Curaçao vs Guanacaste
Curaçao and Guanacaste, side by side: live travel advisories, our resort catalog's real guest data, and each destination's honest weather picture. Everything you need to break the tie.
Curaçao guide · Guanacaste guide · How we score
By the numbers
| Curaçao | Measure | Guanacaste |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions (better) | U.S. travel advisory | Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution |
| 5 | Resorts in our catalog | 7 (better) |
| ★ 4.4 (better) | Average guest rating | ★ 4.4 |
| $164–$1142/night pp | Nightly rates | $88–$289/night pp (better) |
| 2 of 5 | Adults-only resorts | 1 of 7 |
| Outside the hurricane belt (better) | Hurricane exposure | Low hurricane risk |
| October–December, still modest by Caribbean standards | Rainy season | May–November ('green season'), seriously wet September–October |
| Year-round; May–November is the value window | Sweet spot | December–April, bone-dry |
Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country. A marked row is one we are willing to call; rows without a mark are a matter of taste, or we have no comparable figure for both sides.
On the map
Weather, month by month
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curaçao · high °F | 85 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 89 | 87 | 85 |
| Guanacaste · high °F | 91 | 92 | 93 | 93 | 91 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 87 | 89 |
| Curaçao · rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 3.7 |
| Guanacaste · rain (in) | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 7.7 | 9.0 | 5.9 | 7.9 | 13.0 | 12.2 | 4.3 | 0.5 |
Approximate climate normals for West-coast beaches and Papagayo / Guanacaste: planning guidance, not a forecast. A deeper tint is a higher number, read within its own row.
Where you'd actually stay
Best of Curaçao
Sandals Royal Curaçaonull · ★ 4.7
Baoase Luxury Resortnull · ★ 4.6
Mangrove Beach Corendon Curaçao All-Inclusive Resort, Curio by Hiltonnull · ★ 4.5
Chains here: Sandals · Curio Collection by Hilton · Sunscape Resorts & Spas / Hyatt Inclusive Collection
Best of Guanacaste
The Westin Reserva Conchal, an All-Inclusive Golf Resort & Spanull · ★ 4.5
Margaritaville Beach Resort Playa Flamingonull · ★ 4.4
Planet Hollywood Costa Rica by Royalton, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resortnull · ★ 4.4
Chains here: RIU Hotels & Resorts · Westin · Margaritaville