Accommodations advice needed for first-timers

[devingordon]

I'm planning our first trip to Bonaire for April and would like some advice on accommodations. Our group is me, my wife and our 12-year-old junior diver. Accommodations requirements are a full kitchen, waterfront, a nicer condo (we don't expect luxury but would like something a bit nicer) and a pool (even after multiple dives, our son will still want to swim in a pool for a bit). I suspect we'll primarily do shore dives, perhaps with one boat dive some days, and I plan on renting a truck. At other dive destinations we typically rent private condos, so staying at a resort is not a requirement, although we're not opposed to staying at a resort, either.

After a great deal of reading on the board (thanks very much to all of you who have previously posted reviews and answered questions), it seems like the area just north of town may suit us best. I think we have narrowed down our best options to Sand Dollar, Elegancia del Caribe or Playa Lechi Residence, or perhaps Captain Don's.

Any thoughts on those properties or other suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Doctorfish]

We tend to stay at Buddy Dive. Accommodation is certainly not luxury but is adequate. On the plus side, the dive op, dive pier and house reef are very easy access and the house reef is excellent.
There are fresh and salt water pools and the resort offers a dive and drive package with a truck. Captain Don's should be fine as well but I have no personal experience.

Sand Dollar is variable as the condos are private and the condition varies. Pool is out by the road side of resort and dive op is at the far south end and IMO, not convenient.

 

[oly5050user]

Buddy dive includes transfers from airport,rental truck,breakfast..I have stayed at habitat,sand dollar,divi flamingo,plaza and find buddy dive best value

 

[wwguy]

Playa Lechi Residence and Elegancia del Caribe are on the same city block and both are separated from the sea by a public street that's sometimes fairly busy by local standards. It's a one-way street providing access to the oceanfront properties and businesses on the north end of town. It's also a popular "main drag" for locals who want to be seen out and about by their pals. The view is great and access to the sea and diving are easy, but oceanfront access there is public and occasionally includes some local boat traffic.

Belmar Oceanfront Apartments, located south of Kralendijk, meets your stated criteria. It's a Buddy Dive affiliate and they have rental trucks and a shore diving operation on site. You can also swap tanks and do boat dives from Buddy Dive's main resort up north too. Belmar's property and pool are seaside with private docks and ladders for diving, snorkeling, and swimming. We stayed there in 2001 when our son was 12 and he had a great time.

Captain Don's Habitat and Buddy Dive are both oceanfront properties, but most rooms are set back from the sea. Sand Dollar is laid out with some condos closer to the sea and some farther back. If you want ocean view from your apartment you'll have to choose your specific Sand Dollar apartment with that in mind. I don't think you can choose your own apartment at Buddy Dive and I'm not sure about Habitat.

 

[keesmon]

I would search VRBO for private residences. We stayed in one of the Crown Ridge Villas this summer and loved it.
Private pool, ocean front, so diving from your own back porch, quiet.
It was everything my family needed and quite luxurious.
Sand dollar's pool is in the back of the property.
I guess it depends if you want a scene or not.
Buddies will work, but you'll be amongst many people.
A private villa or condo will give you more privacy.
Any dive op will take you on their boats or rent you tanks regardless.
We like wannadive, but others are fine as well.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Another vote for Belmar Condos. Fully equipped kitchens, spacious patios or balconies, pool, affiliated with Buddy Dive, decent enough house reef. I admit I cannot compare Belmar with the ones you list (Sand Dollar, Elegancia del Caribe, Playa Lechi Residence, and Captain Don's) as I have no experience with them. Before discovering Belmar Condos, we stayed at Buddy Dive, but we don't need the restaurant, boats, staff, etc., so a condo seems to be a better option for us.

 

[Manneca]

I prefer south of the airport, probably cause that's where I've always stayed. I'll second Belmar. There are several nice condos along that road.

 

[diversteve]

BelMar is a nice quiet complex south of town. We also liked it there and would likely return there again. Nice people manage it among other things and it's kept. really clean. Plus it's quite a bit newer than Habitat or Sand Dollar IIRC - seems like it from the style of the building.

The 2br Classic Superior apts. at Belmar are mostly ground floor with a patio 30-40' from the pool. Just down the stairs from it is the dive dock and Buddy's second shop is there also. They stage tanks on the dive dock and the tank pickup is just off the street at the south end of the property. Your room key gets you into that area as well as the public areas of the shop 24/7. Plus the ground floor units have individual locking dive closets behind the back door.

If you did decide to boat dive, either they have one their permanently or bring one down on demand. You really should do a few dives off Klein Bonaire - it's 1/3rd of all the dive sites on Bonaire. There's a couple very protected, very shallow sites there with resident Turtle populations. At one we found them sleeping under the coral 20' from the mooring - in about 25' of water. Seemed like more closer towards the island but we had to go.

Port Bonaire condos is also another option just south of town. It might be a little too close to the airport flight path though for some people - all the planes take off over the ocean. I don't believe they have an active website currently but there's several on vrbo.com - including this one: Oceanscape Bonaire - - Oceanfront Condo with... - VRBO

Port Bonaire also has the other Dive Friends shop with boats plus is their southern tank exchange point. They also have one at Sand Dollar, Hamlet Oasis farther north (Cliff dive site) or their northern shop in town at Yellow Sub - the closest if you decide on Playa Lechi or Elegancia. Except for Divi probably the only operator with a shop in town. The better diving is not there but north or south of town. To start your son off on an easy entry - dive Windsock nearby. It's the closest to a walk-in site you'll find - no climbing over ironshore like elsewhere.

If there is a specific downside to either property it's that both are on ironshore so no beach. Of course the same can be said about any of the properties you listed except Sand Dollar - there's a small beach at the south end of that property.

If there's a general downside to the Belnem area south of town it's that all the food is a short drive away. The two major markets are pretty close though in SE Kralendijk and downtown no more than 10 mins or less.

 

[darook]

As I just got home from Bonaire an hour ago I have pretty fresh info. This trip we stayed at Plaza which I would have never chosen on my own but it was ok. The staff was all very nice and the rooms are terrific. The only downside is the size of the property and the amount of time you spend walking to get anywhere, be it meals, dive shop or bar. The Nitrox fills at Toucan were very good, always over 3000 PSI. Downside, only one analyzer. Divi looks to be very refreshed and worth checking out if it is outside of cruise ship season. Buddy has done quite a bit and is doing more. They have a paved driveway all the way through the resort and are putting lockers into the gear storage area. We are staying there in Feb. I still want to get a crew to do a VRBO of one of the places on the water some time as many of the look great. If I did that I would probably use Dive Friends for air.

 

[devingordon]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I'm now looking at a number of additional properties, including Belmar and others in the Belnem area.