Where can I get a good Map of Bonaire?

[speuci]

Which would show restaurants, resorts, dive sites, etc? Hoping one is out there (and downloadable)!

One day until we leave for the Island!!!!!

Oh yeah, should we get the car insurance ?

 

[diversteve]

Bonaire Island Map

 

[gert7to3]

RE insurance. Contact your credit card company to find out their policy on foreign travel insurance. Also contact your own auto insurance to see if they cover overseas rental vehicles.

 

[DiveMaven]

Make sure if you contact credit card companies or your own insurance that you mention you'll be driving a pickup Truck. The only CC that I've heard of that covers trucks is AmEx for an extra fee of like $50. Then you'll need to check and see if your rental car company on Bonaire takes AmEx....and if you bought a package with your truck included, I believe the AmEx thing won't work.

We made things easier on ourselves and simply got the insurance and sucked up the extra cost as the price of comfort in a foreign country. After a good friend told me the story of her brother's rental BMW getting flooded in Ireland and him owing the rental company $50,000 to replace the car, I buy the insurance in foreign lands to limit my liability.

 

[DiverVince]

Oh yeah, should we get the car insurance ?

No auto Insurance company in the US will provide physical damage/liability coverage for a rental car/truck on Bonaire. However, we ALWAYS decline the rental coverage & use our AMEX gold card which charges us I believe a flat $25 to provide this coverage. Never had a problem and saved a lot of $$ over the last 5 years.

 

[DiverVince]

Should have been more clear, it provides physical damage coverage, ie collision/theft/vandalism etc not liability

 

[Jersey]

Make sure if you contact credit card companies or your own insurance that you mention you'll be driving a pickup Truck. The only CC that I've heard of that covers trucks is AmEx for an extra fee of like $50. Then you'll need to check and see if your rental car company on Bonaire takes AmEx....and if you bought a package with your truck included, I believe the AmEx thing won't work.

AmEx will cover the truck if it is included in a package. We call about 10 days before departure, they request we email package details, they see where we have paid for it on the statement and we are good to go! Depending on your AmEx card (green/gold/platinum/black) the fee varies ~ at some level there are no additional fees, but you do need to advise them in advance. And I always like to have everything in writing. That alone routinely saves us a couple Benjamins every trip! More money for diving!

(AmEx does have an annual fee, but we find the benefits among the best and easiest to use. Annual fees may be negotiable! Plus the balance is paid in full every month, not contributing the escalating national debt!)

 

[Rythmmaker]

At AB Car rental, they offer two levels of supplemental insurance - one limits your liablilty to something like $500 - sort of a deductible for a CDW - and the other is a complete CDW with no deductible. I had read reports where a local car rental company nicked someone for every single scratch on the truck. I knew I was going to take our vehicle to Slagbaai at some point, and that is some really tough terrain, so for a really nominal fee - I think it was like $10 a day I opted to make sure I was going to have NO HASSLES when I returned it. I beat the heck out of that truck in Slagbaai (not on purpose) and was glad I took the insurance. The truck died (starter rolled craps) and I had to trade it for another one. $70 was worth the peace of mind and the freedom to not worry about whether I was going to have to pay up first and collect later from my credit card company if the rental dudes decided I owed them for a scratch or a ding. Your mileage may vary....

 

[sansky]

Which would show restaurants, resorts, dive sites, etc? Hoping one is out there (and downloadable)!

One day until we leave for the Island!!!!!

Oh yeah, should we get the car insurance ?

When you get to the airport they have stacks of maps with all the dive sites listed. They also have stacks of other brochures about what to do, etc.

Places to eat: Pasa Bon Pizza, Richards, Cactus Blue, It Rains Fishes, Unbelievable, Wil's Tropical Grill, Patagonia, Kon Tiki - been to all of them more than once and never been disappointed; however you might want to make reservations for all of them - we usually have to the day before or early morning for that night.

Have a great time!