Trip Report Bonaire trip report – Return to Beachcomber Villas

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AdivingBel

Diver
Messages
2,147
Reaction score
2,214
Location
MO, USA
# of dives
1000 - 2499
My wife and I just spent a week in Bonaire at Beachcomber Villas. https://bonairebeachcombervillas.com/

We’ve been to Bonaire on multiple trips and have stayed at BCV multiple times. For those that don’t know BCV, it has two upstairs apartments with full kitchens and a large, shared balcony. The owners/hosts reside on the first floor. It's located on the water in Hamlet Oasis. Checkout their website. The descriptions and pics accurately describe the facility. We find it to be a nice niche between dive resorts like Buddy’s and the “go it alone” approach i.e. strictly VRBO, HomeAway, AirBNB, etc.. It’s more private than the former yet still has the comradery and added value of a local host.

Beachcomber Villas changed hands last year. It was passed on from the former, well thought of owners, to new hosts that are working hard to continue the helpful, diver friendly reputation it has garnered over the years. Beyond a fresh coat of paint, Walther & Nicole have made several improvements. They’ve added sun sails and new, built-in planters to the apartment’s balcony that overlooks the ocean and large garden area. This adds shade from the tropical sun making morning coffee on the veranda more enjoyable, helps keep the apartments cooler during the day, and adds additional privacy to the already large, shared balcony. They’ve also upgraded the balcony and “sunset garden” area furnishings to more comfortable and fashionable lounge seating areas. This is particularly enjoyable given the nightly ritual of drinks and pleasant conversation while basking in the Bonaire sunsets.

All of the aforementioned upgrades are noteworthy, but from a diver’s perspective, the addition of a setup bench, built-in rinse tank, and partially enclosed, tiled rinse shower located next to the outdoor gear drying area are substantial improvements. This area is secured behind a locked gate and within easy distance from the secure, indoor gear room. Prior to these upgrades we preferred to handle gear rinsing at the end of the day at the Hamlet Dive Friends located a few hundred yards away. Now it’s not only much easier to finish the day at the Villa, but it makes diving “the Cliff” right out the front gate much more enjoyable.

BCV offers discounted vouchers with Dive Friends and they have relationships with several truck rental companies allowing them to provide “drive & dive” packages for their guests. There is also access to the Hamlet pool located directly behind the Villas.

I don’t mean to cheerlead or write a promotional brochure, but Walther & Nicole are good folks and lovely hosts who have worked hard to add to an already pleasant property and make a place for themselves in their little piece of paradise. It’s worth checking out whether you’re new to the island, want to try something a little different, or know BCV from past visits.

As far as the rest of the trip, lol, we hit many of the usual dive sites with our favs being Margate Bay, Tolo, and Karpata. For eats, we ate at the apartment for most meals, but we did enjoy a doner brood from The Fresh Market, tuna wraps from the Kite City food truck, and an evening at Julian’s on the waterfront for a good, inexpensive, prix fixe, meal.

We rented our truck from Poppy @ Telerin. We’re repeat customers. Good, solid, Nissan truck. Easy pickup and drop off in airport short term parking. Leave the keys and parking stub in the truck and go catch your flight. Easy peasy. Takes AMEX and we use the upgraded AMEX insurance.

Concerning security on the island, we had no issues at the dive sites (N=1). We left the truck windows down, doors unlocked, and anything of value went in the water with us. “Thems the Bonaire rules.” BCV has security doors on the first floor entrance, at your apartment entrance, also at the gear room, along with gated access to the front garden, and the owners living on the first floor. For us that was plenty.

All in all another fun Bonaire adventure. Gotta luv “dive freedom.” :clearmask:

BTW, this was our second trip using our PVC dive canes. https://www.scubaboard.com/community/threads/dodging-aches-and-pains.558121/page-2#post-8232791 Best thing since “sliced bread” for easy entry & exits. It’s amazing how much more we enjoy our dives without the worry of bruises, broken bones, and other assorted lacerations. Lots of folks asked us about them. Since you tend to run into the same divers at different sites, we became the “people with sticks.” I guess that could make us feel old, but Walther and I chuckled about it while drinking the “good” rum during sunset reverie. I left one of the canes and rigging with him for his guest’s use, if anyone wants to try one out. :)
 
Appreciate your review. I’ve read about this place in reviews before, but this is the first time I got the sense I kind of understood what Beachcomber Villas is about.

I miss Bonaire.

Richard.
 
Thanks for writing this up... I like this set up, a well positioned option between a large property and an AirBnb...
 
Thanks for taking the time to write that report. That is an attractive option in a very desirable location. I have stayed a few villas down in a 5 bedroom/5 bath place with a group of friends. Assuming a 10% discount with Dive Friends for a 6 day unlimited tank package and a reasonably priced rental truck, that is probably a bit less than $1,000 per person for the week. You get walk in access to the Cliff dive site, your own on site rinse tank, shower and storage. Swimming pool access at Hamlet Oasis and access to all of the Dive Friends locations for tanks. How did you find the entry and exit into the water from the villa?
 
How did you find the entry and exit into the water from the villa?

There is a path to the right (north) just outside the BCV gate. A few steps on the path, down a very small coral rubble incline, there is an easy (for Bonaire) sandy entry. It's fairly shallow for a few yards, then deep enough to put on your fins. There is a mooring buoy a bit short of the drop. You drop onto the Cliff at an obvious sandy break between two coral escarpments just north of the tallest section of the Cliff wall. It's an easy navigation point.
 
To expand on the entry point...

Do not try walking in straight out the gate of BCV. There is lots of stuff to trip over and you will not have a good time.

Don't ask me how I know this. There is an apocryphal story about experience and electric fences that may apply.

It's only about 10-20 yards north to an easy entry, as AdivingBel said.
 
Great report. Thanks for taking the time. We'll be going to Bonaire for the first time in a little less than 2 weeks. Trip reports are invaluable.
 
What's the scoop on AC? Their site says it's an extra $30 per day and may only be on when the room is occupied. Do they actually enforce this? $30 per day is pretty high for the island. When I pay extra to run the AC (particularly that much) I expect to have the place at my desired temp when I walk in, not wait an hour or more for it to cool down.
 
They ask that you limit your use of the AC from 7 PM until 8 AM (13 hrs.) and that usage is included in their rate. (From their website: Rates include weekly cleaning & linen change and use of air conditioning between 7:00 pm and 8:00 am). That's when most folks are in the apartments cooking and sleeping. If you're getting a later start you can shut off the AC and leave the bedroom closed up and it will stay cool for another couple of hours. You also generally have a very nice breeze, screens on all the windows, and ceiling fans in the main rooms. Electricity is expensive. Walther & Nicole are very accommodating. I'm sure they'll be happy to work something out with you if you have additional needs. Just drop them an email. I've stayed there multiple times and it's never been an issue, but it's good to make sure it will meet your needs up front. All IMHO, YMMV.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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