Aruba or Bonaire

[Ontwreckdiver]

I was in Bonaire last march and have been to Aruba 3 times(5weeks). My wife is a non diver and there is a ton of top side stuff to do in Aruba. You can do a different tour every day of the week if you want too. It has some of the best restaurants and beaches in the caribbean. Most of the resorts have night clubs or discos or you can go into town to the night clubs. It's $2.00 U.S. round trip on the bus. There are a lot of wrecks to dive but the reefs arn't the best at the north end. They are better at the south end. There isn't very much top side stuff to do in Bonaire. I wasn't that impressed with the diving, maybe because my main interest is wrecks or because of everything I read about it and was expecting to much. For me, Bonaire is not an island I would rush back too. We were a group of 12 divers and my wife. 10 of the divers liked the island and 2 of us could take it or leave it?

 

[Yazmeen]

I'm the nondiver in the couple, and of the two islands, I would suggest Aruba for you and your wife. I've been to both islands. While the snorkeling is better on Bonaire (best I've ever seen outside of Australia), that's about it for me to do aside from get some sun and read. There's not a lot else available.

Aruba has good snorkeling, good shopping, many tours and several museums. The beach area is beautiful, spas are available, and the non-diver just has many more options. It's a very safe island--I've never been afraid to head into town or off on tours by myself. We're headed back to Aruba next month, diving and snorkeling with Unique Sports. Next summer, we're off to Bonaire for a wedding (diver bride was born in Holland). I would definitely go back to Bonaire, but not regularly. I like to explore towns, museums, etc. and there just isn't enough there to make it a regular destination for the non-diver, IMO.

 

[ronrosa]

I think Aruba is a nice place for a diver & non-diver couple to vacation. It has a nice balance of things to keep both people happy. Diving is good, not great. For a weeks stay, I'd dive 3 days, making sure I dive the Antilla.

Curacao is another consideration. Diving is much better than Aruba, topside is interesting for non-divers, but is not as touristy as Aruba.

 

[Ice9]

Curacao is another consideration. Diving is much better than Aruba, topside is interesting for non-divers, but is not as touristy as Aruba.

OMG! Your videos are awesome!!

 

[ronrosa]

OMG! Your videos are awesome!!

Thanks. It's a fun hobby that keeps me occupied in between dive trips.

 

[blawler1]

Aruba, is hands down the choice for above water, big resort hotels, great beaches, shopping, food, drink and larger casinos. The diving is also pretty good. There are some really good shore diving spots, but you will need a rental car as they are on the southern part of the island towards San Nicholaas around Pos Chiquito. The wrecks are good too, however, the Antilla collapsed last year due to hurricane and there is not as much available for penetration as before.

Bonaire of course is alot slower but with excellent diving available all over the island by rental truck. Also, due to the competition in the diving industry, the cost of diving is much cheaper as you can get the unlimited tank deals w/weights for just over $100 or so a week (with some operators offering free nitrox upgrades) where as in Aruba you will pay $10 per tank and about $5 per day for weights. There is the Plaza, Divi, Buddys, Sand Dollars, Capt Dons and a host of other really nice smaller to mid sized facilities, most of which are geared for diving with an onsite dive operator, but no Marriotts or Hyatt super resorts. Dining is very good, there is a tiny casino as well as a handful of fun bars. Beaches are fairly spartan, but there is an abudance of outdoor activities including kayaking, wind surfing, mountain biking, bird watching and of course snorkeling. Shopping is not comparable to Aruba or Curacao.