Bonaire lodging options

[mmwal]

I also stayed at Sand Dollar on my trip to Bonaire and loved it. I went w/my LDS and they had arranged everything so we didn't have to mess with all the details which was a big plus (but obviously that was built into the cost of my trip). Anyway...you can't beat the location! Bari Reef is AMAZING! I did several night dives and even more sunrise dives there. I will say that we ate lunch most days at the restaurant at Buddy's and while their actual property looks much nicer on the exterior I wouldn't hesitate to book my next stay at Sand Dollar.

 

[RJP]

Other than Buddy Dive and Sand Dollar, what other (good) options are available on Bonaire that provide lodging, a dive shop, transportation, dining, etc.

Almost every hotel offers everything you cite above; those two are certainly not the only.

PS - One was to save money is to buy bread, cold cuts, PB&J, etc and "brown bag" your lunch. My buddy and I spent $14 on lunch...TOTAL...for BOTH of us...for the WHOLE week by eating PB&J. Of course we blew all our savings on nice dinners, but what the hell!

PPS - also bring powdered drink mix, iced tea mix, gatorade mix, etc. Save a ton on soft drinks that way as well.

 

[DiverVince]

So I've been reading the trip reports and all of the complaints/praise for various operations on Bonaire.

I don't really want to have to book a hotel room, then a separate dive package (that includes unlimited air), a separate rental car agreement, etc. I like the convenience of having it all in one neat package so I don't have to run all over the place to get it put together.

Herk Man. As a friendly piece of advice and as a frequent visitor to Bonaire, setting up reservations for unlimited air supply for diving, rental vehicle via e mail is EZ PZ.. Everything is done by e mail plus you definitely have more control over what you're getting and many times you are able to put together better accommodations and transportation than the standard "package deal".

 

[elbee]

My vote is the Deep Blue View...I love Menno and Esther. They have a package that includes breakfast, diving and a truck. Their pricing is based on double occupancy. Check out their website Deep Blue View, intimate resort. Dive Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean.

 

[Skookumchuck]

Anyone have a link to a good street map of the Island so I can see where these places are? I'd like to choose a place closer to the South end as I prefered those dives to the Northern ones.

 

[dvrliz1]

Yes....Skyviews - may help....

 

[Codyjp]

I know the cruise ship issue bothers some people - especially those who don't like crowds. I have stayed with a dive club at Eden Beach 5 times in the last 2.5 years, the most recent being last month. The day that the cruise ship is in port, there are taxi's that bring passengers to Eden Beach for a "day at the beach", and the parking lot can get congested with passengers, along with the open bar (used to be Bongo's) and the nearby beach. Not a lot more crowded than I've seen Buddies on a normal day. You can drive into the old Bongo's parking lot, walk thru the gate and you are 20-ft from the tanks. Probably closer than you can get when no cruise ship is there. I've seen "traffic" backed up for 20 minutes waiting to get air at Buddies Drive-Thru. I really don't think the cruise ship affects Eden Beach significantly enough for to rule them out on that alone.



Cody, I always try to do my own planning, because I can put together packages customized to my liking. That said, I tried to do that last January, when a buddy and I dove Bonaire. We wanted to do is inexpensively...it was all about diving, not beaches, bars, or fancy restaurants. I did a lot of checking around, and when all was said and done, no one could match Golden Reef Inns prices for what they offered. The excellent Wannadive dive op, car rental, and a nice functional (but not ritzy) one bedroom apartment package deal. The only thing Liz didn't package was the airfare, and she has helped me find deals on that too.

I'd be reluctant to recommend arriving on island and trying to sort out car rentals. I've been at the rental window when several without reservations were asked to stand aside while they helped those of us who had rentals (arranged as part of the package). I also heard the amounts quoted, and it wasn't the same deal as what you could get with reservations, when they had trucks available. Sometimes they asked the people to come back later, after trucks from a later departure flight were returned and cleaned. I think you can always get a week scuba package (weights and air) without prior commitment, but I'm not sure they will throw in the free Nitrox. Nor am I sure that they will match the prices that you can get with a package deal. But, as I said above, you can customize your package, I'd just do it all before arriving on island so I can get to diving immediately.

I wasn't argueing that it was the cheapest route by any means. It cost about $300 more per person to do the condo ON the water option and the Chinese car with A/C upgrade versus the basic condo arrangement at buddy dive.

 

[TheWizard]

When folks stay at GRI, where is the most convenient place for doing a night shore dive?
That's one good thing about staying at Buddy Dive, easy access just falling off their dock...

 

[Bubbletrubble]

When folks stay at GRI, where is the most convenient place for doing a night shore dive?
That's one good thing about staying at Buddy Dive, easy access just falling off their dock...

On my two trips to Bonaire, I didn't stay at Buddy Dive, but I dove the resort's house reef on a handful of night dives. I just offloaded my dive gear right next to the pier and then parked the truck in the parking lot. No big deal.

For night dives, I found that Buddy's house reef is very convenient. The sites south of town (but not too far south) also have very easy entries/exits. I had a couple of very nice night dives at Alice in Wonderland and Windsock.

 

[dvrliz1]

"The Cliff" is about a 1 minute drive from GRI, just 2 dive sites north of Buddy Dive. It is actually the same/continuation of Buddy's Reef.

Liz

When folks stay at GRI, where is the most convenient place for doing a night shore dive?
That's one good thing about staying at Buddy Dive, easy access just falling off their dock...