Trip Report Bonaire Trip Report - V.I.P. Divers/Aqua Viva Suites

[rob.mwpropane]

The “real” drrich in action! Nice having an opportunity to dive with you.

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^^^That to me does not look like @drrich2 as he describes a rounder jolly fellow. Honestly I was expecting "more"

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Strongly enough, the U.S. dollar is the official currency of Bonaire (unlike Curacao; when I first started going to Bonaire years ago, that wasn't the case). Yes, all in U.S. dollars.

Bonaire has an interesting mix of cost factors. Airfare is often awful. If you're going Sat. - Sat. historically, $900 - $1,200+ round trip out of Nashville, TN, was all too common. Getting under $600 (minus checked baggage costs) made me feel like I was stealing it!

Housing and a basic shore dive package with nitrox tend to be cheap. Plus I feel no need to tip when all I'm doing are unguided shore dives, a significant savings vs. a live-aboard. The rental truck is a cost, and automatics can be substantially more (though I don't think mine had a big upcharge this time).

Keep in mind I often ordered double cheeseburgers, and if there's a spicy burger option, chose that. My cost reflected the roughly $4.50 to $5 cost of the extra beef patty.

Here's a link to Kite City Food Truck's menu, taken off Trip Advisor. Looks like a 100% beef burger served with chips is $11.00. I don't see the price for the extra patty, but ask and they'll let you know.

From Stoked Food Truck's Facebook page, a Feb. photo:

If your eyes are really good, I think that double decker burger is $15. Add a bag of chips. But the Stoked burger is $10.

Cactus Blue Food Truck has a website with a menu easy to see. A classic cheeseburger is $11, the spicy burger is $12, and an extra patty is $4.50.

I had the spicy burger with an extra patty ($16.50) + a big of Doritos (personal size, but not the tiny bag) for $2, so there's the $18.50.

If I ate a big lunch out of a food truck, I might eat less at dinner that evening.

If you eat out at sit down restaurants, if they're like what I experienced in the past, be mindful soft drink refills may not be free (and it might come out way before the food).

If you'd like to get a sense of what dinner at a sit down restaurant that's nice but not high end/unusually expensive might cost, take a look at the menu at Eddy's Restaurant, over by Sand Dollar Condo.s.

I imagine there are some budget local food options, but I don't have a good breakdown of the options. Sea food is often kind of pricy. Other than lion fish, I don't know what's caught nearby.

If you really want to low ball your costs, you can get a room with a full kitchen, and prepare your own meals. But that room will be more expensive, so deduct that upcharge from your savings. A PB&J sandwich with some chocolate chip cookies or Doritos, or (if you're feeling health conscious) a can of fruit cocktail or peach halves, is pretty good.

Thanks for the rundown. I know it all adds up quick. We "try" not to splurge too much when on vacation. I like to do more vacations as opposed to going "all out" for just 1.

I'm not a big guy but I eat a lot... just nice to know what I'm in for if I ever do go abroad.

 

[drrich2]

^^^That to me does not look like @drrich2 as he describes a rounder jolly fellow. Honestly I was expecting "more"

Oh, I was delighted to see how my dive kit was very slimming! I'm not the biggest out there, but anytime I'm on a trip where the guide mentions we're gonna do a swim through, we have to have a heart to heart talk about cross-sectional diameter.

Beware following skinny fit people.

 

[Bernhelm]

Great report!

My wife and I are just starting to get to know the island. My bcd is in the shop today for repair, so we went for a morning snorkel at 1000steps and had a good time. 3 baby green sea turtles, lots of fish, decent vis even though it was a little surgey.

 

[DiveProKoko]

I found it funny when you wrote about how easy it is to navigate The Lake. When my wife and I dove it the first time we intended to swim the bowl. It was said to be "easy" to navigate. Well, viz wasn't all that great, and although I'm pretty good with my directionality, we started south and turned around when we saw................The Hilma Hooker. Haha!

 

[morecowbells]

Reading your report after a rough day at work really cheered me up! Thanks for making me feel like I was actually on the island for a few minutes. Amazing shot of the squid; a much greater triumph than an easy green moray shot. We are hoping to visit the island in either August or November. Was the guy in front of the Van den Twell whom sells rotisserie chickens still around? They were so tasty and perfect for lunch after diving. Thanks for the report. I look forward to hearing about your next big adventure.

 

[drrich2]

Was the guy in front of the Van den Twell whom sells rotisserie chickens still around?

Now that you jog my memory, I did see a guy who appeared to be doing just that right outside on one of my trips there.

Richard.

 

[deeper thoughts]

Great report!

 

[Diver With Altitude]

I used a trekking pole (as suggested by @USC8791 - see Walking Sticks – Bonaire Shore Diving Tips & Tricks by Kevin and Liz Grogan), and it cut my falls rate down! Diving solo, no buddy could stow it on my tank with tubing after entry, so I zip tied 2 bolt snaps to it and after entry snapped it to my left top BCD D-ring and crotch strap D-ring. It stowed nicely out of the way (but sometimes poked my leg a bit when back-finning during swim outs).

Since you clip them to your BCD, you might be interested in these - I just ordered some. Not only to they telescope, they come apart into three sections (with a central cord connecting them), so they collapse down to 15." The strap that's used to keep the sections secured can probably be used as part of the attachment to your BCD. Thanks for another informative report!

 

[Johnoly]

I only drive automatic,​

You youngster, lol !!!
Great write up and one of the very best detailed Bonaire trips I've ever read!!