Looking for advice re Bonaire

[AllenG]

Apparently, there are more than a few ScubaBoard participants who are obsessed with Bonaire and I’m hoping some of you can offer some advice for a first trip to Bonaire.

1. Which hotels/condos/apartments are considered preferable in terms of quality and proximity to the better shore diving? From others, I have read that the north and south ends have the better shore diving, but I’m not sure which facilities are in those areas? Or is the island so small that north/south/east/west doesn’t matter? The goal here is maximizing the number of dives and BT to give my 12 y.o. diving daughter (who, I’m proud to say just completed her advanced training) lots of good experiences.

2. At what appear to be some of the higher priced facilities in the moderate price range, I noticed that Divi is offering a 3 boat dives/day + shore diving/no car package for the same price as Buddy’s is doing a 6 boat dives/week + shore diving + car package. Is there a reason why one might be preferable to the other? Is the shore diving right around Divi nice enough that it will satisfy the desire for night dives and some occasional shore dives? Do the Divi boat dives do more than just run out to what would otherwise be a shore dive?

3. Are lodging facilities like Great Escape, Happy Holiday, and the Yacht Club ok? Reasonably located? Have attached dive resorts? Near good shore diving?

4. If you get a car/truck as part of a package, do you get it at the airport or in town? This is as if to say, are airport transfers needed?

Any suggestions/preferences/warnings will be greatly appreciated.

 

[munkispank]

hi there,

firstly- you will have an awesoem trip

1) yes the island is small, so north south etc doesn't really matter- depends what you want - the resorty places are all nice enough and i personally would plug Buddy's as that is really nice atmosphere. I didn't personally care for Divi-or Captain dons, but that s just me.

2) Most of th eboat dives willbe to Klein Bonaire-but several will be to the sites which are just regular shore dives. there really isn't that much difference between klein and mainland to make the dives worth the trip. If it was my choce to maximise bottome time, I would skip the boat trios and get a truck- this gives you way more freedom than boat schedules. As for the dives at the resorts- Buddy's and Capt dons are very nice reefs- not really damaged considering. Again I personally didn't like hte Divi reef-I saw too much wear there.

3) the independent places are good- i stayed at diver paradise- whichwas greta for me. The yacht club apts and happy holiday homes both looked good to me and are simliar standards- they are usually affiliated with a dive shop, but not right ther- you would need a truck then. Pretty much everywhere on thet side of the island is close ot good shore diving- relly good!!!

4) this depends- you usually get the truck at the airport and drive following a rep to the resorts. The exception is Buddy's where they pick you up fromthe airport and then give you a a truck at the resort.

if you have nay other questions, check our bonairetalk.com or you can PM me with specifics.

 

[blawler1]

I haven't stayed at any of the others you have mentioned, but we have stayed at the Yachtclub twice and are going back for Christmas this year. They are clean and well equipped with enough appliances (stove, refrig, plates, glasses, utensils, cable TV) to allow you to prepare most of your meals if you choose to. We have stayed in the one bedroom which has an A/C unit in the bedroom. They are commonly owned with Total car rental, so you can get a truck/apartment special and are convieniently located just north of town across from Harbor Village.

As far as dive operations, you can pretty much get a week of unlimited tanks for just over $100 from any of the operators near by and all the near by resorts have nice house reefs (Sanddollar, Lions, Dons and Buddys)

Forget about prepaying for a bunch of boat dives. Bonaire is about shorediving, so get a truck and grab some tanks. If you do feel compelled to jump off a boat though, try one or two boat dives over to Klein. The one tank boat dives are generally $20 to $30 at most of the operators and Klein has a lot of good stuff to see.

 

[herman]

I agree with the advice that has been given so far. You def need a vehicle to fully enjoy Bonaire. We have dove Bonaire for the last 5 years and we always drop the boat dives. We enjoy the freedom to go and come as we please and not being on anyone elses schedule. When compairing prices, be sure to compair apples to apples. The "Dive and Drive" package at Buddies includes the room (a full condo), airport xfers, rental truck/van, a good buffet breakfast and unlimited tanks for shore diving. Basically, everything you need except dive gear, lunch and dinner. For your first trip to Bonaire, it may be worth any extra it may cost just to ensure you have everything you need when you get to the island. The package also includes 6 boat dives which we drop, that cuts about $100pp off the listed price. The packages offered at the other resorts vary a lot in what is included.

Our preference on resorts is Buddy Dive but I have been on the grounds of Capt Dons, Lions Dive and Sand Dollar. All of them are nice places. It's actually hard to go wrong with any place on Bonaire.

If you have not already, come over to the Bonaire board and join us there. There is a ton of good info there and loads of Bonaire lovers to answer any question. Several of them live on island
www.bonairetalk.com

 

[scubasean]

Is there anything on Bonaire for my nondiver spouse and 11 yr old to do?

(My 14 yr old is certified, and will dive with me.)

Thanks,

Sean

 

[Lurch]

I went to Bonaire a few years back with 5 friends, we choose to rent a house. It was right on the coast and we could dive out of our backyard on a rather nice chunk of reef. We dove with Flamingo Divers and did 2 boat dives and unlimited shore. The boat is great for Klien Bonaire but there is plenty of shore diveing so You don't need lots of boat dives.
As a note one thing that suprised us is that we were warned against night dives due to crime, specifically going for a dive and haveing someone waiting for you to come out to rob you, we also saw the aftermath of a few car smash and grabs. Don't leave anything of value in the car while you dive and don't bother locking the doors. Mind you we did go against the advice and do a night dive on the Hilma Hooker without problem. The nice part about the house then was that we could night dive out our backyard at our own convience without the worry.
This being said I never felt treatened or troubled and I wouldn't hesitate to go back. The diving was great and so were the people.
Have a great Trip!

Lurch

 

[herman]

scubasean once bubbled...
Is there anything on Bonaire for my nondiver spouse and 11 yr old to do?

It depends on what they enjoy. If they are looking for a lot of shopping, then not really. You can buy pretty much anything you need on the island but it's not a shopping mecca by any means. If they are the outdoors type, then they can snorkle (easily at some of the same sites you dive at), bike ride, kayak the mangroves or there is some great windsurfing (from what I am told, I don't myself). Most of the resorts have pools if that's to their liking.
There is also a movie theater on the island.

 

[SharkOfBonaire]

herman once bubbled...
There is also a movie theater on the island.

And they're building a bowling alley right now ;-).

Although most divers don't know it (unfortunately), there is much more to do here than just diving. Bonaire is indeed one of the top locations in the caribbean for windsurfing, so much so that the King of the Caribbean windsurfing finals will be held here for the second year in a row, in December. Kayaking, cycling, parasailing and cave exploration are just a couple of the other things to do here.

 

[Doc]

I do believe the best windsurfing was right next to the clothing optional (or topless) beach.

So you got that going for you besidesw the great diving!

Is the Indonesian Rice Table restaurant still there? Reason alone to go back!