23 days to first Bonaire trip! Please share your best tips.

[Georgiadaybreak]

Darcey, yes I was on the same flight! haha!! We got there 1 1/2 hours before the flight thinking this plenty of time...and it would have been had inconsiderate travelers had to redistribute their weight in the luggage b/c they had no idea how they packed on the way. I always weigh and record my luggage weights so I know how to pack souviners how the way home. There were ppl literally unpacking and repacking at the Continental counter! I guess Natch was there with us last week. Wow...I did NOT want to come home. The ppl were so nice. We drove the island and even spent an afternoon in Rincon and over on the east (rocky) side. I recommend getting to see the entire island.

However, a local joke was played on us..... if the locals tell you to go to Soroban (sp?) Beach....be wary... it is a nudist beach. lol.....

Go to the BAKERY!!! Get the molasses croissants! OMG!!!!!!

 

[Darcey]

Darcey, yes I was on the same flight! haha!! We got there 1 1/2 hours before the flight thinking this plenty of time...and it would have been had inconsiderate travelers had to redistribute their weight in the luggage b/c they had no idea how they packed on the way. I always weigh and record my luggage weights so I know how to pack souviners how the way home. There were ppl literally unpacking and repacking at the Continental counter! I guess Natch was there with us last week. Wow...I did NOT want to come home. The ppl were so nice. We drove the island and even spent an afternoon in Rincon and over on the east (rocky) side. I recommend getting to see the entire island.

However, a local joke was played on us..... if the locals tell you to go to Soroban (sp?) Beach....be wary... it is a nudist beach. lol.....

Go to the BAKERY!!! Get the molasses croissants! OMG!!!!!!

I guess I should have done an "anyone going to be in Bonaire this week" inventory before I left so we could have met up and done a dive or something! Especially since you were RIGTH NEXT DOOR to us!

I agree, see the whole island. But, unless you're really bored and want to get the crap beat out of you and your rental vehicle I don't reccomend going to the national park. I think that's a joke on tourists too. Cactus, brush, goats and occasionally lizzards which you can all see outside of the park. That's it. Nothing special. Oh, and a few flamingos which you can see outside of the park too. Acutally, the drive to the park is better than the bumpy hellish drive thru the park. Save your time and organs from getting beaten up and see the rest of the island instead. Especially the southern part. :cool2: Oh, but if you do end up going to the park, I reccomend that all ladies wear sports bras. Ouch. :shocked2:

YES! Molasses criossants are like CRACK LACED CROISSANTS! I want some NOW!

 

[Natch]

Yes, i was there with you. I was with my wife and 3 kids. My wife and I as well as my 14 year old twins did 2 dives every morning at Bari reef, while my 11 year old was at Buddy's doing Buddy Rangers. he can't dive due to a medical condition. We were on the Delta JFK fight. Only 2 hours late leaving. The plane was delayed in NY due to faulty AC unit. All of our dives were at Bari reef. We would just vary our depth and the direction we started and it was a different dive every time. We even took our kids for a night dive one night. My daughter was a little scared when she saw "Charlie"-the huge tarpon, the first time.

 

[Natch]

Go to Welcome to The Bonaire Reporter that is the web site for the free local newspaper. They post the cruise ship schedule. Try to plan your trip in to town for shopping around when the cruise ships are in. The small down town area gets overwhelmed with the addition of 2000 people from the ships.

The former head chef of the Plaza, (Banana Tree and Tipsy Seagull) has his own restaurant over on the east side by Sorobon. It is called Wind and Surf Beach Hut Bar and Grill.

 

[ScubaRadu]

We also bring a solar shower. They are $6-7 at WalMart. Great to have warm rinse after a dive, especially at night. We just leave it in the truck - never had a problem (although we usually bring 2). I leave them with the Divemasters after the week. They really like them.

 

[Boat Chick]

However, a local joke was played on us..... if the locals tell you to go to Soroban (sp?) Beach....be wary... it is a nudist beach. lol.....

Sorobon has been sold to a couple of guys involved with Jibe City. As of December 2010 it will no longer be a naturist resort. Has Sorobon fans a little upset about the whoel thing....

Sorobon Beach Resort - New Owners Sorobon Beach Resort | owners | sorobon | beach | resort | nudist | bonaire | belnem | antilles | antillen | maxima | willem | alexander | paradise

 

[lmorin]

...........
We're also leaning toward Sand Dollar. The location, floor plan & price for 2 BR condo / dive package looks pretty good. Few questions from the Bonaire veterans:

If we shouldn't leave valuables in vehcile, what about spare tanks? Do you only bring enough air for one dive before going back to get more? Or do thieves leave the tanks alone?

Any comments about Sand Dollar? How about their house reef?

Lastly, we are considering having our kids (17 year old twins) do their check out dives in Bonaire. Is their a preferred dive op for the OW referral or are they all pretty decent?

I'm sick of winter and can't wait to get wet again!

Steve

Steve--Sand Dollar is quite convenient. Bari Reef is reknowned for its very high count of fish species, the highest in the Caribbean. This is partly the result of having a number of people living in Sand Dollar who know their fish and dive that reef daily. There is an awful lot to see, particularly if you know what you're looking at.

As you probably know already, Bonaire Dive and Adventure is located on be border between Den Leman and Sand Dollar. Diving with them is extremely convenient, both for boat and shore dives. As for your kids, the diving at Bari Reef is usually very easy, with referral dives done in the sandy area between the dock and the reef in about 25 ft of water. BDA should be able to provide decent instructors and your kids should have a blast. When diving, don't overlook all the shallow areas near shore. Sand Dollar residents can probably point you directly to octopi living along the waterfront cliff. And there are all sorts of things living in some of the collected piles of dead coral in the sandy areas to the south of the dock.

You'll almost certainly be able to get enough tanks for two dives/person for the AM; repeat in the PM. I've seen some folks take 4 tanks pp at a time.

 

[Maine Diver]

YES! Molasses criossants are like CRACK LACED CROISSANTS! I want some NOW! [/QUOTE]

These soudn great! Where are they?

 

[Georgiadaybreak]

Maine Diver,
Right across the parking lot of Sand Dollar on the side closet to the dive shop is a small shopping center: Chat and Browse, Lover's Icecream, and Bonaire Bakery. The owner bakes EVERYTHING fresh each morning. However the molasses coissants sell out quickly. They look like burnt croissants, but they are HEAVEN....much better than the regular croissants. The multigrain loaf bread is to die for too! Oh, and the blueberry muffins are NOTHING like ours.....they are AMAZING. Made with loads of real blueberry preserves in the center, not overly sweet like we are used to. Just amazing. The breads sale out fast, so go after your morning dives. If you wait much later in the afternoon, most of these specialty breads are gone. No butter needed. THey are perfect as is!

 

[DiveMaven]

Oooh, thanks for the information about the bakery. It wasn't there last July when we were and we'll definitely check it out this summer!