u/Zeeast

We’ll be in Curaçao Aug 27–Sep 3 with 2 adults, 2 kids, and grandparents in their 70s. Everyone is active and swims, but we’re trying not to make the trip feel like a checklist.

We’re only there 7 nights and, in hindsight, probably should’ve done more research and booked 10 nights instead 😂. So now we’re trying to see a lot without turning the whole vacation into a military operation.
We’re staying near Mambo Beach and renting an SUV.

Our rough plan:
Thu: Arrive, dinner, Punda Vibes/fireworks

Fri: Early Playa Piskado for turtles, lunch in Westpunt, then Grote Knip

Sat: Otrobanda + Willemstad/Punda, then Kome for dinner

Sun: Slow villa morning, then Cas Abao

Mon: Shete Boka + Playa Lagun

Tue: Hato Caves + Tugboat Beach snorkel, then relaxed villa/pool afternoon and Fort Nassau dinner

Wed: Blue Room Cave tour + Porto Mari

Thu: Relax at the private villa beach, lunch, then Departure

We’re treating Jan Kok flamingos as an optional stop on one of the west-coast days rather than forcing it into the schedule.

Is there anything here that feels repetitive? To me it does but that’s because we’ve never been to Curacao other than a 5 hour cruise stop.

Are we missing any must-do beach or snorkeling spot?

For dinners, we’re trying to keep a simple rule: after a long beach/adventure day, if we don’t have much time to get back, shower, and reset, we’ll do something casual — Mambo, food trucks around Caracasbaaiweg, eat somewhere on the west side before driving home, or just eat at the villa.
We’ll save reservation dinners for days when we have a few hours to relax and get ready.

Our goal is to see a good variety of Curaçao, get plenty of swimming/snorkeling in, but still have time to actually enjoy the villa and feel like we’re on vacation.

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to decide between two very different accommodations in Curaçao and would really appreciate some advice.

We’ll be a group of six: my wife and I, our two kids (12 and 8), and both grandparents. We’ll be renting a car for the week and plan to explore the island.
We specifically want to stay around Mambo Beach. We were in Curaçao for just a few hours on a cruise last year and loved the area, so we’re coming back for a full 7-night stay.

One of the main reasons we want to stay at Mambo Beach is so the grandparents can easily walk around on their own, browse the shops, grab a coffee, or relax without always needing the car.

Option 1 – LionsDive Beach Resort

We’ve already booked two hotel rooms at LionsDive since the family suites were outside our budget.

Option 2 – Curaçao ocean resort 3-bedroom beachfront apartment in Mambo Beach

Instead of the hotel, we could book a two-bedroom suite with a private beach and pool for essentially the same price.

Pros:
Full kitchen with a proper fridge, which would save money on breakfasts and let us pack some lunches for beach days.
Ability to heat up snacks and keep drinks stocked.
Everyone stays together instead of being split between two hotel rooms.
Much more living space to relax together.
Morning coffee on the balcony and possibly dinners outside together.

Cons:
I’m worried we’d miss out on the “resort vibe” and amenities that LionsDive offers.
If we wanted to spend the day at Mambo Beach, we’d likely need to pay for beach chairs and umbrellas since we’d only have access to the apartment’s smaller private beach.

For anyone who’s stayed in this area:
Is the resort experience at LionsDive worth giving up the extra space and kitchen?
Does staying in an apartment take away from the overall vacation experience?

Since we’ll already have a rental car and plan to explore the island most days, which option would you choose for a family like ours?
Both options end up costing about the same, so the decision really comes down to the experience.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

I called to order two standalone Apple Watch plans. The first representative told me it wasn’t possible. I pushed back because Bell literally advertises standalone Apple Watch plans on its website for $15/month. After a lot of time on the phone, she eventually said everything was set up and that I’d receive an email within 30–60 minutes with instructions.
No email ever came.

The next day I called back and spoke to another representative. They assured me everything would be fixed and told me to log into my Bell account and activate the eSIMs. When I checked my account, I noticed two new phone numbers had been created, but each one already had an Apple Watch assigned to it. That seemed odd because I didn’t own the watches yet and hadn’t provided any device information.
I couldn’t update the IMEI information, so I called Bell a third time. This time I was told the issue would be escalated to technical support and that someone would contact me within 72 hours.

About 24 hours later, two brand-new Apple Watches showed up at my door. I never ordered any watches. I only wanted two standalone Apple Watch plans.
Now I’m stuck wondering what to do next. I don’t want the watches, I don’t want to spend another few hours on the phone explaining the situation for a fourth time, and I just want this mess corrected and any charges reversed.

This is exactly the kind of experience that makes customers lose confidence in a brand. Nobody seemed to understand the product, nobody seemed to know what had been set up, and every call created a new problem. Is it a coincidence that every employee i spoked to seemed to be offshore?

My 2016 CX9 power liftgate strut is crapping out. I hear a huge knock from one of the struts when it opens or closes.

To replace, parts alone is about $1600. I saw a video online where some of these cars have a manual liftgate

Has anyone tried swapping from power to manual?

Almost all coasters are delayed this morning . What gives?