Has anyone here bought property in Bonaire?

[danam404]

Hi guys-

I had no clue that this thread took off, I did not get any emails . Here's my story-

I am an airline pilot, so my wife & I travel for free. We are pretty adamant about not repeating trips, because we are like Peter... there's just too many places to see to go back to the same place over and over again.

However... we just love Bonaire. It's the one place we go back to. We live in Florida, and have zero plans to move there full time. We would probably come down 4-6 times per year. The rest of the time we would like to rent the property out. Looking at just a small apartment or condo.. something affordable, as I do not want to be tied to the maintenance requirements of a house.

I'm not looking to make a fortune off the apartment, but if it subsidizes itself a bit I would be happy... if the income covers expenses and we break even, I would be tickled. I feel like sooner or later the rest of the world is going to find out about Bonaire, and I'd love to own a piece of it before that happens... and if it doesn't happen, thats great too because we like it just the way it is.

I will say that the general tone of the folks on the Facebook Bonaire Expat group is much more positive about ownership than this thread has been, but maybe that's because most there are still owners and don't want to outwardly admit that its not all sunshine rainbows.

If anyone else here has stories like peter, I would love to hear them.

 

[chillyinCanada]

chillyinCanada well said it took me about 4 years! and I lost a fair amount on the investment.

I'm sorry to read this. I had hoped that it wasn't the case for you.

 

[Peter Bomberg]

I'm sorry to read this. I had hoped that it wasn't the case for you.

Thank you I am not upset to be honest, but your point is very valid.

Of course it's a toss up as Bonaire is still my favorite dive spot in the Caribbean (Saba is a close second), and if I did not like traveling as much then going back to the same place over and over would be great but my heart is set on seeing and experiencing new places so we are going for 3 months a year to a region and exploring, 2021 (Aus/NZ), 2022 (Southern USA), 2023 (Indonesia)

 

[Kharon]

... I feel like sooner or later the rest of the world is going to find out about Bonaire, and I'd love to own a piece of it before that happens...

In a way, it already has. The number of cruise ships is up to 230 for 2020 and increasing substantially every year, which has impacted the quality of life for residents pretty severely. It's even kept supply ships from docking causing shortages of goods. The government sold off 10% of the island to a developer who has big plans to rip that part of the island apart for high end accomodations. The government also is promoting an algae growing farm with no idea what if anything the algae can be sold for. Worse, the algae is certain to escape into the wild at some point with no idea what that will do to the reefs.

Move there? Way too late for that for me. I doubt I can even visit again.

 

[bethie]

In a way, it already has. The number of cruise ships is up to 230 for 2020 and increasing substantially every year, which has impacted the quality of life for residents pretty severely. It's even kept supply ships from docking causing shortages of goods. The government sold off 10% of the island to a developer who has big plans to rip that part of the island apart for high end accomodations. The government also is promoting an algae growing farm with no idea what if anything the algae can be sold for. Worse, the algae is certain to escape into the wild at some point with no idea what that will do to the reefs.

Move there? Way too late for that for me. I doubt I can even visit again.

Where did you hear/ read that? We are here now and possibly buying here, and I have not seen or heard anything about the 10% of the island sold. Thanks.

 

[tkaelin]

quick google search https://bonairereporter.com/current_issue/current.pdf on the algae project

 

[chillyinCanada]

Thank you I am not upset to be honest, but your point is very valid.

Of course it's a toss up as Bonaire is still my favorite dive spot in the Caribbean (Saba is a close second), and if I did not like traveling as much then going back to the same place over and over would be great but my heart is set on seeing and experiencing new places so we are going for 3 months a year to a region and exploring, 2021 (Aus/NZ), 2022 (Southern USA), 2023 (Indonesia)

I was a die hard returnee to Ambergris Caye Belize. When I decided to try elsewhere it was a Roatan. I bounced back and forth for a number of years and my trips were numerous and usually 3 weeks long each time.

Now that I've ventured out even further in the dive world, I'm left wishing that I'd spent a bit less time enjoying my favourites because the sites I crave nowadays are very far afield.

Thank heavens, that I didn't buy that place in San Pedro. Even if I'd stayed stuck on Belize, the place I was going to buy was not in the best part of town for long stays.

By the way, still no criticism because San Pedro and Ambergris Caye (even WestEnd, Roatan) were a dive vacation package that I very much enjoyed. Yes, it was wonderful to return somewhere so comfortable to me, especially in the days that my work was so stressful.

As an aside, if I were you, I'd switch Indonesia to your first trip, not your last. You can thank me later.

 

[vann evans]

We have a totally different story and approach. We purchased a studio condo in Sand Dollar in 2007. At the time we were still working, but looking forward to retirement. Sand Dollar has a program where they rent the condos for you, do the maintenance and pay you a fee for rentals-or, you can do it totally yourself through VRBO or Air BnB or a combination of both.

We rented our condo when we weren’t there for the first 4 years-we were there for 2-3 weeks at a time, twice a year at first. We retired in 2011 and started to stay in Bonaire for 3 months each year-January, February and March. We rented the condo as much as we could during the other 9 months.

The condo has consistently generated enough income to pay all of our condo owner fees, the utilities, insurance, maintenance/ upkeep and upgrades of the bath, kitchen and furniture. We don’t have a lot of profit, but we have a free place to stay for 3 months and an updated studio that has increased in value.

One of the benefits of being in a place for 3 months is the lifestyle-we have developed a lot of close friendships with other owners, we have built-in dive buddies, we have nightly card games or movies or social times together. There is a real community there.

Several of the Sand Dollar owners live there full time, many spend 3-4 months there and some spend 8-9 months there. So there really are people who love Bonaire and spend a lot of time there-whether they live there full time or not. It is not for everyone, but you don’t have to live there full time to own property.

I think our property value has increased since 2007 and it will not be hard to sell. There is a demand for ocean front property in good areas. The question of good investment and quality of life depends greatly on what you expect, what you are looking for and where you buy. Buying in Bonaire is not for everyone, but it has certainly worked well for us during the last 13 years.

Vann and Laura Evans

A4 Sand Dollar

VRBO 277614

 

[Kharon]

Where did you hear/ read that? We are here now and possibly buying here, and I have not seen or heard anything about the 10% of the island sold. Thanks.

This issue has the story and a response: https://bonairereporter.com/back_issues/2020/202001.pdf

Short quote: "According to Trouw, the Dutch news
site, multi-millionaire Meine Breemhaar
from Dronten has confirmed he has purchased
Bonaire Properties NV, the company
that owns the former Bolivia plantation
and other smaller properties on Bonaire.
The Bolivia area, 3,000 hectares, comprises
approximately ten percent of Bonaire.
Breemhaar intends to develop Plantage
Bolivia, a project that would build 1,500
homes and an extensive infrastructure.
Rumors of the impending sale have been
circulating, and nature organizations and
residents have been expressing concerns
about the damage that would be inflicted
to a wild part of the island."

This issue has responses and news about cruise increases and the algae plant: The Bonaire Reporter bi-weekly news in English

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

A little story about living in vacation locations....

St. Peter meets a recently deceased couple at the pearly gates. He invites them first to review heaven and hell before making a decision about where to spend eternity. They enter heaven first and it is just like the picture books, souls are blissfully milling about, food is plentiful, fluffy clouds and the like. The couple are not overly impressed and ask to see hell. Hell turns out to be a fabulous assortment of games and activities, banquets of food and wine as far as the eye can see. Souls are heartily laughing and having a good time.

The couple and St. Peter wind back up at the pearly gates and decide that they would like to spend eternity in hell based on what they saw.

Poof.

They are in hell but it is now full of torment, fire and brimstone. Souls are wailing in agony; suffering abounds. The couple asks St. Peter, "What happened? It was a paradise before and now it is just misery?"

St. Peter responds, "Oh. Before you were just visiting, now you live here."

Told to me by an ex-pat bar owner in Puerto Rico.