Papagayo Beach Resort

Our stay at Papagayo Beach Resort was simply wonderful. The location, the check in and the service was great. Our villa was clean and the daily cleaning was outstanding. Some things could have some maintenance but that where more cosmetic things than flaws. The swimming pool is having a great refining just when we left and that was needed. We stayed at Villa 172 and the location just a few steps away from the swimming pool is really a pro. But we did not come for swimming pools, hahaha. The walk to Jan Thiel beach is 5 a 10 minutes, but the walk seems more then a hike because of the slope you need to climb in the summer heat. To see the island you need a car and because of the roads that are sometimes really rocky I advice renting a jeep or something in the same category. We rented a car directly from Move it Car Rental in advance from the Netherlands and I highly recommend them. Great service and they drop of the car at the villa and pick it up there also (you can also let it drop off at Hato airport). The shopping mall at Jan Thiel is great for quick needed things but there a few really big shoppingmalls just in the neighborhood that I recommend to buy your weekly things (Mangusa). Curaçao is amazing and the people also. The vibe, the beaches and the summer breeze really gets you in a relaxed mood. All is good and just enjoy.

We booked a package tour through TUI that included a stay in a two-bedroom villa at the Papagayo Resort. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed by more than 24 hours, so we didn’t arrive at the resort until the following evening. I had called the day before to let them know we’d be arriving a day later. Upon arrival, I even spoke to the same person at the front desk who told me he had answered my call the day before. To our great surprise, they had assumed we weren’t coming anymore. As a result, there was no welcome package, no food, and no drinks after a two-day journey. Tui hadn’t notified them, but I had personally informed them. The villa is okay but has clearly seen better days. The amenities are really minimal for cooking and living in the villa. Room service only changes the towels and takes out the trash during your stay. The resort’s front desk isn’t much to speak of, but the staff are friendly. A lot of people from outside the resort come to party there on the weekends, which unfortunately brought along a few undesirable individuals. Security clearly saw what was going on but did nothing about it. Personally, even though I had a fantastic trip with my family, I wouldn’t choose the Papagayo Resort again. Upon check-out, the credit card deposit was not released by the front desk. Now, after three weeks, the funds are still on hold, awaiting automatic release by the credit card company after 31 days. I contacted the resort but unfortunatly never received any reply.

I am extremely disappointed with my experience at Papagayo Beach Hotel, not only because my GoPro camera disappeared from my hotel room, but because of the way the situation was handled. My GoPro was inside my suitcase before we left Room 414. When we returned, it was gone. It was never taken to the beach, a restaurant, or anywhere else outside the hotel. From the very beginning, I felt that my report was met with skepticism rather than concern. Instead of being treated as a guest reporting a serious security incident, I felt I was expected to prove that I had even brought the camera with me. The attitude was dismissive and, at times, disrespectful. It was only after the police arrived that the hotel staff became noticeably more professional and respectful in their interactions with us. What disappointed me most was the hotel's final position. Rather than acknowledging that a guest's belongings had disappeared from inside a hotel room, the hotel concluded that its investigation found no evidence to support that a theft had occurred. At no point did they acknowledge the disappearance of my camera as an actual incident. As a guest, this left me feeling that my experience and concerns were simply dismissed. I understand that an internal investigation may not determine exactly what happened. However, that does not change the fact that my GoPro was inside my suitcase before we left the room and was missing when we returned. I expected the hotel to recognize the seriousness of that fact and to stand behind its guests, even if the investigation could not determine how the camera disappeared. Until this incident, our stay had been enjoyable. Unfortunately, the way this situation was handled completely overshadowed our vacation. A hotel of this category should not only provide excellent facilities, but also demonstrate empathy, professionalism, and accountability when guests experience a serious incident. I hope Papagayo Beach Hotel reviews both its security procedures and the way it treats guests who report incidents like this.

My first time in Curaçao and my experience would have been much better had I chosen a different resort. They have location in their favor being right across from Jan Thiel Beach Club but that’s about where it ends. We rented a two bedroom villa and the villa is pretty open and spacious but insufferably hot. The wooden doors were a hassle to open in the attempt to catch a breeze and when they were open birds flew in. There was one fan blowing the humidity around, a ceiling fan would have probably worked better, instead there are hanging lanterns to attract perching birds. When we asked for an additional fan we were told there is only one per unit. The porch is nice and spacious but really not helpful if the air is still, when the wind doesn’t blow it’s just hot. Luckily we had a car and could explore the island but forget about returning from a day out and coming back to a cool comfortable space. When I was off the resort and needed to reach out for assistance via WhatsApp, I never got a response. I tried email and nothing. The trash can was broken in one bathroom, they don’t provide wash cloths but luckily I bring those from home. The body wash and shampoo are literally sample size so we had to buy soap from the market. The beds don’t have blankets, only sheets, the tv is tiny and although it says Netflix and Amazon Prime, neither of those worked. The only time I felt remotely comfortable was in the bedroom but there’s no tv in there to even watch a movie in the air. The resort could use major upgrades .The pool wasn’t clean and needed repair. We saw a kid get hurt on jagged metal around the edge of the pool. The front desk has a sign that says restaurant but no restaurant is open there. The Beach Club was the best part of this stay. I will most likely visit the island again but NOT here. For the price we paid I would not consider this “luxury”.

I Love this island as a First time visitor but this resort was Not for Me and my Wife, nothing wrong with what they offer it’s just not for me. The bungalow/villa is just Way too Hot and humid as only the bedrooms are air conditioned and sorry but that’s just not gonna cut it on an island that is consistently hot and humid as they use vented door panels for open up the entire living space, bathrooms are hot, limited uncomfortable furniture. This is not a bad place just not for us.