Bonaire Trip Report ( June 21-29th ), Plaza Resort

[Scubawankenobi]

Two weeks ago (today) we flew home from Bonaire - June 21-29th. Stayed at Plaza Resort (all inclusive).

Diving calendar/conditions overview -
*logged 28 dives (3 night), mostly central/southern and boat dives to Klein
2 on 21%, rest on EAN33
*Got checked-in to resort by 3pm(Sat) and did first shore dive ~4pm off house reef (easy entry/exit). Missed hitting a rounded 30 because buddies flaked or were late/delayed. Still mostly 4-5 dives a day. Last dive was out of water by 1pm, day before flying, after week of EAN33 gave me 7hr no-fly and hit full desaturation bout time the plane took off the following morning.
Water temp(s):
81F(27.2C?), backup gauge read up to 82F
Viz:
50-70ft ('ish), perhaps as high as (optimistically?) 80ft on couple of morning dives off Klein

Animal life:
Barracuda, tiger grouper, at night jellies (moon jellies, other smalls ones), tunicate(salps?) in like 30ft+ chain(?), tarpon, slugs, turtles, many types of eels (morays,sharptail,brown garden weaving in the sandy shallows on safety stops), angel fish, lobster, 2x seahorse sightings, anemones, various crab, coral and sponges, juvenile and adult drum, trumpet fish, puffers, flounder, banded coral shrimp, parrotfish, wrasses...and all the "usual suspects"... and sadly far too many lionfish. MIA - rays, frogfish, octopus, although others saw rays.

Highlights:
Night dives had massive tarpon (5-6) hunting by my video flood light, bumping against us and hearing the *chomp* as they snatched fish (felt a bit guilty aiding in their hunt).
Quality time with some mellow turtles. Quit a variety of morays. Seahorse sightings were a surprise find.
Amazingly easy/convenient shore diving. Weather was about perfect (imho) - 80s, rained one for about 5min during the 8days, sunny blue skies. Calm seas.
Free nitrox, unlimited tanks/dives - I'm in!

Resort - Plaza Resort:
Stayed at the only(?) all-inclusive, Plaza Resort Bonaire.
Outstanding rooms, ocean/beach view (definitely upscale rooms), very tasy and fresh food, dedicated cooking station which was accommodating and came up with creative creations (I'm vegetarian), various fresh cooked fish (to order) in the evenings, beachside dining.
Nice bar (again right on the beach/by water). As all-inclusive, drinks/food/everything included.
Staff were friendly, courteous, helpful - oustanding! A manager frequently checked in with us that we were happy and make sure I was happy with my vegetarian options (note: I'm not fussy and eat what's available, so the fact that he remember I was veg-diet and informed his staff-one night I showed up for BBQ on the beach and they recognized me and pulled me aside to show me the veggie options they'd come up with - impressive, and not something I'd asked for).
Reports on the fish served (including from my spouse and our friends) - outstanding!
I was reticent to book this resort and so many reviews I'd seen for dive resorts/lodging in Bonaire named other outfits as the "go to places", but after experiencing the Plaza Resort (quality of service, dive shop, and house reef) I'd be surprised if the Plaza doesn't become a hotspot for divers.
I'll admit we chose the all-inclusive, due to cost savings on dining and drinks (I think they might lose money on us due to our holiday bar consumption<g>), but we were very happy with the dining options - probably the best we've had for all-inclusive, and we've stayed at many elsewhere around the Caribbean. Speaking of dining, we made the 10min walk and dined in town a couple of times and wound up wishing we'd just dined at the resort.
Captain Don's passing in May lead to a sort of repeat of "Taste of Bonaire" in the big courtyard in town - videos, photos, live music celebrating the local legend.

Dive shop (on resort) "Toucan Diving":
One paid for dives for the week, was really happy to learn nitrox was free. For shore dives - just grab your tanks and go (we rented car for the week). House reef - just pick up the always ready(filled) air tanks at 2x diff locations on the beach (diff ends of the house reef) or sign in your nitrox fills and slap label on your tank ( "Pool" "Tipsy"(Seagull) Bar/Restaurant ea end of Reef) and by the time your get to the beach with your gear your EAN is waiting.
Have 2x boats. One larger, one 8-diver. The resort wasn't overly packed during our stay, so mostly had openings on the smaller boat. Excellent captain(s) and crew and DM staff.
Several routinely cleaned rinse tanks (dedicated for regs/cameras), lockers just feet away from parking lot - so if you're not doing any diving on-site(on boat), just leave your gear there and load your vehicle in the morning. Very convenient as a shore diving launching point - midway between northern and southern sites.
Boat dives - we enjoyed having the boats available, as I'd wanted to get out to some sites not available from shore (Klein, Rappel - one of my favorites of this trip). Although the majority of our dives were from shore, several relaxing at the house reef (18th Palm).
VERY relaxed and flexible with loaning out gear, saw them assisting people with free repairs/loaner equipment, no stress - just grab tanks and go!

Misc about dive sites:
Enjoyed the southern and northern sites. Spent more time this trip southern, so saved more in the north for next trip. Sorry I don't remember all of the names of sites, but some I remember are:
[southernly]
18th Palm(house), Chez Hines, Punt Vierkant, The Lake, Hilma Hooker,(double reefs, did inner & outer) Angel City, Alice in Wonderland, Aquarius, Salt Pier, Invisibles, Tori's Reef
[Klein]
Sharon's Serenity, Bonadventure, Munk's Haven, (I think) Nearest Point(?), and a couple of others. All nice dives on Klein. Morning dives seemed to have better viz than our shore dives, albeit more mornings were on Klein accept for several days where we only did shore dives.
[Northern'ish]
Rappel (again, of best this trip), Karpata (I think), and another couple. Didn't make 1000 Steps of Oil Slick - didn't work out on our only shore dive days and the boat didn't go there. So saved something for our next tip.
[Far north end/East]
Sadly didn't make these.
Tried all week to get on a boat doing the East. However, weather was fairly rought and the couple of days they went out (boat was recommended with rough seas) it was full and then cancelled several days due to conditions.
Some friends who took a day out to do the Washington Park, did a single shore dive there (along with the scenic driving, snorkeling, cliff jumps into water, etc). But I selfishly didn't want to spend an entire day and only get one dive in. ;-) However, the report on the diving there was that it was outstanding (bit of rough entry/exit? can't confirm). Don't recall the name of site.

Photos and video:
https://picasaweb.google.com/Doug.Poston/2014_June_Bonaire_Scuba?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ2SgarB973acA#
Random selection of some photos and video. Will be apparent that I'm not a pro photographer/videographer, but will give some ideas as to visibility and some the sea life.
I think that next trip I'll dive quite a bit more solo, as I can do better photography/videography when can stop, setup/frame and work on good pics. The boat trips was zipping along too quickly with a DM guide, shore dives I was designated "lead" and navigator, so it made taking pics/video a big challenge.

Misc thoughts about Bonaire and ABCs:
Of the "ABC island" we've now been to Aruba and Bonaire (Curacao one day). I really enjoyed the wrecks on Aruba but found the reefs in a different (better!) category on Bonaire. I'd venture to guess that there's even less for non-divers to do on Bonaire than Aruba. So recommend this destination for divers. A family were befriended had a member who didn't dive, she said she was bored after the 1st week (2wk trip). I've heard of the 3x islands that Curacao has the best "non diving" activities. However, I'd like to return to Bonaire, perhaps book 2wks, as I really enjoyed the freedom/convenience of easy shore diving at your own pace.

All-in-all it was an outstanding trip. I highly recommend diving Bonaire for easy Caribbean shore diving, healthy reefs, affordability, and would stay at Plaza Resort again.

---------- Post added July 13th, 2014 at 04:00 PM ----------

Additional Thoughts/Observations:

Toucan Diving (resort shop and boats) - unlike other Caribbean trips, where we had DMs restrict us to "no more than 45min" or "surface when everyone else does" (I hate these restrictions, particularly when paying top $ for boat diving).... Toucan was so relaxed. The general rule was, "come back after about an hour max", however several boat dives we were down closer to 70 minutes with no muss/fuss or nagging, I'd just hang out in shallows waiting for the last divers to climb on board.
Would let us hang-out and do our own thing. Probably once they saw you were comfortable in the water.
So if a buddy surfaced before you, you could stay down longer to burn off your tank.

Solo diving - again, no issues here when shore diving from house reef. Did a few solo, mostly just to relax and relax after acting as navigator/lead, as well as hoping to get more photos/video (w/o boring a non-photo buddy<g>). However, camera had fogged up on 2 solo dives and battery dead on another - go figure. Probably made it even more relaxing because just turned into "me and the reef".
I brought this up as I saw the "solo" topic come up in another Bonaire thread. Not meaning to start a debate discussion on "solo" but... [ caveat/disclaimer - IF diving within training/experience/comfort level ] I'd venture to say Bonaire would be a "solo diver's paradise" (or training ground).
With (mostly) shallow (20ft'ish) crest of reefs ( read: "safety stop with something to look at"... short swim from exit!), (mostly) gradual drop offs, with incredibly easy navigation.... a solo diver can pick their depth, navigate easily, really can't "get lost", and never be farther than they could toss a snorkel to shore.

Back to main point - Toucan Diving was very relaxed, let divers just dive within their comfort level, but offered assitance/guidance/and oversight for those that wanted/required it.
I've been treated like a "student" in other places in the Caribbean, when paying top dollar and having provided my credentials/experience, so the respect and relaxed atmosphere was very much appreciated. For new/rusty divers - they are their to help/assist/guide, for others who do more of their own thing - you're respected and left to dive.

Happy bubbling!
Doug

 

[diverjen]

Awesome review!

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Very nice review! How does it compare to other places you been to?

 

[darook]

This endorsement of Plaza is the most enthusiastic I have read. I would give them a shot now. I like that location on the island as I prefer going south for both the sites and usually less divers.

 

[deeper thoughts]

Great review

 

[drrich2]

Isn't the Plaza the site chosen for the last Scuba Board Invasion that hit Bonaire? While the facility needs to host a large group sometimes exclude resorts that are quite viable for smaller groups or individuals, that still amounts to something of an endorsement itself. And from what I understand a lot of fun was had. I've never been to the Plaza; noticed it when I drove by, and it looked nice from the road!

I hope to someday hear more head-to-head comparisons to Buddy Dive Resort, where I've stayed 3 times, since that would provide a good frame of reference. Locations are different, of course, with Buddy's farther north.

Richard.

 

[oly5050user]

Isn't the Plaza the site chosen for the last Scuba Board Invasion that hit Bonaire? While the facility needs to host a large group sometimes exclude resorts that are quite viable for smaller groups or individuals, that still amounts to something of an endorsement itself. And from what I understand a lot of fun was had. I've never been to the Plaza; noticed it when I drove by, and it looked nice from the road!

I hope to someday hear more head-to-head comparisons to Buddy Dive Resort, where I've stayed 3 times, since that would provide a good frame of reference. Locations are different, of course, with Buddy's farther north.

Richard.

i have stayed at the Plaza and did not like it at all. distance from room to dock took far too long a walk carrying camera gear. the room itself was ok,nothing special. getting a rental truck at the airport and returning it there was a major PIA..did not do1 shore dive at Plaza house reef, again too much energy would need to be expended to do so (long walk)..the walk was something like 5 minutes or more...
Have stayed all over the island over the years. been going there almost every year,sometimes 2-3 in 1 year. Stayed at Habitat, Flamingo divi, Sand Dollar all multiple times. Favorite is Buddy dive. Easy to get to dive dock, during check in at the front desk I get room key and truck key, never have to wait to get orientation/marine park tag, even if arriving on a late flight. Shore dive at buddys every day,sometimes multiple times in a day in addition to boat and taking off somewhere with the truck.

 

[Scubawankenobi]

Very nice review! How does it compare to other places you been to?

Oh boy...that's a tough one. I've dived a bit around the world: spent ~1yr in Australia, first 1000+ dives were in California (mostly Monterey but so southern CA), Phillipines, Italy (shallows just to get wet), lots in British Columbia (where I live now), Florida keys (wrecks mostly), various Mexico, Carribean - Aruba, Dominican Republic, Bonaire, etc.
Since the diving in many of these places is VERY different - form wreck havens, to cold, to murk and macro muck-diving, big stuff or little stuff to see... I guess to compare "apples to apples" I'd could only compare to great Caribbean (throw Florida into mix for somewhat close/similar marine life).

I'd rate Bonaire near the top of the Caribbean locations, about tied with Cozumel (dived couple of times) - like each but for different reasons.

Haven't done a ton of Caribbean destinations, but my best run down from least favorite to best:
Dominican Republic - learned later we didn't pick the best area, but snagged a cheap "all inclusive" resort 7-8day stay, in Samana. The reef's were very disappointing. I'm certain it's very simple, 2 words: over fished. Did find a few "macro" critters that were interesting, and enjoyed a wreck and some caves (well, caverns) for structure/light. Might try again some day, after exhausting other Carib locations, but other locations on the island.
Side note: good cuisine, some beatiful scenery & enjoyed a day trip to the Parque Nacional made for a nice non-diving day. It's protected, beautiful mangroves. Think they're learning about protecting things for the tourist dollars. If only they can work it out economically where the fisherman don't drag every last fish out, that "a live shark is worth more in the water than on a table".

Florida Keys (I know, not Carib but similar life/geo) - I don't want to step on anyone's toes & I'd say really tied with Aruba, but I was fairly dissapointed in the reefs. They didn't seem very healthy compared to Bonaire or Cozumel (closer to Aruba). I started at Key Largo & dived down to Key West. After a couple of disappointing dives around Key Largo (& next key over?) I only dived wrecks. LOVED the wrecks - highly recommend. Again, I'm sure there are probably great reefs & I didn't keep searching. Time of year could've mattered (don't remember, being lazy here). If I lived there I'd be happy to dive all the time! If I lived a bit futher away in the gulf states/east coast & was looking for warm water, I'd fly to Cozumel.
Side note: lots to do topside, great food, great scenery.

Aruba - again I'd say "tied with Florida" (for my tastes/experience) in that the reefs were "ok". I focused on the wrecks & really enjoyed them.
Side note: Again did all-inclusive, but right near restaurants/shopping. Probably a bit more to do topside than Bonaire.

Bonaire - I see why it's a "shore diving capitol of the world". I couldn't live there because you'd never get me out of the water. How can you drive down a mainstreet & pass all those dive sites (reef) within a snorkel toss of shore & not jump in? The convenience of shore diving there is simply amazing. Not much current/waves (when I was there, again - 1 trip). I teethed on big wave entries in California so I chuckled when I heard people talk about "surf entry" with those knee-slapper waves. I didn't see any rays or sharks (just shy of 30 dives there), understand sharks are rare there(?) but heard other saw rays & think they're common on east side. Healthy reef & just easy/laid-back diving. So kind'a opposite of Cozumel, where it's mostly drift dives from a boat (on a boat's schedule!)...instead it's shore & "self lead" at your own pace. Less (little/no) current make for easier photo/video opps, for those inclined, compared to a DM lead drift in Coz. Affordable diving as well, usually your package (shop/resort) covers unlimited free air fills (again, I was astounded this include unlimited free nitrox!), so your "cost per dive" is pretty cheap.
Side note: probably not too much (non-water/beach related) to do topside for non-divers. Made a couple of nighttime excursions into town when spouse dragged me out of the water (after afternoon dives<g>) and bit a shopping and decent dining/bars. I think a 2wk stay with many non divers/snorkelers might get boring.

Cozumel - I really like Cozumel for price/convenience/clarity/ease of diving/etc. I'd say "tied" (for my tastes/budget) with Bonaire (1st trip to Bonaire, couple to Coz). For different reasons. Time of year could matter, but I probably had slightly better viz in Coz than Bonaire. Reefs are fairly healthy in both. Have seen rays, sharks in Coz on each trip. I like the big drop-off ledges (devil's throat kind'a novelty, but pretty to hit that deep blue & then head back up along swimthroughs. Oh yeah - enjoy the swimthroughs. The drifts really lazy dives (night-time with a pack of divers less so, liked lazy night diving off easy to navigate reefs in Bonaire better), but typically follow the DM. I got less bottom time in Coz than in Bonaire - due to DM's getting everyone out of water & keeping a schedule. Bonaire had quite a few 1hr+ dives. More $ for boat dives.
Side note: Lots of dining options. Probably the most to do on land (of the few locations I'm comparing to). One year did the Dolphin & Manatee swim (they promised the dolphins were rescues from young age & couldn't be returned to wild). Also, probably big one for longer stays w/non-(less frequent)divers is that it's a short ferry ride to the mainland (Playa/Cancun... so this offers even way more to do within easy budget/travel schedule. We've hit the cenotes, Mayan ruins, and did an all-day excursion which went out past Isla Mujeres(spell?), stopped for snorkel on way back, to where the whale sharks were feeding. So snorkeled with whale sharks, over 100 in water (no kidding) & those kinds of easy side excurions don't exist in Bonaire.

So... again, not a whole lot to compare to in Carib.
I really think truly IMPOSSIBLE to compare to say my North America west-coast diving or South Pacific. I grew up in cold water with kelp beds, so I really feel at home here in BC. It's a big diving world out there with lots to experience.

Up next (Caribbean):
It looks like Roatan at the end of the year. Or Providencia (Colombia) when I visit inlaws around Christmas.
Then possibly a live-aboard in Carib - Belize or Turks&C.

South Pacific again some time later next year.
For now - our chilly BC waters ( I highly recommend for those who have yet to wear a drysuit<g> ) off Vancouver island ...

 

[Doctorfish]

I have a similar opinion to 5050 but with a few caveats.
Ive stayed at Plaza, BD, Divi and Sand dollar in the past.

Plaza resort is very spread out and it is a long way from rooms to dive shop to shore.
But, the rooms are a step above Buddy Dive and Divi as are the grounds.

The house reef; 18 Palms is an excellent dive
Toucan Diving is an excellent dive op with good boats and schedule.

I generally prefer to stay at BD because I like the ease of diving there and from there, but I would certainly return to Plaza if the price was right.

 

[Scubawankenobi]

i have stayed at the Plaza and did not like it at all. distance from room to dock took far too long a walk carrying camera gear. the room itself was ok,nothing special. getting a rental truck at the airport and returning it there was a major PIA..did not do1 shore dive at Plaza house reef, again too much energy would need to be expended to do so (long walk)..the walk was something like 5 minutes or more...
Have stayed all over the island over the years. been going there almost every year,sometimes 2-3 in 1 year. Stayed at Habitat, Flamingo divi, Sand Dollar all multiple times. Favorite is Buddy dive. Easy to get to dive dock, during check in at the front desk I get room key and truck key, never have to wait to get orientation/marine park tag, even if arriving on a late flight. Shore dive at buddys every day,sometimes multiple times in a day in addition to boat and taking off somewhere with the truck.

I definitely can't make any comparisons, as this was my first (not last) trip to Bonaire and stay with Plaza, but perhaps I can offer a few more observations.

I had read that Plaza was under new ownership (since late last year'ish?). That they were going through re-model (updating old rooms). I was definitely in a "remodeled" room, as it was quite upscale, particularly compared to other all-inclusives we've stayed at but even compared to some other more premium true "resorts".
They upgraded us for free (doubt that's tricky, it was automatic...probably they weren't too crowded). It was an ocean-facing, upstairs room - so great view of beach and right next to the bar. If anyone looks at the pics I uploaded you'll see view from the room - I'm looking down at one of the two house reef entry places (dangerously close to that bar<g>). .... so it was literally just a walk downstairs, grab a tank (stacks of filled tanks next to the bar) and walk into the water. I was also about "midway" through the resort, so it was about a 4-5min walk to the dives shop, carrying my camera (but it's a lightweight Sealife 1400 w/strobe).

Re: dive shop distance/convenience/logistics
I had a, free/no charge, locker at the dive shop. So for both shore dives and boat dives (less of those) I just rinsed & left all my gear in the locker.
Again, the lockers are immediately next to the parking lot. A few feet from where you'd pull your car to load gear and tanks in the morning.
At the end of the day ( or after night dives ) the only thing I kept in my room was dive camera & computer.
If we stay here again, I'll probably just shore dive around the island (& house reef), so I found that real convenient just leaving gear next to where you park car and pickup tanks. Again, knowing if you're gonna shore dive the house reef you schlep gear about 5min from the shop (lockers) to the shore entry.

Re: House reef (18th Palm)
I really thought it was a nice house reef. Again, no comparisons to other places. Just 2x easy entry points (1 short stairs, other protected sandy entry). Lots of life, little depth, & tons of filled tanks at both ends (or nitrox delivered if you tell the shop). I think with a bit more of a swim (enter at far end of resort) you could dive the neighboring house reef (Calabas?). A couple of times I did morning dive at house reef, following night dive at house reef, so schlepped gear ~1min to room instead of 5min to lockers (being lazy/convenient).

I don't know if nitrox is free everywhere - that was new to me, but really appreciated. No muss/fuss - just sign-in your tanks. Really casual and never even had to talk to anyone. (almost too casual?)
So I could see myself, if I stay there next time, just planning a night+morning at house reef (again, leave gear in room -bath rinse & hang on balcony) and taking advantage of the lockers next to parking lot as my "launch point" for the northern/southern dives.

I didn't experience any issues or time wasted with marine tag/orientation. Again, casual (+) - was checked-in to room by 3pm on Sat & was doing shore (house reef) dive by 3pm.
Re: Vehicle / airport
Spouse picked up the rental truck for us (I was underwater <g>)... as I understand it the rental company picked up at Plaza & then took to the car.
Next trip I think I'll just pre-rent the car & pick it up directly at the airport (avoid the $10? 4-5min airport taxi). Speaking of that, we returned the car the day before we checked out. Was worried about early morning taxi arriving & person at front desk suggested if our luggage was on wheels to hike the trail and hop the fence to the airport. hehe (it's that close ...but oddly, never heard a plane, very quiet).

Again, don't want to sound like a "commerical" for Plaza, and don't know if it being upgraded/updated with new management(owners) made a difference, but really found it all convenient, (ours) upscale room, excellent food/dining options for an all-inclusive.
On the all-inclusive note - after dining out 2x nights and seeing the bills for a "ok" meal (no better than at resort), we also saved a ton on food and drinks by staying there. [ I'll admit I give my liver a bit of exercise when we go on warm water holidays & it's "all you can drink" ] I heard the fresh fish (various to choose from) was really good.

Last caveat - if someone was planning to ONLY dive the house reef every day, you'd want to keep your gear at your room to avoid the 5min walk to lockers (I rinse in shower/tub & hang on balcony, so ~1min from room to entry). Otherwise, keep at dive shop lockers next to your car as your "launching point".

Might try another lodge next trip, but for me I can't think of any reasons to do so.