The Rif at Mangrove Beach Corendon Curacao All-Inclusive, Curio by Hilton

a month ago

Our stay at the Riff by Hilton (aka the Corridon hotel) was overall amazing. The entire staff is really great! The food at the buffet had a great variety and was delicious! & Thank you to the ladies and gents who kept our room clean. I really would like to mention the awesome staff members Raphael - the hostess, Tai Rock The manager for the front desk, And the Turkish man, I’m sorry I forgot his name but he works at Sofra (one of the restaurants) By the way, Sofra’s Mediterranean food was absolutely delicious. Everything at the seafood restaurant on the water was so good! The sushi restaurant was really good too however, they seem to be understaffed and so the wait times were a little longer than normal but definitely worth it. Thank you to the entire staff and the people I mentioned for making our stay, relaxing, enjoyable, and such amazing service & conversation!! We will be back 😊

3 months ago

I would not stay at this resort again and would not recommend it to others. Overall, I’d rate it 2 out of 5 stars. While the room itself was decent, the overall experience was disappointing and far below what we expected. One of the biggest frustrations was the lack of communication from staff. At check-in, we were never given wristbands, which turned out to be required for accessing food and amenities. We only discovered this on the second day after having issues. We also later found out we were supposed to receive complimentary water bottle during our stay, but no one informed us, so we ended up buying water daily. The restaurant reservation system was another major issue. Although the resort advertises multiple restaurants, reservations could only be made through the front desk for the following day, and availability was extremely limited. My husband and I were unable to eat at any of the restaurants during our entire stay. The resort views were also disappointing. There is a large bridge obstructing part of the ocean view on the Riff side, and for the first two days of our trip, a large tanker ship completely blocked the view from our room. Food and drink quality were mediocre at best. The room service experience was especially frustrating. Around 8:45 PM, I attempted to call both the front desk and room service multiple times with no answer, so I placed an online order instead. I received a confirmation saying the order was being prepared, but by 10:40 PM no food had arrived. After several more calls, we were told the order had never actually gone through. I was seven months pregnant, hungry, and ended up walking to the front desk myself to wait for two chicken sandwiches that were honestly not good. I also tried booking a beachside massage through the hotel’s WhatsApp number, as instructed on their sign. After initially responding and asking for my location, they completely stopped replying, even after I followed up again later. The pool area was probably the best part of the resort, though even there, many of the lounge chairs appeared dirty and had black spots that looked like mold. Overall, this resort felt much more like a budget hotel than a luxury resort experience. There were too many service issues, poor communication, and missed expectations for the price paid.

3 weeks ago

We chose The Rif at Mangrove for a very special family trip—I organized a week-long stay for my husband’s 40th birthday, bringing together 16 family members from both sides of the family, ranging from young children to grandparents. We booked six rooms and were really looking forward to creating an unforgettable experience together. Unfortunately, the hotel’s service completely overshadowed what could have been a beautiful vacation. The property itself is beautiful, and the location has so much potential. However, the service throughout our stay was extremely disappointing. The staff, for the most part, seemed unhappy, unwelcoming, and almost as if they did not want to be there. As the person who organized the entire trip, it was especially upsetting to see the experience fall so far short for such a large group of family members. The front desk staff were generally pleasant, but even there we had disappointing interactions. At one point, I went to make dinner reservations and the staff member assisting me was so uninterested and unpleasant that it made me feel like I was inconveniencing her simply by asking for help. The entertainment staff were another major disappointment. They often looked completely miserable, including during the children’s shows. Seeing entertainers on stage looking unhappy and disengaged while performing for children was particularly unsettling. At the very least, you would expect some enthusiasm and a smile when entertaining young kids. We also celebrated three birthdays during our stay—my husband’s 40th, my birthday, and my niece’s 6th birthday. On two of those birthdays, we were given a piece of cake with no spoon or fork to eat it with. It may seem like a small detail, but when you are celebrating special occasions at a resort, those little touches matter. Instead, it felt careless and impersonal. The food was another disappointment. While it was edible, it was not particularly good, and the special dining experiences were especially underwhelming. One of the reasons we specifically chose an all-inclusive resort was because we were traveling with such a large group and wanted everything to be convenient and enjoyable. Unfortunately, the dining experience did not live up to expectations. We also experienced multiple power outages during our stay. As a result, our key cards repeatedly stopped working, which became very frustrating and inconvenient. On top of everything, during our stay there was a very large oil/mineral vessel or structure directly offshore that completely took away from the tropical beach setting. We understood that we might see a cruise ship for a night or two, but this was something entirely different and had a significant impact on the view and overall atmosphere of the resort. What makes this experience particularly disappointing is that this was not just a regular vacation for us. I personally organized this trip for 16 people, bringing both sides of our family together to celebrate a major milestone birthday. I felt a great deal of responsibility for everyone having a wonderful time, and unfortunately, I left feeling like I had chosen the wrong resort for such an important family trip. There is so much potential here because the property itself is beautiful. But beautiful surroundings cannot make up for consistently poor service, disengaged staff, disappointing food, power outages, and a lack of attention to basic details. Based on our experience, I would not recommend The Rif at Mangrove to anyone I know at this time. I sincerely hope management takes these issues seriously, because with better training, a more welcoming staff, improved dining, and greater attention to guest experience, this property could be something truly special. For us, unfortunately, the service ruined what was supposed to be a very memorable family vacation.

2 months ago

We really enjoyed our stay at the Rif. The great service started several days before our arrival with Timothy helping us with our room reservation and getting us a reservation at the BBQ restaurant on the property that was very good and hard to get into. We then had a slight issue with our room and Stephany fixed it for us by going WAY out of her way and making sure we were taken care of! That helped us tremendously! We enjoyed the special World Cup party every day. Such a fun addition to the week. They had food and drinks for you while you watched every game. It was great to watch the games with fans from all over the world. With the city so close, it was a 10 minute walk down the sidewalk right into town. So the location was ideal. There was also a tiny family of cats that the resort took care of that really added to the fun. It was nice to see them lounging near the pool or greeting people at the coffee shop in the morning. The water park was enjoyable and was a nice change of pace. Kids would love the offerings at this resort. We had no complaints at all about our trip to Curacao and the Rif!

2 months ago

I was initially hesitant about coming to this resort because of the reviews…….Im so glad I went with my gut and continued forward. Let me start by saying the staff is very friendly and welcoming. Check in was smooth without a hitch….we were greeted with a welcoming cool drink. I was also able to change my room upon request. BTW, I’m still here. Yes, we saw a couple of kids on The Rif side but nothing to write about. The rooms are okay. The food is typical all inclusive food but my husband and I found solace dining in the buffet. Food is fresh and there’s a good selection. If you’re looking for turn up then this is not the place for you. It was just what the MD ordered….peace and relaxation. Shout out to Rachel (bar) so kind patient and a hella of a bar tender. She works very hard to make sure you are well taken care of. Although none of the staff expects tips, it’s nice to tip. $1-2 dollars goes a long way. I have 3 more days here, I will definitely give an update.