Hi all - quick (and first) post about recent trip to Bonaire. I had not been before and found all the information on the board so helpful when navigating where to stay / eat / dive questions. This was a one week stay in February with my 15 y/o who was on winter break. We had been to Belize a couple of years ago for his first dive trip and were excited to try Bonaire. And unlike so many of the islands, it's non-stop on Delta from Atlanta so we'll definitely go back. As I mentioned, first trip to Bonaire so can't offer much in terms of comparisons, but a few thoughts...
- We stayed at one of the efficiency apartments at Harbour Village. I thought they did everything very well. Beds were comfortable, AC and WiFi worked flawlessly, and grounds were well maintained . Our unit opened up to the marina and was no more than 50 yards to the dive boats. The restaurant at the hotel was ok - breakfast was generally good as were the drinks from the bar. We only had dinner there one night and portions were small for the price although the food was cooked well. Lots of good nearby restaurants and food trucks / pop-ups.
- Dive operations at the hotel were excellent. We did a package with boat dives included and most days went on 1-2. Staff were very friendly and professional, and did a great job with my son who is still relatively new to diving. The house reef / wreck was fun for a couple of dives as well. We didn't experience a single person who seemed indifferent or who wasn't helpful.
- We also did some shore diving. I thought the Reef Smart Guide was pretty helpful as a first time visitor. We also booked a truck late and everywhere was sold out. I finally found Prins (prinscarrental.com) who had a truck for 5 days and we probably only used it 3 of those days. They were great with the drop-off and pick-up. We followed the usual advice and left the doors unlocked and windows down and didn't have any problems with the basics that were left during our shore dives.
- The diving itself of course was fantastic. Best dive was a night boat dive during peak ostracod cycle. Absolutely amazing and that one dive made the trip a success.
- We went fishing for two of our days, both with 5am starts... Fishing the first day started strong with the tuna bite, but then not much after 12p. The second day we went, no tuna bite but brought in nice Mahi and biggest wahoo I've ever landed, so lots of fun both trips. The kitchenette at Harbour Village had enough gear to cook up fish both nights after a trip to the grocery store.
- Anyway, thanks again to the board for being a great source during my trip planning. Can't wait for the next vacay!
- We stayed at one of the efficiency apartments at Harbour Village. I thought they did everything very well. Beds were comfortable, AC and WiFi worked flawlessly, and grounds were well maintained . Our unit opened up to the marina and was no more than 50 yards to the dive boats. The restaurant at the hotel was ok - breakfast was generally good as were the drinks from the bar. We only had dinner there one night and portions were small for the price although the food was cooked well. Lots of good nearby restaurants and food trucks / pop-ups.
- Dive operations at the hotel were excellent. We did a package with boat dives included and most days went on 1-2. Staff were very friendly and professional, and did a great job with my son who is still relatively new to diving. The house reef / wreck was fun for a couple of dives as well. We didn't experience a single person who seemed indifferent or who wasn't helpful.
- We also did some shore diving. I thought the Reef Smart Guide was pretty helpful as a first time visitor. We also booked a truck late and everywhere was sold out. I finally found Prins (prinscarrental.com) who had a truck for 5 days and we probably only used it 3 of those days. They were great with the drop-off and pick-up. We followed the usual advice and left the doors unlocked and windows down and didn't have any problems with the basics that were left during our shore dives.
- The diving itself of course was fantastic. Best dive was a night boat dive during peak ostracod cycle. Absolutely amazing and that one dive made the trip a success.
- We went fishing for two of our days, both with 5am starts... Fishing the first day started strong with the tuna bite, but then not much after 12p. The second day we went, no tuna bite but brought in nice Mahi and biggest wahoo I've ever landed, so lots of fun both trips. The kitchenette at Harbour Village had enough gear to cook up fish both nights after a trip to the grocery store.
- Anyway, thanks again to the board for being a great source during my trip planning. Can't wait for the next vacay!
