Staying/Diving in Bonaire

[maxroc]

Sorry to start yet another "where should I stay/dive in Bonaire?" thread, i know there are dozens. However, sometimes it's hard to get answers to one's specific questions from other peoples threads.

We are going for a week in late February. Plan on doing mostly shore diving with maybe one boat dive. Would like to be accompanied by a quality local guide/divemaster on all dives, shore or boat. Tend to prefer smaller, more specialist dive outfits as opposed to huge commercial ones. Fifi's operation in T&C is my definition of the perfect dive outfit.

We'll be renting almost all of our gear. We live in NYC and storage space for dive gear isn't practical for us.

Was looking at Dive Friends Bonaire (formerly Photo Tours Bonaire and Yellow Submarine). Like that they're an independent opertaion not affilated with any one resort. Anyone have experience with them? Do they match up with the criteria above? Any better suggestions.

As for accommodations, we would like to stay somewhere on the water, with nice rooms that include a full kitchen. A pool would be nice too. Don't mind paying a little extra for a more polished place, but it doesn't need to be four stars.

Was looking at Port Bonaire. Any experiences there?

What about Hotel Belafonte? Have been told it's in the more residential area, but not sure what that means.

Any place else that fits better with what we're looking for that we've missed so far?

Obviously, a hotel and a dive operation that were near each other would be very nice.

Sorry for the long post. Really appreciate any and all help in advance.

 

[maxroc]

After reading a bit more, it looks like maybe Buddy's has everything we're looking for in one place. Does that sound right to folks who have been there?

Definitely open to any other suggestions. Thanks.

 

[diversteve]

Tend to prefer smaller, more specialist dive outfits as opposed to huge commercial ones.

That's not Buddy's. It's a dive resort, lots of divers, loud bar in the afternoon, more crowded boats. And it's a pretty big place, they recently acquired the Lions Dive condos next door which doubled the resort. Only two restaurants, one's just a glorified bar, and if you're on the Lions Dive side it's a longish walk over to the diveshop, it's on the south end of the Buddy property. And a lot of the Buddy property sort of just sees the water.

I wrote the rest of this before your second post so here it is:

Every resort has an affiliated dive operation. Many of them are on-site.

Smallish problem with Port Bonaire - they're in the flightpath. There used to be a 2AM KLM flight - if that sort of thing bothers you. Although it's hardly a busy airport...

Hotel Belafonte? Do you mean Bellafonte Chateau de la Mer? If so it's in Belnem south of the airport. It's more residential in that it's in a local neighborhood. So that means the closest food is back past the airport across from/at Plaza Resort. It's a 5 min. drive to town from Belnem. But close to the southern shore sites, Hooker, Angel City, Salt Pier etc...

A place nearby is Bel-Mar Condos. It's nice, newer, all condos, full kitchens, nice pool 50' from your patio and not too crowded typically as there's only 22 condos. There's a pretty good house reef just off their dive dock which is 20' from the pool and they're the other Buddy Resort facility. So you get use of some of the Buddy facilities - including the drive-thru tank pickup. I'm not sure if their boat picks you up at Bel-Mar now or if you still have to drive up to Buddy's. Bel-Mar is a block or so south from the Bellafonte. Pretty quiet at night.

Buddy's is a larger operation so your one boat dive might be a little more crowded but their staff at Bel-Mar is just there for the Bel-Mar guests. Mostly our shop mgr. was reading on the terrace when she wasn't doing BMP orientations or hustling tanks. So you could maybe get the personalized service you're looking for from them.

Although it's really hard to get lost off Bonaire, the reef parallels the shore and if it's getting deeper, that's the wrong way... About the hardest thing is getting over the ironshore at many of the sites. Bring/Buy good treaded boots...

 

[reefdiva]

maxroc ... if you are going to Bonaire this February you might not have as much choice about places to stay as you would like since February is "high season." Places that come to mind that fit your criteria for a pool and full kitchen are BelMar and Residence Windsock (although the building is across the street from the water they have a new water side area with some sand, lounges, etc).

If you are willing to give up the kitchen you might want to try Deep Blue View. It is a beautiful bed and breakfast high on a hill with fabulous views a nd a lovely pool. Esther is a great cook and there is a refrigerator for guest use. Menno has a small boat that he uses for dives with his customers; he is a wonderful guy. Not sure if they do equipment rentals but I am sure he could help you to find them.

We have used Photo Tours for tanks for several years and have always been pleased with them. We don't do boat dives or guides so can't tell you about that.

Again, because it is high season, once you choose a dive shop you should contact them right away to arrange a divemaster for all your dives, especially since most divemasters associated with shops teach and work on the boats. It is rare for someone to want a divemaster for all of their shore dives given the ease of navigation.

You might want to check out the website for Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy by Susan Porter at Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy, BSDME, Author Susan Porter for lots of info on shore diving. And as Steve said, invest in boots with a hard sole!

 

[vanessar]

I can highly recommend the Yacht Club Apartments. Small, clean, well located and value priced.

Vanessar

 

[maxroc]

Thank you all for your responses, very helpful. Much appreciated.

 

[dvrliz1]

Hi Max!

I would suggest that you all look at a private villa on the water. There are various companies that rent these out. Also, I would HIGHLY recommend Sand Dollar Condos. They are right on the water, do have access to a pool on property. Each condo is privately owned, therefore, each is decorated differently. I hve been in a 2 story 2 bedroom and it was lovely! They also have a small dive operator that would satisfy your needs, which is Bonaire Dive and Adventure. I have never used them, but have heard nothing but good things and know the owner personally.

Your other consideration may be Den Laman, though they do not have a pool, but have a restaurant on site and work with BDA also.

Hope this helps.

Liz

 

[vanessar]

Hi Max!
They also have a small dive operator that would satisfy your needs, which is Bonaire Dive and Adventure. I have never used them, but have heard nothing but good things and know the owner personally.


Liz

I have used BDA and they are great.

Vanessar

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Regardless of where you end up staying...Bring your most potent mosquito repellent! I just returned from a weeklong trip to Bonaire...and the mosquitoes were quite bad -- much worse than last year. Locals told us that this winter was wet which created many standing pools of water that make ideal breeding grounds for the li'l buggers. Wear pants to dinner. After night dives, don't take off your neoprene. Just get in your truck and drive back to your apartment/condo/hotel room. I made the mistake of stripping to the waist while de-gearing after a night dive at Windsock. Within 3 minutes, I had received about 20 bites on my back...I'm not joking.

Our dive group used Photo Tours Divers/Yellow Submarine. Their unlimited shore diving package with free nitrox upgrade was a very good deal. We could also pick up tanks at one of three convenient locations on the island (nitrox was only available at 2 of the locations). I would recommend giving them a shot.

Don't bother with hiring a dive guide for shore dives at any of the established sites. Purchasing Susan Porter's book (Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy) was sufficient.

I recommend doing the DM-led night dive under the Town Pier. One word...seahorses. We also heard that you might find them at Petries Pillar.

We encountered spotted eagle rays at Red Slave. We saw hawksbill turtles at about half of the northern dive sites. One guy in our group stumbled upon a slipper lobster -- weird looking creature.

As mentioned above, hard-soled booties are recommended. The ironshore can be quite rocky.

Enjoy the diving...

 

[scubadobadoo]

Have a great trip! We are excited for ours as well!

Just for the record, we are going in late February and 4 of the 5 places we wanted to stay at were all booked up so I would try to do some calling around sooner than later. While Bonaire has many options, the same 5-10 places seem to be the most popular. When I called Buddy Dive last month I was told they were full but perhaps with cancellations or just the right dates you will have better luck.

Den Laman seems to fit your needs but they are also full the week we are there in late Feb. Still, if you haven't yet decided, I would look into Den Laman as well. We were told we took the last room for our dates but who knows...

The other thing I suggest is to stay off the boats and just go shore dive. It doesn't get any more "small and specialized" than that. One of the only regrets from people I hear after a week in Boniare is, "Why did we book all those boat dives?"

We live in NYC as well, we understand. On vacation we want solitude and an escape from the rat race. Shore diving in Bonaire opens the possibility that you will NOT see another diver or even person other than your buddy, for an entire dive! Plus, you pick every site! You pick when you dive it!! That's what vacation should be and that's why we choose Bonaire. No schedule!!!!!