bonaire for divers/non-divers

[kathy miller]

Hello,

I am playing travel agent for my family of 13 (9 divers), and we will be visiting Bonaire June 2005. I have been 4 times and always stay at buddy or lions (and love it!), but I am concerned that there may be little for the non-divers to do (having never been around during the day because we are busy diving). Harbor is too expensive, Plaza sounds a little run down for the price and not great house reef, I hear Divi is good for non-divers, but I was looking for kitchenetts for easy breakfast and lunches. Pluses at Divi are that it is close to town to walk to dinners/bars. How is snorkling at Divi? beach? I am so partial to Buddies/lions that it is hard for me to consider other places. Non-divers like to shop occasionally, play pool volleyball, read under palm trees, lounge by pool, and especially for the young adults in the group, mingle. How expensive are drinks in resort bar (another reason to like villas at buddies)? I guess of all the non-diver needs, mingling is the most important. If it were divers only, I would do Buddies hands down, rent some jeeps and shore dive till we dropped, but I want to be a good agent, and meet the needs of all my "clients" so any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Kathy

 

[Doc]

I cant speak of the best resort, but I would like to emphasize what a great place Bonaire would be to be "stuck" for a week as a non-diver.

Best plan? Get them snorkeling and slip them a "discover scuba" while they're there.

Otherwise? Responsible drivers that can drive a rental car can have a blast. Trek over to the fabulous beaches on the SE side, one of them is clothing optional I do believe. There are naturalist things to do and see, along with historical items like the salt ponds and the slave huts. A designated non-drinking driver can be a big plus as there are ever so many places to get a cold beer along the way.

Numerous restaurants await in town, which the best I can do is to call it "Krinkydink" as well as the adventurous options out in 'the bush'... a bit outside of town near the playing fields... where you can "pick your own goat". Yummy.

In town, there is even the opportunity to savor the Indonesian rarity called "Ristaffel" (Rice Table) a feast for all, or the more mundane 'locals joint' on the SE side where it is more of a cafeteria style.

Shopping is rather limited.

Do some shore diving and use one of the non-diving sun worshippers to keep an eye on your goods. (This security issue has been beaten to death elsewhere on ScubaBoard... a pox upon anyone who goes there in this thread!) Nothing to fear in regards to personal safety.

The point of the above is to remind any and all that the fun at Bonaire isn't necessarily contained in an AI resort... there's lots to see and do with a little mobility!

Have fun in Bonaire!

 

[DeputyDan]

Sign them up at LacBay for wind surfing lessons.

Stay at Buddy Dive anyhow and let them drive those old trucks. Builds character and gives them memories and yes....

Get them snorkeling and in discover Scuba...

 

[socaldiver]

I ditto DeptyDan's suggestion for Lac Bay.

Last year whe the wife and I were there we (mainly her) had a blast trying to learn how to windsurf. The bay is very shallow and the boards you use are oversized so they are easier to mount and operate. Downside is that it might be a little pricey. Don't remember exactly how much but it seems as though it was around $200 per person for 3 days of instructions ( 1 hour with instructor, the rest practice on your own).

The shop is located in Sorobon.

Here are a couple of websites you might refer to:
www.bonairewindsurfplace.com
www.jibecity.com

You might also check out www.infobonaire.com for other options.

 

[diversteve]

Hello,

I am playing travel agent for my family of 13 (9 divers), and we will be visiting Bonaire June 2005. I have been 4 times and always stay at buddy or lions (and love it!), but I am concerned that there may be little for the non-divers to do (having never been around during the day because we are busy diving). Harbor is too expensive, Plaza sounds a little run down for the price and not great house reef, I hear Divi is good for non-divers, but I was looking for kitchenetts for easy breakfast and lunches. Pluses at Divi are that it is close to town to walk to dinners/bars. How is snorkling at Divi? beach? I am so partial to Buddies/lions that it is hard for me to consider other places. Non-divers like to shop occasionally, play pool volleyball, read under palm trees, lounge by pool, and especially for the young adults in the group, mingle. How expensive are drinks in resort bar (another reason to like villas at buddies)? I guess of all the non-diver needs, mingling is the most important. If it were divers only, I would do Buddies hands down, rent some jeeps and shore dive till we dropped, but I want to be a good agent, and meet the needs of all my "clients" so any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Kathy

In my mind, except for the not great house reef part, what you've described is Plaza. I can't speak to the "rundown" part, not having stayed in a room there, but we were there a couple of different times and it looked pretty nice to me. You could also look into condos at Port Bonaire, they have free use of all the Plaza facilities.

The only downside is that I've read on bonairetalk that the planes flying over can be annoying.

Or you could go to Curacao, similar diving and a lot more for non-divers to do.

 

[Jester]

We just returned from a week in Bonaire, and I got "convinced" to take an excursion up to Washington Slagbaai - a large park on the northern end of the island. The raw beauty of the area up there is something to behold! The surf is incredible (and dangerous) and the fossil formations are truly extensive. Allow about 4 hours to drive through the place, it's all dirt roads.

 

[SubMariner]

We just returned from a week in Bonaire, and I got "convinced" to take an excursion up to Washington Slagbaai - a large park on the northern end of the island. The raw beauty of the area up there is something to behold! The surf is incredible (and dangerous) and the fossil formations are truly extensive. Allow about 4 hours to drive through the place, it's all dirt roads.

It's amazing how rugged & raw the other side of the island can be; you'd think you were in Moab or Arizona with the dry, craggy formations dotted with thorny trees & cacti.

On our next trip I would also like to do the kyyak (sp?) tour of the mangroves. Apparently, there is a marine biologist that leads the trip.

There are also some nice little trails to do some off-road bicycling, although some of the rental bikes leave a little to be desired. You can cycle to the South end of the Island to see the lighthouse, slave huts, and the salt pans. It's very colourful with the blue water, white salt and purple salt pans. Then throw in some pink flamingos.

 

[kathy miller]

thanks for all the input. I have been to Bonaire and LOVE it, explored the park, caves, Lac, birding, ect. My quandry is that my family consists of 6 young adults who like to socialize (not wild drinkers, just like to meet folks), grandma and grandpa and Mom who kind of like resort stuff (excersize rooms, occasional activities- happy with a 3-4 star feel if the people are nice), and 9 divers (5 of them fairly newbies) who I know will be so psyched about diving they won't care where they stay. I thought about Curacao, but didn't want to give up that easy access shore diving of Bonaire. So, the question is Plaza, Buddy, or Divi? I love the 3 bedroom condos of Buddies, works great for families, but what about non-divers who aren't the hop in the jeep types (grandfolks and mom)? I have always loved Buddy but I am torn because I think the non-divers would have more fun at Divi because of the easy access to town. Is the house reef at Divi as cool as habitat?

thanks for all your thoughts!

Kathy

 

[SubMariner]

So, the question is Plaza, Buddy, or Divi? I love the 3 bedroom condos of Buddies, works great for families, but what about non-divers who aren't the hop in the jeep types (grandfolks and mom)? I have always loved Buddy but I am torn because I think the non-divers would have more fun at Divi because of the easy access to town. Is the house reef at Divi as cool as habitat?

thanks for all your thoughts!

Kathy

I understand where you're coming from, but Buddy's is not all that far from downtown. Remember, this is the little island of Bonaire we're talking about; everything is pretty close when you get down to it.

DSDO,

 

[Damselfish]

You could walk to town from Divi though, you probably wouldn't walk from Buddy's.