Bonaire is 2 weeks enough ??? NO WAY

[cardzard]

Bonaire is 2 weeks enough ??? NO WAY

My wife Roxanne and I just returned from a group trip (26 divers ) to the the Plaza Resort in Bonaire. Just wanted to let others know if your looking for a great deal to Dive & Relax on vacation this just maybe your place.

We stayed in a 2 bedroom / 2 full bath / full kitchen villa with friends and while the furniture was a bit dated it was very spacious and worked out great for us. They are updating the entire property and we seen maintance people working everyday. They had 2 restraunts on site and the beach are grounds were great. They have just about anything you could want onsite.

Toucan Diving was the onsite dive op and Alex and his staff could not have been more accommodating. They even arranged a 3 tank trip to the northern dive sites for our group that is something they do not normaly offer. They busted their butts to keep the nitrox tanks filled and for a group of dive crazies like us and that isn't easy.

Management needs to step up and get them another nitrox compressor. Having to fill only 4 tanks at a time is silly since just about everyone is diving nitrox.

A special thanks to dive guides Carolyn & Jackson(AKA frogfishman) for great day diving to the north and Klein Bonaire. It's not often you get to drift dive the Slagbaai northern sites in Bonaire and Jackson your just Special (5 frogfish and 3 seahorse on 1 dive ) it's going to take a long time to top that.


While their are plenty of dive resorts on Bonaire the Plaza is a RESORT that offers diving and have a great staff to provide whatever style vacation you are looking for. This was our second trip to the Plaza and I can assure you it will not be our last.

Also I am please to report while our group did hundreds of shore dives all over the entire island for 2 weeks only 1 pair of sunglasses came up missing.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Next time y'all are planning a trip, let me know. I wish I could've made this one, but my boss would've fired me if I asked for more time off at this point.

Say "hi" to Roxanne for me, and hope to make the next one ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[sansky]

Bonaire ... been there 7 times and going Thanksgiving week this year ... you would never think I love Bonaire would you? Never had anything taken from truck - always leave it unlocked and windows down ....

 

[DeputyDan]

Bonaire ... been there 7 times and going Thanksgiving week this year ... you would never think I love Bonaire would you? Never had anything taken from truck - always leave it unlocked and windows down ....

I have only been five times you bum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I have only been there four times. The last time (last year), our resort accidentally sent all of our luggage back to the airport before we were checked in. Since they weren't ready to check us in yet, we went diving. All of our money, passports, credit cards, and everything else we brought with us except the things we were wearing during our dive were in our luggage. The thoughtful resort crew who brought it to the airport placed it on the sidewalk and drove away. Our luggage stayed sitting on the sidewalk in front of the terminal for about two hours before we finally figured out what happened and retrieved it.

Nothing got stolen ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[jepuskar]

As much as I love that place.....I find two weeks straight is more than enough. Unless you plan on moving there or have the funds to make it an extended stay.

Part of the reason it is so special is because I only get soo many days to enjoy it so you make the most out of it. I did two weeks once...and towards the end I wanted to go home. I've been there 10+ times...I think one week is nice.....either that or im just saying that because i cant swing a full month.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

As much as I love that place.....I find two weeks straight is more than enough. Unless you plan on moving there or have the funds to make it an extended stay.

Part of the reason it is so special is because I only get soo many days to enjoy it so you make the most out of it. I did two weeks once...and towards the end I wanted to go home. I've been there 10+ times...I think one week is nice.....either that or im just saying that because i cant swing a full month.

I know where you're coming from ... my 23-day trip in Indonesia was almost too long. I thought it was just 'cuz I'm getting old ... but by the end of the third week I was looking forward to getting home again.

All my Bonaire trips have been one-week ... which allowed me to get between 25-30 dives ... which seemed sufficient for a vacation ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[tonka97]

I vote for 2 weeks....
I enjoy my second week the most....I'm in synch with personalities/ocean/pace of life....all of my 'systems' are organized....

the second week feels more like the 'ocean and I'.

If you only go for '1 week'....you pretty much lose day 1 due to transportation ordeals...when you get to Bonaire, you typically have to go through the marine park orientation to get the dive tag (some exceptions for return divers)

Then you get 5 days of diving. This is when, in my opinion, divers often exceed reasonable numbers of dives/depths and risk DCS as they see their days ticking away.

Day 6: You may choose to dive once before noon (depends on your flight time). Then 24 hours no dive before your flight.

Day 7: Welcome back to the world of transportation hell.

I prefer 2 weeks...the transportation cost is the same as for 1, and the enjoyment/dollar ratio shifts toward the GOOD side. Some days, 2 dives are enough, without the feeling of pressure and being on a treadmill...I like the option.

Another plus for 2 weeks, is that you get to meet another group of divers.

On my tropical dive vacation, I really don't want to feel compressed/hurried.

 

[jepuskar]

I vote for 2 weeks....
I enjoy my second week the most....I'm in synch with personalities/ocean/pace of life....all of my 'systems' are organized....

the second week feels more like the 'ocean and I'.

If you only go for '1 week'....you pretty much lose day 1 due to transportation ordeals...when you get to Bonaire, you typically have to go through the marine park orientation to get the dive tag (some exceptions for return divers)

Then you get 5 days of diving. This is when, in my opinion, divers often exceed reasonable numbers of dives/depths and risk DCS as they see their days ticking away.

Day 6: You may choose to dive once before noon (depends on your flight time). Then 24 hours no dive before your flight.

Day 7: Welcome back to the world of transportation hell.

I prefer 2 weeks...the transportation cost is the same as for 1, and the enjoyment/dollar ratio shifts toward the GOOD side. Some days, 2 dives are enough, without the feeling of pressure and being on a treadmill...I like the option.

Another plus for 2 weeks, is that you get to meet another group of divers.

On my tropical dive vacation, I really don't want to feel compressed/hurried.

All very valid points. I would certainly not shy away from 2 weeks in Bonaire.

 

[dukeh20]

We just got back from 2 weeks with Dennis and Roxanne. Also add in lost luggage and losing a day of diving by getting diverted to Atlanta when Continental's flight to Houston gets delayed. If we would have only had one week, two days would have been lost by that. Im glad we did both weeks.