Saturday, December 10, 2022

Curaçao Hato International Airport

Curaçao Hato International Airport (CUR) is located on the north side of Curaçao and is approximately a 20-25 minutes drive to/from Willemstad on the south side of the island (both are toward the center of the longer and thinner island).

Curaçao's airport is smaller than many international airports, but is larger than a few international airports we've experienced such as Dominica's much smaller Douglas-Charles Airport and Puerto Rico's tiny Ceiba Airport.

We flew on American Airlines from Miami International Airport to Curaçao for our week in Curaçao.

After waiting in a short line to show our pre-populated Curaçao Digital Immigration Card (hard copy or on telephone allowed), we entered a very large area with multiple luggage carousels.

None of these baggage carousels were moving for most of the time we waited for our luggage and men working there instead brought bags out and placed the bags on or near one of the carousels.

We exited the secure area of the airport to the common area of the Arrivals Hall with Christmas holiday decorations (we visited the first week of December).

The Arrivals Hall is welcoming!

The outside area of the airport between the Arrivals Hall and the Departures Hall was also festively decorated for the season.

There are counters for the car rental agencies near the common area in the Arrivals Hall. We rented our car from Avis and, after checking in at the counter, took the car keys and paperwork to another outdoor Avis kiosk where the man working there walked with us to the car parked in the nearby parking lot (all of the car rental companies seem to have their cars in that parking lot). When we returned the car, we needed to first take the key and paperwork back to that kiosk to get them to look over the car's condition and fuel level. After they signed off, we took that paperwork and the key back to the agents at the indoor counter.

There is a small number of dining options outside of the airport's secure area. Most of the restaurants offer snacks rather than meals, but at the time of our traveling the two options for more substantial meals were Wendy's (Commercial Plaza) and Bella Italia (Arrivals Hall). There are typical airport stores inside the airport terminals that sell pre-packaged fruits, salads, and sandwiches.

We recently acquired a CapitalOne Venture X credit card with Priorty Pass airport lounge access and were able to use that to eat and relax in the VIP Lounge before our departure.

Although it's not the largest international airport, the Curaçao Hato International Airport provides all of the essential services one needs to fly to and from Curaçao.

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