water and adult beverages

[KathyV]

Is the water safe to drink?...

We've taken several trips to Bonaire and never had to worry about the water quality and we never had any problems.

However, recently there have been 2 outbreaks associated with the water but it appears that the authorities have taken action to address the situations quickly, see the links below.

One incident was sewage contamination of the drinking water in Belnam caused by the unorthodox practices of an amateur plumber.

The other was an outbreak of Legionella (a respiratory disease caused by inhaling contaminated aerosolized water) but it looks like they responded quickly to that too.

I would feel comfortable about drinking the water in Bonaire.

WEB in action against contaminated drinking water - Water- en Energiebedrijf Bonaire

WEB press conference on legionella infection - Water- en Energiebedrijf Bonaire

 

[darook]

I have never had an issue with the liquids contained within an Amstel Bright. Or a Polar for that matter.

 

[wwguy]

Interesting. Here's web pricing from our local liquor store, in ​RED

Not sure if booze is just cheaper in NJ (seems to be) or if EWR/JFK duty free is silly-expensive (seems to be) or both (seems to be.)

Thanks for sharing that info. I'm pretty sure the price difference is a combination of retail pricing and tax structure. It appears that you have the best of both in NJ, so it's easy to understand your aversion to duty-free. Purchasing in airport duty-free removes the tax, but they're free to add to the retail price as they see fit. Frankly It's hard to blame them considering the high cost of airport retail space.

PS - just how much drinking do you do on Bonaire? Looks like you're pulling together enough booze (quantity and variety) to open a bar!

We enjoy spending 4 to 5 weeks a year on Bonaire, often with good friends. We have plenty of time to enjoy daily sunset happy hours. That 4 to 5 dives a day stuff is overrated. Even with just a couple of dives a day we easily enjoy 15 to 16 hours of bottom time per week. Contrary to popular belief (and discussion in this forum) there's actually quite a few interesting things to do above water on the island too. Not saying that's for everyone, but it's how we roll.

It doesn't seem right to buy duty free rum and take it to a Caribbean island - just out of principal. Bonaire rum is pretty good but maybe a little sweet. I bought a bottle to bring back for my wife to make Mojitos. I wasn't real partial to the Cadushi Whiskey though. In any event, don't buy it in Rincon if there's a cruise tour bus on its way into town. Prices may vary.

Principal? Caribbean rum is made from sugarcane juices or byproducts, neither of which are found on Bonaire. Cadushy's Rum Rincon has only been around for a couple of years and is primarily a tourist novelty. It's made in small batches, isn't inexpensive, and has a unique taste that stands out in most mixed drinks. The $13 Bonaire Rum found in local stores tastes pretty good for the price, but it's produced elsewhere and imported to Bonaire. My wife brought a few bottles home on our last trip and gifted them to friends. Both brands are targeted at tourists rather than rum aficionados.

 

[Scott from LongIsland]

you can buy a bottle of Don Julio for $40.00 at Zhung Kong. Cheaper than i can get it here in NYC. I think that they had Patron too for the same price if that floats your boat.

As for rum...the gift shop in town has a nice selection of Cuban rums. It is much better than the Bonaire rum IMO.

 

[Shasta_man]

<< Jose Cuervo>> PLEASE just say no to bad tequila! I get a headache just reading the words "Jose Cuervo"!

 

[Jersey]

New grocery store, I think same owners as Zhong Kong, on the road with Tong Fung and KFC. Forget the name. Good selection and cheaper than the store in Kdjiik. I think a bottle of Bombay Sapphire was $28 in town and $22 in the new grocery store. We also found Moet Nectar Imperial for a reasonable price. Selection of alcohol has improved dramatically over the last 5-6 years. No one carried Bombay, now it's readily available.

 

[RJP]

Thanks for sharing that info. I'm pretty sure the price difference is a combination of retail pricing and tax structure. It appears that you have the best of both in NJ,

Wanna see my property tax bill?

:shocked2:

I'd need to drink thousands and thousands of bottle of rum a year to break even on "tax structure" here in NJ.

 

[wwguy]

I'll keep the Cuban rums in mind next time. Patron reposado tequila was about $40 at Zhung Kong. The Gila reposado we found at ATL duty-free was comparable or better than Patron and more similar to Don Julio IMHO. For 750 ml bottles Gila was $27 for reposado and $30 for anejo. Interestly it only appears to be sold in duty-free shops, even outside the USA. I agree with the previous comment that Jose Cuervo Gold isn't very good tequila by any stretch of the imagination. I only mentioned it because it seems to be sold at most grocery stores and other liquor outlets on the island.

The grocery store mentioned that's affiliated with Zhung Kong is Progreso Supermarket on Kaya Karona.

---------- Post added April 24th, 2015 at 03:25 PM ----------

Wanna see my property tax bill?

:shocked2:

I'd need to drink thousands and thousands of bottle of rum a year to break even on "tax structure" here in NJ.

I wasn't implying you had an ideal overall tax structure in NJ. I was just attempting to explain why booze costs more in some states and less in others. I pay about twice the excise tax on liquor that you do, which makes duty-free seem like a bargain to me. Just because duty-free isn't a bargain for you doesn't make it "the greatest scam ever perpetuated on humanity".

 

[deedeediver]

I have read all the posts so I thought I would ring in:
water: desalinized on island
booze: I live in Virginia, we are heavily taxed on alchohol. The largest bottle of Absolute ($38 in VA)is a bargain at duty free as well as the largest bottle of Baileys irish creme.
BUT, there isnt that much difference in the price once on the island at Zun Kung or Bonaire Gift Shop.( maybe $10 difference) depends on what you want to lug around.
When we leave we do always buy a huge bottle of baileys or if they have it absolute on return to the us as the price in the airport departure lounge is much less than we pay here in Virginia.
Drink the water, Dive, Eat, Dive, Eat, Dive, Drink, rest, get up and start over again happy diving.

 

[RJP]

. Just because duty-free isn't a bargain for you doesn't make it "the greatest scam ever perpetuated on humanity".

Sure it is... once you throw cosmetics, jewelry, fashion and the other crap into to the mix.

:d

Have relatives that live in upstate NY right near an Indian reservation; no state or fed tax on anything including gas and booze. Now that's a pretty good deal. (Sadly, cigs are like $7 a carton... so you can imagine the alcoholism and smoking rates among Native Americans there.)