Aqua Casino Curaçao, nestled within the Santa Barbara Plantation in Curaçao, positions itself as a contemporary gaming establishment. It shares convenient parking facilities with the Marriott Courtyard hotel, aiming to attract both local players and visiting tourists. However, recent feedback from patrons presents a stark contrast of experiences, ranging from satisfactory machine payouts to serious concerns regarding currency exchange practices and the professionalism of its staff.
For some visitors, Aqua Casino Curaçao offers several appealing aspects. It is described as a new and decently sized casino, providing a comfortable environment for gaming. Its proximity to the Marriott Courtyard hotel and shared parking lot makes it easily accessible for hotel guests.
A key operational detail is the casino's use of the local guilder currency for its machines. While this might seem like a hurdle for international travelers, one review highlights that the cashiers are remarkably accommodating when converting US dollars to guilders and vice versa. This ease of exchange was a positive point for some who found the process straightforward.
Encouragingly, at least one patron reported a favorable experience with the slot machines, stating that the machines they played were fairly generous. This suggests that the casino does offer the potential for enjoyable gaming sessions and payouts.
In stark contrast to the positive feedback, a significant and concerning issue has been raised regarding the casino's handling of currency conversions, particularly when cashing out winnings.
One highly critical review details a distressing experience where visitors using American dollars reportedly lost money during the conversion process when cashing out winnings in guilders back to USD. This patron felt "scammed," indicating a perceived unfavorable or misleading exchange rate that resulted in an unexpected financial detriment rather than a gain.
Further exacerbating the negative experience, the management's response to these currency discrepancies has been severely criticized. When approached about the issue and asked to review surveillance tapes to verify transactions, the managers were described as rude and unprofessional. They allegedly dismissed the request, citing being "too busy" and failing to adequately address the patron's serious concerns. This alleged lack of accountability and poor customer service significantly detracts from the overall patron experience.
Aqua Casino Curaçao appears to offer a highly polarized experience. While its modern facilities and the potential for positive slot machine payouts are noteworthy, the serious allegations concerning currency exchange transparency and the professionalism of its management are significant concerns that cannot be overlooked.
Prospective visitors, particularly those planning to use foreign currency, are strongly advised to exercise extreme caution. It is imperative to meticulously monitor all currency conversions, both when exchanging dollars for guilders to play and, critically, when cashing out winnings back into your original currency. Taking photos of transaction slips or clarifying the exact exchange rates beforehand could potentially help mitigate issues. The casino's reliance on local currency and the alleged issues with its conversion process appear to be a central point of contention, leading to drastically different user experiences.
New, decent sized casino sharing the parking lot with the Marriott Courtyard hotel. Machines use the local guilder currency not dollars - not many tourists here - but the cashiers are very easy about changing US dollars to guilders and back again. The machines I paid were fairly generous.
These people are scammers. We went in using American dollars and they converted the won money back in curacao money which is a lower currency so we were supposed to make money and ended up losing money. When we asked the manager to check the tapes she looked at her watch and said she would but she’s just so busy. The managers are rude and unprofessional.