Jeep guy -
I can't speak to the Plaza either...
I stayed at the Divi Flamingo last year and enjoyed my time there, but I will be at the Den Laman when I return in 1.5 months. If you are looking for "resort" style accomodations, then the Divi is definitely appealing for the reasons mentioned above. I found the property beautiful and conveniently located. I just didn't find myself making much use of the pools or casino - I was there to dive. You did mention wanting some beach time, which is a pretty limiting criteria in Bonaire from my experience, but the Divi does have a
small beach. I will also say that I wasn't all that impressed with the rooms. The view from an ocean front room is phenomenal, but the make-up of the room was pretty basic. If you are going to book at Divi, I recommend asking for an oceanfront room closer to the dive shop.
If you will be on a shore diving package (I hope so!), I recommend shopping around. The house shop at Divi was more than double the price of Bonaire Dive & Adventure for a week of tanks. I still used the Divi lockers for my gear, but went with the cheaper option. If you're renting a pick-up truck, it's really not a big deal to go with another shop where you can just pull up and (gently) throw in your tanks. There are plenty of options close by...
I find that overall, you are definitely paying a premium for having the resort amenities, which I just didn't find myself making much use of. To each his own...
I've attached some of my favorite sunset pics from my trip last year. I took all of them at the Divi. (Last one was from my room's balcony) I have plenty more from other times of day - just let me know if you'd like to check them out. (BTW - the real pics are not that soft - it's just the conversion/compression
)
Padi - I'm doing the Continental direct from Newark this year. SO glad it's available. HATED my DC -> Miami -> Curacao -> Bonaire trip last year, had a bad experience on the way back.