TDY Gouge - Curacao

Curacao, Netherlands Antilles - Marriott Resort, Curacao was awesome! If you're lucky enough to venture down here for more than 17 hours, bring your SCUBA card! The island is between Aruba and Bonaire; but nobody knows how to pronounce Curacao (ker-uh-sow), so it's often over-looked by the mainstream tourist (although the KLM aircrews swap in and out of the hotel on a revolving-door-like schedule). It's an expensive island, but the turquoise waters of the Caribbean make up for it. The Marriott Resort is THE PLACE to be billeted ($150/night, $77.50 military contract rate). The hotel has a private beach (raise the flag on your beach chair and they'll bring you drinks!), a dive shack, four restaurants, and a heated pool with a swim-up bar. The restaurants in the hotel are Portofino (upscale-Italian), The Emerald Grill (usual restaurant cuisine), The Palm Café (hot breakfast buffet for $18 and casual lunches) and the Seabreeze (this is the swim-up bar that also serves sandwiches, burgers, fried fish and such).

If you have time, venture off the hotel grounds to Hooks Hut--the tables are right on the beach! It's about a five-minute walk from the hotel--just follow the blue signs. There is always a special catch-of-the-day and a pasta-of-the-day. I had the blue marlin the first night--wonderful. They have great (but pricey) drinks, too.

If you make it to the capital city of Willemsted, there is a good row of restaurants in the Punda section of town called the old Water Arches--Indian, Italian, Grilled, American and Mexican foods are all available here. Mambo Beach is the local (and tourist) hangout on the weekends. It's quite the party spot. That's about it for the eats and treats. Like I said, stay at the Marriott! We were at the Sheraton Curacao for the first night. This hotel was still very nice (two-for-one drinks during Happy Hour), but it doesn't compare to the resort atmosphere of the Marriott. At the Marriott there is a shop to buy some swimming trunks, suntan lotion or whatever else you may have forgotten to bring on your seventeen-hour turn five-day tour. There is internet access ($14/half-hour) available at the hotel and an ATM across the street at the World Trade Center. Most hotels have tour-desks to signup for island tours, snorkeling / SCUBA trips or deep-sea fishing. The hotels are all about a 15-minute drive to the airport.

As for FBO support, you'll be working with Mr. Cordero (frequency 130.3 if you need him while you're in the jet). He will marshal you in, supervise the refueling of your jet, get you a rental car (at the airport terminal), make your box lunches ($6 each), file for you (it's easiest to bring copies of your next 1801 with you--there are no mission planning facilities on the island) and get your weather. It is very expensive to use any of the airport's equipment. Our crew chiefs needed a ground power cart for maintenance--$200/hour. They want you to be in civilian clothes before you leave the airport. There was a small Command Post facility maintained by the host NG unit to store secrets. There is no radar facility on the island, so you'll be giving position reports until you are visual with the field.

~We've been here for 45 days and while we weren't at the Marriot and the Holiday Beach and Casino left a lot to be desired, we still enjoyed this beautiful island. If you are looking for a great place to eat for very little money, we recommend Landhuis Papaya. It is minutes from the airport and the Holiday Beach and is by far the best restaurant for your money. We recommend the grill platter (2 of them fed 6 of us plus leftovers.) It is family run plantation house with a very friendly proprietor. The are opened for lunch on Wed and Thurs and dinner Fri, Sat, and Sun with live music on Sunday. This is a must do while on Curacao.

If you are coming to our FBO in Curacao and would like to let us know about services you require, please E-MAIL US at CATSNV@HOTMAIL.COM with your aircraft's tail number, arrival date and time, and services you would like. We will arrange every detail for you!

~Marriott Beach Resort was definitely the place to stay according to the USAF AEW personnel staying there and at other hotels. Hato/TNCC now has a USAF run ramp, no need to use the FBO anymore.