Trip recommendation

[RJP]

We are going for the beaches and diving.

Just know that Bonaire doesn't really have "beaches" per se, as all but a few of the "beaches" are solid coral/rock. Of course with your rental truck you'll have a handy place to relax in between dives...

 

[pro99line]

I am still trying to work out the pricing to be under 3,000 cause that would be perfect. I am still willing to pay more since I put back more already but ofcourse cheaper is better cause that means we can use the remaining money for our next trip.

Airfare from where we live in is 747.70 per person including taxes. So we basically have 1,500 in airfare. I'm basing the rates on May 8 - 15, 2010. It appears that Golden Reef Inn will be our best option. If anyone else has any recommendations, please let me know. Me and my girlfriend watched the video for Golden Reef and it seems like it would be just fine for what we want. Actually the BBQ grill outside being open to use is a big plus for us cause we love to grill and that would be great for saving money on food. Buy some local fresh seafood and grill away.

Golden Reef Inn - Stay/Drive/Dive 7 nights in low season for two is 1380.82. I emailed about if this includes air or nitrox.

Buddy Dive - Stay/Drive/dive 7 nights for two is 1652.00. This includes air/nitrox and breakfast buffet.

Belmar - Stay/Drive/dive 7 nights for two is 2136.00.

Divi Flamingo - Airfare/Stay/Drive/dive 7 nights for two is 2726.00. Price using Orbitz and then added the extra for diving.

 

[RJP]

Buddy Dive - Stay/Drive/dive 7 nights for two is 1652.00. This includes air/nitrox and breakfast buffet.

My friend and I were back and forth between Plaza Resort and Buddy Dive. We ended up doing Plaza for about what you quote above. Included breakfast, nitrox, and six days of two-tank boat dives. We never went on any of the boat dives.

PS - my favorite money-saving tip is buying a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and a jar a of jelly. Total cost for lunch for two for a whole week = $14.

PPS - bring powdered gatorade, lemonade, iced tea, etc. Mix with water and freeze in the fridge in your room. Saved another $100 each in soft drinks/bottled water for the week.

 

[BDSC]

Buddy Dive - Stay/Drive/dive 7 nights for two is 1652.00. This includes air/nitrox and breakfast buffet.

This seems to be really cheap for Buddy's. Would love to know where you found that rate. I checked their website and the price they show would be over $2000 for two. But maybe they have some great advanced deals.

 

[Doc]

We would prefer somewhere that we can do shore dives the entire time instead of having to go on boats. This way we can dive at our leisure and if we decide to call a dive, then we are really not out anything other than some time and can try again later.

We both got nitrox certified last week

Want to save money?

You say you want to do shore diving. You infer a particularly leisurely schedule. It would be very difficult to load up on enough Nitrogen while diving almost any schedule in Bonaire to make the extra cost of nitrox worthwhile. You could do three a day on air and not come close to needing it.

Others will argue the point, but mathematics and economics rule this as fact.

In answer to your other question, if I had a choice, it would be May.

 

[pro99line]

This seems to be really cheap for Buddy's. Would love to know where you found that rate. I checked their website and the price they show would be over $2000 for two. But maybe they have some great advanced deals.

I went here Rates and downloaded the drive and dive pdf file. We would be going during the Summer/Fall. 2 person in a hotel is 943 each and you deduct 117 each if you only want shore dives. I think I did the math right.

 

[pro99line]

My friend and I were back and forth between Plaza Resort and Buddy Dive. We ended up doing Plaza for about what you quote above. Included breakfast, nitrox, and six days of two-tank boat dives. We never went on any of the boat dives.

PS - my favorite money-saving tip is buying a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and a jar a of jelly. Total cost for lunch for two for a whole week = $14.

PPS - bring powdered gatorade, lemonade, iced tea, etc. Mix with water and freeze in the fridge in your room. Saved another $100 each in soft drinks/bottled water for the week.

Yeah, I think we have already decided on taking oatmeal, grits, and cereal for breakfast and will buy milk there. Lunch we decided to get bread and something to go on it. Dinner we would go to the local market and purchase items that we could cook inside the room or outside on the grill. All the tips about food have really helped to save ALOT of money.

 

[RJP]

All the tips about food have really helped to save ALOT of money.

Yeah. However my buddy and I opted to blow all of our breakfast/lunch/snack/beverage savings on really nice dinners and wine every night!

Not sure we saved any money overall...

 

[bfisher]

Pretty good conversation going on here. May I join?

One place I often check for pacage rates is Bonaire - Bonaire Travel and Bonaire Information : Bonaire Pros. They list several places and packages.

I'm going in Sept. for the 7th trip there in 5 years. I've stayed at Buddy's once and Plaza the others. This time me and a couple friends are trying to try the frugal route. You know. Cooking in, peanut butter and jelly just like you guys are talking about. I can do this. I'm there for the diving, not the gourmet.

We worked out a special deal to stay at the Caribbean Club. 2br, 1 bath, truck rental, unlimited air (free Nitrox upgrade), breakfast daily, all taxes---$1120pp, for 2 weeks. Add on airfare we got for $615 from Philadelphia, and lunch and dinner, and were thinking around $1900 pp for those two weeks.

By the way, airfare sucks right now. I got my reservation about 4 months ago from Philly to Bonaire on Delta for $615. The price as of yesterday was like $840. Always l;ook at airfare first and get the best deal on this. There are enough places to stay in Bonaire that you have your choice.

Just FYI, check the ABC/Lesser Antilles section. Check the Marketplace section at the top. Always see what Dvrliz has to say about what's going on in Bonaire. Some very good deals to be had right now.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Want to save money?

You say you want to do shore diving. You infer a particularly leisurely schedule. It would be very difficult to load up on enough Nitrogen while diving almost any schedule in Bonaire to make the extra cost of nitrox worthwhile. You could do three a day on air and not come close to needing it.

Others will argue the point, but mathematics and economics rule this as fact.

@RoatanMan: I'm just curious. Have you ever been to Bonaire? The dive op that I used (and others have similar policies) gave certified divers complimentary unlimited nitrox. The math is simple: additional cost for nitrox = $0. If you were presented the choice between diving air only or a 32% nitrox mix and the nitrox didn't cost extra, I think you'd choose to take the nitrox. 32% is a nice mix for doing the 60 - 100 fsw dives I like doing there.

I am still trying to work out the pricing to be under 3,000 cause that would be perfect. I am still willing to pay more since I put back more already but ofcourse cheaper is better cause that means we can use the remaining money for our next trip.

Airfare from where we live in is 747.70 per person including taxes. So we basically have 1,500 in airfare. I'm basing the rates on May 8 - 15, 2010...

Golden Reef Inn - Stay/Drive/Dive 7 nights in low season for two is 1380.82. I emailed about if this includes air or nitrox.

Buddy Dive - Stay/Drive/dive 7 nights for two is 1652.00. This includes air/nitrox and breakfast buffet.

Belmar - Stay/Drive/dive 7 nights for two is 2136.00.

Divi Flamingo - Airfare/Stay/Drive/dive 7 nights for two is 2726.00. Price using Orbitz and then added the extra for diving.

@pro99line:
The Divi Flamingo package price looks quite good. The numbers on Golden Reef Inn look pretty reasonable -- and ScubaBoarders highly recommend the place. Buddy Dive usually prices out at the higher end of the spectrum even with the 50% food discounts at the bar, but I'd probably consider going with BD if I took a large group with me...strictly for convenience (and the fact that they might comp a spot for a DM which would be a shared savings for the group). Keep working at it. You can go even cheaper on the accommodations/dive/truck rental numbers. The more inexpensive accommodations won't have an oceanview, but that doesn't bother me...I get that at home. They also won't be luxurious by any means. The way I see it, I'm there for the diving. Heck, I've done a trip to Baja Mexico (La Bufadora) where we camped in tents by the shore and did our diving out of little fisherman pangas. I'm low maintenance that way.

Airfare is rarely a great deal too far in advance. Start looking about 5 months out. You'll see the prices drift up and down. Of course, as the date of your vacation gets closer (less than a month), the prices may increase significantly. I've found the sweet spot to be around 2-3 months out. YMMV.