Bonaire Hotel

[yellowfish]

We are a family of 5 heading to Bonaire for the first time next spring. 3 divers/2 non divers. We understand 'beachfront' maybe a relative term in Bonaire where there isn't much beach. However, having said that, can anyone recommend a hotel or resort with something of a beach or a nice pool for the non divers? And a place with nice rooms, either 2 bedroom or just nice rooms we could have near each other. Of course we are looking for a good dive shop, and a place that has boat dives for small groups. And a restaurant. People have said Harbour Village is wonderful, and it looks it. But is it worth the price? Any other suggestions? Thank you.

 

[diversteve]

One thing about Bonaire is that there are very few natural beaches. Any of the northern dive resorts that have beaches often have ironshore and/or reef just offshore so although the beach itself is nice, water access is limited.

At Eden Beach for example, there's ironshore along at least a portion of their beach, at Buddy Dive nearby, there's a sand area but access to the water is via a ladder over ironshore fringe at the waterline.

Some options from North to South:

Buddy Resort - 2 pools as they own two adjacent properties. Here's an aerial view of their "beach" Buddy Dive Resort

there's no place better than on our raised sand beach areas overlooking the clear, turquoise waters of the Caribbean. A short stairway provides easy access to the tranquil ocean below – excellent for snorkeling and swimming.

Eden Beach between Buddy Dive and Harbor Village is similar. They have a nice beach area with several hundred feet of nice sand/palm trees fronting the water - including Bongoes Beach Bar - great place to hang out post-dive. IIRC the view from the condos was restricted due to their orientation on the property. They have a nice pool area - view the last shot in this link to see the ironshore just off the beach: :: Eden Beach :: Bonaire :: Dutch Antilles ::

Harbor Village makes their beach. The shore dive there is not the best - there's coral rubble and a small wreck but not much reef. We drove by multiple times but have never been inside. It's on a yacht harbor. It's the nicest resort on Bonaire.

Divi Flamingo in town has a small beach - also man-made afaik. I think I recently read one of the hurricanes might have removed part of it recently. It's the only place your non-divers could reasonably walk to town. They have the only (small) casino on Bonaire. Welcome to Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino Bonaire - Divi Resorts
The video shows the beach about 20secs in (wait till it buffers):
http://www.diviresorts.com/videos/flamingo.wmv

Plaza Resort is south of town. It's a sprawling complex with a beach/beach bar/pool area on one end and villas and the dive operation off a lagoon towards the other. Several restaurants on-site. We went to a beach bbq there one night, they have a large (500 yards wide) beach area with a breakwater just offshore. It looked man made but was nice - people were in the water barefoot while we were there.

Big enough for chairs/umbrellas, a volleyball court and tables without being crowded. The beach bar is right behind it. They probably have the largest pool on Bonaire - some of the rooms surround it.

Their dive - 18Palms is near the north side of the resort - but the dive shop and lockers are south on a lagoon. I've read they'll bring tanks if asked or that they stage them nearby.

We dove with Toucan Dive there all week - good people - 4 days of 2tank AM boat dives, they have a fleet of 4-5 smaller boats so we never had more than 11-12 on our boat. Most of the week it was 8 total. And we were there during DiveFest. Really low stress diving, I don't recall them ever calling a dive for time. Often the DM just floated along blowing bubbles. They'd also be a good option if you want to shore dive Salt Pier (you do!!) - I think there's a private enterprise option - my buddy paid $20 to dive Town Pier one night with the DM and another couple.

It's an older property (Buddy's is probably older) but seemed pretty well maintained. We didn't stay there however everyone we dove with all week did - no one said anything bad about their villas. Bonaire Resort & Bonaire Diving | Plaza Resort Bonaire.

I'm not especially hypeing Plaza but I spent more time there than the other resorts.

There are probably other options, but I think I've covered most of them. There's a few condos in Belnem that are on the water - at least one has a beach but there's nothing else nearby - it would be a drive to town for food etc.

Lighthouse Beach Resort is one - it's further south of town - maybe 10mins. from town - driving. There can be rougher water around the point there - Punt Vierkant is an intermediate dive in that area. http://www.bonairerentals.com/lighthousebeach.html

We stayed a couple minutes farther north at BelMar in Belnem - it's quiet, nice pool, nice condos with west views, the other Buddy dive location on-site but it's all on ironshore cliffs, no water access except via their two decks. Also a drive for food etc.

 

[RJP]

I like Plaza Resort overall. Big enough pool and beach area for the non-divers to enjoy.

 

[helimvee]

BelMar. It is a small operation if that is what you are looking for.

There is no beach, but a nice pool/patio as well as a dock for sunbathing. The 2 bedroom suites are on the ground floor and are only a few feet from the pool. There is a great dive shop but no restaurant. There is a small restaurant across the street and the rooms do have kitchens.

 

[gypsyjim]

We have stayed at:

Den Lamen: nice units, and dive shop, no pool, great reef, very small beach.

Buddy Dive: nice large units, several pools, great reef, really my favorite dive shop set up, no beach

The Plaza: also very nice beach and reef, good dive shop, nice pool by the beach, the quads we used were big and nice, largest real beach of any of the resorts we have used.

I would return to any of these again in a heart beat, but it sounds like the Plaza would fit your needs the best.

 

[vladimir]

For a family of five you would want a two-bedroom suite at Harbour Village; about $650 a night in the spring. I have stayed in the one-bedroom beachfront suites on four occasions. You get (coming in from the beach) a front patio--with a trellis for shade, lounge chairs, and a hammock--that is ideal for lazing around or for drying equipment. Enter into the air-conditioned suite itself through French doors into an ante-room that could be used for sitting, reading, playing cards, etc., but usually gets covered in camera gear that is easier to fuss with there because of the bright sunlight (though there are curtains, of course). The living room has a comfortable sofa (that folds out, I think, to a bed) and chairs, a television, etc. All the floors are terra cotta, if I recall correctly. There is a kitchenette contiguous with the living room that is not really adequate for cooking--it has a small microwave, electric kettle, and a mini-fridge. The bedroom and master bathroom are on the large side, and pretty much what you'd expect. The bed has mosquito netting--not usually necessary in a $600 room, but may come in handy, depending on the season and weather. The bathroom has a large tub (room for two, comfortably), two-sink vanity, shower, and enclosed toilet area. Again, it is pretty much what you'd expect in a luxury hotel. If you continue out the back door you'll find another toilet. The air-conditioning is more that adequate--you can turn the suite into a meat locker if you like. Alternatively, you could use the ceiling fans and be quite comfortable with no a/c.

Is it worth the money? I just booked a suite at the Peninsula Bangkok for about the same price. It will be pretty much as good as a hotel room gets....except for the diving--there is none. How much is it worth to be a few steps from the beach, a short walk to the dock and dive shop, and a short swim to pretty decent Bonaire diving (the reef directly out front: not very good)? I think it's worth it, but if you judge it by the standards of other similarly-priced hotels, you may be disappointed. For me, sleeping in a comfortable room and lazing in a hammock shaded from the tropical sun, all on a beautiful beach and reef, with no schedule to follow, and unlimited tanks just steps away--that's my idea of a vacation.

 

[RJP]

We are a family of 5 heading to Bonaire for the first time next spring. 3 divers/2 non divers. We understand 'beachfront' maybe a relative term in Bonaire where there isn't much beach. However, having said that, can anyone recommend a hotel or resort with something of a beach or a nice pool for the non divers? And a place with nice rooms, either 2 bedroom or just nice rooms we could have near each other. Of course we are looking for a good dive shop, and a place that has boat dives for small groups. And a restaurant. People have said Harbour Village is wonderful, and it looks it. But is it worth the price? Any other suggestions? Thank you.

Another option is to consider Curacao, which is where I go with my non-diving wife and non-diving kids. Essentially the same diving, but a lot more for non-divers to do.

As my wife says...

"Bonaire is where divers go for vacation. Curacao is where vacationers go to dive."

 

[yellowfish]

Thank you all for such great advice. We have been to Curacao and are not opting to return, but thank you. Harbour Village still sounds good, but so does the Plaza. However I read on tripadvisor that the rooms t Plaza weren't well kept, maybe mildewy. Anyone have feedback about that?

 

[RJP]

Thank you all for such great advice. We have been to Curacao and are not opting to return, but thank you. Harbour Village still sounds good, but so does the Plaza. However I read on tripadvisor that the rooms t Plaza weren't well kept, maybe mildewy. Anyone have feedback about that?

When I stayed there a year or so ago the room had just been renovated and was brand spanking new, and perfectly fine in every possible way.

 

[yellowfish]

And how many people typically go out on the Plaza's dive boats (the dive shop's boat) at one time?