Curaçao is a paradise on earth. From pearly white beaches and palm trees to colorful streets in Willemstad. It has all the ingredients for a great sun holiday and I couldn't wait to leave! The fact that during this trip I was also able to experience what it is like to sleep in a brand new ultra all-inclusive hotel made it complete. Corendon opened their new “The Rif at Mangrove Beach Curacao'. Wereldreizigers.nl tested it and in this article you can read about our experiences. Start by watching the short intro video!
My experience | The Rif at Mangrove Beach Curacao
1. Great location
Let's start with the location. The Rif at Mangrove Beach Curacao is just far enough from Willemstad to experience peace and quiet and close enough to walk there. In just 10 minutes you walk to the edge of the center of Willemstad and in 15 minutes you are in the heart of the city with a view of the famous colored houses.
From The Rif at Mangrove Beach Curacao Walking to Willemstad is very easy. It's just one long road you have to follow. I therefore returned to Willemstad several times. I loved walking through the colored streets without a plan. Almost every wall here is painted in a cool color and you will also see beautiful Street Art works of art in almost every street.
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In some time it will also be possible to travel via the beach The Rif at Mangrove Beach Curacao walking through the mangroves to Willemstad. At the moment this is still closed because they are building here, but in some time the fences will be removed and access will be free again.
Conviviality is starting The Rif at Mangrove Beach Curacao in any case never far away. Several times I visited one of the well-known beach bars in the area on foot - something that I find important.
2. Beautiful swimming pool
A luxury 5* resort cannot do without a swimming pool. Also The Rif at Mangrove Beach Curacao has several. The large swimming pool would not look out of place in an Olympic swimming stadium! Enough space to relax, without getting in each other's way.
3. The different restaurants
In addition to the (very extensive) buffet that you can enjoy every morning, afternoon and evening The Rif at Mangrove Beach Curacao you can also choose from no fewer than 7 (!) à la carte restaurants. Three are located in the hotel itself, but you can also join one of the à la carte restaurants in the adjacent Corendon Mangrove Beach Resort.
Sometimes you will be visited by friendly iguanas while eating. Don't worry, they don't eat meat but they do love vegetables like peppers and broccoli! They are calm and do not bite, although it is of course wise not to let them get too close.
In the restaurants of The Rif you can choose from a Mexican or Turkish restaurant, a Sushi restaurant or the Harbor Bistro (open 24/7). In addition, there are several cocktail bars and a coffee shop with cakes, pies and other sweet treats. All this is included in the price - that is what Corendons ultra all-inclusive means.
4. Delicious coffee
Coffee is served in every restaurant and at every buffet. This coffee already tastes good, but for real coffee lovers there is a small coffee bar hidden just behind the reception of The Rif. This coffee bar looks a bit like Starbucks and is for real coffee lovers.
A trained barista treated me to freshly ground coffee every morning and afternoon. You can choose from various coffee beans from Peru, Colombia, Brazil and Indonesia. I tried a number of flavors and they were all fantastic. It's a great addition to the resort! Every day I saw the same guests returning for a freshly ground coffee, including myself of course.
5. Refreshing cocktails
I've got The Rif at Mangrove Beach Curacao tried all kinds of cocktails. From the well-known Mojito to Tequila Sunrise, they all tasted equally refreshing. It is admirable to see how much pleasure the hardworking people behind the cocktail bar took in letting me taste cocktails that I had never heard of before.
You need both The Reef if it Mangrove Beach Resort you never have to walk far from Corendon for a cocktail. There are bars at the large swimming pools, in most à al carte restaurants and at the private beaches where you can order all kinds of cocktails.
6. Spacious Deluxe rooms
To be honest, with the exception of sleeping, I didn't spend much time in the rooms. At 51 square meters, they are remarkably spacious, which is of course very pleasant. You can connect the large TV screen directly to your Google Home App, provided you are connected to the free WiFi network. You can then cast all streaming services such as Netflix, Videoland and Prime directly to your TV. I thought this was a very useful addition, because no one wants unknown TV channels in foreign languages anymore, right?
Under the spacious desk (useful as a workplace for digital nomads), the refrigerator is incorporated behind a door. This serves as a minibar including soft drinks, snacks and water. Don't worry, this is also all included in the price. Every morning you will see that both the minibar and snacks are replenished by housekeeping.
The (widescreen lens) photos from my smartphone may give a distorted picture, but the bathroom is incredibly spacious. The large walk-in shower with rain shower can easily be used by two people. Furthermore, you are provided with all the 5* amenities you are used to, from hair dryers to soft bathrobes, slippers, irons and toiletries.
The extra large king-size bed completes the luxurious feeling. I slept wonderfully in this every day. Finally, the curtains also have good blackout properties. It's pitch black as soon as you close them. This is useful if you want to sleep in a little longer after a night out, or if you want to take an afternoon nap. Below is a summary of the official specifications of the Deluxe Rooms.
- Approx. 51 m²
- Phone
- Air Conditioning
- Smart TV
- Minibar (daily replenishment with (non-)alcoholic drinks)
- Safe
- Coffee/tea facilities (daily supplement)
- Coffee machine with capsules
- Wi-Fi
- Shower
- Toilet
- Balcony with seating
- Can be booked with side sea view or sea view at an additional cost
7. Swim-up rooms
De Swim-up rooms of The Rif at Mangrove Beach Curacao are virtually the same as the regular ones in terms of space, design and facilities Deluxe Rooms, with the main difference being that you have a unique swimming pool right next to your room. Now that's a wonderful thing to wake up to!
Even after a long hot day, it is of course also wonderful to cool down before going to sleep. And because you only have to share the pools of the Swim-Up rooms with a few other hotel guests, there is a good chance that you will be completely alone here. Especially in the early morning.
Tip:: Curious what we shoot with? Then view the display below.
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Who do you see yourself relaxing with here in the morning? Below is a summary of the official specifications of the Deluxe Swim Up Rooms.
- Approx. 51 m²
- The same facilities as the standard Deluxe room
- Direct access to swimming pool
If you are curious about the other room options, the options are collected for you below (not tested myself):
- Junior suite deluxe sea view (1-4 persons)
- Approx. 70 m²
- Consists of a living/bedroom with sofa bed and a separate bedroom
- The same facilities as the Deluxe room
- Junior suite superior sea view (1-4 persons)
- Approx. 106 m²
- Consists of a living/bedroom with sofa bed and a separate bedroom
- The same facilities as the Deluxe room
- Family room connecting garden view (min. 2 adults + 2 children and max. 4 adults + 2 child)
- Consists of 2 rooms
- The same facilities as the Deluxe room
- Can be booked with side sea view at an additional cost
8. Private beach
Beach lovers are also welcome The Rif at Mangrove Beach Curacao to their liking. The pearly white private beach is only accessible to hotel guests, is beautifully screened and equipped with large comfortable sunbeds. There is also a shower, toilet and cocktail bar within easy reach.
I found it a nice place to relax, especially in the late afternoon. Enjoying a cocktail with the sun on your face and the sun slowly setting. From the beach you have a perfect view of the sunset, which is truly magical here!
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9. Colorful sunsets
Every afternoon and evening the beach bars and beaches are full of people to enjoy the sunset. I too was regularly waiting for it, while enjoying a fresh cocktail.
The sunsets here are somehow extremely colorful and the large rays of sunshine you see in the photos are not exaggerated. I have no idea why this is so, but it was nice. As soon as the sun has set for about 10 to 15 minutes, the light show begins. Night after night we saw similar streaks and colors in the sky.
10. Facilities
Corendons Mangrove Beach (left) and The Reef (right) are located directly next to each other and share a number of facilities. As a guest of The Rif you can use all its facilities Mangrove Beach, including all a la carte restaurants. This is not possible the other way around - keep that in mind.
To give you an idea of all the available facilities, I list them below.
- Free Parking: There is an adjacent parking garage directly connected to the hotel where you can park your car during your entire stay rental car you can park for free.
- 20 restaurants, bars & lounges: The Rif and Mangrove Beach share 20 restaurants and bars that you can use.
- 5 swimming pools: From large, spacious swimming pools to Swim-Up pools directly next to your room.
- Room service: available 24 hours a day.
- Private beach: Enjoy beautiful beaches undisturbed without it ever feeling crowded.
- fitness center: There is a fitness room with a variety of equipment, dumbbells and accessories. You can work out your entire fitness program here, just like at home.
- Check-in, Check-out: Check-in is at 16:00 PM and check-out is at 12:00 PM. Useful to know: these times perfectly match the flights that Corendon offers.
- Free WIFI: Thoroughly tested. Fast enough to also stream from Netflix, for example.
- Laundry service: This is a fee-based service and may be useful for longer stays.
- Lifts and wheelchair accessibility: The entire resort has wheelchair-friendly entrances and exits. Any floors are all equipped with an elevator.
- Aqua park: The adjacent Corendon Mangrove Beach Resort has an aqua park with six slides: including Blackhole, free fall, rafting slide, multi-lane slide and, as icing on the cake, a King Cobra. A unique, spectacular slide, the only one in the Caribbean!
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Practical Information
Book as a package holiday
At Corendon you can always book affordable package trips to Curaçao. As of November 2023, these deals have become even better as you can fly there on their own Corendon Airlines!
- Click here for the package holiday offers for the ultra all-inclusive Hotel The Reef.
- Click here for the package holiday offers for the ultra all-inclusive Hotel Mangrove Beach Resort.
- Click here about this other offers from package holidays to beautiful Curaçao.
The Reef at Mangrove Beach is the brand new ultra-all-inclusive hotel resort from Corendon located on mangrove beach in Curaçao. Pamper yourself with pearly white beaches, 5 swimming pools, 7 à la carte restaurants, several cocktail bars and a perfect location, a 10-minute walk from colorful Willemstad.
Package holidays based on ultra all-inclusive including flights and transfers can be booked from 1059 euros!
Books separately
Would you rather book your flights and hotel separately? Then view the offers for flights to Curaçao from Corendon (click here).
Where is it
The Reef (Location here) On Mangrove Beach Resort (Location here) are located next to each other and close to Willemstad, the capital of the island. With a 10 to 15 minute walk you are in the center of the city. The airport is located north of the resorts, approximately a 15-minute drive away. Corendon offers transfers to and from the airport.
Prices in high and low season
Stay for 7 days The Reef including a return flight from Amsterdam, costs approximately 1400 euros in low season to approximately 2000 euros per person in high season. For Mangrove Beach Resort this is 1000 euros to 1700 euros respectively.
For a luxurious ultra all-inclusive holiday you will end up with around 200 to 285 euros per person per day, including all flights and transfers. You hardly have to incur any other costs, so your holiday is ready with this amount! You will be more than well taken care of for this.
The best travel time
It is always pleasantly warm in Curaçao, but if you want to enjoy the sun as much as possible, it is best to go to Curaçao between February and July. The least rain falls during this period and is therefore the best time to travel.
Are you a nature lover? Then December is the time for you to go. It can then be the rainiest period and therefore it is also more green. Don't worry, there are plenty of hours of sunshine even in the rainy months! You can also choose to go during the Dutch spring or summer period. However, you do have to take relatively high temperatures and a dry landscape into account.
Autumn is the least good period, but also the cheapest period. From August to September it is hurricane season and from October to December it is more often cloudy and there is more rain. Although there is more rain in the fall, it is still a popular time to visit the island. Besides the rain, there is also plenty of sunshine.
Payment on Curaçao
You don't have to worry about payments if you stay ultra all-inclusive. Still, it is nice to know how payment works in Curaçao. The most convenient option is to make your payments with a (prepaid) credit card with worldwide coverage. It is possible to pay with your credit card almost everywhere.
The Bunq card is the most accepted Prepaid Credit Card in the world. It's a full-fledged one Mastercard credit card - even offline terminals in airplanes and elsewhere work with this card (we have tested this many times ourselves). You can also rent a car with this card.
- No BKR check
- Dutch bank
- Problem-free car rental abroad
- ZeroFX (abroad saves about 2-3% per transaction!)
- Works with Google and Apple Pay
Would you rather have cash in your pocket? Then you can withdraw Antillean guilders or dollars from an ATM. Guilders and dollars are accepted as payment everywhere. At the moment (end of 2023) an Antillean guilder is worth 50 euro cents and 55 dollar cents. If you withdraw money with your debit card, make sure it is possible to use it worldwide. You often have to inform the bank prior to your trip that you will be using it outside Europe. If you want to know exactly how you can avoid paying high PIN fees and what the most affordable way to pay abroad is, read the message below.
Also read: Which (prepaid) credit card is best to travel with? And why?
Conclusion
My first visit to Curaçao was fantastic and leaves me wanting more. I really enjoyed my stay at the brand new The Rif at Mangrove Beach Curacao. What a treat!
The island itself also made an impression on me. With many beautiful and often hidden places and beaches, there is plenty to see, do and discover. From small cozy and pearly white beaches such as Little Knip en Kalki Beach into colorful streets WillemstadBesides the beautiful resort, you will also be amazed at how beautiful the island is.
In any case, for me it is certain: I will return to Curaçao. As far as I'm concerned, this is the perfect winter escape to the sun!
The Reef at Mangrove Beach is the brand new ultra-all-inclusive hotel resort from Corendon located on mangrove beach in Curaçao. Pamper yourself with pearly white beaches, 5 swimming pools, 7 à la carte restaurants, several cocktail bars and a perfect location, a 10-minute walk from colorful Willemstad.
Package holidays based on ultra all-inclusive including flights and transfers can be booked from 1059 euros!
