Suggestions and places to avoid in Bonaire

[compton384]

Hi Guys, it's been a while since I've posted- bogged down in the cold midwest and getting ready to graduate and become a productive member of society :blinking:

Anyway, I'm planning to go to Bonaire with my boyfriend for a week in May and I need your suggestions! I know there are lots of threads on Bonaire and I looked through a lot of them, but just didn't quite find the kind of compiled suggestions I'm looking for. I don't have anything booked, I've just been looking on a lot of sites, but as I read and read, I figured I'd ask the expertise of you fine people.

What are people's suggestions for places to stay? Any places I should definitely avoid?

Dive outfitters- places to go and places to avoid?

Keep in mind, I'm a poor student on a budget, so I'm really looking for value, but I definitely don't want to stay in a dump or use equipment that might be subpar. If you want to throw in some restaurant suggestions, go ahead I first came across Plaza Resort Bonaire because they have a seemingly good deal that's all-inclusive, even throwing a car in the deal- anyone stayed there? There seem to be mixed reviews online. Harbour Village Beach Club also has a decent package- thoughts?

 

[DiverVince]

Umm..Sorry but appears to be a disconnect in your posting.."I'm a poor student on a budget" and "Harbour Village Beach Club has a decent package".
Harbour Village is to my knowledge THE most exclusive resort on the island. So if you can afford it, I say go for it. Otherwise I'd direct you to this site which separates the accommodations available by price range..
Info Bonaire - Hotels & Accommodations - Resorts, Condos, Inns, Apartments, Houses and other accommodations
With respect to cuisine, Bonaire has restaurants to accommodate all types of budgets. Enjoy your trip & congratulations on becoming "a productive member of society".

 

[diversteve]

Agree with DiverVince - unless things have radically changed Harbour Village is the most expensive AI on the island. Also their house dive isn't the best, lots of past hurricane rubble and a smaller, shallow wreck offshore. Nice beach though.

We never stayed at the Plaza but dove with Toucan there. We met a family on the boat that stayed there and said it was pretty nice - they had a waterfront villa though. The beach BBQ there mid-week was really good. One thing about the Plaza is that it's a sprawling resort - Toucan Dive, the dive gear storage area and tank fill are on the lagoon to the south but their dive - 18 Palms is more to the north end of the resort. I think they stage tanks near the dive site but it would be a good hike with gear. We drove from Toucan out the resort main gate and parked in the employee lot one night - to go to the BBQ - the dive site is near there also.

You might look at Eden Beach. It's in the cluster of North dive resorts, I believe it's more affordable, has a beach bar - nice beach - they're on a named dive site (can't recall which one) There's also a pretty good deeper wreck near there. The main Wannadive facility is there, they get good reviews here - Bart their owner posts here occasionally. Nearby (walking) is a small grocery store, Lover's Ice Cream, a bank and a deli.

A new place I heard about last year is Waterlands Village. It's a smaller, newly built complex on the edge of the lagoon near the airport. That area is not really oceanfront so their prices reflect that - IIRC a 1BR cottage is around $900 - non inclusive of truck/diving etc. I think it's about a 5min. walk to Bachelor's Beach from there - also a dive. The Plaza is just around the corner from there - a few minutes drive around the lagoon. A couple minutes drive south from there to the start of the really good south dive sites, the Hooker, Angel City, Invisibles etc. down to the Salt Pier.

A really inexpensive option is Lagoen Hills, it's several miles from the water sort of east of Kralendijk. So drive a little to save $$.

Many properties on Bonaire only have A/C in the bedrooms to keep the costs down. Some of the really inexpensive ones don't have it at all. In May you want that... Just about everybody bundles accommodations/diving/truck rental so check their websites for deals.

My short restaurant list ranked sort of by price.

Bobbe-Jan's takeout BBQ in town
the little snack shop across from the Plaza entrance.
City Cafe
Zee Zicht (sandwiches)
Donna/Giorgio's
Casablanca - huge portions.
It Rains Fishes - pricey but a great view.

You might also check with www.bonairepros.com for a bundled deal.

 

[oly5050user]

Harbor Village is the most expensive ..Plaza is ok,but I do not care for it as a walk from room to house reef is too far for my likes,can be over a 5 min walk ..Buddy is easiest for use of their house reef,Can be less than a 1 min walk to dock.
I have a group going in May and staying at Buddy Dive, includes rental vehicle/breakfast/nitrox/unlimit shore dives/9 boat dives/airport transfers/ 50% off at resort restaurant....pm if interested. I reserved 20 spots and have a few remaining.

 

[drrich2]

Cheap would be Dive Hut, which uses WannaDive dive shop (reputable). Note that the rates are for a room, with only a small upcharge to add a second person. But you don't get cooking equipment, just a small fridge, from what I understand.

Modest would be Eden Beach Resort. When I travel with a group I know, I tend to pay around maybe $850 - $900 apiece, shared occupancy assumed, plus about $1,000 for plane ticket (Nashville to Atlanta to Bonaire & back, on Delta, which I don't like but that's the most straight forward for me). Eden Beach has the Eden's Rubble dive site; not much coral, mainly a small rocky wall & some rubble, but the wreck of the Bakanal out deeper is fairly nice. Night dives here can be cool, as is walking around the water's edge at night looking for chain moray eels working the edge where water flows over the rocks.

Buddy Dive Resort is really popular. A bit pricier than Eden Beach Resort, but includes buffet breakfast (pretty elaborate & good), and they pick you up at the airport & take you back at the end, which is a nice touch. House reef is quite nice; stayed at Buddy's Dec. 2011 & dove the house reef a several times.


Recommend traveling with a group your first trip, to help you get oriented. The road signs are different that in the U.S., nearly all dive trucks are manual (I think Buddy's can get you an automatic for a $200 upcharge) so somebody has to drive stick, and I see you don't have a lot of dives yet so far (Bonaire will help with that!). If you're adventurous, outgoing/extroverted, style yourself an adventurer & independent & like getting out of your comfort zone, you might like going with just the 2 of you. I'm an introvert and like an entourage the first time I venture out somewhere different.

Bon Appetit' is a Chinese food place that's fairly cheap, considering the island (not buffet, but good amount of food) - nice to know for lunch. I like City Cafe' - good food, not too bad on price. I also like Wil's Grill. Be mindful Bonaire is not a cheap place to eat out.

Richard.

 

[herman]

The owners of Wannadive and Wannadivehut are the same, great people I might add. It's been a long time since I stayed there but it was fine way back when they first opened and knowing Bart it has improved since then so it should be OK. Nothing fancy but a clean room with a bath.

Another place to look is Den Laman, they have a small studio that is nice. You can save a good bit by eating in so a kitchen is a big help.

 

[boat sju]

We just stayed at the Dive Hut and you can get a kitchenette with a propane stovetop and a decent size fridge. The owners, Roland and Irene, are good people and also own Bonaire Fun and Tropicana. Check out their web sites.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

Isn't there couch surfing in Bonaire?

 

[gert7to3]

On my seventh trip, I stayed at Dive Hut this past November. Our apartment had a full kitchen. A much more budget friendly place. Roland and Irene are really nice. We used Dive Friends, which is just two short blocks from Dive Hut's location. They were a fine dive op, with several locations for tank pick-up.

I've stayed at Sand Dollar, Buddy's, Caribbean Club and Captn' Don's on my previous six trips.

 

[compton384]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! One more question- are the boat dives worth it on Bonaire or are the shore diving reefs really the most spectacular sites? I'm trying to compare package deals and without knowing that, it's hard to compare ones that include boat dives with the ones that include only unlimited shore diving.