drrich2
Contributor
Hi:
I recently traveled alone to Bonaire the week of Saturday 8-25-12 through Sat. 9-1-12, and in planning ran into the high costs of a solo stay at a resort. I've been to Bonaire 5 times prior; 4 at Eden Beach Resort with a group (Parrot Island Divers out of Nashville) - there's been construction & changes there since I stayed with them - and once at Buddy Dive (Dec. 2011) with my wife, buddy and brother-in-law.
I usually budget a Bonaire trip this way, per person, when going with others:
1.) Around $1,100 for a one stop (in Atlanta) Delta flight round trip (Nashville to Atlanta to Bonaire & back).
2.) Around $900 for the hotel/rental truck/unlimited shore diving with nitrox package.
3.) Eating out is extra, and one tank of gas for the week at inflated prices (I think it was $77.90 or so this time).
I quickly found out going alone could add a few to several hundred dollars.
I've read about Dive Hut online and favorably as what seems to be about the lowest good budget option for a pre-configured 'package deal.' It's on a suburban block not all that far from Eden Beach Resort, not water front, but not a long drive.
They have 3 levels of accommodation. Had I gone with my wife, for example, the cheapest, the hotel room, would've been $550 apiece. For me as a solo diver, it was $885. I opted for the $154 upcharge to get a truck with automatic transmission since I can't drive stick & thought my dive buddy (going to medical school on Bonaire with a week off) might not be available, but he was, so he drove all week.
So, what do you get for $885 (paid in cash up front; you can use a credit card, but there's a % additional charge I chose to save)?
It's basically like a bedroom from another resort's apartment, with a pair of twin beds stuck together to make a double, a little wooden shelf beside the bed, a t.v. with cable of some sort (which I never turned on) on the wall with a small shelf, a mini-fridge (which kept my Coke Zero real cold), an A.C. unit (took awhile to chill the room, but could get it cold), a small hall-like dining area (thin the handle on the Big Dipper constellation for what bedroom + dining area look like) with a small round wooden table & 2 chairs. The dining area was 2 shelves and a bar for clothes hangers. There's a bathroom; no medicine cabinet, so my med.s & what not went on the sink & the back of the commode. Water was rather lukish; not hot, not too chilly, okay for showering. Sitting on the john my knees sometimes touched the wall in front of me (I'm a fairly big guy), but I was fine).
There was one 3-pronged outlet (for the fridge); I put a surge suppressor on it to give me more outlets. Wireless internet preformed decently for the island & the iPhone 4 and 1'rst gen. iPad logged on with no problems (no password hassles) - compare to Buddy Dive where service was restricted to single device!
Toilet paper is provided but not replenished, so pick yourself up some at the super market. Ditto get yourself a bowl (for fruit cocktail) and a bit of silverware with your groceries (I ate PB&J sandwiches for breakfast, some fruit, etc...). They provide fresh bed linen (& presumably clean the room) once per week (apparently that's right before you come in). You get fresh towel, wash cloth and rug twice a week. They ask that you turn off the A.C. when out to help keep costs down, and try to be conservative with water.
There are some artistic decorations; a photo over the bed & a craft on the dining area wall, plus in the bathroom a big piece of driftwood in front of the light bulb.
There's a stair well to the roof; you can walk around up there & see the area & take pictures (I was in a 2 story building, so it's not real high up, but decently).
Across the street out front is the locked gear room, behind which was 2 rinse tanks. You can drop off tanks were. You can get fresh air & nitrox tanks (I didn't see an analyzer, though) if there are any; sometimes there were no nitrox tanks when we came out mid.-morning, but Eden Beach Resort now was a drive through setup so getting tanks from WannaDive there is not the parking nightmare it used to be.
I'll post some photos (I'm a slob, so don't let my mess impact your consideration). First, I'll answer a few probable questions:
1.) Was I content with the Dive Hut stay and package? Yes.
2.) Would I seriously consider them for a solo stay again? Yes.
3.) Were the people there friendly? I'm not very approachable and social, but yes, people were friendly, and tried to make sure I was taken care of. If you buddy up with people readily, I think you'll like them.
4.) Would I stay in such small accommodations with a buddy? A low maintenance buddy like my friend Wallob, who's efficient and has a small 'foot print?' Sure. Someone higher maintenance, with a larger 'foot print' and who can be irritable and a bit demanding (like my wife)? No.
5.) Did I miss a lot of diving, staying at a non-ocean front property? Wallob & I got in 22 dives for the week, with no night dives and not rushing outselves. We hit a lot of sites we hadn't before. Granted, diving & eating were about all we did, but I think it went well.
6.) What did I get at Buddy Dive for more money? They picked me up from & returned me to the airport, truck rental was on-grounds from them, accommodations were much larger, breakfast buffet was included, house reef was quite nice, and if I ever boat dove in Bonaire, it would've been a short walk with no drive. Grounds were quite nice (the one day we walked around quite a bit & actually viewed them at length).
I enjoyed Dive Hut and recommend it on the condition that their offering is the right kind of product to meet your needs. I'd recommend Buddy Dive for the same reasons, given it's a different product for somewhat different needs. I'm not sure what all's changed at Eden Beach Resort, so I'm not up on them right now (but the onsite dive shop, WannaDive, which Dive Hut and Windsock Resort also use, is a fine one).
Some photos from the stay:
Dive Hut front, from across the road:
My Room (#5):
View from my front door:
View from my front door, looking to the right:
The bar out front. They had a BBQ buffet one night, $15 per person, which was really good.
Atop the roof:
Views from the roof:
Gear Room (white building on right, nearest the truck) & Rinse Tanks across the street:
Pics of my room:
Entrance/Dining area:
T.V. System:
Bedroom:
Bathroom:
Art in Room:
---------- Post Merged at 03:39 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 03:33 PM ----------
A couple of follow up points:
1.) Dive Hut's Website.
2.) Their 3 Levels of Accommodations. (Remember that I stayed in the cheapest, which had a mini-fridge, but no kitchenette -basically no cooking equipment, but you can get that at Dive Hut in other accommodations).
Keep in mind that I'm only reporting on one type of their accommodations, the cheapest! They have more to offer than what I used.
Richard.
I recently traveled alone to Bonaire the week of Saturday 8-25-12 through Sat. 9-1-12, and in planning ran into the high costs of a solo stay at a resort. I've been to Bonaire 5 times prior; 4 at Eden Beach Resort with a group (Parrot Island Divers out of Nashville) - there's been construction & changes there since I stayed with them - and once at Buddy Dive (Dec. 2011) with my wife, buddy and brother-in-law.
I usually budget a Bonaire trip this way, per person, when going with others:
1.) Around $1,100 for a one stop (in Atlanta) Delta flight round trip (Nashville to Atlanta to Bonaire & back).
2.) Around $900 for the hotel/rental truck/unlimited shore diving with nitrox package.
3.) Eating out is extra, and one tank of gas for the week at inflated prices (I think it was $77.90 or so this time).
I quickly found out going alone could add a few to several hundred dollars.
I've read about Dive Hut online and favorably as what seems to be about the lowest good budget option for a pre-configured 'package deal.' It's on a suburban block not all that far from Eden Beach Resort, not water front, but not a long drive.
They have 3 levels of accommodation. Had I gone with my wife, for example, the cheapest, the hotel room, would've been $550 apiece. For me as a solo diver, it was $885. I opted for the $154 upcharge to get a truck with automatic transmission since I can't drive stick & thought my dive buddy (going to medical school on Bonaire with a week off) might not be available, but he was, so he drove all week.
So, what do you get for $885 (paid in cash up front; you can use a credit card, but there's a % additional charge I chose to save)?
It's basically like a bedroom from another resort's apartment, with a pair of twin beds stuck together to make a double, a little wooden shelf beside the bed, a t.v. with cable of some sort (which I never turned on) on the wall with a small shelf, a mini-fridge (which kept my Coke Zero real cold), an A.C. unit (took awhile to chill the room, but could get it cold), a small hall-like dining area (thin the handle on the Big Dipper constellation for what bedroom + dining area look like) with a small round wooden table & 2 chairs. The dining area was 2 shelves and a bar for clothes hangers. There's a bathroom; no medicine cabinet, so my med.s & what not went on the sink & the back of the commode. Water was rather lukish; not hot, not too chilly, okay for showering. Sitting on the john my knees sometimes touched the wall in front of me (I'm a fairly big guy), but I was fine).
There was one 3-pronged outlet (for the fridge); I put a surge suppressor on it to give me more outlets. Wireless internet preformed decently for the island & the iPhone 4 and 1'rst gen. iPad logged on with no problems (no password hassles) - compare to Buddy Dive where service was restricted to single device!
Toilet paper is provided but not replenished, so pick yourself up some at the super market. Ditto get yourself a bowl (for fruit cocktail) and a bit of silverware with your groceries (I ate PB&J sandwiches for breakfast, some fruit, etc...). They provide fresh bed linen (& presumably clean the room) once per week (apparently that's right before you come in). You get fresh towel, wash cloth and rug twice a week. They ask that you turn off the A.C. when out to help keep costs down, and try to be conservative with water.
There are some artistic decorations; a photo over the bed & a craft on the dining area wall, plus in the bathroom a big piece of driftwood in front of the light bulb.
There's a stair well to the roof; you can walk around up there & see the area & take pictures (I was in a 2 story building, so it's not real high up, but decently).
Across the street out front is the locked gear room, behind which was 2 rinse tanks. You can drop off tanks were. You can get fresh air & nitrox tanks (I didn't see an analyzer, though) if there are any; sometimes there were no nitrox tanks when we came out mid.-morning, but Eden Beach Resort now was a drive through setup so getting tanks from WannaDive there is not the parking nightmare it used to be.
I'll post some photos (I'm a slob, so don't let my mess impact your consideration). First, I'll answer a few probable questions:
1.) Was I content with the Dive Hut stay and package? Yes.
2.) Would I seriously consider them for a solo stay again? Yes.
3.) Were the people there friendly? I'm not very approachable and social, but yes, people were friendly, and tried to make sure I was taken care of. If you buddy up with people readily, I think you'll like them.
4.) Would I stay in such small accommodations with a buddy? A low maintenance buddy like my friend Wallob, who's efficient and has a small 'foot print?' Sure. Someone higher maintenance, with a larger 'foot print' and who can be irritable and a bit demanding (like my wife)? No.
5.) Did I miss a lot of diving, staying at a non-ocean front property? Wallob & I got in 22 dives for the week, with no night dives and not rushing outselves. We hit a lot of sites we hadn't before. Granted, diving & eating were about all we did, but I think it went well.
6.) What did I get at Buddy Dive for more money? They picked me up from & returned me to the airport, truck rental was on-grounds from them, accommodations were much larger, breakfast buffet was included, house reef was quite nice, and if I ever boat dove in Bonaire, it would've been a short walk with no drive. Grounds were quite nice (the one day we walked around quite a bit & actually viewed them at length).
I enjoyed Dive Hut and recommend it on the condition that their offering is the right kind of product to meet your needs. I'd recommend Buddy Dive for the same reasons, given it's a different product for somewhat different needs. I'm not sure what all's changed at Eden Beach Resort, so I'm not up on them right now (but the onsite dive shop, WannaDive, which Dive Hut and Windsock Resort also use, is a fine one).
Some photos from the stay:
Dive Hut front, from across the road:
My Room (#5):
View from my front door:
View from my front door, looking to the right:
The bar out front. They had a BBQ buffet one night, $15 per person, which was really good.
Atop the roof:
Views from the roof:
Gear Room (white building on right, nearest the truck) & Rinse Tanks across the street:
Pics of my room:
Entrance/Dining area:
T.V. System:
Bedroom:
Bathroom:
Art in Room:
---------- Post Merged at 03:39 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 03:33 PM ----------
A couple of follow up points:
1.) Dive Hut's Website.
2.) Their 3 Levels of Accommodations. (Remember that I stayed in the cheapest, which had a mini-fridge, but no kitchenette -basically no cooking equipment, but you can get that at Dive Hut in other accommodations).
Keep in mind that I'm only reporting on one type of their accommodations, the cheapest! They have more to offer than what I used.
Richard.
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