For several years, I’ve had Curaçao near the top of my travel wish list and recently was fortunate enough to make this dream a reality when my husband and I vacationed at Il Mare at Dreams Curaçao. Our vacation was nothing short of spectacular, and we now dream of recreating it one day! We fell in love with both the resort and the island.
Curaçao, along with Aruba and Bonaire, make up the ABC Islands in the southern Caribbean and aren’t too far from the coast of Venezuela. This location means the islands are outside of the hurricane belt, and when we visited in late July, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect – sunny, no humidity, high temperatures in the mid-80s and cool ocean breezes. The island is also part of the Dutch Caribbean, so it is not overly Americanized, which aligns well with my personal preferences.
The Vibe
Il Mare is officially the Adults-Only Preferred Club section of Dreams Curaçao and truly felt like a resort within a resort. Everything we wanted was available at Il Mare, so we didn’t venture over to the main section of Dreams much, but Il Mare guests have full access to all of Dreams and Zoetry, which is just next door and is a two-minute golf cart ride.
We were immediately surprised upon arrival when we found out Il Mare guests have butler service. I’m not quite sure why I didn’t know this before arrival, but our butlers Gio, Alex and Rendy made our experience go from great to beyond incredible. Throughout our stay, they were in touch with us on WhatsApp to assist with room service requests, dinner reservations and local recommendations. Gio, Alex and Rendy went above and beyond with their infectious smiles and hospitality. We came home feeling like we have three new friends in Curaçao!
Gio took us to our Premium Beachfront Bungalow for what we thought would be a standard intro to show us the location of the safe, coffeemaker, etc. The intro was far from standard, though, when he surprised us by opening the floor-to-ceiling curtains to reveal the view – dazzling shades of blue ocean, just steps from where our bungalow was perched directly on the beach.
Il Mare offers guests the option to socialize at the pool with Blu bar or to chill out at the beach. We mostly relaxed on our bungalow’s terrace and enjoyed swimming in the ocean. I was glad we packed water shoes because there are rocks.
How I Felt
I felt extremely relaxed, pampered and happy at Il Mare. It was the perfect location to decompress, and we truly didn’t have to lift a finger since our butlers were so attentive. I love spending time soaking in the sunshine on the beach, searching for sea glass, which is abundant on the island and swimming in the ocean.
My husband likes to spend some time at the beach, but after a while, he’s ready to return to air conditioning and shade since he burns easily. Our bungalow’s glass wall and terrace meant we could both be where we individually wanted and still feel like we were together. We really appreciated this because not many accommodations offer this experience.
The Digs
We both agreed that our futuristic bungalow was one of the coolest places we’ve ever stayed. As you can see in the photos, they’re even impressive from the outside with the reflective ocean views. The bed faced the glass wall, so we even felt like we were on the beach when we woke up every morning to the beautiful view. The room included his and hers sinks, vanities and closets, which my husband really appreciated since my many toiletries often overtake the entire vanity – yikes!
We enjoyed the plush and cozy bed, the Nespresso machine and our welcome amenities: a small charcuterie board with sparkling wine. However, the real star of the show was the bungalow’s view and proximity to the ocean. True beachfront accommodations in general are difficult to find, but not at Il Mare. I counted, and it only took 40 steps to get from our bed into the water!
The Agenda
We mostly relaxed and enjoyed the peace and quiet on the beach so much that we found it difficult to be motivated to go be social at the pool. I visited the spa at Zoetry one day for a very relaxing massage and loved its lush tropical gardens. One afternoon I walked over to the Dreams side to snorkel and enjoyed seeing a few colorful fish near the shore but didn’t want to venture out too far on my own for safety reasons.
Curaçao Activities was recommended to us as an excellent DMC so we could explore the island, and we’re so glad we did. One day we went on the UTV Expedition of the West Coast, and the next day we visited the East Coast on the Half Day Off-Road & Snorkel Safari. The UTVs were our favorite of the two because we like driving ourselves, but the guides on both tours – Floww, Quin, Eric and Germaine – made sure both were fun experiences. My favorite part of the UTV West Coast tour was a visit to Daaibooi Beach. The water was perfect – calm for easy swimming and the most gorgeous shades of blue. A few people were feeding sea turtles, so I was able to snorkel near them, which was such a unique, memorable experience. We took short hikes to enter caves on both tours, which were beautiful to view and home to some bats we were able to watch flying around.
The Eats
The food in Curaçao was fresh and flavorful. We loved being able to eat delicious seafood daily and enjoyed the rotating menus at Il Mare’s Battellino Mediterranean restaurant and Zoetry’s Bloom with international cuisine. Our favorite option was probably the room service since that allowed us to continue lounging around and enjoying the beach.
Why I Would Go Back
I absolutely loved Il Mare and would return in a heartbeat. Whether you’re going for a romantic vacation or with friends, the resort offers a unique experience you won’t likely find anywhere else … although I hope that the Il Mare bungalow concept is recreated in other locations one day.
We would also like to see and experience more of Curaçao on our next visit. It felt safe with friendly people and easy driving, so next time we hope to stay longer on the island and rent a car to explore independently. Maybe one day we will be able to retire there and never leave!
Carey Driscoll
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