Groceries on Bonaire

[phelana]

Dartref, every destination it seems has increases in air. My child's Godmother is paying 600 per ticket from Boston to Ft. Meyers where in years past it was 200-300. Fuel prices have created high prices. Food costs in Bonaire have risen but on Cape Cod, phew..I cannot believe how how prices are.

If you dine at Bobbijan's the bar haps at Mona Lisa, local eats at Mi Banana and cook breakfast and lunch in, you will save. Where else can you get a car for 176 USD a week in the Caribbean? Rooms starting at 65 USD a night for two? Bonaire is a bargain, IMHO.

 

[dvrliz1]

Annie et al,

As I am sure you are aware Ann, we find that flying into Aruba then using Insel Air or Tiara Air is sometimes much cheaper. There are also low cost airlines that fly into San Juan such as Spirit and Jet Blue, then you can arrange the American Eagle Flight separate. Ed and I have done this with Spirit Air and AE. We flew from San Juan to Atlantic City for $119.00 each way, and got a fare of $285 RT on AE. The whole trip with taxes cost around $550.00 per person. The only "difficult part" (and it really wasn't) was picking up the luggage in SJU and rechecking it with Spirit/AE when we changed planes. The layover was less too...we had a 2 1/2 hour layover each way.

All it takes is a little creativeness in checking airfare.....

 

[DiverVince]

Food items are obviously going to cost you more. Probably about 30% more across the board. Prices in the restaurants however are pretty much comparable to the prices in North Jersey.
Almost all items have to be shipped in so of course your expenses will be somewhat higher.

 

[Bonairetrip]

OP: It is hard to estimate an amount as it depends on what (and how muhc) you eat.

Here are some tips to keep the prices down:
a) Minimize buying liquids. Fresh milk (Cultimara) is good but spendy. Gatorade also adds up. No need to buy bottled water.
b) Throw some spices in your luggage -- they can help make any meal better and you can avoid that one-time investment.
c) Consider buying EU products rather than USA products. They are often cheaper.
d) Don't buy certain items that are just plain spendy (tortilla chips come to mind)
e) Take Ann's advice and shop more than one store. in the past, my circuit included: Bonaire Warehouse (Kaya Industria), Cultimara (downtown -- and yes, I buy the fresh milk); Flamingo (by NAPA), Jokes (east of Carib inn), More for Less (east of the church), the place to the east of the traffic circle and the Vz fruit stand. Consider some of the baked goods (i.e., one bread had cheeze and ham baked in).
f) Make judicous use of leftovers. Pasa Bon pizza. Mixed Grill for 2 (casablanca). Bobbe jeans.
g) If there are any truly must have items, consider bringing them from the USA.