfasts or early lunch every day of our stay when it should have been included. There was no offer to credit. Not good and left a really, really bad taste in my mouth. Departure day was a mess. Taxi people/concierge weren't focused on helping departing guests get taxis so that was a frustrating, unpleasant experience. Not sure what they were doing, but they only added to the confusion. Cabs were not at the hotel and they had to call someone. My Curacao Cab app likely would have worked quicker than they did to get a cab to the airport. Room AC thermostat wouldn't work, but staff though did get it resolved quickly. Hot water was hit and miss in the morning. I took at least two cool showers. Outdoor dining at JFK was like eating in an aviary. I like birds, but clearly these birds saw breakfast as a buffet and the table next to us got their breakfast pooped on by birds! Finally, the adult Serenity pool. Serenity means peaceful. If you're a guest using this part of the hotel, it means quiet. And for the Americans reading this, and yes, I'm an American, it also means not shouting to your family or friends from one end of the pool to the other. Again, not a management issue. This one is on the guests. But while I'm on the topic of pool etiquette and pool management, precautions should be taken to ensure that no guest enters the pool or pool deck area with a glass bottle. I love a beer but would never take a glass bottle into a pool. Accidents do happen. And glass and pools will be an expensive cleanup or liability. The hotel sadly needs to have someone (like maybe your non-existent pool staff?) there reminding adults that they can't take glass bottles into the pool. Room was comfortable, but unfortunately our request for one of few rooms still left with a tub was not acknowledged at check-in. I get the sense that our noted preference was never read in the first place, despite being in the guest record. And on the subject of the room. Not just at this hotel, but hotels throughout the world, specifically North America. Who thought that installing "barn doors" to separate the bathroom from the sleeping area was a good idea? These doors never seal properly and it's just a horrible trend in room renovations. There's nothing wrong with real doors, and no guest has ever requested or found an advantage to barn-door design. All in all, not a great experience at this resort and I'm sure you can find cheaper, better beach alternatives in Curacao.

We had a great experience at the Marriott Beach Resort, and I want to give a special shoutout to our breakfast waiter, ABIATAR. Every morning, he greeted us with a bright smile and a genuine warm welcome that set the tone for our day. He consistently made sure we were well taken care of and truly went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable. Service like his makes all the difference. 5 stars to ABIATAR! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟