Bonaire Resorts

[LI Diver]

Hi all, I need help picking a dive resort in Bonaire. I'm looking for ease of shore diving at the resort. Easy entry and exit areas,gear storage near water entry area,protected area with little current and no motor or sail boats zippin by over head.My 12 yr old son and myself will be diving while wife and daughter catch rays. A uncrowded dive boat on site that is ok with begginers would be great too. Some that we where thinking of were Sand Dollar,Divi Flamingo,Habitat,Buddy and The Plaza. We stayed at Breezes in Curacao and while the place was excellent the shore diving area was always choppy and you had to swim across a little inlet teeming with hobie cats and the occasional outboard. We were put up in the Hilton on Piscadera Bay when our flight was cancelled and loved the sheltered coves for shore diving. If we knew how lovely it was we would have stayed there. Unfortunately all the web surfing in the world cannot replace the experience of actually being there so I am reaching out to you guys to help me out here PLEASE!!!!!!!! If anyone has been to one or more of these(or other) places please drop me a line!! Keep in mind the key words here are ease and safety. Thank you very much!! Ed:

 

[Damselfish]

Shore diving at any of the waterfront dive resorts in Bonaire is not like that, you don't have to worry about getting run over. Usually the only boats coming close will be the diveboats from the resort itself, and they are all very aware of watching for divers and move slowly. Nearly all places will have convienient gear storage and easy entry/exit. It's pretty much just the way it's done there. They'll all have dive boats on site suitable for beginners, as the diving is very easy. Size and crowding of boats will vary but the sites are not far away in any event. I've stayed at Sand Dollar and Habitat several times, and visited Buddy & Divi, they all qualify. (Plaza was just barely opening last time I was in Bonaire and had a temporary diveshop so I didn't get a good look at the final setup. But from what I did see and hear you do tend to have a much longer walk to the entry point there and it's not quite as convienient tankwise, I'm sure others will pipe in.)

One thing about resorts in Bonaire, beaches tend not to be a big feature if your wife needs that. More likely she'll be sunning by the pool. A few places have real beaches, more are mostly ironshore with a token sand patch that may nearly disappear at high tide.

Some places in Curacao are similar to Bonaire as you saw, for example Habitat Curacao is a great place to shore dive from, very convienient and no worries. I definitely agree the shore entry from Breezes Curacao (and Lion's Dive nearby) leaves much to be desired. The area is a zoo. I stayed at Lion's Dive Curacao once before the area was even as built up and wouldn't do it again, but it was really the only "dive resort" there at the time.

 

[diversteve]

Ed,

PM(long) sent.

 

[LI Diver]

Thanks Damsel, Yes sjspeck had the same comment about the distance at the Plaza. Actually my wife prefers poolside to a beach (go figure?) so this is fine. We dove with Easy Divers at Habitat Curacao and they were a class act all the way. Anne marie (actually the owner I believe)at the shop was very accomadating and friendly even though we did not stay there. We even booked a private charter there one afternoon.
I asked the Capt about Capt. Dons Habitat and I may be mistaken but I got the impression that thay were only loosley connected at that time.Anyways thanks for the info you were a great help!! Happy Divin.Ed

 

[herman]

Welcome to the board Ed.
I agree with all the above. Another place to add is Eden Beach. They have a small beach, pool and a good dive shop on site. I have stayed at or been on the proberty of all of the above and think you would be happy at any of them. Where ever you decide to stay you will want to get a vehicle. My personal choice is a 4dr pickup. They are very common on the island and that's what most divers use.
I would also suggest you do a search on Bonaire on this board. Others and myself have posted a lot on Bonaire, it's diving, restaurants, customs and the like. You will find the information very helpful. Another great resource is the Bonaire board. Anything you want to know about Bonaire can be found there. And of course, ask here as well, there are several of us on this board that know Bonaire very well.
www.bonairetalk.com

 

[mjh]

Here are our trip report and slide show to give you a taste of Bonaire. The best part of Bonaire is renting the truck and going where you want, when you want. Don't know how well that will work for your 12yr old. If they are fairly athletic they should be able to get in and out of most sites. Main thing is BUY HEAVY SOLED BOOTIES. You are walking over very hard surfaces and rocks and most "tropical" weight booties are just to thin on the bottom.

Trip Report
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=97803&highlight=bonaire+a+la+carte

Slide Show
http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewshow.html?fl=2307605&alb=0

 

[alashas]

mjh,

Thanks for the link to your trip report and photos - you have provided one of the most helpful trip reports I have ever read, and I've read a lot of 'em about a lot of different places in the past 3 yrs! We are going to Bonaire in March, and I've forwarded your info to my fellow travelers.

I have also heard a lot of good things about Belmar, and we are trying to decide between Belmar and Sand Dollar. It sounds as though Belmar is newer, and probably somewhat more pleasant than SD. However, we will have 2 teenage boys with us, and my impression is that there will be more for them to do at SD, since it is a larger resort, and several other resorts are also within walking distance.

Also, the house reef, Bari, at SD, is supposed to be one of best diving reefs on Bonaire.

This will be our first trip to Bonaire, as well as our first shore diving, and we are open to your, as well as other's, input. And yes, I surf Bontalk regularly.

Thanks!

http://community.webshots.com/user/suelarhast

 

[ddawson]

I second the recommendation to the Belmar
You can see my trip report and slide show at
http://www.ces.clemson.edu/ece/crb/dawson/scubareports/scubareports.htm
We have stayed at the Belmar twice.
We stayed at Buddy Dive once, so I have stayed in both areas.

****
It sounds as though Belmar is newer, and probably somewhat more pleasant than SD. However, we will have 2 teenage boys with us, and my impression is that there will be more for them to do at SD, since it is a larger resort, and several other resorts are also within walking distance. Also, the house reef, Bari, at SD, is supposed to be one of best diving reefs on Bonaire.
******

All the above is a good assessment of the situation. The Sand Dollar House Reef (i.e., the Bari Reef) is a lot better than the one at the Belmar. The Sand Dollar is a little bit better located logisitically.

If you are looking for place kind of like the Belmar, you might want to think about
Den Laman Condominiums.
http://www.denlaman.com/index800x600.html
http://www.gotobonaire.com/denlaman/index.htm
They are located right next door to the Sand Dollar Resort.
They use the same dive shop as the Sand Dollar (i.e., Bonaire Dive & Adventure)

I have not stayed at Den Laman but I saw it being built and I know where it is.
If you stay at the Sand dollar, you will wishing you had stayed at Den Laman.
I can give you more info if you email me.