Bonaire questions

[song]

Got back 2 weeks ago (post Bonaire Depression...) and loved my first trip. Want service? Consider a bed & breakfast. Bonaire Villa Safir - B&B Intimate Hotel Beautiful house in the Santa Barbara hills overlooking the town and a fantastic view of the water from the pool area. Bianca cooks up a lovely breakfast each morning by request (ask for pancakes, at least once). There is a fridge for the guests to use. Only 3 guest suites so it is never crowded.

How's this for service? They bring the dive shop to you. Orientation lecture and check out dive when you want to do it. We took a few hours to have a snack & unpack first, then did the required checkout that afternoon. Tanks (nitrox on request) are stocked in the car port by your truck. Convenient rinse tanks & locked storage area right there too. Add boat diving? Peter can do that on your schedule with his boat. If they ever open Town Pier Bianca leads those dives. They can give suggestions about dive sites, activities, restaurants and anything to do with the island.

Peter & Bianca are wonderful hosts. Warm & friendly. They are attentive if you want them to be, leave you alone if you prefer space. Their sweet dog Tara will keep you company if you miss your dogs on vacation. Can't say enough good things about Villa Safir.

 

[teddyg04]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far; I especially appreciate the lead to Bonaire Talk. That's been quite helpful, as well. Keep the suggestions coming please! I've (possibly) settled on accomodations, but would be grateful for tips on how to both trips as good as possible. Love the idea about going in one direction in the morning, then stopping @ "home" for lunch, etc. Never to proud to ask for ideas............

 

[helimvee]

Hi Teddyg04

I am planning my 6th trip for this fall. The best advice I can give is to go and have a good time with your kids. It is really that simple. We get all worked up about where to stay/eat and end up spending the majority of the time in the driving to sites, loading/unloading tanks and diving.

Some places are nicer than others and have better views, but they are often more expensive. Some places are within walking distance to restaurants, but most (if not all) are within a few minutes drive of all restaurants. All the beds seem to be the same though - semi confortable.

Everyone has their favourite restaurant(s), but the fun thing about eating on Bonaire is trying someplace that you know nothing about. On our first trip we knew nothing about any of the restaurants but we sure didn't starve. My fav is still Cactus Blue - go on Wednesday as they have (did?) live music.

Take some basic security precautions - no different than anywhere else. Leave nothing that you cannot live without in the truck while diving. Use the room safe and lock the doors at all times.

I see that you are a Divemaster, but you do not mention the certification level of your kids. Do make sure that your kids are competent divers before your trip. There is so much to see underwater that trying to practice buoyancy is pretty tough.

Have a great trip.

 

[BonaireDiver]

Buddy Dive is a great place to go, big out fit at least for Bonaire that is, and a very attentive staff. I personally love the Belmar and have stayed there many times. Easy access to the southern dive sites, Invisibles, Tori's, Hilma Hooker, and one of my favorites and HARD to find, Hidden Beach, worth the effort to find. There is about a two foot wide sandy path (thats the beach) for the entry.

Do get a copy of Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy.

Do get the package deal with the PICKUP TRUCK. You are missing out on what makes BON such a great place to dive if you don't. (use an AMEX card, but call AMEX first to set up the PICK-UP truck insurance coverage this will save you BIG $$$)

Theft is mostly petty theft. Just don't leave anything of value in the truck when you go diving. Keys go with you of course. Leave the windows down and the truck unlocked. Use comman sense just as you would here in the states in a big city. After all many of the sites are remote and kids, as well as $#@%# adults get tempted.

You will find a lot of damaged (missing) docks due to the damage left by Omar. A lot of shallow water coral damage as well. But unlike man made damage to coral, mother nature takes away and helps in the recovery as well.

 

[Bonairetrip]

I stay at the Carib Inn (dozen plus visits) -- clean. location. small (9 units), affordable, good house reef, great dive op and shop, good service, dive centric. on the water. Bruce Bowker's Carib Inn, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles - Scuba Diving and Accommodations - Home Page

Your question will tend to generate answers about what works for us -- not what works for you. It also tends to get the largest resorts listed most often as they have the most visitors. Here are the things to think about:
a) One the water or not?
b) Shore or boat diving?
c) Nitrox or not?
d) What is your budget and what does it need to cover?
e) Do you plan to rent a car?
f) Kitchen or not?

Imagine the spot that you would like to stay at. Walk around that place. Spend an imaginary day and night there. As you reflect back, what seemed important to you?
a) By Bonaire standards, is it big or small?
b) Were there bars and restaurants? How far away? 24 hour front desk?
c) What was the dive operation and house reef like? Where did you store your gear?
d) How important were room furnishings? Dishes?
e) Was town and/or other restaurants or bars close by to the resort?
f) Pool?
g) What else did you imagine?

Suggested next steps:
a) Start with the hotel list on Info Bonaire - The Bonaire Information Site - The Most Current and Up-To-Date Information Filter the list down based on pool, waterfront and price or size.
b) Then start looking at hotel web pages.
c) Then do a search on Bonairetalk.
d) Then post specific questions

For me, the Carib Inn is great. Most of the staff (including housekeeping) have been there for many years. The place is kept clean and well maintained. The gazebo is a great place to watch the green flash. The house reef is very good and the dive op and shop great. It has a pool and the dive gear is readily stored. The value is great (a room at the local Holiday Inn Express was going to be $171 plus tax -- at the CI that gets me a 2 bdr, 1.5 bath, kitchen/living/dining plus porch that opens one side to the ocean and the other to the pool) and I enjoy the staff.

Some might complain that the office is not staffed 24 hours or that there is no on-site bar or restaurant (both are a short walk away). Or that the bed linens are not 400 count. Or that small means there are not tons of new people you could meet every day. Or that they don't pump nitrox. For me, these are not issues...

 

[highlandfarmwv]

I've stayed Divi OF room, Divi suite, Buddy hotel, BOA. Goling back to BOA for 1 month this winter!

 

[janrn777]

We have stayed at BelMar and it was very nice. There is a dive shop there that is part of the Buddy operation and they were very good.
We stayed at Sand Dollar and it was a bit run down. Our group had 2 condos and one was nicer than the other. We requested 2 condos together and were surprised that they were quite far apart. On the other hand, Bari reef is right outside the door, and you can leave your gear at the dock. Bonaire Dive and Adventure (the shop there) was good-we really liked the dive staff. We took a class from Jerry, the naturalist there, and wished we had done it sooner-he really opened up our eyes to things we never thought about before. Den Laman is also there-you do have to climb stairs to get to the condos but it is newer and pretty economical.
We have had good luck renting condos through the by-owner websites-google condos for rent on Bonaire and you'll find several.
We were not happy at Golden Reef. The price was comparable to a nice by-owner condo but the place was full of little biting bugs, there was no hot water and nobody seemed very concerned about it, and birds kept nesting in our gear on the clothesline. Other people there were very happy about the accomodations.
A lot of people really love Buddy's and Captain Dons. They are both very large and lots of people are on their boats. We have friends that stayed at both places and had bad plumbing experiences. Good restaurants both places.
We like condos because we want to fix a lot of our own meals, to cut down on costs and calories. We have been very happy with Yellow Submarine dive operation as well.

 

[BonaireDan]

Definitely search the "Accomodations" thread on Bonaire Talk Bonaire Talk - The place to discuss everything and anything about Bonaire! .
I prefer Buddy's with the Dive and Drive package - unlimited shore diving nitrox/air 24/7. I have also enjoyed Habitat, Plaza Resort (more pricey but great dive op - Toucan Dive if boats are your thing). Divi comes highly recommended. Sand Dollar. Bel Mar Apartments. etc. etc. etc.

 

[DiverVince]

Teddy..Check out this site which has various accommodations broken down by price. Have fun & enjoy your vacation.
Info Bonaire - Hotels & Accommodations - Resorts, Condos, Inns, Apartments, Houses and other accommodations

 

[pelan-pelan]

Stayed at Den Laman last December and were very pleased. Spacious, clean, well equipped condos, right on the dock for Bari Reef and the well-organised Dive shop has cheerful, helpful staff. Jerry's fish talk and dive is well worth doing.

Outdoor lockers in front of the dock - make sure you bring your own padlock.