Bonaire May 23rd - June 7th 2014 Trip Report
Overall:
We were celebrating our 10th anniversary and a finally recovered enough knee injury (which kept me out of the ocean for almost two years). We had come for a week in October 2011 and loved it and were more than ready to return and were so excited for two weeks this time! The United connection through IAH was flawless and we appreciated the non red eye. We were miffed that United neglected to notify us of the flight changes, but thanks to the forums all worked out. The weather was much better overall than in October, however towards the end of our trip, the wind was getting pretty strong and we would prefer next time to come earlier to hopefully avoid 25+knot winds and the hot 90s+ days that crept up on us at the very end of our trip. The 15-18 knot winds earlier in the trip were actually quite nice. We once again loved using Telerin, very convenient and the truck ran great but looked like a beater (which we like), we did however want a tailgate, but just used the back of the truck to gear up and that worked fine. We loved Bamboo Bali and had a great experience at BDA. We saw tons of things and had a lot of magical dive days. Lost a dive day to illness and probably slowed us down a little, but of the 12 days we dove, we got 44 dives in total and did some classics this time we did not have time for last time such as the Salt Pier and the Hilma Hooker. Tried to get to Rappel and Forest but alas. Got to four other Klein sites on the boat and did Country Garden and Oil Slick on the boat ( I dont like boat dives to shore sites). All the rest were shore. We did one Blue Night Dive which was neat. Thought that the coral and amount of large fish looked better than Oct. 2011. Lots of small lionfish, but lots less big lionfish. Dive computer read 81F all week. Viz was variable, worse on the windier days. Current was much less than on our previous October trip. We also met so many awesome folks this time, it was great meeting other divers and learning from them and sharing stories, etc. We noticed the island was much much busier than Oct. 2011 and sometimes we could not find any parking downtown in the afternoons. Dining is awesome as usual, with Capriccio's, Chez Madeleine, Cactus Blue, and Between 2 Buns being our MUSTs recommendations. We loved the Van Den Tweel addition for groceries. Pictures/Videos coming soon. WHAT AN AWESOME TRIP - WE CANT WAIT TO GO BACK FOR ANOTHER TWO WEEKS!
Bamboo Bali
Hubby really wanted a comfy King size bed that would offer some privacy and would be a little more luxurious. This place is heaven. We stayed in Uluwatu and loved the privacy and outdoor dining. We used the grill once and it was very nice and more than adequate. We loved the jacuzzis for after a long day of diving or a chilly night dive. The bed was wonderfully comfortable and the cottage was just lovely. We especially enjoyed our outdoor dining setup and used it multiple times each day. It was wonderful watching all of the beautiful birds, lizards, and frogs that are attracted to the lush landscaping. After you check in you dont really interact with anyone, you can always reach Sebastian, and he will attend to any request, but you really get a peaceful, private oasis for after your day of diving and socializing, which is exactly what we needed. We also love the location across from Hamlet Villas, very close to the Cliff dive site which we love, and very close to the ZK supermarket and Between 2 Buns which we frequented often, Highly recommend and would definitely return.
Bonaire Dive and Adventure
Dove with these guys on our last trip in Oct. 2011. Had mixed feelings then. (some staff were great, others were borderline grouchy). This time was so much better! We loved Andres dive orientation and Catherine was so friendly and helpful. They really made us feel welcome and had the best suggestions about the island. We also really loved the DMs that they had working, Sammie and Pursey. They worked so hard to attend to what people wanted and really helped me out with my knee. They also showed us seahorses and frogfish on the boat dives. Pursey really has a passion for the reef and critter spotting. They really made the trip special!
The reason we returned even though we had mixed feelings before was for the super convenient diving setup. Their setup is so streamlined and well laid out for both the dock area and the drive up service. It really helps minimize lugging things around and we enjoyed the 24/7 tank availability. The dock was also great for when the wind caused stronger surge and my wobbly knee was fearful of the rocky entries/exits elsewhere.
Finally they are located on Bari Reef, which has an incredible abundance of life and really pretty coral, too. We saw so many things here and I just love the seascape. Its just a great great dive with lots to see. We particularly liked the 5:30pm dive time which we did almost daily because although viz was less than earlier in the day, the life was just teeming at this time.
Dining
I am a foodie. My favorite thing is to try new places and order a bunch of things recommended by the staff and chef. There are so many great dining options on Bonaire, it is a foodies paradise. They have everything from hole in the wall to gourmet. I ate out a ton and still missed loads! I guess I need to go back. We tried to hit up Appetite, Bistro de Paris (a favorite from last time) but could not make the schedule work. Also we could never find the grill trucks. Next time for sure .
Rum Runners ( and Pizza Temple) 2 late night dinners. We found this place to have reliably yummy food with a pretty good selection. Portions were generous and costs were low. Service was good to very good and you cant beat the Oceanside location with tarpon in sight hunting for their dinner while you enjoy yours. We especially enjoyed their BBQ Chicken Pizza and the spinach mushroom appetizer (great fresh fried tortillas chips). The lava cake, and the burger was also very good and would order all of the above again. The staff here is very friendly and accommodating too, we were worried since we were not guests of the resort, but they always made us feel welcome.
Chez Madeleine One dinner. Made a reservation ahead. Excellent dinner here. Love, love, loved, the sea scallops appetizer! Perfectly seasoned and cooked, the best I have ever had. The shrimp scampi entree was also sheer perfection. Hubby had the Veal Tenderloin, this was absolutely amazing and had great flavors. House red was delicious, generous, and very affordable. Just when I thought I couldnt love this place more the dessert came, the Chocolate Ganache, which is basically a chocolate lava cake BEST LAVA CAKE on the island or anywhere ever wondrous flavor and texture. We will definitely return and be happy to try other dishes and enjoy the friendly service and intimate atmosphere.
Between 2 Buns 1 Breakfast, 3 lunches, and countless mochaccinos, muffins, croissants, baguettes. This place provided some of the best meals on the island at incredibly reasonable prices and with really friendly and prompt service. The have real passion for what they do. It also seems to be a staple for both locals and tourists. I wish we could have eaten here more. Highlights mochaccinos, fresh warm chocolate or plain croissants each morning for our drive to the dive site or morning surface interval. For lunch, all of the specials we had were phenomenal and were of a generous size, I could get two meals out of them. We had the mahi-mahi, steak cheese sandwich, blue cheese burger and the Mona Lisa sandwich, and Chocolate mousse cake were our faves for lunch. The off gas breakfast was also just great, the quality of meats and cheese combined with the attention to detail in not overcooking, things really makes it one of those home run every time type places - especially at this price point.
La Guernica 1 dinner. We wanted to go elsewhere but wound up here based on several recommendations both online and on the dive boat. A mixed review, some selections were amazing, best I ever had Gazpacho, Homemade bread, the Mussels included in the Paella special. The goat cheese tapas was also very very good. The churros are a freaking revelation, they are what churros should be amazing texture and flavor. All of these items I would happily order again and be excited to enjoy. Other things were just plain disappointing, not inedible, just like below Applebees quality, for example, the ham and cheese tapas, the ribs, and the worst, the beef enchiladas. The wine recommendation, the Seafood Paella special and the Carpaccio were good not great. Service was as mixed as the food (3-4 waitresses served us, 1 was amazing, 1 was borderline rude, other two were good). When the bill came and it was almost $200 with tip, I was a little disappointed overall since being spoiled by more reasonable choices with some better food options.
I would go back and just order the Gazpacho (everyone get their own bowl its the best ever), the homemade bread appetizer, cocktails and see if they had anything going on with mussels in it ( perfectly cooked amazing!) and of course dont forget the Churros, please dont forget the Churros! This would yield a more reasonable bill, great food, and their wonderful sea side location.
Cappricios - 1 dinner, why oh why, only one? This was a place that I was on the fence about making a reservation at. Some gentle urging convinced me and man were we happy we did. This place was hands down the best meal we had on island. Such great service and recommendations, so friendly, great wine recommendation, and the food spectacular. I wish we would have discovered this place sooner in our trip so we could have eaten here more. I wish I could trade the money we spent at At Sea and La Guernica to eat here. The Carpaccio appetizer everyone recommends, is fabulous, the pastas were heaven, my husbands carbonara was absolute perfection, my braised beef ravioli was fabulous. The tiramisu was an inspiration. And the price was so reasonable, a whole bottle of fine wine, 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, and 2 desserts, $150 with a good tip! I cannot wait to return and am drooling over it now. This is a MUST at least TWICE per trip.
At Sea 1 dinner. I hate writing negative reviews and try to be as objective as I can as the purpose of reviews is to give advice so that others can have better experiences. This place was the biggest disappointment of our trip. I was so looking forward to it and I hoped against hope with each new dish that it would get better. I had a reservation for over 6 weeks. The service here is great. We had to wait forever for our table, but they gave us complimentary Prosecco which was nice (once again classy service). This is a trendy, loud, packed typed of dining experience. We ordered the tasting menu with wine, with the hope that they would wow us. The salmon/green pea amuse was very good. The Carpaccio appetizer was probably the best thing we had (but come on everyone on the island makes this well not really innovative or exciting). The barracuda was perfectly cooked, but flavorless, and the random pieces of the dish were random in flavor and texture. The duck course was much better, once again perfection in cooking, and the flavors were so much better than the barracuda, but still not a dish I would order again or recommend someone go here to order. And the dessert, a chocolate cake with raspberry sorbet and some other random things, was terrible, worst dessert I have ever ever ever had, like by twenty times. It was just wrong. Something was wrong with it. I had a reservation at 7:30, by the time all this was over with, it was 10pm and we were still very hungry after a 4 dive day, so I asked if we could order more hoping to salvage my experience by trying the Tuna 2Way or The Lucky 7 or anything else. They were reluctant to let me order anything else, so we just had cappuccinos and went home very hungry and everything was closed by 11pm when the bill was settled.
Another big negative for this place: Wine pairings were mostly awful. For the wine accompaniment they give you really generous pours of really good wines, but only one of the four wines selected paired well with the course it was paired to. The other three pours were absolutely lovely by themselves and absolutely terrible with the paired food. I have a sommeliers friend and have a very wine experienced family (parents went to France, Italy, and California last year to drink and buy wine). It wasnt At Seas wines, it was how they chose to pair them. And this was also what I think was wrong in many of their dishes, they know how to select quality ingredients and cook things properly, just not how to make it all come together.
I was almost in tears when I left with disappointment at how much I had been looking forward to a great meal. I feel like there are many good components to this restaurant (service, preparation of fish and meat) but at least in the dishes I had (which they picked btw!) that they were sorely lacking the overall dining quality that I would expect for an over $200 meal for two. In a word, OVERHYPED!
Cactus Blue At the Beach These guys were gone the first week we were here, so we hit them up twice for lionfish sandwiches our last week. I could eat here every other day, no exaggeration. Amazing, affordable, friendly, great location and atmosphere. They also have really nice rash guards, I am very happy to have one for myself now!
Wils Tropical Grill This was our favorite from our previous one week trip. The online recommendations for the Smoked Blue Marlin and the Ginger Snap cocktail were spot on and AMAZING. The Beef tenderloin my husband ordered was phenomenal. Fried mushrooms were great, too. My blue corn dusted shrimp was good, but I think I next time I would try the gnocchi with crab instead. The lava cake was good, just did not live up to the all of its online recommendations and raves! I much preferred the 3 mini desserts we enjoyed on our last visit. Service is amazing and friendly as ever, and I love the intimate location and dining experience. Also appreciate the value for the quality. We will be back!
Plazita Limena at Den Laman had a great dinner at the intown location on our last trip and wanted to try the new location since we were staying close by. Had the waiter and chef make recommendations. I wish we had more eating out time because I would havecome again for sure. This is a very good place with reasonable prices. We had the mixed grill with frijoles and plantains, so so so good and a great value for the portion sizes, amazing ribs and everything else was great too fed us both twice. Wish I could have tried the Paella. Will return!
KFC cheap,delicious chicken and biscuits, great to stretch out over several meals.
Zuong Kong Supermarket Love the Pastechis here, you have to go before lunch tor they sell out - the tuna and ham and cheese were our favorites.
Van den Tweels great fresh baguette, cheeses, fresh pastries (if you get there when they open), had some Pastechi and Cappucinos there are on Sundays when Between 2 Buns was closed. We like the Pastechi better at Zuong Kong and the cappuccinos at VDT were terrible, oops! We never seemed to be there when their chickens were ready or available. Of course we love the grocery store.
Gios great gelato and very good cappuccinos, too - an every other day type of place.
Lovers - great ice cream, had it at least every other day, we love the homemade waffle cones.
Groceries
We used the following two places for our two week trip, I think we made about two trips to each.
Van den Tweel - fabulous store with good prices, we loved the fresh baguettes and reasonable cheese prices. Croissants were also good for when B2B is closed. Best (and really great)selection of fruits and vegetables. Beer, soda, juices, and milk were only slightly higher priced than ZK so probably not a big enough difference to justify a separate trip there unless you are going there anyway. Alway parking available.
Zuong Kong Supermarket - really affordable, super friendly people and a good bet for us Hato folks. Not a good selection of dutch or fresh items, but definitely the place to go for American items and coke, rum, and beer. Love the pastechi! The ladies in here are always so friendly.
Fruit Stand on waterfront - cheap and great selection, very nice guy too!
Other
Found a ring for me at Jewel of Bonaire - this is a great gift shop with lots of affordable souvenir ideas!
JanArt Gallery - found lots of great prints, tiles, and souvenirs here - they are really fun people too - definitely worth a stop!
Overall:
We were celebrating our 10th anniversary and a finally recovered enough knee injury (which kept me out of the ocean for almost two years). We had come for a week in October 2011 and loved it and were more than ready to return and were so excited for two weeks this time! The United connection through IAH was flawless and we appreciated the non red eye. We were miffed that United neglected to notify us of the flight changes, but thanks to the forums all worked out. The weather was much better overall than in October, however towards the end of our trip, the wind was getting pretty strong and we would prefer next time to come earlier to hopefully avoid 25+knot winds and the hot 90s+ days that crept up on us at the very end of our trip. The 15-18 knot winds earlier in the trip were actually quite nice. We once again loved using Telerin, very convenient and the truck ran great but looked like a beater (which we like), we did however want a tailgate, but just used the back of the truck to gear up and that worked fine. We loved Bamboo Bali and had a great experience at BDA. We saw tons of things and had a lot of magical dive days. Lost a dive day to illness and probably slowed us down a little, but of the 12 days we dove, we got 44 dives in total and did some classics this time we did not have time for last time such as the Salt Pier and the Hilma Hooker. Tried to get to Rappel and Forest but alas. Got to four other Klein sites on the boat and did Country Garden and Oil Slick on the boat ( I dont like boat dives to shore sites). All the rest were shore. We did one Blue Night Dive which was neat. Thought that the coral and amount of large fish looked better than Oct. 2011. Lots of small lionfish, but lots less big lionfish. Dive computer read 81F all week. Viz was variable, worse on the windier days. Current was much less than on our previous October trip. We also met so many awesome folks this time, it was great meeting other divers and learning from them and sharing stories, etc. We noticed the island was much much busier than Oct. 2011 and sometimes we could not find any parking downtown in the afternoons. Dining is awesome as usual, with Capriccio's, Chez Madeleine, Cactus Blue, and Between 2 Buns being our MUSTs recommendations. We loved the Van Den Tweel addition for groceries. Pictures/Videos coming soon. WHAT AN AWESOME TRIP - WE CANT WAIT TO GO BACK FOR ANOTHER TWO WEEKS!
Bamboo Bali
Hubby really wanted a comfy King size bed that would offer some privacy and would be a little more luxurious. This place is heaven. We stayed in Uluwatu and loved the privacy and outdoor dining. We used the grill once and it was very nice and more than adequate. We loved the jacuzzis for after a long day of diving or a chilly night dive. The bed was wonderfully comfortable and the cottage was just lovely. We especially enjoyed our outdoor dining setup and used it multiple times each day. It was wonderful watching all of the beautiful birds, lizards, and frogs that are attracted to the lush landscaping. After you check in you dont really interact with anyone, you can always reach Sebastian, and he will attend to any request, but you really get a peaceful, private oasis for after your day of diving and socializing, which is exactly what we needed. We also love the location across from Hamlet Villas, very close to the Cliff dive site which we love, and very close to the ZK supermarket and Between 2 Buns which we frequented often, Highly recommend and would definitely return.
Bonaire Dive and Adventure
Dove with these guys on our last trip in Oct. 2011. Had mixed feelings then. (some staff were great, others were borderline grouchy). This time was so much better! We loved Andres dive orientation and Catherine was so friendly and helpful. They really made us feel welcome and had the best suggestions about the island. We also really loved the DMs that they had working, Sammie and Pursey. They worked so hard to attend to what people wanted and really helped me out with my knee. They also showed us seahorses and frogfish on the boat dives. Pursey really has a passion for the reef and critter spotting. They really made the trip special!
The reason we returned even though we had mixed feelings before was for the super convenient diving setup. Their setup is so streamlined and well laid out for both the dock area and the drive up service. It really helps minimize lugging things around and we enjoyed the 24/7 tank availability. The dock was also great for when the wind caused stronger surge and my wobbly knee was fearful of the rocky entries/exits elsewhere.
Finally they are located on Bari Reef, which has an incredible abundance of life and really pretty coral, too. We saw so many things here and I just love the seascape. Its just a great great dive with lots to see. We particularly liked the 5:30pm dive time which we did almost daily because although viz was less than earlier in the day, the life was just teeming at this time.
Dining
I am a foodie. My favorite thing is to try new places and order a bunch of things recommended by the staff and chef. There are so many great dining options on Bonaire, it is a foodies paradise. They have everything from hole in the wall to gourmet. I ate out a ton and still missed loads! I guess I need to go back. We tried to hit up Appetite, Bistro de Paris (a favorite from last time) but could not make the schedule work. Also we could never find the grill trucks. Next time for sure .
Rum Runners ( and Pizza Temple) 2 late night dinners. We found this place to have reliably yummy food with a pretty good selection. Portions were generous and costs were low. Service was good to very good and you cant beat the Oceanside location with tarpon in sight hunting for their dinner while you enjoy yours. We especially enjoyed their BBQ Chicken Pizza and the spinach mushroom appetizer (great fresh fried tortillas chips). The lava cake, and the burger was also very good and would order all of the above again. The staff here is very friendly and accommodating too, we were worried since we were not guests of the resort, but they always made us feel welcome.
Chez Madeleine One dinner. Made a reservation ahead. Excellent dinner here. Love, love, loved, the sea scallops appetizer! Perfectly seasoned and cooked, the best I have ever had. The shrimp scampi entree was also sheer perfection. Hubby had the Veal Tenderloin, this was absolutely amazing and had great flavors. House red was delicious, generous, and very affordable. Just when I thought I couldnt love this place more the dessert came, the Chocolate Ganache, which is basically a chocolate lava cake BEST LAVA CAKE on the island or anywhere ever wondrous flavor and texture. We will definitely return and be happy to try other dishes and enjoy the friendly service and intimate atmosphere.
Between 2 Buns 1 Breakfast, 3 lunches, and countless mochaccinos, muffins, croissants, baguettes. This place provided some of the best meals on the island at incredibly reasonable prices and with really friendly and prompt service. The have real passion for what they do. It also seems to be a staple for both locals and tourists. I wish we could have eaten here more. Highlights mochaccinos, fresh warm chocolate or plain croissants each morning for our drive to the dive site or morning surface interval. For lunch, all of the specials we had were phenomenal and were of a generous size, I could get two meals out of them. We had the mahi-mahi, steak cheese sandwich, blue cheese burger and the Mona Lisa sandwich, and Chocolate mousse cake were our faves for lunch. The off gas breakfast was also just great, the quality of meats and cheese combined with the attention to detail in not overcooking, things really makes it one of those home run every time type places - especially at this price point.
La Guernica 1 dinner. We wanted to go elsewhere but wound up here based on several recommendations both online and on the dive boat. A mixed review, some selections were amazing, best I ever had Gazpacho, Homemade bread, the Mussels included in the Paella special. The goat cheese tapas was also very very good. The churros are a freaking revelation, they are what churros should be amazing texture and flavor. All of these items I would happily order again and be excited to enjoy. Other things were just plain disappointing, not inedible, just like below Applebees quality, for example, the ham and cheese tapas, the ribs, and the worst, the beef enchiladas. The wine recommendation, the Seafood Paella special and the Carpaccio were good not great. Service was as mixed as the food (3-4 waitresses served us, 1 was amazing, 1 was borderline rude, other two were good). When the bill came and it was almost $200 with tip, I was a little disappointed overall since being spoiled by more reasonable choices with some better food options.
I would go back and just order the Gazpacho (everyone get their own bowl its the best ever), the homemade bread appetizer, cocktails and see if they had anything going on with mussels in it ( perfectly cooked amazing!) and of course dont forget the Churros, please dont forget the Churros! This would yield a more reasonable bill, great food, and their wonderful sea side location.
Cappricios - 1 dinner, why oh why, only one? This was a place that I was on the fence about making a reservation at. Some gentle urging convinced me and man were we happy we did. This place was hands down the best meal we had on island. Such great service and recommendations, so friendly, great wine recommendation, and the food spectacular. I wish we would have discovered this place sooner in our trip so we could have eaten here more. I wish I could trade the money we spent at At Sea and La Guernica to eat here. The Carpaccio appetizer everyone recommends, is fabulous, the pastas were heaven, my husbands carbonara was absolute perfection, my braised beef ravioli was fabulous. The tiramisu was an inspiration. And the price was so reasonable, a whole bottle of fine wine, 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, and 2 desserts, $150 with a good tip! I cannot wait to return and am drooling over it now. This is a MUST at least TWICE per trip.
At Sea 1 dinner. I hate writing negative reviews and try to be as objective as I can as the purpose of reviews is to give advice so that others can have better experiences. This place was the biggest disappointment of our trip. I was so looking forward to it and I hoped against hope with each new dish that it would get better. I had a reservation for over 6 weeks. The service here is great. We had to wait forever for our table, but they gave us complimentary Prosecco which was nice (once again classy service). This is a trendy, loud, packed typed of dining experience. We ordered the tasting menu with wine, with the hope that they would wow us. The salmon/green pea amuse was very good. The Carpaccio appetizer was probably the best thing we had (but come on everyone on the island makes this well not really innovative or exciting). The barracuda was perfectly cooked, but flavorless, and the random pieces of the dish were random in flavor and texture. The duck course was much better, once again perfection in cooking, and the flavors were so much better than the barracuda, but still not a dish I would order again or recommend someone go here to order. And the dessert, a chocolate cake with raspberry sorbet and some other random things, was terrible, worst dessert I have ever ever ever had, like by twenty times. It was just wrong. Something was wrong with it. I had a reservation at 7:30, by the time all this was over with, it was 10pm and we were still very hungry after a 4 dive day, so I asked if we could order more hoping to salvage my experience by trying the Tuna 2Way or The Lucky 7 or anything else. They were reluctant to let me order anything else, so we just had cappuccinos and went home very hungry and everything was closed by 11pm when the bill was settled.
Another big negative for this place: Wine pairings were mostly awful. For the wine accompaniment they give you really generous pours of really good wines, but only one of the four wines selected paired well with the course it was paired to. The other three pours were absolutely lovely by themselves and absolutely terrible with the paired food. I have a sommeliers friend and have a very wine experienced family (parents went to France, Italy, and California last year to drink and buy wine). It wasnt At Seas wines, it was how they chose to pair them. And this was also what I think was wrong in many of their dishes, they know how to select quality ingredients and cook things properly, just not how to make it all come together.
I was almost in tears when I left with disappointment at how much I had been looking forward to a great meal. I feel like there are many good components to this restaurant (service, preparation of fish and meat) but at least in the dishes I had (which they picked btw!) that they were sorely lacking the overall dining quality that I would expect for an over $200 meal for two. In a word, OVERHYPED!
Cactus Blue At the Beach These guys were gone the first week we were here, so we hit them up twice for lionfish sandwiches our last week. I could eat here every other day, no exaggeration. Amazing, affordable, friendly, great location and atmosphere. They also have really nice rash guards, I am very happy to have one for myself now!
Wils Tropical Grill This was our favorite from our previous one week trip. The online recommendations for the Smoked Blue Marlin and the Ginger Snap cocktail were spot on and AMAZING. The Beef tenderloin my husband ordered was phenomenal. Fried mushrooms were great, too. My blue corn dusted shrimp was good, but I think I next time I would try the gnocchi with crab instead. The lava cake was good, just did not live up to the all of its online recommendations and raves! I much preferred the 3 mini desserts we enjoyed on our last visit. Service is amazing and friendly as ever, and I love the intimate location and dining experience. Also appreciate the value for the quality. We will be back!
Plazita Limena at Den Laman had a great dinner at the intown location on our last trip and wanted to try the new location since we were staying close by. Had the waiter and chef make recommendations. I wish we had more eating out time because I would havecome again for sure. This is a very good place with reasonable prices. We had the mixed grill with frijoles and plantains, so so so good and a great value for the portion sizes, amazing ribs and everything else was great too fed us both twice. Wish I could have tried the Paella. Will return!
KFC cheap,delicious chicken and biscuits, great to stretch out over several meals.
Zuong Kong Supermarket Love the Pastechis here, you have to go before lunch tor they sell out - the tuna and ham and cheese were our favorites.
Van den Tweels great fresh baguette, cheeses, fresh pastries (if you get there when they open), had some Pastechi and Cappucinos there are on Sundays when Between 2 Buns was closed. We like the Pastechi better at Zuong Kong and the cappuccinos at VDT were terrible, oops! We never seemed to be there when their chickens were ready or available. Of course we love the grocery store.
Gios great gelato and very good cappuccinos, too - an every other day type of place.
Lovers - great ice cream, had it at least every other day, we love the homemade waffle cones.
Groceries
We used the following two places for our two week trip, I think we made about two trips to each.
Van den Tweel - fabulous store with good prices, we loved the fresh baguettes and reasonable cheese prices. Croissants were also good for when B2B is closed. Best (and really great)selection of fruits and vegetables. Beer, soda, juices, and milk were only slightly higher priced than ZK so probably not a big enough difference to justify a separate trip there unless you are going there anyway. Alway parking available.
Zuong Kong Supermarket - really affordable, super friendly people and a good bet for us Hato folks. Not a good selection of dutch or fresh items, but definitely the place to go for American items and coke, rum, and beer. Love the pastechi! The ladies in here are always so friendly.
Fruit Stand on waterfront - cheap and great selection, very nice guy too!
Other
Found a ring for me at Jewel of Bonaire - this is a great gift shop with lots of affordable souvenir ideas!
JanArt Gallery - found lots of great prints, tiles, and souvenirs here - they are really fun people too - definitely worth a stop!
