Just back from a week in Bonaire, from Nov 3-10. Didnt take long to see why this island has so many fans here on Scubaboard. Beautiful diving, great dining options, and easy to get around.
My wife and I stayed at Den Laman, which I highly recommend. We used Bonaire Dive and Adventure, which is right next door to DL. Went with the unlimited shore diving package, no boat dives.
We really wanted an ocean front one bedroom at Den Laman. I was initially told that they were booked up the week we were to be traveling, but they could give us a two bedroom ocean view (not ocean front) for the same price. I made our flight reservations and then called back to book the room. I spoke with a different agent who said the one bedroom ocean front was actually available for 6 nights of our 7 night stay, so we could have that if we didnt mind moving to another room the last night. Perfect!
The one bedroom ocean front was terrific. Second floor, with a beautiful view of Klein Bonaire. Nice kitchen area complete with pots, pans, utensils, dishware, etc. We didnt actually cook the whole time we were there, but we appreciated the corkscrew and wine glasses, at least. The living area was large, and the bathroom was nice except that without a shower curtain, the floor got a bit wet after showering.
The two bedroom we stayed in the last night was enormous and well-appointed. It took up almost half of the first floor and must have been 1,200 or 1,400 square feet. The only problem is that it smelled like someone had smoked in it in the past, and the second bathroom smelled a bit foul. The second issue might just have been that the water in the shower trap had evaporated and the sewer smell was coming up. Guess I should have tried running the shower, but since we were only there one night, and it was the second bathroom, it didnt really bother us much.
Other than some navigation issues the first day (main roads on the map dont always appear to be main roads when youre driving), getting around was simple. We rented a truck through Total car rental, which worked out great. Easy pickup and drop off, and the truck had no issues, despite the interesting roads in Washinton Slagbaai park.
One of the things that really impressed me about Bonaire was the quality of the dining experience. As is normal for us, we went relatively cheap for breakfast and lunch, then had really nice dinners. We picked up food for breakfast at the fully-stocked Van Der Tweel grocery store, and had most of our lunches at the (unfortunately named) Between 2 Buns deli next to Den Laman, which was excellent.
Once our diving was complete for the day, typically between 8:00 and 9:00 PM, we went out for dinner. At that hour we had no trouble getting into the best restaurants in town. We had incredible meals at Cappriccios, It Rains Fishes, and Mona Lisa. Cappriccios was so good we went there twice. Really nice experiences too at Patagonia, Paradise Moon, and Bobby Jans. With the exception of Bobby Jans, none of these places were especially cheap, but no more than what we would pay at a comparably nice meal out in Minneapolis maybe $120 to $150 for two. Thats with wine or drinks, and I typically ordered the tasting menu or equivalent. You could certainly eat at any of these places for quite a bit less if you just ordered an entrée and a beer or soda.
The diving was exactly what we had heard about and expected not much big stuff, but beautiful reefs and tons of fish life. At a couple of sites, including Oil Slick, we noticed red algae that seemed to be taking over the reefs. But this was only a few sites, and seemed to be mostly below 60. We went down as far as 90 on a dive or two, but quickly learned that most of the interesting life was between 30 and 60. We spent most dives going out at about 60 or 65 and returning at 40, which gave us 60+ minute bottom times (neither my wife nor I are particularly light breathers).
Highlights of the trip were a free-swimming green moray during the day at Andrea I (apparently quite rare due to a disease several years ago), a free-swimming octopus during the day at Salt City, and a baby octopus on a night dive at Bari Reef. Also saw a large stingray at one of the southern sites, but didnt get close enough for pictures. Bari is the house reef for Den Laman, and it turned out to be one of our favorite spots. We ended up doing every night dive there because of the easy of entry off the dock and the convenience of having the showers and rinse facilities right there when we got out.
During our week we did 25 dives. Overall, we found that most of the entries were fairly easy, even those marked as advanced in Susan Porters book, as long as you took your time and spent a minute before the dive figuring out exactly where and how to enter and exit. I had a camera in one hand and fins in the other and did every entry/exit with no hands, and it wasnt a problem. While we mostly figured out our own entry points, it was nice to have Susans book to help us determine which sites to visit. We also hit some of the unmarked sites she refers to in the book.
The water temp on every dive was the same 84 both on the surface and at depth. Air temps were in the high 80s or low 90s during the day, I believe, and we only had about 5 minutes of rain the entire trip. My wife and I both wore 3/2 full suits on every dive, and with up to 5 dives a day, I was glad to have them (had considered buying a shorty for the trip). Current ranged from nonexistent to very mild.
I had read a lot about petty theft before the trip, and unfortunately have to report one issue. We left an uber-cheap bottle of sub-standard mask de-fog and a large, partly-used can of spray sunscreen in the truck, and found in the morning that both had been stolen, either when we were in town for dinner or sometime during the night outside Den Laman. Didnt really expect those items to be on anybodys radar, but I guess they were. Not a huge issue, and not one that would taint our view of the island. We were much more careful when we had anything of value in the car, and also can report no issues at any of the dive sites. (In truth, Im glad the defog was stolen, as it was terrible).
So there you have it. A terrific trip, and one I would recommend to any serious diver. My wife and I tend to like to try new places rather than ones weve already been to, but this is an island I can easily see re-visiting some day.
Will try to get some pics posted in the next day or two.
James
My wife and I stayed at Den Laman, which I highly recommend. We used Bonaire Dive and Adventure, which is right next door to DL. Went with the unlimited shore diving package, no boat dives.
We really wanted an ocean front one bedroom at Den Laman. I was initially told that they were booked up the week we were to be traveling, but they could give us a two bedroom ocean view (not ocean front) for the same price. I made our flight reservations and then called back to book the room. I spoke with a different agent who said the one bedroom ocean front was actually available for 6 nights of our 7 night stay, so we could have that if we didnt mind moving to another room the last night. Perfect!
The one bedroom ocean front was terrific. Second floor, with a beautiful view of Klein Bonaire. Nice kitchen area complete with pots, pans, utensils, dishware, etc. We didnt actually cook the whole time we were there, but we appreciated the corkscrew and wine glasses, at least. The living area was large, and the bathroom was nice except that without a shower curtain, the floor got a bit wet after showering.
The two bedroom we stayed in the last night was enormous and well-appointed. It took up almost half of the first floor and must have been 1,200 or 1,400 square feet. The only problem is that it smelled like someone had smoked in it in the past, and the second bathroom smelled a bit foul. The second issue might just have been that the water in the shower trap had evaporated and the sewer smell was coming up. Guess I should have tried running the shower, but since we were only there one night, and it was the second bathroom, it didnt really bother us much.
Other than some navigation issues the first day (main roads on the map dont always appear to be main roads when youre driving), getting around was simple. We rented a truck through Total car rental, which worked out great. Easy pickup and drop off, and the truck had no issues, despite the interesting roads in Washinton Slagbaai park.
One of the things that really impressed me about Bonaire was the quality of the dining experience. As is normal for us, we went relatively cheap for breakfast and lunch, then had really nice dinners. We picked up food for breakfast at the fully-stocked Van Der Tweel grocery store, and had most of our lunches at the (unfortunately named) Between 2 Buns deli next to Den Laman, which was excellent.
Once our diving was complete for the day, typically between 8:00 and 9:00 PM, we went out for dinner. At that hour we had no trouble getting into the best restaurants in town. We had incredible meals at Cappriccios, It Rains Fishes, and Mona Lisa. Cappriccios was so good we went there twice. Really nice experiences too at Patagonia, Paradise Moon, and Bobby Jans. With the exception of Bobby Jans, none of these places were especially cheap, but no more than what we would pay at a comparably nice meal out in Minneapolis maybe $120 to $150 for two. Thats with wine or drinks, and I typically ordered the tasting menu or equivalent. You could certainly eat at any of these places for quite a bit less if you just ordered an entrée and a beer or soda.
The diving was exactly what we had heard about and expected not much big stuff, but beautiful reefs and tons of fish life. At a couple of sites, including Oil Slick, we noticed red algae that seemed to be taking over the reefs. But this was only a few sites, and seemed to be mostly below 60. We went down as far as 90 on a dive or two, but quickly learned that most of the interesting life was between 30 and 60. We spent most dives going out at about 60 or 65 and returning at 40, which gave us 60+ minute bottom times (neither my wife nor I are particularly light breathers).
Highlights of the trip were a free-swimming green moray during the day at Andrea I (apparently quite rare due to a disease several years ago), a free-swimming octopus during the day at Salt City, and a baby octopus on a night dive at Bari Reef. Also saw a large stingray at one of the southern sites, but didnt get close enough for pictures. Bari is the house reef for Den Laman, and it turned out to be one of our favorite spots. We ended up doing every night dive there because of the easy of entry off the dock and the convenience of having the showers and rinse facilities right there when we got out.
During our week we did 25 dives. Overall, we found that most of the entries were fairly easy, even those marked as advanced in Susan Porters book, as long as you took your time and spent a minute before the dive figuring out exactly where and how to enter and exit. I had a camera in one hand and fins in the other and did every entry/exit with no hands, and it wasnt a problem. While we mostly figured out our own entry points, it was nice to have Susans book to help us determine which sites to visit. We also hit some of the unmarked sites she refers to in the book.
The water temp on every dive was the same 84 both on the surface and at depth. Air temps were in the high 80s or low 90s during the day, I believe, and we only had about 5 minutes of rain the entire trip. My wife and I both wore 3/2 full suits on every dive, and with up to 5 dives a day, I was glad to have them (had considered buying a shorty for the trip). Current ranged from nonexistent to very mild.
I had read a lot about petty theft before the trip, and unfortunately have to report one issue. We left an uber-cheap bottle of sub-standard mask de-fog and a large, partly-used can of spray sunscreen in the truck, and found in the morning that both had been stolen, either when we were in town for dinner or sometime during the night outside Den Laman. Didnt really expect those items to be on anybodys radar, but I guess they were. Not a huge issue, and not one that would taint our view of the island. We were much more careful when we had anything of value in the car, and also can report no issues at any of the dive sites. (In truth, Im glad the defog was stolen, as it was terrible).
So there you have it. A terrific trip, and one I would recommend to any serious diver. My wife and I tend to like to try new places rather than ones weve already been to, but this is an island I can easily see re-visiting some day.
Will try to get some pics posted in the next day or two.
James
A hot shower followed by a cold beer seems to trump getting back into a cold wetsuit. My husband and I are visiting Bonaire for the first time in Jan. These trip reports are always helpful, not only with anticipation but it helps with looking past the winter blahs.....
