I'm indebted to everyone who posts here, all of your insights and experiences really helped us to have an awesome time last week.
We got a great deal on airfare from Miami and then added on our TPA-MIA flights. That all worked out fine, though we did have to claim and recheck luggage it was a small price to pay for the airfare savings. Rented a truck from Avis (to use Amex insurance), less than $300 for the week. The Avis counter service is really slow, but the truck was problem-free.
Stayed in a one bedroom Den Laman oceanfront after a lot of deliberation, and couldn't have been happier. The building is so close to the water the ocean sounds were audible even through closed sliding doors, the balcony was fantastic and we spent most of our time in the room out there. The equipment room, and tanks on the dock were just as convenient as we hoped, and we did three dives from there on Bari reef, and one boat trip to Klein Bonaire. There were a few times when the parking lot tanks had bad o rings or were under-filled, it was good there was soapy water there to check them before loading the truck to go to other dive sites.
Our favorite sites were Invisibles and Salt Pier, we didn't get to do Something Special during daylight but will next time. We will probably also do the La Dania - Kaparta drift next time, and get over to the other coast once. The water wasn't really warm enough for us to enjoy more than three dives per day, computers said 76 and I wished I'd brought my thicker wetsuit. But I'm wussy that way.
Hilariously, we forgot all the advice on grocery shopping and wandered into THREE different, awful, food stores the first night. I give a lot of credit to those who get off the plane and feel ready to dive, I wasn't even able to follow the great advice I'd gotten to go to Van den Tweel until the next morning. But that store is beautiful, and the produce there combined with some things (including frozen meat) we'd brought from home made some fantastic meals. We also loved Between Two Buns, Patagonia, and Cuba Companigne.
We scoped out other places to stay: Delfins is gorgeous, and would definitely be a great choice if non-divers are coming for a resort experience. Hamlet Oasis seemed very quiet and comfortable, while Buddy Dive seemed very busy and energetic; either could be great if that is what you wanted. We appreciated the balance at Den Laman, the VIEW, and the convenience of the dock out back and easy parking/loading out front.
For next time, we'll plan a longer stay that includes Ostracods. Aside from the wonderfulness of the diving we also really enjoyed the blend of culture on Bonaire and found it fascinating and admirable that so many people speak so many languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Papiamentu. Getting in the swing of truck diving was easy, next time we'll spend more time getting to know the people and island a little better.
We got a great deal on airfare from Miami and then added on our TPA-MIA flights. That all worked out fine, though we did have to claim and recheck luggage it was a small price to pay for the airfare savings. Rented a truck from Avis (to use Amex insurance), less than $300 for the week. The Avis counter service is really slow, but the truck was problem-free.
Stayed in a one bedroom Den Laman oceanfront after a lot of deliberation, and couldn't have been happier. The building is so close to the water the ocean sounds were audible even through closed sliding doors, the balcony was fantastic and we spent most of our time in the room out there. The equipment room, and tanks on the dock were just as convenient as we hoped, and we did three dives from there on Bari reef, and one boat trip to Klein Bonaire. There were a few times when the parking lot tanks had bad o rings or were under-filled, it was good there was soapy water there to check them before loading the truck to go to other dive sites.
Our favorite sites were Invisibles and Salt Pier, we didn't get to do Something Special during daylight but will next time. We will probably also do the La Dania - Kaparta drift next time, and get over to the other coast once. The water wasn't really warm enough for us to enjoy more than three dives per day, computers said 76 and I wished I'd brought my thicker wetsuit. But I'm wussy that way.
Hilariously, we forgot all the advice on grocery shopping and wandered into THREE different, awful, food stores the first night. I give a lot of credit to those who get off the plane and feel ready to dive, I wasn't even able to follow the great advice I'd gotten to go to Van den Tweel until the next morning. But that store is beautiful, and the produce there combined with some things (including frozen meat) we'd brought from home made some fantastic meals. We also loved Between Two Buns, Patagonia, and Cuba Companigne.
We scoped out other places to stay: Delfins is gorgeous, and would definitely be a great choice if non-divers are coming for a resort experience. Hamlet Oasis seemed very quiet and comfortable, while Buddy Dive seemed very busy and energetic; either could be great if that is what you wanted. We appreciated the balance at Den Laman, the VIEW, and the convenience of the dock out back and easy parking/loading out front.
For next time, we'll plan a longer stay that includes Ostracods. Aside from the wonderfulness of the diving we also really enjoyed the blend of culture on Bonaire and found it fascinating and admirable that so many people speak so many languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Papiamentu. Getting in the swing of truck diving was easy, next time we'll spend more time getting to know the people and island a little better.
