Den Laman questions

[rad21]

diverrex,

I will add my input below:

Thinking about taking our first trip to Bonaire this May and so far Den Laman is at the top of our list. Looking for a place a little more upscale without being crazy expensive. A few questions:

1. We're looking at the 2 BR oceanfront unit on the corners. Is there any issue from noise or cigar smoke from the restaurant below? We're not party poopers or anything but we do enjoy having drinks on the balcony in the evening in relative peace and quiet, and do absolutaley hate cigar smoke.
We hate cigarette and cigar smoke too. When we stayed at Den Laman last year, we stayed in the 1BR on the second and third floor. The room was right next to the 2BR corner room you are talking about. On the second floor, we were able to hear noise from the restaurant every evening, it sounded like they were crushing ice for about an hour each evening. When we moved to the 3rd floor, it was quiet, no smoke or noise issues. We are returning this year and requested the 3rd floor. I suggest that you take the 2BR 3rd floor corner room furthest from the restaurant on the left side if you are looking towards the water.

2. I thought I heard once that Den Laman guests can use the Sand Dollar pool? Is that true? We don't use pools so I can't answer this.

3. I know it's heresy to talk about boat diving on Bonaire but my wife is just not into lugging gear around. And since I photograph I think she likes having a quide around. Though I do plan on getting her out on some Bari Reef dives from Den Laman and maybe a few other spots how is Bonaire D & A as a boat dive op? I've heard a few mixed reports about their diver friendliness.
We did boat dives with Buddy Dive, we were 100% satisfied with the boats, staff, storage area and facilities. It is a 1 minute car ride from Den Laman.

4. While my wife might be a little wimpy about lugging gear around for a shore dive I could definitely get her to do some east side diving with Bonaire East Coast Diving. Anyone dive with them and have any comments? I have not.

5. I've heard a few complaints about a crowded dive storage area at Den Laman. Any comments? Would May be less crowded than high season? We are returning in May again this year, we store our gear at Buddy Dive.

6 Our recent trips have included Grand Cayman, Dominica, Cozumel, Curacao and Belize. Anyone who has been to any of those want to compare Bonaire diving? Not the shore diving freedom, I totally get that advantage, I'm mostly interested in the quantity and variety of sea life and the condition of the reefs.

We have been to Little Cayman, Grand Cayman and have been to Cozumel and Curacao. Bonaire is our favorite- easy diving, great for U/W photography, good variety of sea life. I love Great Wall West and Mixing bowl on Little Cayman but I have had equally great dives on Bonaire. Just don't expect to see sharks and other big stuff. Slow, leisurely dives will result in seeing some great sealife.

Thanks for any replies.

It looks like we are neighbors, feel free to email me and I would be happy to get together and talk about Bonaire.

Bob

 

[diverrex]

Thanks for all the input. I'm hoping to finalize reservations this week for a week at Den Laman in May.

 

[Steve P]

diverrex, We booked a 2 BR at Den Laman. Also going in May (5/21 through 5/28). In addtion to positive comments here, what sold me was pictures of the rooms. Somebody (I don't recall who) inlcuded a link to a website that has pictures of rooms (and other lodging choices as well). Here's the link Den Laman

Maybe we'll be neighbors . . .

 

[chuck e]

We stayed there last April and enjoyed the accomodations. We had a full kitchen and dining room which saved a lot on meals. Can't say I liked the dive operation. The boat was small and crowded with all your gear tossed in the center at your feet. Gearing up was NOT fun and by the end of the week, we even bagged a couple boat dives that were included in our package to shore dive Bari again. A shore dive that is very easy is Windsock near the airport. There's a nice beach which has easy access. Or go to the other resorts like the Divi and use their pier. One last thing, bring plenty of mosquito spray and repellant. The dive locker area was lousy with them by week's end. And the balconies, too.

 

[DiveMaven]

We've gone to Bonaire the last two Julys and although we take bug spray, we've literally never used it. We've also only seen a couple (no exaggeration) of mosquitos on our veranda at Den Laman, so there must be a huge difference between April and July. I would agree that it's a good recommendation to take bug spray though.

 

[Steve P]

We stayed there last April and enjoyed the accomodations. We had a full kitchen and dining room which saved a lot on meals. Can't say I liked the dive operation. The boat was small and crowded with all your gear tossed in the center at your feet. Gearing up was NOT fun and by the end of the week, we even bagged a couple boat dives that were included in our package to shore dive Bari again. A shore dive that is very easy is Windsock near the airport. There's a nice beach which has easy access. Or go to the other resorts like the Divi and use their pier. One last thing, bring plenty of mosquito spray and repellant. The dive locker area was lousy with them by week's end. And the balconies, too.

I'm a mosquito magnet so we will definately be packing chemical repellants

Since we're planning on doing mostly shore dives the smallish dive boats aren't really a distraction. I suppose we should get out to Klein Bonaire at least once during the week but, other than that, we're really looking forward to the freedom of picking our own sites & dive times.

 

[DiveMaven]

SteveP, you're smart to plan on doing your boat dives ala carte. On our first trip we made the mistake of buying the 6 boat dive package and wound up using like 2. After enjoying the pure freedom of the shore diving that Bonaire offers, the "restrictive nature" of the boat diving and it's schedule seemed like a total waste.

 

[Steve P]

SteveP, you're smart to plan on doing your boat dives ala carte. On our first trip we made the mistake of buying the 6 boat dive package and wound up using like 2. After enjoying the pure freedom of the shore diving that Bonaire offers, the "restrictive nature" of the boat diving and it's schedule seemed like a total waste.

We will also have 2 newbie 18 yr old twins in tow and the shore diving should be a great opportunity for them to develop their skills. Any comments about Klein Bonaire or recommended sites that are only reachable by boat?

 

[DiverVince]

Steve: When we're on Bonaire, 98% of our diving is shore based since it's so much more economical and we do our own schedule. However, I do recommend a 2 tank dive out at Klein if you've never been there. It's good to get out on the water and additionally, the topography (generally much steeper declines) is a bit different than most shore dives.
I've also found the viz is generally a bit better at Klein. It's really part of the "Bonaire experience".

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

I agree with Diver Vince. I stayed at Den Laman and never did a boat dive over to Klein Bonaire. Now I wish I had.