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My wife and I made our ninth trip to Bonaire and, like the last five visits, stayed at Den Laman and dived with Dive Friends.
Reservations: We made all of our reservations online, Sunwise Realty for Den Laman, Dive Friends, AB Car Rental, and American Airlines. It all worked out flawlessly.
Travel: Our flights to and from Bonaire worked out perfectly. We had one stop in Miami. On the way back, my passport was identified at Global Entry for additional baggage screening, no reason was given. Our checked bags were gathered up by a handler and we proceeded to the checkpoint. Nobody knew or could explain the reason for the alert. All our bags, checked and carryon were x-rayed and we were on our way. Fortunately, we were able to recheck our bags, and make it through security in time to make our flight. I always dread returning through Miami, this did nothing to allay my fears.
There was a van at the Bonaire airport, waiting to take us to AB Car to pick up our truck. Our first truck had a couple of problems. At pick up, the truck was parked, back in, to a wall. The AB employee put our bags in the bed. When we got to Den Laman, we discovered that the tailgate would not open. In addition, it took several minutes to extricate my wife from her seatbelt, which would not release. I was starting to think that I would have to cut her out. We exchanged the truck the next morning. This turned out to be the only flaw in a perfect trip.
Travel sure has changed since out last visit in October/November of 2021. No pre-travel Covid test, no Bonaire Public Health Declaration, no antigen test before return to the US. My wife and I have been vaccinated since early 2021 and have been boosted twice. We wore masks on the planes, we were in a minority.
We paid our Bonaire Visitor Entry online before traveling and had our QR codes for scanning, just before immigration. For us, this was a breeze, many had to go to the kiosk to pay for and/or obtain their QR code. We also obtained our STINAPA park tag online, prior to traveling.
Accommodations: We contacted Sunwise while we were picking up our truck and Cecile met us at Den Laman to let us in. We stayed in Yellowtail Snapper this time, a second floor, one bedroom, oceanfront, next door to our favorite, Parrotfish. They are mirror images of each other, Parrotfish just has a less palm tree obstructed ocean view. Both have well equipped, full kitchens, large living/dining rooms, and bathrooms with shower. The large balcony has a beautiful view of the ocean and Klein Bonaire, a perfect place to view the gorgeous sunsets.
Our daughter and boyfriend were able to join us for a week and stayed in island view studio, Black Durgeon. I had never been in any of the studios, it was quite nice with a good size kitchen, sitting area, bed and bath.
We were concerned about the large resort, just south of Den Laman, Chogogo, which was getting ready to open during our last visit. Interestingly, we did not see many people or activity there during our stay. We didn’t hear any noise from their either. Their scuba operation, Scuba Do, is not yet open, but, apparently will be soon. They do not have a pier, I don’t know if they have a permit for one. The old Sunset Waters had one at that site. The Chogogo “beach” is behind a low retaining wall and there is a walkway between it and the shore. We did not dive Front Porch to assess for any damage. So far, not as bad as I feared. The public access to Bari Reef is still located between Den Laman and Chogogo.
Meals: We usually prepare nearly all our meals. We still made many of our meals and did much of our shopping at the convenient, Zhung Kong, but we also ate out with our daughter and her boyfriend. The food truck out on the circle, Pita Madre, was quite good, with a very friendly and talkative owner/cook. Dinners at Breeze & Bites at Den Laman and Eddy’s at Sand Dollar were excellent. Middle Eastern take out from Doner Station, across the street, was delicious, as was the ice cream from Luciano’s, a couple of doors down. Our daughter reported that lunch from Panino, in the old Between Two Buns site, was very good. We had a tasty lunch from Exito Express, a couple doors down from Panino. The only real disappointment was Rum Runners at Captain Don’s. The fish was overcooked, dry, and tough. It would have been better to stick with the pizza. The best dinner was at It Rains Fishes, absolutely perfect, as was the Luciano’ ice cream brownie desert. Groceries and eating out on Bonaire are very expensive.
Dive Operation: Dive Friends Sand Dollar/Den Laman is located between the two resorts. Divers staying at either resort have access to the gear storage room and to the pier, for easy access to Bari Reef. The pier has gotten new planking, benches, and table since our last visit in 2021. The rinse tubs are now smaller, to save water?
The Dive Friends boats pick up at the pier. You no longer have to analyze tanks and have them ready before boarding. Tanks, air or nitrox, are already on board based on your reservations. Dive Friends has a new boat, Tiki Diver. It is a 42 foot catamaran with two 300 HP Suzuki outboards. It is very fast and smooth. One drawback is that they take a maximum of 14 divers. With 2 groups, that works fine, with one guide, it is too crowded.
Our daughter’s boyfriend was certified 15 years ago and had not dived since. We got a glimpse of a side of Dive Friends we had not seen before, training and rental equipment. He did a refresher course on the first morning while the rest of us went diving. It was a couple of hours of academics, followed by a nice skill review and dive on Bari Reef. He did well and his diving rapidly improved over the week. He needed a complete set of rental gear. Everything was from Scubapro, a MK2 1st stage, two R195 2nd stages, a Level BD, Jet Sport fins, and a 3 mm shorty wetsuit. Everything worked beautifully.
Just a couple of weeks before our trip, Stoney Coral Tissue Loss Disease was presumptively identified at Karpata. La Dania’s Leap and Karpata remained closed during our visit ad boats were not using the northern sites inaccessible from shore. Rinse tanks at all the tank pick up locations were open for all to use and contained some kind of disinfectant. The rinse tubs on the Bari pier were on used after diving that site. Just before leaving Bonaire, there was some controversy as to whether SCTLD has been accurately identified. I have seen no follow up on this topic. (edit: see posts 9 and 10)
Reservations: We made all of our reservations online, Sunwise Realty for Den Laman, Dive Friends, AB Car Rental, and American Airlines. It all worked out flawlessly.
Travel: Our flights to and from Bonaire worked out perfectly. We had one stop in Miami. On the way back, my passport was identified at Global Entry for additional baggage screening, no reason was given. Our checked bags were gathered up by a handler and we proceeded to the checkpoint. Nobody knew or could explain the reason for the alert. All our bags, checked and carryon were x-rayed and we were on our way. Fortunately, we were able to recheck our bags, and make it through security in time to make our flight. I always dread returning through Miami, this did nothing to allay my fears.
There was a van at the Bonaire airport, waiting to take us to AB Car to pick up our truck. Our first truck had a couple of problems. At pick up, the truck was parked, back in, to a wall. The AB employee put our bags in the bed. When we got to Den Laman, we discovered that the tailgate would not open. In addition, it took several minutes to extricate my wife from her seatbelt, which would not release. I was starting to think that I would have to cut her out. We exchanged the truck the next morning. This turned out to be the only flaw in a perfect trip.
Travel sure has changed since out last visit in October/November of 2021. No pre-travel Covid test, no Bonaire Public Health Declaration, no antigen test before return to the US. My wife and I have been vaccinated since early 2021 and have been boosted twice. We wore masks on the planes, we were in a minority.
We paid our Bonaire Visitor Entry online before traveling and had our QR codes for scanning, just before immigration. For us, this was a breeze, many had to go to the kiosk to pay for and/or obtain their QR code. We also obtained our STINAPA park tag online, prior to traveling.
Accommodations: We contacted Sunwise while we were picking up our truck and Cecile met us at Den Laman to let us in. We stayed in Yellowtail Snapper this time, a second floor, one bedroom, oceanfront, next door to our favorite, Parrotfish. They are mirror images of each other, Parrotfish just has a less palm tree obstructed ocean view. Both have well equipped, full kitchens, large living/dining rooms, and bathrooms with shower. The large balcony has a beautiful view of the ocean and Klein Bonaire, a perfect place to view the gorgeous sunsets.
Our daughter and boyfriend were able to join us for a week and stayed in island view studio, Black Durgeon. I had never been in any of the studios, it was quite nice with a good size kitchen, sitting area, bed and bath.
We were concerned about the large resort, just south of Den Laman, Chogogo, which was getting ready to open during our last visit. Interestingly, we did not see many people or activity there during our stay. We didn’t hear any noise from their either. Their scuba operation, Scuba Do, is not yet open, but, apparently will be soon. They do not have a pier, I don’t know if they have a permit for one. The old Sunset Waters had one at that site. The Chogogo “beach” is behind a low retaining wall and there is a walkway between it and the shore. We did not dive Front Porch to assess for any damage. So far, not as bad as I feared. The public access to Bari Reef is still located between Den Laman and Chogogo.
Meals: We usually prepare nearly all our meals. We still made many of our meals and did much of our shopping at the convenient, Zhung Kong, but we also ate out with our daughter and her boyfriend. The food truck out on the circle, Pita Madre, was quite good, with a very friendly and talkative owner/cook. Dinners at Breeze & Bites at Den Laman and Eddy’s at Sand Dollar were excellent. Middle Eastern take out from Doner Station, across the street, was delicious, as was the ice cream from Luciano’s, a couple of doors down. Our daughter reported that lunch from Panino, in the old Between Two Buns site, was very good. We had a tasty lunch from Exito Express, a couple doors down from Panino. The only real disappointment was Rum Runners at Captain Don’s. The fish was overcooked, dry, and tough. It would have been better to stick with the pizza. The best dinner was at It Rains Fishes, absolutely perfect, as was the Luciano’ ice cream brownie desert. Groceries and eating out on Bonaire are very expensive.
Dive Operation: Dive Friends Sand Dollar/Den Laman is located between the two resorts. Divers staying at either resort have access to the gear storage room and to the pier, for easy access to Bari Reef. The pier has gotten new planking, benches, and table since our last visit in 2021. The rinse tubs are now smaller, to save water?
The Dive Friends boats pick up at the pier. You no longer have to analyze tanks and have them ready before boarding. Tanks, air or nitrox, are already on board based on your reservations. Dive Friends has a new boat, Tiki Diver. It is a 42 foot catamaran with two 300 HP Suzuki outboards. It is very fast and smooth. One drawback is that they take a maximum of 14 divers. With 2 groups, that works fine, with one guide, it is too crowded.
Our daughter’s boyfriend was certified 15 years ago and had not dived since. We got a glimpse of a side of Dive Friends we had not seen before, training and rental equipment. He did a refresher course on the first morning while the rest of us went diving. It was a couple of hours of academics, followed by a nice skill review and dive on Bari Reef. He did well and his diving rapidly improved over the week. He needed a complete set of rental gear. Everything was from Scubapro, a MK2 1st stage, two R195 2nd stages, a Level BD, Jet Sport fins, and a 3 mm shorty wetsuit. Everything worked beautifully.
Just a couple of weeks before our trip, Stoney Coral Tissue Loss Disease was presumptively identified at Karpata. La Dania’s Leap and Karpata remained closed during our visit ad boats were not using the northern sites inaccessible from shore. Rinse tanks at all the tank pick up locations were open for all to use and contained some kind of disinfectant. The rinse tubs on the Bari pier were on used after diving that site. Just before leaving Bonaire, there was some controversy as to whether SCTLD has been accurately identified. I have seen no follow up on this topic. (edit: see posts 9 and 10)
