cowdog77
Contributor
The Flight: Redeye out of Houston is great. Upon arrival we were greeted by GRI employee and taken to the hotel for a few hours rest provided by the early check-in (which we really appreciated!)
The Hotel: Golden Reef Inn is a good choice for the budget minded diver. Plenty of towels, units were spotless when we checked in, and management was very helpful. Unfortunately, our A/C didn't work for most of the week but we were accorded a partial refund which made those warm afternoon naps less odious!
The Dining: Bought some groceries at Cultimara, but really didn't do much cooking. Had brought snack foods (jerky, nuts, granola, honey & Pb, etc) from home so we mostly ate out at the recommended restaurants. Were aware of "island time" through Bonaire Talk so didn't mind the long waits for dining service.
The Diving: Viz was not what we had expected, we hit it wrong for timing but it was great not running into boat loads of divers at every site. We dove the far northern sites, Lac Cai, Red Slave and the double reef sites. Recommend Hilma as a night dive, we had it to ourselves. The fish in Bonaire seem to be less skittish than other places we've been, and there was tons of the typical tropicals. No larger stuff other than some good sized turtles and 'cuda. But, we took a trip with Larry's Wildside, and saw the promised tarpon, turtles and eels,
also 2 eagle rays at a distance.
Summary: The cleanliness of the island and the friendliness of the people was impressive and added a lot to our stay.
The Hotel: Golden Reef Inn is a good choice for the budget minded diver. Plenty of towels, units were spotless when we checked in, and management was very helpful. Unfortunately, our A/C didn't work for most of the week but we were accorded a partial refund which made those warm afternoon naps less odious!
The Dining: Bought some groceries at Cultimara, but really didn't do much cooking. Had brought snack foods (jerky, nuts, granola, honey & Pb, etc) from home so we mostly ate out at the recommended restaurants. Were aware of "island time" through Bonaire Talk so didn't mind the long waits for dining service.
The Diving: Viz was not what we had expected, we hit it wrong for timing but it was great not running into boat loads of divers at every site. We dove the far northern sites, Lac Cai, Red Slave and the double reef sites. Recommend Hilma as a night dive, we had it to ourselves. The fish in Bonaire seem to be less skittish than other places we've been, and there was tons of the typical tropicals. No larger stuff other than some good sized turtles and 'cuda. But, we took a trip with Larry's Wildside, and saw the promised tarpon, turtles and eels,
also 2 eagle rays at a distance.
Summary: The cleanliness of the island and the friendliness of the people was impressive and added a lot to our stay.
