This was our 17th trip to Bonaire and we could think of no better place to spend our 21st wedding anniversary than at our two bedroom two bath condo at Sand Dollar. We have spent out last seven anniversaries on Bonaire.

Our flights down and back on Air Jamaica from JFK went flawlessly.

Bari Reef, the house reef at Sand Dollar, as always was spectacular! We did a total of nine dives over two weeks, all right on Bari. We saw lot’s of eels. Alan found an octopus hiding and Joan found a scorpion fish.

Bonaire Dive and Adventure, the dive operation at Sand Dollar, always had filled tanks right on the dock. Just grab one and jump in. The gear storage facility is a great place to leave your stuff so you don’t have to carry it back to the room.

Again, Alan would highly recommend Tim at Fish-Eye photo at Sand Dollar. He is very helpful. It’s also a great place to get a few rolls processed so you can see what you are doing the start of your trip.

Having a full kitchen we ate all our breakfasts and most lunches in. We found that the supermarket “More for Less” had some of the best selections of fresh fruits and vegetables. They get a shipment in every Thursday from Quito. We purchased most of most of our meat at the Cultimara supermarket in town. We finally found a place in Antriol that has fresh fish everyday. For eleven guilders we had a piece of Dorado that we had four meals from.

When we weren’t cooking dinners in we had some outstanding dinners out. What is becoming a very popular restaurant in Bonaire is Casablanca, an Argentinean grill just south of town. We had dinner there twice. We also enjoyed It Rains Fishes, again twice, and Capriccio. No trip to Bonaire would be complete for us if we did not go to Bobby Jan’s Take Away for the best ribs and chicken sate in the world, and at a bargain price.

Michael Gaynor’s Chat n’ Browse is a great place to check your e-mail or rent a cell phone to call home. We have found that’s the cheapest way to call the states. He also has a great collection of t-shirts and other gift items to bring home.

Besides diving we also had another wonderful opportunity on Bonaire. The housekeeping supervisor at Sand Dollar, knowing that Joan is a New York City school teacher, invited her to visit the school where her daughter teaches. We spent one morning visiting the Kolegio Kristu Bon Wardador School in the village of Nikiboko. Joan sat in on a First Cycle class which is for five, six and seven year olds as they had a lesson in Dutch. Alan, now back in photojournalism, did a picture story that is running in this week’s The Riverdale Press back in the Bronx where Joan teaches. The Bonaire Reporter also used a few photos in this week’s edition.

As always, a great trip to Bonaire, and the day we left was exactly six months to our next visit in February.

Here are a few photos from Bari Reef:

Great report. Makes me homesick for Bonaire. We were at Sand Dollar in July. Stayed in a 2BR unit with out daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. Perfect for us!

It was our second trip to Bonaire and both times at Sand Dollar. I think it would really be hard to get us to stay anywhere else. The accommodations are great. The dive shop is so convenient. And the pier, with tanks always available - what could be easier? Bari Reef teems with life - both night and day.

We are looking forward to our next trip which, unfortunately, probably won't be until late next year.

But thanks for the reminder of how great it is!

Marvin

Happy Anniversary and thanks for sharing.

Alan - thanks for sharing - what a wonderful way to spend your anniversary!!!

You have a beautiful condo that we enjoyed so much staying at this year!!! And yes the Bari reef is teeming with life!!

Please post more pics - I love your photography!!!

BTW everyone there was an article in this week's Bonaire Reporter on Joan visiting a school while they were on the island!!!

Thanks for sharing your trip with us! Happy Anniversary! What a great place to spend it. Dennis and I also celebrated our 21st anniversary on August 19, but not on Bonaire! Maybe next year. Hope you have many more anniversary celebrations on Bonaire.