ABOUT US: The trip was a present for my father´s 60ieth birthday from my brother (21) and myself (27). My father had been diving in the Mediterranean during his student times but never since and had been dreaming about going again in the Caribbean. All three of us got certified at home and came to Bonaire with four logged dives (in icy mountain lakes, vis ~ 5m) each.

GETTING THERE: With KLM holding the monopoly over direct flights from Europe, we came and went via Amsterdam without any problem other than that the seats on the plane don´t allow you to sit straight J

ACOMMODATION: At Aqua Viva Apartments, we had a one bedroom apt with a spare bed in the living room. The 1 bedroom apts are comfortably large and reasonably well equipped. The sleeping room has airco (which allows mosquitoes to enter, but works fine otherwise). The beds are ok. All windows have mosquito nets. The walls need a fresh coat of paint rather desparately (not only stains from smashed mosquitoes but others as well J). A fully equipped kitchen in Aqua Viva terms consists of a gas stove, a big fridge and a sink. Don´t expect to find more than 1 rather battered frying pan, 3 pots of different size and 3 sets of cups/glasses/plates. Only one knife deserved its denomination but – seasoned camping tourists that we are – we had smuggled our pocket knives on the island. And we found a dive knife at Nukove that was very useful when we discovered that Bonairean coconuts don´t just look like the real thing but taste it, as well.

Cleaning and changing of towels/linen was irregular (due to many holidays) but otherwise impeccable.

In all, we were satisfied with what we got. We did not expect any kind of luxury but wanted a place to sleep and eat. The location is quiet enough, the walk to our morning/evening swim from Wannadive´s dock is 2 min – and there are up to 2 flamingoes in the Salina nearby.

RENTAL CAR: A minor disaster. I booked an “all inclusive” package with Aqua Viva consisting of acommodation plus double cabin pickup and – luckily – I made sure that my booking (by fax) clearly said that ALL taxes and fees were included. My booking was confirmed twice (by email) by Miguel from Aqua Viva. Miguel never mentioned anything about me being supposed to pay any taxes or fees to anyone but himself. Well, we arrived at the airport – no sign of the taxi that Aqua Viva had promised to send (10 days prior to our arrival, by telephone). Being told to contact AB Carrental we dragged our stuff there – just to be given a Daewoo minivan that could barely stand on its four wheels (at least it still had four wheels). The thing had cracks and bumps everywhere, the doors would only close at either the use of brutal force and locking from the inside or using a surgeon´s exactitude. The entire floor was red from rust and had holes the width of my fist. In some places you could break out pieces of rusty metal with just two fingers. I wasn´t too confident that our 60 kgs of luggage would arrive at our destination (the miracle happened) and I was certain the floor wouldn´t hold three (let alone more) air tanks during a ride over the rather bumpy roads. After lots of fruitless arguing with the AB ladies and Erica from Aqua Viva (“no other vehicle available”, “booking got mixed up” – by whom will never be clearly known) we set off with the piece of shame.

After two days of almost hourly arguments with Miguel and Erica from Aqua Viva we got the Toyota pickup I had ordered. It ran fine while the originally half full tank lasted. When we tried to fill the tank at Lisa Gas after a week we discovered that the petrol ended up on the floor instead of in the tank. The fuel line was completely broken right above the rear wheel – and it had been taped with SCOTCHTAPE, believe it or not. Back to AB, more arguments, requests for immediate replacement (the six or seven pickups at the parking were “reserved for people arriving this afternoon”), still more arguments, then the offer of another Daewoo minivan while our pickup was being repaired. I resigned after a frustrating conversation with Marc “the manager/owner” (when I explained why I did not care to try another of his minivans all he commented on was my supposedly German accent…) and we enjoyed another minivan for two more days. That one was in a slightly less catastrophic state but still the side door would fly open while driving at 50 km/h…

My conclusion – AB is definitely not a business I´d recommend to my worst enemies (though I have to allow that the ladies at the airport office were trying hard enough – at Bonairean speed, but the effort was always there – they just don´t make decisions).

Oh yes, and in the end Miguel tried to make me pay for government tax and sales tax over the rental fee – directly to AB. But he only tried.

FOOD: We did most of our cooking ourselves. We got fresh fruit and vegetables from the Venezolans by the Town Pier – I´ve learned they bring in fresh stuff only every 10 days or so, but still their selection is bigger and in better condition than that of the supermarkets we went to (Cultimara, Montecatini and More for Less). With a lot of luck we managed to get fresh fish from the fisherman in the green house next to the sign “Richard´s Seacost Dining” on the road between the entrance to the Divi Resort and the entrance to the Plaza beach. Count on going there and begging about 5 times before they sell you anything (or they just didn´t like our faces?) – but what we got was excellent (barracuda filets, tuna steaks, wahoo filets…)

DIVING: We used Wannadive and were absolutely happy. Whenever we needed anything we got it instantly and with a smile/joke (dutch jokes can be really funny :-)). The gear room is most convenient, the boat dives and Town Pier night dive were perfectly organized. Highly recommendable.

Diving is what you go to Bonaire for – and we found it to be absolutely spectacular. It´s easy enough even for ignorant beginners like us. We saw about everything there is to be seen as far as creatures go (every single fish from the book, an average of one turtle per two dives, a frogfish, a seahorse, too many big green morays for my taste J, scorpionfish in various sizes, octopus, squid, big groupers, Hilma Hooker tarpons, a manta ray, spotted lobsters, dolphins…). And the corals and sponges of course – what a new world underwater! In that respect I agree that Bonaire is definitely paradise.

Looking at the photographs in the 1941 Hans Hass book (Austrian diving pioneer who was on Bonaire in the late 1930ies) the reefs seem not to have changed too much but there are certainly very few really big reef fish left :-) (but he was still allowed to spearfish, there was no marine park then…).

My favourites sites are Karpata/La Dania´s Leap and Oil Slick Leap, and the sites on Klein that we went to by boat (most of all Ebo´s Reef, and Rock Pile). My brother liked Angel City (for the double reef, and the corals) and the Andreas best, and our father enjoyed Salt Pier most (we went there twice – once on a sunny day with top visibility: I never thought there could be so many fish in one place!). There is something for every taste!

NOT SO NICE: The theft problem is really annoying. We had one (empty) dive bag stolen from our porch one afternoon. Strangely enough it was stolen between 3 and 5 pm during a period when our host worked around the apartments together with some of his sons and their friends (ok we forgot the bag – even though our host had warned us not to leave anything on the porch unattended…). Other than that, we managed to keep all our belongings – thanks to the excellent suggestions and warnings of you BT-ers! Our sunglasses and keys went diving with us (in the BC pocket), documents remained in the apartment, Tevas and T-Shirts were locked to the steering wheel of our truck with a chain… and the truck was always left open.
Twice we saw groups of kids around Andrea I and II and Jeff Davies Memorial who were obviously trying to hide in the bushes waiting for divers to disappear under water…
Also, beware of the ladies at the Cultimara cash-outs. It happened three or four times that I caught one of them “accidentially” mis-typing the price or quantity of an item (never to my advantage of course :-).
What concerns me is the way the people of Bonaire treat their capital – nature. I´m aware that wastewater treatment facilities are not cheap but to let it all run into the ground… And that funny ad in some tourist magazine – “dear tourists, its nice of you to spend your money on our island, but please take all your batteries home with you, we don´t know what to do with them – other than deposit them together with the rest of the garbage…”
And last, but not least – the mosquitoes!!! They seem to be immune to anything but being smashed. Only 30 % deet (I think the brand name is Cutter) kept them off our legs and arms at night. After the fiftieth bite we developed some kind of resignation but still it is not my idea of a good night´s sleep to spend half the night pressing ice onto my fresh bites. Apparently things are much better outside the rainy season.

IN ALL: We came very well prepared and there were no big surprises – other than how great diving can be. For that I´d like to thank every one of you BT´ers who have provided invaluable information about Bonaire and helped make our holiday such a success. I will come again.

Sounds like you had the vacation from hell! Next time stay across the street at Eden Beach! They are wonderful! We are going again in September and Im always nervous about reading posts like yours.....the only thing we had trouble with is the airlines. It can be very frustrating dealing with people who dont think a whole lot about customer service.

Irmgard, it sounds like you made the best of your vacation, despite the problems you encountered with the accommodations and car rental. I'm glad the board could provide helpful information before your trip, so that it was enjoyable (diving and eating)

The cut gas line with scotch tape? Sounds like it had been cut previously and they jury rigged it with the scotchtape...should have used duct tape, but maybe that's hard to come by on the Island...Glad that it wasn't so bad that you won't return...how did your dad like the diving?

Next time we'll trade houses & cars (as long as you're ok taking care of 2 rottweilers & 3 cats & 2 restaurants).....so we can ski! Well, it's a nice thought, but we could never leave the restaurants at Christmas time....maybe March? My best european vacations have all been in Austria (in all seasons, but for skiing in particular--yes, to all that know, it's been 2 years since I broke my shoulder, so of course I'm thinking about skiing again...). Also, I've gotten great airfares (albeit visa versa) via Munich & Miami, bet you could even go via London & Montego Bay, but it's all in the search & the willingness; traveling around the holidays is the most expensive & exhausting, and when there's the least flexibility.

The mosquitoes have been horrible this year; I've been here 13.5, and never remember them being so bad--I am sorry you had so many annoying things happen. Some quick answers/comments: We are working on a waste water treatment system; duct tape would've worked on the hose-but only as a quick fix (I sincerely hope that's never out of supply--we can function without a lot, but that? uggghhh) not a permanent solution; over the holidays, the ships with fresh supplies didn't arrive/sail because the ports were closed on Christmas and New Year's (the usual days-Thursdays-they arrive), hence the unusal shortages; same about the Venezuealan boats-less arrivals due to holiays (normally weekly, but they didn't want to be away from family...).

So, I am glad that despite the annoyances you saw our goodness--thank you for that. Gruss Got.
Ruth

Ruth, I think you need to work out some sort of vacation trade...you can go ski and Irmgard can house/restaruant sit!

Duct tape...we went skiing New Years day and this guy had duct tape ALL over his pants...not one bit of cloth was showing...

Ruth,

What do you make of the mosquitoes? When we were there in Oct we LOVED the fact that we never got bitten by ANYTHING, nor did we ever see anything flying around! We are used to getting eaten alive in Honduras--one of the reasons we quit going there and loved Bonaire so much. Is this normal during the rainy season?

Irmgard, I strongly resent your post. We at AB did our very best to accomodate you, but sometimes our hands are tied, especially during the Christmas period.
AquaViva had requested a minivan for you, so that is what we had reserved. When they made this reservation, it was not clear that they would include it in a package; it was something they had never done before. Even on the day you left, it was still not clear who would pay what; something AB had no part in.
For you information, while the minivans are old and this will be the last season we'll use them, many people still love them and request them specifically. When it turned out that was not what you wanted, we swapped you to a truck without problem; no problem to you, but big problems to us because it meant re-arranging our entire planboard.

I did not "comment on your German accent", I asked if you were from Germany, because I'm fluent in German as well so it might have helped with communications. After your reaction, I was more than happy to stick to English.
And yes, those pickups *were* reserved for other people. A car never leaves the parking lot the second it gets returned; fortunately, there's usually a day or even a few hours in between it, enough time for us to clean it. But that still makes it reserved and therefore unavailable.

As far as the tape goes: while not standard practice, it is sufficient as an emergency measure on a rubber fuel hose that has not been cut completely. I doubt that it would have stopped the thieves if the hose had not been repaired previously. What you didn't mention in your post was that because of the tape, we didn't charge you for the repairs, or the fact that we didn't charge you for the second minivan while waiting for repairs.
So again, I think we have done everything in our power given the time and circumstances.

Marc van Wijk
Manager, AB Carrental

Whew, Marc, glad you finally showed up & spoke up--I have never heard such things about AB, and had assumed it was some sort of Christmas/high season overload glitch. Guess it didn't help the situation that they were staying it what turns into practically swamp/marsh land in the rainy season.

Meredith, it seems like we've gone years without being bit, and we've had years where I think you could put all the "rainy season" days into one week. This year it's running true (nov/dec/jan), and because of that, the mosquitoes are out--when it stops raining, and the ground really gets a chance to dry out, they'll be gone.

Cynde, maybe the duct tape makes his ski outfit double as a sled? I think that might be a limit for the "if you can't fix it, duct it" rule. Sounds like Irmgard had a mini lifetime here, doesn't it? Including the Cultimara cashiers...ok, here's an insiders tip for checking out at Cultimara (besides watching the girls ring in prices by hand & bringing your own bags): if it's really crowded at the register, with lots of people in line behind you-after she's done ringing you in, don't pay right away unless you have all your stuff bagged. Reason: she's not going (stand up) to help you bag/box, no matter how busy it is. If you pay right away, she'll just start shoving next person's stuff down on top of yours--but she can't do this until you pay your bill.

Marc,

about the Aqua Viva package problem - Miguel Martis claimed that AB had mixed up the pick up reservation, so here we go again... You might want to discuss that directly with him. I understand that he´s not offered that kind of package anymore for some months now.

As for your minivans... we´ve seen and used rental cars in several countries outside Europe but never anything like the two we got from AB. What we found especially annoying was that we saw a few other AB minivans that were in MUCH better shape.And I find the use of whatever tape to repair broken/cut fuel lines a rather dangerous practice. The people at Lisa Gas agreed with us that the tape had been there for quite a while.

But it´s still good to hear your side to the story. Please step in my shoes for a moment - I reserved the ominous package back in March or April ´03 and there was never any hint that there would be any problem about the car. Then we arrive and are told that "AB mixed up the reservation", "AB is going to charge you taxes", and then we get two of the ...let´s say oldest ... cars AB has to offer and one that I´d consider a safety risk. It was rather an awkward position for me to be presented with another "contract partner" when I thought I´d only have to deal directly with Miguel/Aqua Viva.

I realize now that my comment on your business was too sharp - please accept my apologies for that!


Ruth,

about the swamp... you have a point there. But the swamp didn´t influence the car problem :-) (spend a summer in Sweden and no mosquito in the world will ever throw you off-balance again).

Trading houses? Great! You can choose between lots of ski resorts to go from here. I´d recommend you come in March because right now it´s 20 degrees ... below zero... but the sun is shining! Rottweilers are fine with me, the more the merrier; cats, well I just have to feed them, right? And for your restaurants, I trust you have a cook because otherwise it would be fish and salad and fruit only. Which are your restaurants, anyway? I trust they´re far from the swamp?


Cynde,

my dad was really happy. He was rather nervous about all the technical equipment in the beginning (30 years ago things were somewhat less sophisticated...), and about the oh so great dangers of diving, but then he relaxed visibly and absolutely enjoyed himself under water.

And now that I know how to go about rental cars, Cultimara cash-outs, and where to stay I´ve got even more reasons to return. Tomorrow I´ll see if a 1000m-powder run on skis can match diving at Karpata.

Ayo, Irmgard

No problem Irmgard, and you're right on the AquaViva issue. I was very surprised when they requested to be billed, until then all their customers always payed locally. Unfortunately the timing (Christmas) was bad. I'm sorry you were caught in the middle of that unclarity.

Tschüß aus Düsseldorf,
Marc

I also rented a mini-van from Marc at AB during this time period. Although I did have a little delay getting it, as I thought it would be the morning, I picked it up around 1600. No biggy. Mine was not a Mercedes-Benz either, but it ran great. I don't care what a car looks like as long as it gets me from point A to B. Marc, and company, were great to deal with in all aspects. When I picked it up, I was there about five minutes. The return was just as quick. Conversely, I used to rent from Netty's. The seat belt broke, and she was very indignant to me. I had to spend about 3 hours of my time up at the Toyota dealership getting it fixed. I wanted a new car, but that was totally out of the question. I met Mr. Winshield once in an accident without a seatbelt, and I never want to do it again. So, here I was driving around Bonaire without one for 2 days. Netty's- never again. I travel to Bonaire about every 6 months, her loss. I will only rent from AB (Marc) from now on in Bonaire.

Irmgard, great report. Glad you got past the camping aspects of your trip and enjoyed the island and the diving.
Ruth, you are starting to scare me with this bug talk.
Marc, always glad to see you step up to the plate.

Jeez guys, they're only mosquitoes (and Seb, the other topic under Local Items called BUG ALERT didn't scare you?)...it's nothing new that they appear in the rainy season if it's raining, they're gone the rest of the year. Since it's been raining, they're out, we all have to deal with it. I wear long pants and spray my ankles (well, I live here, so find temperatures in the 70's chilly and would wear long pants anyway; you're right Irmgard, I never go skiing in Jan. for the reason you mention-20's? yikes!). A few times I've felt the need to spray my arms too. When I sit at a table outside, I sit sideways if possible, with my legs to the side because the mosquitoes like to be underneath in dark windless areas. Thankfully, my house is well protected with screens and all rooms have airconditioning, AND, we are diligent about not leaving doors open, especially around sunset.

Irmgard, skiied quite a bit from Galtur to Badgastein, not bad for a now "island" girl. The restaurants are: Mango's at Sand Dollar (streetside now, seaside later this year), and KFC--you wouldn't have to cook at either, but you would have to love/play with my cats...
;-)

We REQUEST a mini-van! The back doors open on both sides and my daughter loves the narrow vehicle. While not the most convenient for tanks, we've had four divers and two snorkelers packed in for shore diving. We also keep in mind that it's only a means to get from here to there and we don't need to impress anyone!
We've rented from AB and Netty's. While we've not rented from Marc specifically, we didn't care for the service from the branch office at Habitat. So we tried Netty's and have loved the personal service.

It is more than just inconvenient when things do not go as expected on a long-planned and expensive vacation that you have eagerly anticipated. It is even more unpleasant when some people want their money up front for something that does not meet your expectations, or is not as promised. Whatever the case, it is very good of you to call a spade a spade because then someone else will not have to suffer the identical consequences later on. Your honesty in this forum will prevent others who read your account from being taken in for less than they paid for. The people who take good US dollars for a less than standard quality are only giving themselves a bad name.

My wife and I recently visited Bonaire (Jan 6-Jan 20) and had a relatively decent vacation. We stayed at the Tropical Inn and were quite satisfied with it. The stove top (hobb) did not put out very much heat, but all else was decent and quite reasonable. We dived across the road at Toucan Divers at the Plaza, Toucan is the best I have dove with in 6 visits. We also rented a car From AB Carrental. .. All I will state is NEVER again on that one.

If you paid for your vacation with a credit card, you have 60 days to file a charge back for any and all charges (Fees, taxes etc that you were not quoted in the conversation with your host). You can dispute this amount and refuse to pay because you were quoted all taxes and fees included.

Good luck D. Paganelli