Honeymoon Diving Trip to Bonaire

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ljrk99

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My fiancee and I are planning our honeymoon for October 2015. We're planning to spend a few days on Aruba then hop over to Bonaire for a couple days. We just got certified last summer and are still very much beginners and Bonaire looks like an awesome place to start our diving experience! The thought is to stay at a Marriott on Aruba then go over to Bonaire for the cool scuba locations. Can anyone recommend a good resort on Bonaire that would be a nice choice for new divers and have decent amenities for honeymooners, like a ocean view? We're PADI certified, so a dive shop approved with them is also preferred. Our plan is to do a two tank dive the second day we're on Bonaire, have a rest day, then two tank dive on the 4th day, before flying home on the 5th day. Having an all inclusive resort would be nice too, or at least a restaurant on site for convenience. Thanks in advance!
 
There are a lot of posts re accommodation on Bonaire. In short, Bon is a diver's island and there is no 5 star resort. The closest you would come is Harbor Village which has nice accommodation, a small beach, and a restaurant on site.

The only all inclusive is Plaza Resort and IMO, not so great.
Part of the charm of Bonaire is going to the local restaurants; I would not limit myself to all inclusive.

Buddy Dive, Captain Dons Habitat, Divi and other small dive lodges have OK ocean Front rooms, good boat diving operations and convenient shore diving as well as having restaurants on site. They are certainly not plush resorts but might fill your needs.

All depends on what you are looking for.
 
Bonaire is a great choice if you want to dive. You want a resort? Not so much... But a great place for several days of dive and relax as part of a honeymoon. there are several bonaire places that bill themselves as "resorts" (not to be confused with "dive resorts") but they really are not. do not be fooled.

for a diver, the best bonaire accommodations should be thought of as "dive hotels".

I agree with Doctorfish's list above (note the word "ok" - these are not resorts, these are dive hotels). Very good dive hotels!

That said, we use Divi and love it. The onsite dive dock gives a great dive, the boat op is okay and we can walk into town for supper. No need for a rental truck.

Food: At Sea & Cappriccios are the high end restaurants. Both very close to Divi. If you are a foodie, then you MUST try the tasting menu at At Sea. Cafe de Paris was also on the top end list until they moved to harbour village. not so good anymore.
 
My wife and I honeymooned on Bonaire. (We got married on Curacao, then hopped over.) We chose Buddy Dive. Our room was not oceanfront, but stepping out onto the patio we did have an ocean view. Buddy's isn't especially luxurious--few Bonaire resorts are--but we appreciated the amenities and ease of booking a complete package. Their on-site dive dock is top notch and made doing early and late dives a snap. Their outdoor bar area is one of the nicest of the various resorts--the weekly happy hour draws a big crowd--and we enjoyed buying silly tropical drinks because it was our honeymoon and we normally aren't that kind of vacationer.
 
What they said^. Plaza Resort is the only full AI resort with an ocean view. I agree though, there's some interesting - and a few excellent waterfront restaurants on Bonaire so I wouldn't limit yourselves to the AI resort food which is for the most part average. At Sea or It Rains Fishes would be my top picks in town.

Harbour Village is the nicest resort there. Not an AI though. Since it's more upscale, they do have a private dive operator also. And it's built sort of around the harbor on the south end so that's a little interesting also while eating at their restaurant etc. And has arguably the nicest beach. One that actually touches the water also. I don't know if that's a factor in your "decent amenities" list.

Of this list: Buddy Dive, Captain Dons Habitat, Divi - the Divi Flamingo is the only other one that does. All the rest are on ironshore cliffs above it. Habitat doesn't even try, Buddy's has some sand sprinkled on top of it - 15-20' above the water. In a couple places there are ladders though.

One consideration also is the Divi Flamingo is currently doing a major renovation - expected to be done by summer. It kind of needed it. Given the way things work on "island time" - it may actually be done by October...lol Their beach is tiny though - bordered by the resort so not very wide or deep - unless they improve that at the expense of their shore dive - not sure if they'd be legally allowed to do so either - the marine park rules limit any sort of dredging/beach creation.

Another option is Eden Beach but only some of their rooms are ocean view. And their "beach" is kept in place by a series of concrete/wood pilings - like giant steps. Spice Beach club is there now also - apparently it's a rework of their beach bar with nightlife. btw - if you want some of that, Bonaire has very limited choices also.

One other factor is that even some of those beaches have ironshore/coral just offshore so they're not exactly tropical wading beaches like you find on Aruba except in certain areas. Study the photos - the darker stuff seen in the water is coral reef not weed. Not every room at Habitat or Buddies is ocean view either - some is blocked by other resort buildings. Pretty much assume the "garden view" area at Habitat is not.

If you want an intimate honeymoon spot - not oceanview - across the street from another resort that is - look at Bamboo Bali also. I believe some of their units have a private pool or spa also..it's your honeymoon right? I don't believe there's a restaurant there either but several are close by.

I hope you're diving on Aruba also - in some areas it's just as good as Bonaire.

Almost every shop on Bonaire is PADI - although that doesn't really matter - all you need is the card to dive anywhere - there's no specific need for it to say PADI on it - contrary to what they'd hope you believe.

Since you mentioned the Marriott on Aruba - the Marriott Emerald Beach on Curacao is a nice property also. Curacao Hotels | Marriott Curacao Beach Resort & Emerald Casino | Piscadera Bay

Curacao has the same diving as Bonaire - arguably a little better in some areas. The resort itself is as nice as the pictures - has all the amenities including Caribbean Sea Sports on-site. Nice beach, pool area, small casino on-site. Good food also - ate there twice. It's two miles from downtown Willemstad so close enough to access the famous shops and waterfront area yet far enough away to be not affected by the cruise port traffic - why I suggested it instead of the Marriott Renaissance downtown since it's right by the port. Also there's no beaches downtown - the city is built on low cliffs. The Renaissance casino is like one you'd find in Reno if that's of interest.

It's a cheaper shorter flight from Aruba also - in fact your Bonaire flight is going to stop there first. There's a whole lot more to do on Curacao than Bonaire, better restaurants, nightlife, and about a dozen very nice beaches. Most of which are also dive sites - with shops on-site - often some sort of food also. Once you leave the Bonaire resort area there are no facilities at any of the dive locations and you crawl over ironshore to access the dive sites. Kind of puts a crimp in your honeymoon plans if one of you goes down and twists or breaks something.

Since you appear to be newer divers, the Dive Bus or Bas Harts Diving do escorted shore dives on Curacao also. I suggest you start with one of them, get a sense of the diving then go out on your own. Both Bonaire and Curacao diving is easy, low current and the reef parallels the shoreline. The primary difference is the entries - and distance between sites which is a longer drive on Curacao. You can also find a guide on Bonaire if needed, BasDiving or VIP Divers are options.

Lions Dive Resort on Curacao is also pretty nice - and can be done as an AI if you buy a meal plan. But I wouldn't - there's 3-4 restaurants walking distance from there and downtown is 5mins. away. They have a shuttle if you don't want to get a car. Curacao Hotel - Lions Dive & Beach Resort for an unique Caribbean vacation! One of the "hotspots" - Mambo Beach Club - is a short walk away. If you like Jazz - Avila Hotel's Blues Bar is surprisingly good. Just no shore dive there as their beach is behind a breakwater. They don't even have a dive operator.

The AI on Curacao is Sunscape. I can't really recommend it for a honeymoon destination - it's an older Breezes kids resort. Wouldn't be my first choice.

hth,
 
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Congratulations on your upcoming marriage and honeymoon. Most dive resorts and rental properties on Bonaire cater to divers staying at least a week, so you may find some that are reluctant to offer bookings for less than 7 nights. But your arrival during the slower tourism season should correspond to more rental flexibility and lower prices than at any other time of the year.

Most of the "dive resort" properties offer oceanfront locations with dive operations and a restaurant on site. You can also walk between resorts that are relatively close for other dining options. For example: Harbour Village, Sand Dollar condos, Buddy Dive, and Captain Don's Habitat are all in a row along the seafront north of downtown. All offer oceanfront options, restaurants (one at each) and dive operations on-site. Only Sand Dollar doesn't offer boat dives departing from this site (you do shore dives here but have to drive down the road a mile or so to the boat dock.) South of downtown Kralendijk you'll find Divi Flamingo resort with similar amenities and close to other restaurants within walking distance. Even farther south you'll find Plaza Resort which adds an all-inclusive menu too. Personally I think Bonaire has so many great dining options that I wouldn't want to limit myself (or my new spouse) to typical all-inclusive fare.

Your best bet is to start some internet research on some of the above mentioned properties via their websites and Trip Advisor etc. I agree with the previous suggestion that Harbour Village is the nicest property. But it's expensive. You're not planning much diving by typical Bonairean standards (many people do 3 to 5 dives a day for a week straight) so you may find it more convenient to find a nice oceanfront rental with good reviews on VRBO or AirBnB and just walk or drive to the nearest dive shop on your 2 dive outings. Many are located along the waterfront near downtown, which makes it easy to walk to dining options and shopping. The snorkeling, swimming, and diving is great in most of these areas too. Just avoid the cruise ship piers on the southern end of downtown.

Most dive operations on Bonaire (or anywhere else in the western hemisphere) are PADI affiliates. But your PADI card will also be honored by most dive shops affiliated with other international agencies too.

Good luck!
 
You don't need a PADI approved shop, unless you want to do a PADI course there for some reason. Otherwise, whether they're PADI, SSI, SDI, a mix, it doesn't matter.

Bonaire is famous for unlimited buffet shore diving any time of day or night, however many times a day/night you can stand, crammed into a 1 week stay, nitrox likely included at no extra charge, along a west coast where the dive sites are close and easy to file by one after the other.

Going to Bonaire just to do boat dives, and only 4 or so, I'm thinking you'd be better off just spending the week in Curacao (do a Search and read some of the Curacao threads, especially compared to Bonaire; I think for a honeymoon trip with more boat diving plus shore, it might be a better match), or just do boat dives in Aruba, and put Bonaire down for a fun dive-intensive holiday (not a once in a lifetime honeymoon) later.

Sometimes it's better to do one thing thoroughly than a pinch of this and a dab of that (unless you're on a cruise). Then do the other thing later, when you can really get the experience of it.

But different strokes, different folks.

Richard.
 
Based on this not being a dive dive dive vacation, but a honeymoon, and the fact that you are interested in AI, I would not overlook the Plaza. It might suit you quite nicely. Also worth checking out is the restaurant easily walkable from the Plaza that used to be called Richards. Someone will remember the name ;) You can reserve a solo table out on the dock that is quite romantic. Of course I agree with others that there are wonderful restaurant choices on the island, but maybe you will have better things to do then hunt down places to eat ;)
 
Lots of good information here - I believe all the highlights have been hit. If you are not really into dive dive dive, maybe look at Curacao. If you want to dive more and/or want Bonaire I would suggest Bamboo Bali, especially one of the villas with the private spa if its in your budget (not ocean view, but an ultra romantic setting - we did a two week 10 year anniversary trip here and it was perfect!). If you have to have ocean view think about one of the above big resorts or maybe try Den Laman - they have some gorgeous views and Bari Reef and amazing house reef to have. I would put Cappriccios on my must list, too!

“Heaven can Wait”

http://www.denlaman.com/bonaire-condos.html
 
I agree with drrich above on Curacao vs Aruba-Bonaire combo... assuming you can fly to/from Curacao without difficulty. Unless for some reason you really love crowded high-rise hotels located on crowded, yet pedestrian beaches. Since you mention "a Marriott" I'm going to guess you're working with points, so will point out there's a Marriott on Curacao. Been there three times. It's as nice or nicer than anything on Bonaire, except for Harbor Village. Eliminating the island hop will save you money and a needless day of travel in the middle of your honeymoon.

If you are set on Bonaire... for goodness sake please do more than four dives! If you stay anyplace on the water they'll have a house reef and tanks sitting right there. If you don't plan to do more than four dives... don't go to Bonaire. That'd be like... like... um... Hell, it would be so ridiculous that an apt analogy doesn't even exist!

:d
 

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