Buddy Dive - Questions

[ljwillia]

Hello Everyone-

I had posted this question in reply to Ken Kurtis' excellent trip report. However, I wanted to open this up to the rest of the group. For those that responded to my post on Ken's review, thank you and sorry for the double posting!

My husband and I are planning our first trip to Bonaire in October. I had planned on booking into Buddy Dive but read some reviews that indicated the resort is somewhat run down and "tired", AC only in the bedrooms, rooms uncomfortable, WiFi unstable, customer service lacking. WiFi is important as my husband will need to do some remote work I wanted to ask those of you that have stayed recently if you would agree with any of these observations.

We're also considering Den Laman, but we would have to change our preferred travel dates.

Thanks for any advise, input!

 

[MikeT73]

I do not agree. My family and I have stayed twice and had no issues. FYI AC only in the bedrooms is not uncommon in Bonaire. I would recommend Buddy Dive for a first timer.

 

[ljwillia]

I do not agree. My family and I have stayed twice and had no issues. FYI AC only in the bedrooms is not uncommon in Bonaire. I would recommend Buddy Dive for a first timer.

Thank you, Mike!

 

[CT Sean]

My wife and I were there last year and will be there again next week. Our experience was:

The resort was neither tired nor run down
A/C unit was only in the bedroom (we had a 1 bedroom "apartment") but the living room was never uncomfortable. we just left the bedroom door open when we were out.
The wicker furniture in the living room was cushioned but not the most comfortable (very square, lots of right angles) but we weren't there to sit around and watch TV. Room was otherwise plenty comfortable.
WiFi in our room was unstable. Our room was in the building closest to Sand Dollar and probably farthest from the wifi source. If I had to guess, I'd say the closer the room is to the wifi, the more stable it would be.
Customer service was fine. We hardly used it, but when we did have to go to the desk, I don't recall any issues.

 

[uncfnp]

Can you tell us a little more about your needs? Do you want a dive resort? Need a kitchen? How about a condo? Is A/C throughout a must (can be hard to find in Bonaire). Ocean front? House reef a must?

 

[doctormike]

I was there in January and had a fine time, had stayed there twice before... Didn't have a problem with the wifi, but that could be just luck. We had a three bedroom apartment with AC everywhere.

It's not really a luxury resort, so if you want a fancier place to stay, there might be other places on the island which would suit you better. For me, Bonaire is really just about diving, not really a beach vacation place.

 

[ljwillia]

Can you tell us a little more about your needs? Do you want a dive resort? Need a kitchen? How about a condo? Is A/C throughout a must (can be hard to find in Bonaire). Ocean front? House reef a must?

We've been going to Cozumel the last 5 years and always rent a condo. My first time on the island I would prefer a resort for ease. I love the dive and drive packages we've seen.

We're looking at a 1 bedroom from Buddy Dive. We do want a kitchen. We'll cook some meals in. AC is a must. If AC in the bedroom is sufficient, that's fine. Ocean front would be great but Ocean view is ok.

We're really excited about this trip. Based on the feedback to this thread it sounds like Buddy Dive is the way to go. My previous research was all on Scubaboard. Things fell apart when I checked TripAdvisor.

Thanks for taking the time to respond!

 

[ljwillia]

My wife and I were there last year and will be there again next week. Our experience was:

The resort was neither tired nor run down
A/C unit was only in the bedroom (we had a 1 bedroom "apartment") but the living room was never uncomfortable. we just left the bedroom door open when we were out.
The wicker furniture in the living room was cushioned but not the most comfortable (very square, lots of right angles) but we weren't there to sit around and watch TV. Room was otherwise plenty comfortable.
WiFi in our room was unstable. Our room was in the building closest to Sand Dollar and probably farthest from the wifi source. If I had to guess, I'd say the closer the room is to the wifi, the more stable it would be.
Customer service was fine. We hardly used it, but when we did have to go to the desk, I don't recall any issues.

Thank you CT Sean!

 

[uncfnp]

We have always stayed in condos so not necessarily recommending it. Just throwing it out there. I like the location and the smaller feel then the larger dive resorts. It is a Buddy Dive property with small dive shop on site and offers the same dive and drive packages. Still no a/c in living room.

Welcome to Belmar Bonaire - Belmar Bonaire

 

[Lorenzoid]

We've been going to Cozumel the last 5 years and always rent a condo. My first time on the island I would prefer a resort for ease. I love the dive and drive packages we've seen.

We're looking at a 1 bedroom from Buddy Dive. We do want a kitchen. We'll cook some meals in.

Aha. I haven't been to Buddy Dive in around 5 years, and there may have been kitchen renovations, but back then I would have said that the kitchenettes were indeed not as well kept as the rest of the place. We had plans to cook meals but ended up only cooking one, as I recall--it was just lacking in all respects. Maybe stick with a condo if you are really into cooking meals. Belmar's kitchens are great.