Bonaire Countdown

[TRACI]

Ok, I am officially booked for my 1st Bonaire trip for Aug 16! Now we need to just make a decision on where to stay.

[bostondivegirl]

you are going to love it.
My husband and I have been there twice and we will be going back next year. this year we have planned to go to Utila, but I can't seem to get Bonaire out of my system, so we decided to do it every other year. That is how much we love it.
There are a lot of great places to stay depending on what you are looking for.
If you have any questions please feel free tp ask. a great place to get info on bonaire is : bonairetalk.com and infobonaire.com
good luck

[ladyfish]

What type of place are you looking for? On the beach, upscale, economy off the beach, etc. I'm sure we can give you recommendations!

[WV Diver]

Have a ball TRACI. Did you decide on your full suit?

[padi1029]

Traci, I have been staying with the Divi Flamingo for my last 3 trips to Bonaire and I wouldn't go anywhere else.

The resort is quaint, quiet, laid back and relaxing. It is well manicured and clean. The resort staff is friendly and helpful. The rooms are comfortable and clean. The main restaurant, Chibi Chibi, has great food and service, as well as a wonderful view. The breakfast buffet has everything you could want. There is a sandy beach, it is kind of small but still nice. It is located between the main restaurant and the Balashi beach bar so getting food or a drink is convenient. There is also a long pier with many loung charis, tables and thatch umbrellas next to the beach, this is where most of the sun worshipers lounge around. Happy hour at the bar is always 2 for 1, and there is typically live music....not always the best live music but it's still fun.

If diving is not your thing you can stay at the south end of the resort which is furthest away from the dive shop and boats.

Both ends of the resort have their own pool; there is a fitness center centrally located on the resort grounds; nothing fancy but enough equipment to get a good workout and sweat going.

The resort has a great location; it is a short walk from town, along the water, and there are many good restaurants all within walking distance.

There is a full service dive photo shop on site, as well as a Hertz Car Rental office and a full service spa. The resort also has a casino (I think the only casino on the island) if you are feeling lucky.

The resort dive shop is Divi Dive with friendly staff. The dive set-up could not be easier. The dive lockers are very spacious and located on the large, covered dive dock...so no lugging dive gear around to get it to the boat. It is literally steps away. 2 large, fresh water rinse tanks which have always been clean and full, a fresh water hose and showers on the dock. The house reef is a short 20 yard swim from the dive dock. Tanks are available 24 hours/day. There are 2 sets of dive dock entry/exit stairways; both are very wide, wooden stairways with large, full length handrails. The stairs are in good condition, very sturdy, can accommodate 2 divers comfortably side by side. If you plan on boat diving with the resort dive op, the boats are spacious, fast, never over crowded and have easy entry and exit. The boats are well maintained and fully equipped with safety gear and marine radio. The boat crews are knowledgable, fun, very helpful and will try to accommodate most requests for dive sites. If you prefer to shore diving, you can rent a vehicle right at the resort, tanks from the dive shop and go. And because the resort is centrally located it makes any trip to a dive site (by boat or land) short, so you are in the water quickly.

Bonaire does not have a big night life scene, but there are a few places to have a drink and some fun. One place is City Cafe which is downtown, directly across form the water; it is a restaurant / bar with a large selection of food. Some of the other restaurants like Donna and Georgio's Italian Restaurant sometimes have live music. There is also a little cigar bar called Little Havanna which is on the edge of town along a short little street. If you like to smoke cigars, or don't mind cigar smoke, it is a fun spot for live music and you could always try a "Cuban" or two. Take a walk into town and just check out some of the flyers posted around, you will find something.

When you get on the island, take a short trip to the local supermarket, "Cultamara", pick up some snacks and a case of bottled water and throw it in you room refrigerator...you can then reuse the bottles and fill them with tap water, which is clean and safe to drink. You will save some $$ because bottled water at the resorts and stores can run about $3/bottle...plus reusing the bottles helps the environment. I have never been on Bonaire in August but I have been on Aruba and August was a HOT month. Apparently during August (at least on Aruba) the winds that normally are quite strong and cooling, die down and you feel the heat, so you will be drinking a lot more water then you might think. Also, be sure to bring or purchase some bug spray...the mosquitos can be bad, especially in the evenings, and you will be glad you have the spray.

If you are interested I may have some photos from previous trips I would be happy to share.

Bottom line, you will probably get posts from many people, each with their own opinion about their favorite resort/dive op / restaurants, etc. Truth is no matter where you stay, who you dive with, or where you eat, Bonaire is a wonderful place and you will have a great time. I will be returning to Bonaire this May and I am already excited. I hope you will post a trip report once you return. Have a great trip.

[JimHar99]

Hi Traci, you're going to love Bonaire. I'm going back for the third time in May. Each time we've stayed at the Plaza, because the guy that runs the trip likes it there. We get a 2 tank boat dive in the morning with Toucan diving, then we do shore dives in the afternoon, from where ever we decide to dive that day.

Have a great time.

[TRACI]

I think we have decided to stay at the Carib Inn, we wanted a little smaller resort and the price was right. So, do I need to also schedule boat diving while I am there?

[Zenagirl]

Most people will tell you that boat diving isn't necessary and that you'll be happier just doing shore dives. Then there are some who say that diving Klein Bonaire is worth the boat rides.

We're going to Bonaire for the first time in July and have boat dives planned as part of our dive package. Don't know how many we're going to do, but we like the option of having boat dives if we want. After our first trip, we'll figure out what we want to do for our 2nd trip.

[JimHar99]

I think that Klein Bonaire is great, but there are so many great dives that even if you do not get to Klein you will have a fantastic vacation.
The reason that I enjoy the boat dives is that usually we travel with a group between 12-16 divers, so it's nice for everyone to dive together for 2 boat dives in the morning. Then after lunch the larger group splits off into smaller groups for the afternoon diving.
If I was traveling with a smaller group I would have no problem doing shore dives all week.

[aggie99]

Give us the full report when you return, I am hoping to get there soon.