Trip Overview:
This was my ninth (I think) trip to Bonaire. I stayed two weeks -- arriving Bonaire 28 Sept (evening) and returning 13 Oct (morning). The first week, I dove with a friend while the second week I dove by myself. I stayed at the Carib Inn (again), used Budget Rental Car and flew American (again) at a great price. I did only shore dives. Part one will cover getting there and getting around. Part two will cover food and lodging. Part three will cover diving.

Getting There/Back:
I flew American from Seattle using one of their specials (15,000 frequent flyer miles + $225 + $20 taxes). I considered this a very good value given that, in past years, I have paid $650 to $725 for airfare. The special was advertised as part of their Aadvantage program and was valid, if I recall, only during September and October.

Outbound routing: Seattle --> Dallas --> San Juan --> Bonaire. I departed Seattle 11:30 pm (a Monday night) and arrived at 8pm (Tuesday night). Total time airport to airport time was 18.5 hour. By the time you add in my one hour drive to the airport, the two hours in advance thing and getting to the hotel in Bonaire the total door to door time was more like 22 hours.

Generally speaking, the planes were fairly empty (an aberration for that week only, cabin crew reported). Aside from a five hour (planned) layover in DFW, all went very well.

Given the great ticket price and the long travel day, I treated myself to a day pass to the "Admiral's Club" (the AA club lounge) which made the five hour layover in DFW much more tolerable. The cost was $50 for one (it would have been $75 for two people). For this I got: a) a very comfortable (and quiet) place to relax; b) a place to stow luggage; c) a great shower (five shower heads no less); d) internet access; e) "free" newspapers, coffee and very light snacks.

Inbound was Bonaire --> San Juan --> Chicago --> Seattle. The flight departs Bonaire at a much more humane 8am and I ended up in Seattle at 9:30pm on the same day. The ORD --> SEA leg was 100% full -- the other flights less so. The return trip took two hours less than the outbound leg (yeah!).

I only had a few issues with the air travel (all easily resolved). The staff at AA were very helpful in arranging the discounted frequent flyer ticket. The only problem was they screwed up the routing (they had me flying from SJU to BON twice rather than one leg each way). As soon as they sent me the scheduling email, I noticed this and it was very easily fixed (when I followed up, the AA person was both helpful and funny). All easily fixed.

Second, American Eagle changed their schedule to/from Bonaire (as you all know) -- and did not notify me promptly. Fortunately, this board (thanks all!) alerted me to the change and I just slid the whole trip forward one day. Yes, it was a hassle (change the hotel, change the car, change vacation requests, etc.) but it was not any big deal.

On the positive side, AA staff were very willing to accommodate my seat choices and the planes all worked well. No flights were late or cancelled. Staff were, without exception, helpful and polite. And, above all else, I remember the old ALM days with the unplanned stop in Haiti. Or the non-stop to Bonaire that terminates instead in Curacao. Or...

I will probably continue to fly AA as it works better for me than most other options (both on price and schedule). The only other option I would look at is to fly into Curacao (direct from the US mainland) and then use Divi Divi. While AJ is attractive, Seattle is not a AJ gateway.

I did carry on a 13 cf pony bottle (empty w/valve removed) and, while it was looked at in both Seattle (going) and Bonaire (coming), I was not hassled about it. The only downside: it tends to add some heft to your carry on during those long gate to gate walks.

Getting Around:
Upon arrival, my typical approach is to take a cab to the hotel. This works best for me as I get out of the airport the quickest and with the least hassle. Then, the next morning, I have the car rental company pick me up at my hotel. This also saves one day worth of car rental.

I used Budget for a 2WD Toyota Hilux pick up (four door with a/c and radio) and was very happy with them. The price was just under $300/week all inclusive (including insurance, taxes, etc.). The insurance covered everything ($11/day) but had a $300 deductible. The only negative was the truck tailgate had been sprung by a previous renter which made using it a bit more difficult (no big deal) to put tanks on.

I pick my car rental based on: price, product and service. The number of stand alone car rental places seems to be ever increasing while at least one hotel (Buddys) seems to enjoy a very large market share. I have no doubt that it is hard to make much money in the car rental biz on Bonaire -- lots of competition and the vehicles are subjected to pretty harsh conditions (people sit in the seats dripping salt water, the trucks get exposed to salt all the time, etc.). I will use Budget gain as they delivered on all fronts.

Gas prices were around 1.65 guilders/litre and Lisa Gas was open long hours (for example, I think they open at 6am during the week). Filling up the pickup when it was pretty empty cost more than 85 guilders (ouch).

There is major road repair work on the last section of the road coming from Rincon into Playa (just north of Caribbean Fasteners) and there is a detour in place.

David, it was a pleasure reading the first part of your report. I would like to make an observation.... I believe you are an optimist! Some people would have had a completely negative spin on all the little "glitches" that happened to you, but you made the best of it. Kudos to you, you sound like my kinda guy. ;)

Looking forward to the rest of it!

David,
Your glass is always half full, not half empty:-) Great report.... waiting with patience!!!!
Yanagirl

Great report from the Left Coast. It makes for a long day getting to Bonaire (as well as home). A great report so far - we look forward to part 2!
Louise

NaFL 85 comes to right around $48, which is not that much more than we've been paying for a tank full of super unleaded around here (MA, USA) lately. Though I admit I cringe every time I do it here, too...

Faith

David, good report! I too have done the same route (with two more legs - Prince George-Vancouver-Seattle) with few problems - twice! Didn't realize you could pay to go into the Admirals Club - I'll remember that next time I have a long layover.

Thank you for all of the positive comments. In my experience, the travel goes a whole lot smoother if you expect a few wrinkles. Some are to be expected and, if the airline makes a real effort to promptly address an issue, I am happy.

Contrast that with a recent domestic flight that I purchased via Expedia (e-ticket outbound using UAL and inbound via America West). Outbound flight went fine.

When I tried to check in for my return flight, America West insisted that while I had a reservation I had never been ticketed. They insisted my only recourse was through Expedia -- or buy another ticket from. They suggested the latter was the best solution if I really wanted to make this flight.

They refused to contact their problem resolution desk. They refused to check with co-workers. They refused to look at any documents I had from Expedia. They acknowledeged that it was odd that the United part of the ticket worked but not their part. They refused to hold my checked bag behind the counter or let me use their phones. They said this just happens -- not all the time but not especially rare either -- with those internet places like Yahoo.

Their bottom line: this was my problem and they would make no effort to fix the problem.

I was trying to work it through with Expedia when another worker showed up while the first was in back. She offered to "race" and see who could the problem fixed faster -- me with Expedia who was on hold with AW or her with their problem resolution folks. She won. The problem was that on a split ticket they had to "take back control" of the record from the first airline and then it would show as ticketed in their system.

I was prepared to cut them some slack on this until the first worker (who had shown back up by now) said, "Oh, so that is what they were talking about during training on Tuesday." Arrgh!

PS: And, to Lorraine, I promise to never again whine about how long it takes to get Bonaire. Another two flights, yikes!