driftwood
Contributor
Has the AI food improved since last year? We did Scuba Club in Coz last year and will not return. Even the beer and margaritas were bad.
Plaza Resort
- Thread starter driftwood
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Doctorfish
Contributor
I would not think about AI at the Plaza. The house reef is far away from the rooms, and why eat mediocre AI food when there are a myriad of outstanding restaurants in the area. There are many threads on this board listing other places to stay and eat on Bonaire.
mbs
Contributor
Will be there tomorrow. I'll let you know. I have heard that it is the same "chef" as last year so I do not hold out much hope that the food has improved significantly. The shore dive is very good and not all that much of a hassle with tanks staged by the water. Access to tanks to load on your truck is very good. Too each their own...
Agreed - was there last November and the house reef is good and very accesible/easy - not far from the rooms alt all (you can enter in several areas).
Food was edible, but generally not what I would call good. Several restaurent staff were rude and most not remotely attentive (there were a few refereshing exceptions). Resort itself is a great location and has good "bones" - but is in dire need of a complete renovation of rooms and grounds. The on-site dive OP (Toucan) was very good and the boat diving and guides were really good.
Doctorfish
Contributor
As I was saying, why commit and pay for an AI with mediocre food when there are so many other cheap good interesting food options on Bonaire. I still don't understand.
I don't disagree with that - we went on a club trip and it was a great deal so we still ate dinner outside a few times. As we did a 2 tank boat dive each AM, it was quick/convenient and the food was decent enough for breakfast and lunch given the dive schedule. I'm not very picky about food and like to dive or relax - not spend alot of time going to out eat (as I found service everywhere in town pretty slow).
wgw04024
Contributor
Agreed. My first trip to Bonaire we stayed there. Great cold AC, wifi sucked, and the food was not worth what you paid in your AI fee. Always done Airbnb since. We do however get our tanks from the plaza.
mbs
Contributor
Just returned. The food was actually better overall than last year. In fact a few meals were excellent. AI here as with anywhere is all about convenience. We meet up with a bunch of folks and the logistics of going out for meals makes AI very attractive. If we were on our own I do not think I would stay there as i would prefer to make my own breakfast/lunch most days and enjoy the variety of fine restaurants. That said, the room we stayed in was excellent, 2nd floor lagoon facing junior suite. Wifi was on and off all week. The grounds were very nice and they were just starting some reno's. I heard they are going to redo the pool/area. Toucan was excellent and the shore dive remains very good. If an AI resort meets your needs I would not hesitate to recommend the Plaza.
I was at the Plaza at the end of January. We found the food pretty good overall. Some meals were mediocre, but in general we were satisfied. If you are looking for 5-star dining, then of course you will be disappointed. The breakfast at the Scu-bar is better than at the main dining area. Some folks ate there for other meals as well and said it was good, but we took lunches and dinners at the main restaurant.
18th Palm reef is right off the beach, so I'm not sure why someone would complain about the house reef being too far from the rooms. If you store your gear at Toucan it is a bit of a walk to the reef, but not that bad. Plus, there are plenty of wheelbarrows for you to use. Analyze some tanks in the morning after the boat dives (or just dive air) and tag them with where you want the staff to drop them off and they'll be there waiting for you later for your shore dives.
It was my first and only time in Bonaire, so I don't have anything to compare it to. But we enjoyed ourselves a lot. My wife isn't a diver, and she loved that the resort wasn't very crowded (at least when we went) and that she could always find a spot in the shade on the beach or by the pool and could relax without it being noisy.
18th Palm reef is right off the beach, so I'm not sure why someone would complain about the house reef being too far from the rooms. If you store your gear at Toucan it is a bit of a walk to the reef, but not that bad. Plus, there are plenty of wheelbarrows for you to use. Analyze some tanks in the morning after the boat dives (or just dive air) and tag them with where you want the staff to drop them off and they'll be there waiting for you later for your shore dives.
It was my first and only time in Bonaire, so I don't have anything to compare it to. But we enjoyed ourselves a lot. My wife isn't a diver, and she loved that the resort wasn't very crowded (at least when we went) and that she could always find a spot in the shade on the beach or by the pool and could relax without it being noisy.
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