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Isidel Beach Park
My wife and I recently made our eleventh trip to Bonaire and stayed at Den Laman, as we have for the last seven trips.
Isidel Beach Park, located between Den Laman and Chogogo is open and finished, or nearly finished. One afternoon, I took a walk through the park and took a few photos. The park is a nice buffer between Den Laman and Chogogo and replaces the dirt road that tended to alternate between a mudhole and a dust bowl.
The entrance to the park is off the Hato circle. There is a good amount of parking available near the entrance and a very large Bonaire greeting sign.
There are four establishments of various types in the park selling food and drink. The Fat Dog is closest to the entrance. It is a small kiosk that is a taqueria. We got take out one night of chicken and fish tacos with a variety of salsas that was absolutely delicious. The next is Plazita Lima, a larger kiosk selling grilled Peruvian cuisine. The next is Toko Beach, another kiosk selling a wide variety of stuff from hot dogs and frikandel, to beer, to souvenirs, to beach needs like sunscreen. The last is Seaside Krioyo Fusion, a regular building, serving local fair, including a goat burger that gets raving reviews. This building also contains the park’s restrooms. There are a number of lounges in front to the restaurant on the “beach” for relaxing in the sun.
The park has a small exercise area and a small children’s play area. It was great seeing local families and children using and playing in the park.
There is a very nice barbeque area with 5 or 6 BBQs with nice stainless-steel grills and good preparation counter space. There are a number of palapas where groups can gather to eat, visit, or relax.
Isidel Beach Park provides public access to Bari Reef and Front Porch dive sites. The walk from the parking area is moderately long. There is a sloping ramp down from the park to the ocean entrance. I’m not sure of the footing at the end of the ramp, I remember the area as somewhat rocky. See the video by Kevin and his wife regarding accessing these dive sites
New Bonaire YouTube Videos
Lastly, there is an unfinished “boat ramp” on the north side of Seaside Krioyo Fusion, next to Den Laman. It still looks like it did when we visited Bonaire in December of 2023. It ends in a sharp drop off before entering the sea. I’m hoping this feature of the park never sees the light of day, we’ll see. EDIT: Unfortunately, the boat ramp was very recently completed, see the post by @tursiops below.
I was skeptical regarding the construction of a park between Den Laman and Chogogo. Isidel Beach Park was executed reasonably nicely and, most importantly, provides public access for locals and visitors for diving, swimming, or just relaxing. This is particularly important with the burgeoning construction all over the island.
Views from Den Laman Wahoo, second floor south side
Wall separating the park from Chogogo
My wife and I recently made our eleventh trip to Bonaire and stayed at Den Laman, as we have for the last seven trips.
Isidel Beach Park, located between Den Laman and Chogogo is open and finished, or nearly finished. One afternoon, I took a walk through the park and took a few photos. The park is a nice buffer between Den Laman and Chogogo and replaces the dirt road that tended to alternate between a mudhole and a dust bowl.
The entrance to the park is off the Hato circle. There is a good amount of parking available near the entrance and a very large Bonaire greeting sign.
There are four establishments of various types in the park selling food and drink. The Fat Dog is closest to the entrance. It is a small kiosk that is a taqueria. We got take out one night of chicken and fish tacos with a variety of salsas that was absolutely delicious. The next is Plazita Lima, a larger kiosk selling grilled Peruvian cuisine. The next is Toko Beach, another kiosk selling a wide variety of stuff from hot dogs and frikandel, to beer, to souvenirs, to beach needs like sunscreen. The last is Seaside Krioyo Fusion, a regular building, serving local fair, including a goat burger that gets raving reviews. This building also contains the park’s restrooms. There are a number of lounges in front to the restaurant on the “beach” for relaxing in the sun.
The park has a small exercise area and a small children’s play area. It was great seeing local families and children using and playing in the park.
There is a very nice barbeque area with 5 or 6 BBQs with nice stainless-steel grills and good preparation counter space. There are a number of palapas where groups can gather to eat, visit, or relax.
Isidel Beach Park provides public access to Bari Reef and Front Porch dive sites. The walk from the parking area is moderately long. There is a sloping ramp down from the park to the ocean entrance. I’m not sure of the footing at the end of the ramp, I remember the area as somewhat rocky. See the video by Kevin and his wife regarding accessing these dive sites
New Bonaire YouTube Videos
Lastly, there is an unfinished “boat ramp” on the north side of Seaside Krioyo Fusion, next to Den Laman. It still looks like it did when we visited Bonaire in December of 2023. It ends in a sharp drop off before entering the sea. I’m hoping this feature of the park never sees the light of day, we’ll see. EDIT: Unfortunately, the boat ramp was very recently completed, see the post by @tursiops below.
I was skeptical regarding the construction of a park between Den Laman and Chogogo. Isidel Beach Park was executed reasonably nicely and, most importantly, provides public access for locals and visitors for diving, swimming, or just relaxing. This is particularly important with the burgeoning construction all over the island.
Views from Den Laman Wahoo, second floor south side
Wall separating the park from Chogogo
