General Questions for first timer to Bonaire

[miketsp]

Seriously?! :shocked2: If those signs are at the op you mentioned... good to know.

Yes, on the Buddy Dive boat we used.

 

[diverjen]

WOW. I am a big tipper - but that first one is kinda inappropriate!

 

[akirawut]

I'm also curious about where to get some laundry done, especially with solid guarantees of time frame. In Bonaire for 10 days, then over to Curacao for 3 days. Would maybe like to get some clean laundry after 10.

I wanted to thank everyone for all the great advise, i hve one more question. once again we will be staying at divi, we will be bouncing over to aruba to attend a wedding following our dives. we will need to do laundry before going over there is there anywhere nearby that we can have this done nearby?? thanks for your help.

azdive

 

[lmorin]

Just to answer the baggage issue with Tiara Air. Just before we traveled our travel agent told us that Tiara Air would give us an additional 10kg of allowance if we said we had dive equipment in our bag. This worked. Even though we flew Aruba -> Bonaire on the tiny Short SD 3-60 they didn't charge. I had one bag of 26kg with all our dry clothes and the regulators and my wife had another bag of 27kg with all the rest of our dive equipment.............

We have had decidedly mixed experiences with Tiara. A couple of times, there have been no questions about the luggage weight and no extra charges. On two trips, however, we went from Aruba to Bonaire with no difficulty, but the returns caused a hassle. After a lot of conversation, Tiara relented on the first of these return trips. The second time (all different personnel a year later), we were charged for the extra weight. Maybe the rules have changed, especially those regarding dive gear . I hope so. In our experience, however, the rules really did not matter. What mattered was a particular person's desire to enforce a particular interpretation of the rules at the moment we were checking in, a hit or miss proposition.

 

[uncfnp]

I'm also curious about where to get some laundry done, especially with solid guarantees of time frame. In Bonaire for 10 days, then over to Curacao for 3 days. Would maybe like to get some clean laundry after 10.

I've been told that it is better to use a laundry service and that there are two in Bonaire but I don't have specifics. There is also at least one self service laundry mat. Sorry I don't have more details.

 

[mk706]

I did 17 days in Bonaire this past August. Had the laundry at Buddy Dive wash a few things. You really don't need much. Very casual everywhere.


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[uncfnp]

Here is another reason I don't do boat dives on Bonaire. This boat it at a reef outside our condo that has 2 public access points!

 

[miketsp]

Here is another reason I don't do boat dives on Bonaire. This boat it at a reef outside our condo that has 2 public access points!

AFAIK that's not usual. In fact we had to really pressure our captain to take us to a couple of sites that are accessible from shore (reason for the request being tricky entry for some older people in our group). The captain stated that boat policy is NOT to dive sites with shore access.

 

[DiveMaven]

Michael at Chat 'n Browse (near Den Laman) has a laundry service you can use. He charges by the pound (I think), but it sure beats having to take more luggage!

We always go to Bonaire for 2 weeks at a time and I literally pack like I'm only going to be gone for a long weekend and avail myself of the washing maching at Den Laman once or twice. I don't need to use the dryer since there are drying racks on our veranda, but I'd rather spend the money and do laundry a couple of times than keep taking clothing I don't need. Realistically, I spend 80% of my waking hours in a bathing suit, so how dirty can I get my clothing wearing it 2 hours a day?!

 

[uncfnp]

After my recent trip I want to add a restaurant recommendation. It is a deli style restaurant open from breakfast to lunch. A little pricey but great sandwiches. Between 2 Buns at the Sand Dollar Shopping Mall.