Curaçao - Adventure Guide to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao - page 260

HOWARD JOHNSON PLAZA HOTEL & CASINO
FD Rooseveltweg 524, Otrobanda

800-221-5333 (in North America) or 462-7800; fax [phone]
www.hojo-curacao.com
100 rooms & suites
$$
HoJo Curaçao is not your father's
Howard Johnson. This multi-colored
complex on the Bionplein overlooking the
harbor is cutting-edge chic and features a
1,500-square-foot casino, more than a
dozen shops, and a gourmet French res-
taurant. Guests are shuttled a short dis-
tance to the Bay Beach Club, an eco park
with snorkeling, watersports, biking,
horseback riding, and a full-service PADI dive center. The pool is small,
but secluded in a peaceful area away from city noise.

OTROBANDA HOTEL & CASINO
Breedestraat, Otrobanda

462-7400; fax [phone]
www.otrobandahotel.com
45 rooms
$$
You can't miss this bright blue hotel across the square from the new
Howard Johnson, near the Queen Emma Bridge. There's a pool, casino,
and restaurant, but no beach or beach shuttle. The Seaquarium Beach is
10 minutes away by car, but the hotel pool is lovely and a popular gather-
ing spot. Most of the guests are European at this cozy, clean, and ideally
located hotel.

VAN DER VALK PLAZA HOTEL AND CASINO
Plaza Piar, Punda

461-2500; fax [phone]
www.plazahotelcuracao.com
254 rooms & suites
$$

The high-rise Plaza offers a bit of
the Netherlands in the Carib-
bean. It's right on the water above
Fort Amsterdam, overlooking the
Juliana Bridge and the bay.
There's no beach, but Toucan
Diving is on-site and runs scuba,
snorkeling and sightseeing boat trips from the hotel dock. The mostly-
Dutch guests are a lively group who hang out at the pool, gather for happy
hour, and dine at the openair Waterfort Restaurant . North Americans