What's the Deal Breaker for picking between shore-side resorts and off-shore?

[RJP]

I think the current GRI package is 650 for that week, and the BDR package is 1128 (per diver).

$500 savings per diver - no brainer.



Spend the savings on food and beverage!

My buddy and I bought cold cuts, PB&J, etc and saved a ton on lunches (I think we spent $14 total for the week for both of us) then blew all the savings on nice dinners every night.

You gotta prioritize!

 

[deco_martini]

The only amenity we use is wifi..... From what I've read, Bonaire resorts don't have hot tubs alongside their pools.

 

[msubryan]

The only amenity we use is wifi..... From what I've read, Bonaire resorts don't have hot tubs alongside their pools.

The ocean is the hot tub...82-84 degrees....perfect!!

 

[RJP]

...82-84 degrees....perfect!!

 

[Bonairetrip]

It is all in what you prioritize...

I stay on the water, eat mostly in my room (or by the grill overlooking the water) and do so at a price that works for me -- about $755 pp for a week. I am a few steps from the diving, have wifi, dock and the one bedroom units have a kitchen. I find I dive more when I stay on the water. (While definitely true for me, there may be an opposite effect for others).

So, what am I giving up? First, it costs more than the GRI (so fewer dinners out and/or Brights). Second, I had to do the package myself. Third, no nitrox and no breakfasts.

The Details/Math
In a one bedroom, non-view, the unit costs $129/nt plus taxes. (That would be about $500 pp for 7 nights, including tax; a cheaper room with only a fridge and a micro would be about $430 pp). Unlimited shore diving (air, not nitrox) for six days of diving at $105 pp (including taxes). I rent a truck for about $275 a week plus use my AMEX premium rental insurance (say $150 pp). (The truck rental may be a special rate I am getting as I tend to rent for 3 weeks each trip)

Does This Matter?
Not really. What matters most is what is important to you and how you like your vacation!

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

I just returned from Bonaire this evening... I am tired from diving, but I can give you couple of short answers with questions backing it... and answer after sleep has done its best on me...

What type of diver are you? What type of divers are in your group?

These two questions can answer your $500 question (The next question is "How are you deriving your $500 difference?" Did you call Buddy Dive [or a booking agency like Caradonna] to get the best deal you could get?)

Enough of my questions...

Our first trip to Bonaire was with Buddy Dive through Caradonna. We had the corner balcony room overlooking the docks and the dive center... Awesome view!

We never saw the resort or the pool or the grounds. We are considered "hard core" divers. Up early in the morning and in the water off the house reef at whatever depth and in whatever direction... After that dive, it is time for buffet breakfast included in our resort dive package (with free nitrox upgrade [offered by all dive centers]) and then to the drive through for our tanks... and, off to our day of diving...

Sometimes lunch at the beach bar for burgers and fries, then back out for more diving...

Dinner was usually somewhere out on the town, or in our condo (If you can cook on gas, it saves some money to eat some meals in the room). After that, a twilight and/or night dive on the house reef, or another location around the island...

We rack up 25+ dives per week... some easily done from the house reef and others done around the island (If you have photographers in the group like we do, any reef will give you infinite photo ops!)
---
This trip we stayed at the Plaza. The Plaza is a bit more resort than Buddy Dive. Think of Buddy Dive as a dive resort and the Plaza as a resort with diving (There is a lot more walking at the Plaza to get from place to place, they don't have a drive through tank location and they only have four whips to fill nitrox... get your tanks as soon as you can!)

With the above stated... Please understand... Caribbean Dive Resorts cannot be compared to resorts in the US or other locations. Caribbean Dive Resorts are in their own class and should be thought of in the respect of: Is the room clean, big enough to hold all your gear, enough outlets to recharge batteries, is there air conditioning that works, can you make ice, do they mop each day, and can you toss yesterday's laundry in the corner until the trip is done? If the answer to all these questions is "yes", then it is a four-star dive resort in the Caribbean

We got a deal for our large group that gave us two bedroom villas (sleeps 4) with dive package (nitrox), vehicle rental (full insurance), Buffet breakfast and Tuesday night BBQ for less than $700 US per person per week (transfers to and from the airport - across the street from the Plaza). The original package included boat dives, but we all opted out of their boat package and the price was reduced.

The house reef is 18th Palms. This is a fantastic double reef system that gave me (photographer) some fantastic shots. Bottom was 107' and the second reef rose to approx 75'. I have shots of seahorses, snake eels in an orgy, octos, chairn morays and a host of creatures I have never seen while diving... seven different moray eels and we still have to id two of them. Every day and night included a seahorse on the house reef.

At MIA airport, we hooked up with a dive master for Wanna Dive who was returning to Bonaire. He was a fantastic source of information and invited us to the Wanna Dive Hut BBQ parties on Thursday nights ($10 all you can eat!) Wanna Dive has several drive through locations on the island, but does not have a resort on the water. We toured their rooms and... as a hard core diver, I might like to get a dive package from them the next time and skip the resort

Enough for now... very tired...

 

[deco_martini]

We dive 4-5 times a day. Eat energy bars to keep going. Never dive before breakfast. Not depth obsessed. Fine doing an 80 or 60 foot dive first thing versus 100.

We take it easy, dive often, and mooned the Atlantis submarine in Cozumel.

 

[Rythmmaker]

Great thread. By the standards set forth by Cool Tech - my accomodations in June at the Tropical Inn (right across the street from the Plaza) were absolutely 4-star. We certainly enjoyed it and it was just as easy and close for us to walk to the beach area for a dive at the Plaza's house reef as it was if we were staying at the Plaza itself. And TD has nitrox tanks aplenty! We paid just over $700 per person per week for a large and comfy apartment (one bedroom with twin beds for two guys) with air conditioning, a rental truck, unlimited air or EAN32, a guide for our first shore dive (no waiting to dive until after the obligatory briefing), free wifi, and only $40 for a 2-tank boat trip to Klein including lunch. The boat is right across the street and on the back side of the Plaza resort. We only had 6 divers on a large-ish boat. Very comfortable.

 

[deco_martini]

For Sept. 11 - Sept. 18:
Buddy- 1128
GRI- 609

Thats for unlimited shores, breakfast, 1 bedroom w/ 2 beds. The only difference being 6 optional boat dives at Buddy and in-room wifi at GRI.

That difference in price is 519 dollars. So the people who thought I was exaggerating.... I was actually rounding down.

I think we're going the GRI route and having more money to eat out.

 

[Waterskier1]

For Sept. 11 - Sept. 18:
Buddy- 1128
GRI- 609

Thats for unlimited shores, breakfast, 1 bedroom w/ 2 beds. The only difference being 6 optional boat dives at Buddy and in-room wifi at GRI.

That difference in price is 519 dollars. So the people who thought I was exaggerating.... I was actually rounding down.

I think we're going the GRI route and having more money to eat out.

Wise choice. I've stayed with Liz and Ed several times. I think you can park you truck as close or closer to the resort dive sites as the walk from your room would be. Wannadive has drive-up to load tanks, versus drive-thru, but I've never had to wait for trucks in front of me to load tanks, and they always had plenty of tanks, 24 hours a day.

You'll get in plenty of diving with lots of different places, at your own schedule with the truck/shore diving. I've spent over 9 weeks on Bonaire in the last 3 years (YES, I love it!) and have never taken a boat dive. I've been lucky that Wannadive has taken us to the Blue/White hole as a shore dive (not for everyone) so I've seen/dove the other side of the island a few time too. And, if you should get bored, you can always catch a boat trip for a change of pace.

Enjoy your trip!