Bonaire vs. Curacao - comments from those who have been to both

[Sloop John B]

Going to Curacao and/or Bonaire in August. Can Anyone who has been to both islands comment on the diving, your overall experience, and thoughts about splitting a trip 5 days/5 days? Or just to one island?. I have read most posts regarding Curacao being better topside, but Bonaire having the better diving. How much better is the diving in Bonaire? Would we be "missing out" if we were to do just Curacao...since we will be going all that way? I am interested in both locations, diving and topside attraction...and have about a total of 12 days (or maybe less, if we were to do only do one island). Your feedback is appreciated!

 

[dvrliz1]

John,

Welcome to the Board! Curacao is not necessarily better than Bonaire, but different! Bonaire is smaller and has a population of only 13,000, where Curacao is larger and the population is about 1/4 of a million people. Curacao does have a larger shopping area then Bonaire and much less shore diving. It really depends what you want. There are many areas on Curacao that you don't want to go to for safety reasons. Bonaire, you can go anywhere anytime. Much more traffic and congestion on Curacao, no stop lights on Bonaire. If you want to do something like an "all inclusive" Curacao is great! Bonaire now has 2 casinos (FYI all the Plaza Casino opened up again last night), Karels Beach Bar, City Cafe and live music on the weekends at both places, bunches of stuff to do, if you know who to ask and where to look! Then again I'm partial, I live on Bonaire. Seriously, I've been to Curacao, stayed at Kura Hulanda and it is magnificent, but you don't want to venture out at night in Otra Banda..(Wilamsted is divided into to sections, Otra Banda and Punda. Like I said for an "all inclusive type vacation, I definitely recommend Curacao, for more of a "freedom and laidback" vacation I recommend Bonaire, or hey, try both!!!!

 

[trstange]

I just came back from a trip there, 8 days Bonaire, 3 days Curacao. Bonaire is a diver’s paradise, laid back, relaxing, great diving and great food. We stayed at Buddy Dive and got the truck rental. (The drive thru air-fill station is a work of genius) You don't need to do boat diving in Bonaire everything is assessable from shore. But if you aren't a diver, there's not a lot to do there. I highly recommend both Buddy Dive and Bonaire.

Curacao I found nice but not as relaxing and I wouldn't recommend walking the streets at night. There is a lot of shopping there with some great buys.

 

[herman]

We dove Curacao last July. I pretty much agree with the rest. It was nice but I still perfer the smaller, more laid back Bonaire. If you can be happy to eat, sleep and dive Bonaire is my choice. If you need more in the shopping and nightlife then Curacao. The one other thing that Curacao has is big sandy beaches with facilities. They basically don't exist on Bonaire but there are several that I am aware of on Curacao. If you have non divers you need to leave on the beach they are nice. Me, if it's just divers, Bonaire hands down, if I have non divers Curacao would be a better choice.

 

[saholz]

I was in Curaco in 1999, at a place then called Princess Beach Resort/Princess Beach Divers. It was terrible, the dive op was a joke, and the sites were very average. This past February, I visited Sunset Waters Beach Resort and found this all-inclusive resort to be a fun and relaxing place, the dive op excellent, and the dive sites among some of the best I've been to.

I've been to Bonaire twice and stayed at the Plaza Resort both times. I dove with their in-house dive op. The first time was fantastic, dive op was super and the choice of sites top notch. The second time around was not as good...very crowded with a more limited choice of sites.

Bonaire has a much more developed system of shore diving with lots of well marked sites, reasonable access, and maps. Curacao has much fewer shore entry sites and they are not as well marked. If you expect to be boat diving for most of the time, this won't be an issue. Both islands have central towns that offer restaurants and shopping, but Willemstaad is actually a little city with a decidedly Dutch flavor. Personally I prefer Kralindijk, although Willemstaad is more scenic and has some interesting historic sites. Kralindijk has some of the best little restaurants I've come across in my Caribbean travels. It has a much less cosmopolitan and more laid back feel to it which, to me, makes it a more relaxing place to hang out. People in Bonaire seem a little friendlier and less stressed than Curacao, although that's just an impression of mine.

My first trip to Bonaire and my last trip to Curacao were both exceptional. I think your results will depend on where you stay and which sites you dive. Both have some superb, as well as some very pedestrian, diving available. Both also have some really good shore diving and even snorkeling sites. Beaches are limited, so if you want to see some white sand you'll have to pick your destination very carefully. I can recommend the Plaza on Bonaire IF you want a beach, a good on site house reef, and don't mind a larger resort and dive op. On Curacao, I was very impressed with the Sunset Waters Beach Resort. Nice beach, good food, excellent house reef, and well above average dive op with very personalized service. I can recommend it IF you want a beach and don't mind being a bit isolated and a 30 minute drive away from town. (The resort does offer free shuttle service).

Writing this reply to your post has brought a smile to my face. I have wonderful memories of both places and would gladly go back to either location. You'll have a wonderful time and can not make a bad choice.

Stan

 

[tvictory]

I'd say the diving is really quite similar in Bonaire and Curacao, although the strategic position of Klein Bonaire off Kralendijk probably helps ensure calm water conditions. The first time we went we were able to get a package from the Habitat group so we could split the trip and stay at Captain Don's on Bonaire and at Habitat Curacao on Curacao.

I don't know where you are starting from, but it is usually much easier to arrange international flights to and from Curacao, and from there you can hop easily to Bonaire and back.

 

[rdbscbtx]

We have been to Captin Don's Resort in Bonaire in 2005. Top notch staff and diving is available 24/7. They leave filled tanks out 24/7. You even issue your own locker to store your gear. Food was pretty good at the resort. The shore diving is great but you will need a rental vehicle to get to them . If you have a opportunity to make a night dive, I would recommend the city pier. The corals and sponges at night are unbelievable. The dive is less than 30 feet and I ended up shooting 2 rolls of film. There are few wrecks there but nothing spectacular.

 

[Damselfish]

I've been to Bonaire 3x and Curacao 5x. The diving is somewhat similar and Bonaire will usually be a bit calmer, though Curacao is usually pretty calm too. The thing about Bonaire is it's pretty consistent, sure there are differences in places but mostly you can stay almost anyplace and have a similar (good) experience. You can also jump in the water anyplace and have a similar (good) experience. Curacao is different, there is a rather wide variety of places to stay, and the dive sites vary more than on Bonaire as well. This can be both good and bad. If you do your research, pick a place that suits you, dive in the right places, Curacao should be as good or better than a dive trip to Bonaire. If you pick the wrong place in Curacao it could suck. You'll notice reviews from Bonaire are pretty consistent. Reviews from Curacao so widely you'd be amazed they came from the same island, as so much depends on where someone stayed and went.

Bonaire may have more easily accessible shore dive sites, but Curacao has nice beaches where you can pay a little and have some facilities and maybe a little more security while you are diving. Curacao has some sites that aren't nearly as good as Bonaire, but IMO it also has some that are better along with a bit more variety in the sites. Curacao has more population and you have to get away from town for the remote feeling, but this also gets you a bit more stuff to do and see, especially more restaurants, and a better supplied island in general. There may be places in Curacao you don't want to wander around at night, but there is also much more of a downtown to shop and explore if you want that. We eat downtown and in the surrounding area often at night and none of the areas that have restaurants you would probably eat at have ever felt unsafe.

 

[dvrliz1]

Ok guys, for some of you who are unaware, Bonaire's East Coast has some great white Sandy Beaches. Also most of the resorts do and if you are not staying there they charge a small fee to hang out on the beach. I know for a fact that Eden Beach Resort only charges $3 chair rental for the day. The same goes for the East coast area where Jibe City and the windsurfing place is. All 3 also have hut type places to get some great food and libation. There is also Fisherman's Pier (a great sand inlet that is crystal clear, has areas for shade, mangroves for snorkeling, perfect for little ones as it is calm and not deep for a long way out.

Some dive sites with good to great sandy beach areas are Atlantis, an area just south of Flamingo Beach, Ole' Blue and we just found one just south of Port Bonaire, across from the airport (it is actually just above Windsock) The north west section of Slaagbai Park also has some nice sandy beaches. You can take a trip over Klein where the white sandy beaches are amazing....'nough said.

Liz

 

[scubatexastony]

:lol:

Go to Bonaire!

Stay off my Island! It's crowded enough

I shouldn't be posting as I've never been to Bonaire, so don't listen to me.