This was my first trip to Bonaire. I am both a long time diver and wind surfer. I have known of Bonaire as a wind surf destination for many years but have put off the trip because of cost and distance. Hawaii and South Padre are much closer to my home in Utah. My main motivation for going to the Bonaire was to master my jibe. Diving was a 2nd choice for the no wind days.

Things I really liked about Bonaire:

It’s not a Cruise Boat Destination like Aruba. I’m 39 years old and I never done a cruise. Even when I too old to do anything fun I’ll never cruise.
Great Diving excellent visibility, great access shore line access. Dive boat is not needed.
The majority of the tourists are Dutch. (new culture experience)
Easy to get around… tough to get lost.
Good food -Any place on Main Street is a great place for a sunset.
It is a safe place… no drugs or assoc violent crime.
Photo Tour / Submarine Divers does a night dive / BBQ at the beach / dive site. Some of the Best Food I had on the island. I strongly recommend it even to the non divers.
Dinner at Chibi’s house. Chibi is a Chef that has lived many a places in the world. He operates a Diner out of his neighborhood house. The food is an “8” the hospitality is a “10”. Great way to experience the local culture. His family and friends are very welcoming.
Wind surf site….Lac Bay is truly one of the best places to learn to wind surf.
The Wind Surf Place puts on a beach BBQ that is really a lot of fun. Elvis plays video that he has collected from the windsurfers and people on the beach from the previous week.
Snorkeling Night tour with Renee is great experience to see things you might miss on your own. 4 people are too many. Make her take you out with 2 or less. And give her exact change...she kept my change as an unintended tip.

Things I did NOT like:

Heat it never cools down at night. Thank God for AC
The Beer Selection is limited to Heineken, Amstel and Polar and if you are lucky Corona.
11 days on the island … I sailed 3 because of minimal wind. Fortunately I did not get suckered into a package.
The Windsurf Place wants to encourage customers to eat at its restaurant so it has setup rules that allow no picnicking on its property. I could understand the policy if it was limited to free loaders. But it includes people who have spent hundreds of dollars on rentals and merchandise. Otherwise no complaint.
Petty Crime… My car or room were never broken into but I spoke to multiple people whose car was robbed. Every one in Bonaire it seems has a dog in there yard…not as a pet but as an alarm.
Went jogging one morn and got about a 100 yards from the room ( GoldenReef Inn) and was bit by one of these alarm dogs. Had to stay out of the water for a couple of days to get a scab to form.
Dollars can be used every where but change always comes back in local currency… including the departure tax at the airport. They will not allow you to use a Credit Card and the tax is not included in the ticket. You must pay with cash. You are immediately getting on a plane to leave this place and they refuse to give you change in $. Even though this was a small amount it really got under my skin. Bring lots of 1 dollar bills to avoid having to deal with local currency.
They charge a fee to enter the water…snorkeling, kayaking, windsurfing and scuba. If you are planning on scuba diving and windsurfing be sure to buy $25 version. I went to the wind surf place first. They sold me the $10 entrance fee. The ****** at STINAPA do not accept the $10 entrance as credit towards the $25. In other words I paid $70 for me and my wife because I bought the windsurfing use fee first. Had I gone to the dive shop first they would have sold me the $25 use fee which covers windsurfing.
In Hawaii the mainlanders drive fast and locals drive slow... just the opposite here.
BonaireExel is the worst run airline I’ve flown because schedule changes and late departures. I met people who had luggage lost for 3 days.
It’s a pain in the *** to get to. I had to fly all day and still had to spend a night in Aruba each way.

I stayed at Golden Reef Inn. First let me tell you the good things;

Outdoor shower
Cable TV
AC (although noisy)
Somewhat cheap / good value.
Clean ( except for the ants)

The Bad:
Liz sucks at communication. In email I would ask her a question and she would promptly reply but not answer the question. She partners with ABCarental and it was only after a chain of 20 emails that I was able to confirm that I had a car reservation. A few days before the trip she sent me email to confirm the arrival time so as to have someone pick me up at the airport. I responded with the date and time in military time. Well this information went into a black hole because when we showed up at the airport there was no one to meet us. We waited around till midnight but still no one showed. I had misplaced the phone number …no big deal …I’ll just look it up in the phone book. Problem it’s not listed. I asked around and no one had heard of it. Now I’m beginning to get worried that I’d been screwed because my Visa had already been charged. Things started to look up when I found a taxi driver who knew where it was. He drove us there… it turns out to be a 4 plex in the middle of a residential neighborhood with no one on site. The taxi driver was nice enough to call the number off the sign and get the property manager “Renee” out of bed. Renee arrived within the hour and let us in. She said that she was not expecting us till the next day.
I did NOT receive an apology from Liz …she easily could of smoothed it over with me by initiating the contact and saying “hey I’m sorry the 1st night is on me or let me buy you dinner for the inconvenience.”
I sent Liz an email when I got back… she said “sorry this is never happened before… I’ll give you 15% off you next rental.” I think it HAS happened from other comments on Bonairetalk.

Since she handled my car reservation in a package deal and charged my card on 3 different dates, I asked for an accounting… she responded immediately but did not answer the question. I restated it more clearly “I’d like to know how much went to the car rental and how much each night cost me. She has since stopped replying to me.

In summary, there were a lot of great things I liked about Bonaire…there were a few things that were really lame. If I could get there in a 6 hr flight, I’d go again but I’d stay somewhere other than Golden Reef Inn.

Thayne,


I see this is your first post. What's interesting, is most of the things that you found irritating; currency exchange, airport departure tax, guard dogs barking, dive tag fees, windsurfing tag fees, the heat (it is HOT), beer selection (or lack there of), Bonaire Excel (and the troubles they have been having), and a pain in the "arse" to get to...have all been discussed extensively on Bonaire Talk, in several threads...so I'm sorry I dont' have a sympathy violin to play for you....(I appologize if you were not asking for sympathy, but merely accounting for your experience but it sounded like you were "surprised" by all these things, when a little research could have better prepared you, and then these things would not have "irritated" you).


In regard to your stay at the Golden Reef Inn. I hope Liz sees this, and can help clarify the situation or at least give her side of the story....I have read NO other posts on BT that have mentioned problems with the Golden Reef Inn.


Oh, and by the way, his name is GIBI...NOT "Chibi," I certainly hope you did not call him Chibi. Of course, as Gibi is the kind loving soul he is, he would not have said a word.

Thayne,
I can't get to Bonaire from the east coast in 6 hours never mind trying to get to Utah in 6 hours. The inconvience of travel time always seems to be a trivial matter once you get to Bonaire and stay awhile. Every island has it's postives and negatives... and for very many of us... there are many positives and only a couple of negatives. I hope that the warm balmy evenings, the lack of american beers,lack of wind, dog bites, an extra few dollars for park fees,some petty crime, & an unfortunate hotel experience doesn't keep you and your wife away from trying it again. My understanding is that the packages due save the customer money. May I suggest that you check the web sites for both the rental compnay & where you stayed to see how much you saved then if you booked them separate.

I also find it interesting that you said "the majority of tourists are Dutch"...Bonaire IS part of the Netherlands Antillies, which is part of HOLLAND...so why would it be a surprise if the majority of tourists were Dutch? Also, I'm sure you noticed the big blue KLM planes at the airport all the time...as they have daily flights to and from Holland.

Thayne,

Welcome to Bonaire Talk - not everyone will attack your first post so ignore certain posters. I always appreciate honest posts by visitors highlighting the entirety of their experience so feel free to tell what you like and don't like any time you want.

Trunicate,

Please see this post by Sarah Anderson "We stayed at Golden Reef and had a fantastic time on the island, wonderful snorkelling, frogs, cacti... but we were left at the airport at 3 in the morning with our 2 young children for an hour plus on arrival as we had been forgotten by the hotel (we had to ring them in the end and wake them up) and the car organised by Golden Reef was a couple of grades below the one we arranged, too small for the family and suitcases together and was not for the full time of our stay so we had to stump up more cash at the last minute to leave the island. This left a bad taste and we have been trying to resolve it, but so far unsuccessfully after 2 months." here http://www.oldbonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/24/218339.html

Belinda

Curious, what is a "basic" dive certification? I assume that's Open Water certified?

As stated above by Trunicate, a little research would have probably alleviated about 90 percent of your issues.

Can we not refer to STINAPA as "bastards" please? Good Lord.

It sounds like there were a lot of things you didn't like about Bonaire... maybe you won't return?

I didn't mean to sound like I was attacking, but it does sound like an overly negative experience, the majority of which could have been avoided with a little planning and research.

Obviously some of the folks here are rather defensive about Bonaire, it shows in their attack. It must say alot for the island, since they love it so much.

Thayne, thank you for posting both the good and the bad. I am about to take my first trip and am hoping for a good experience and must say I am a bit nervous over all the bad things I have heard. It really helps to hear your good experiences along with the things you would like to have changed. Were there any dive sites that you would recommend? We will have 2 kids diving with us and are look for sites that are safe for the kids.

Thayne,
Enjoyed reading your un-sugar coated post. Research or no research, your opinions are what they are. Thanks for posting them.

Thayne,

First of all I was not aware of this until your email, therefore I could not initiate and apology and "make you an offer". You informed me of these incidents AFTER your holiday. That is when I offered you 15% off your next stay. Second, AB has hired some new people and there a communication error from them. We gave you a confirmation number when asked for confirmation. The charges on your card were #1 your deposit, #2 your balance and #3 you originally paid for a 7 night stay, but actually stayed 8, we only charged for the extra night, you had the vehicle an extra day on us. Anyway, I will answer you privately. Please give me at least 48 hours, I'm home with the flu (have been for over a week).

We treat our guests with the utmost respect and do our best to make them feel "at home". We are extremely accommodating and we feel fair. I'm sorry you did not like your time with us, but I'm glad you found the accommodations reasonable.

Liz

Thayne,
Thanks for your post. I agree the travel time is a pain. We travel from Colorado with an overnight on the way down. Our total travel time of three days means we stay in Bonaire a bit longer than some and we only make one trip per year. I hope Bonaire stays a pain to get to as that will mean less "everyday" tourists...ya know what I mean?....kinda like our mutual dislike of cruise ship destinations!!

The Marine Park tag system changed in April and I think they are still working out the kinks. In fact, I thought the fee was $25 for all users including windsurfers, snorkelers, etc.

Keep posting....we appreciate the positive and negative!

Hello,

In response to getting "suckered" into a windsurf package, first there are several reasons the shops in MOST destinations prefer pre booking. To speak to BON, it's cheaper for the client to pre book. Also it allows the shops to insure there is enough gear. Some weeks during hi season the shops have had to turn away walk ins. Windsurfing can be a frustrating sport when Mother Nature is not cooperative but thankfully in our sport one can learn freestyle, brush up in jibes and take lessons in any kind of wind. Hope the good memories prevail.

Liz, you gotta shake that flu bug NOW! Bonaire is waiting!!
;D

Thank you for your list of experiences, I'm sure there are many on the board who will learn from your impressions. After six trips I always learn something new, if nothing else but a few new words in Papiamentu.

Belinda, thanks for your post.

Hey guys, Thayne gave his list of things he didn't like. There are things we all can name that we don't like about it, right? Even me. I hope you give it another shot Thayne and now you know what to expect. Trips 2-6 were much easier than number one.

Carl

"Attack" seems be crop up all too often on this forum.

Thayne,

I did not mean my post to be an "attack" as others have suggested. Your negatives about Bonaire, were many, and like I said, might have been a little less negative with some research.

You also state that you talked to some folks that had their car broken into. It would be nice if you gave specifics, like did they leave valuables in sight, where it happened? Rumors get started that way. When something that is casually mentioned (crime), for someone who is new to the board, it may make them even more nervous unecesarily as all the facts were not given.

I know Renee, and she would not give back change on purpose. The customary tip rate for dive masters and such is 10%. If you felt you should have gotten money back, you should have said something. Renee has a great reputation, and I'd hate for it to be tarnished because of a lack of communication.

You make no reference to how any of your dives were...did you enjoy the diving on Bonaire? (really, I am asking this in a kind way folks).

Susan, you have nothing to worry about. Take the precautions that have been discussed on this board (I'll happily provide a links to a few if you like). You and your family will have a wonderful time.

Here are some links that might be helpful to folks coming to the island for the first time:

http://www.infobonaire.com/scubadiving.html#BMP

http://www.infobonaire.com/travel.html (they should probably add that the departure tax has to be cash)

Thayne, looking at this, my take is you should have only had to pay for the dive tag, not dive tag and windsurfing tag. My suggestion would be to email STINAPA http://www.bonairenature.com/stinapa/ and let them know what happened. Clearly someone is not getting the right information.

---

quote:

Bonaire National Marine Park

It is necessary for all who use the waters of the Bonaire National Marine Park to pay a Nature Fee of $10.00 per year ($25.00 for scuba divers). At the time of payment, you will receive a specially designed tag indicating your support for nature preservation and a receipt. Keep both, as they will also provide you with complimentary admission to Washington-Slagbaai National park throughout the year your tag is valid. Tags are available at all dive operations, hotels, resorts, windsurfing operations, sport fishing charter boats, sail/snorkel/water taxi operations, marinas, and other water sports operations on Bonaire.
Source: http://www.infobonaire.com/windsurfing.html

---

Personally I would have gone back to the wind surfer place and asked for my money back as I showed them the Marine Tag. They, the windsurfer place ,should have told you that you needed to get the Marine tag to snorkel or dive and that the windsurfing would be included in that $25.. I think you got the raw deal from them not the Park system...

Oh, Belinda, thank you for the link. I had not seen that one.

Trunicate,

You're welcome.

One other thing - about your post "I also find it interesting that you said "the majority of tourists are Dutch"...Bonaire IS part of the Netherlands Antillies, which is part of HOLLAND...so why would it be a surprise if the majority of tourists were Dutch? Also, I'm sure you noticed the big blue KLM planes at the airport all the time...as they have daily flights to and from Holland." - Thayne did not say he was surprised by this - he said this was one of the things he liked about Bonaire. The tone of your response was a bit harsh perhaps since you read into his post something that was not there? Just my $.02.

Belinda

I really can't see why a person cannot post their experience while visiting Bonaire without folks getting all up in the air about it. Personally my wife and I have been to Bonaire many times, we find the good outweighs the bad at least by one to a million. We feel the distance isn't a problem along with having the correct US dollars for departure tax,etc,etc,etc. We love Bonaire BUT if I didn't I would post here like it or not. The I love Bonaire and no one could possible have a problem or dislike anything about it is kinda childish. Some of the regular posters to give folks a break.

In my judgement, its good when people post their opinions of their Bonaire Trip on Bonaire Talk - both good and bad - no problem; however, I think one could get those opinions across without without referring to STINAPA personnel as bastards and statements such as "Liz sucks at communication."

Thayne, it's a shame you are incapable of expressing yourself without resorting to vulgarity. It's inconceivable to me that you would travel to an unknown destination without important phone numbers handy. I'm sorry you were not picked up at the airport, but you may be too optimistic to travel off the beaten path. Sounds to me like you did not use your extensive travel time wisely, to prepare for your arrival.

I'm really perfectly happy that some folks never return to Bonaire. Nothing against them, I just don't want to see Bonaire with 100,000 tourists a year. Places with good diving don't remain that way when they are too accessible.

My husband and I are travelling to Bonaire for the first time in September to celebrate our 10th anniversary. I have learned so much from this forum. Please keep telling me the good AND the bad.

We've been to Jamaica and Aruba twice and love them both but not every place is for everyone. No matter what though, we are very excited about our first trip to Bonaire.

(Message edited by dshilaos on May 12, 2005)

I will be visiting Bonaire for the first time for my Birthday in June. I'll be travelling with my husband (we're both AOW) and two friends who are both new to diving. This forum has been VERY helpful in the planning of our trip. I even purchased the motion detectors from Radio Shack for both of our rooms! I appreciate ALL comments from the users of this forum. Any recommendations for a birthday dinner?

Thanks to all of you!

Deb,

Casablanca, Croccantino's and Capriccio's are three of my favorites. Love those "C" restaurants!

Belinda

Deb, if you want romantic, try Richards. If you want fun and good local food, try Gibi's.

Deb, I'd recommend you start a new thread specific to birthday dinner recommendations. You'll probably get a lot more feedback that way since your question is hidden under a trip report.

The best steak with the best value on the island, in my opinion of course, is Casablanca. I love that place.

Cathy: Don't worry - you'll love it. There's a good reason my wife and I have 5 trips done and the 6th scheduled for September. Dive Hard. Marcus.

Cathy, if you liked Aruba you will LOVE Bonaire....picture Aruba (minus the long white sandy beaches) approximately 75 years ago and that is what Bonaire is like. Bonaire has all of the modern day conveniences but is not over developed as Aruba has become. We watched them destroy Aruba during the 1980's and went to Bonaire for the first time in 2000 and never went anywhere else after that.

Trust us on this one....you will fall in love with Bonaire....as long as you are not expecting miles of sandy beaches, you will be just fine! Best diving and snorkeling in the world with outrageous restaurants to boot. The nicest people in the world come from Bonaire, too.

Can't wait to hear about your trip once you return.

Thayne, give it another shot....I think you would enjoy it the second time around. Sometimes things go awry on the first try but now that you've gotten your "feet wet" so to speak, you should be just fine. I do hope you will reconsider Bonaire again. Carole

Thayne,
Welcome to BT and thank you for posting your good experiences and pitfalls with total honesty. As you can see, many hotel and dive operators (and Bonaire aficionados) take your opinion seriously. Thanks for your input, and weigh the value of the responses you get for yourself. Take full advantage of both the BT archives and of asking questions on threads. You will find many of the issues you experienced previously discussed.

I'm glad you discovered Bonaire. In my experience, it can be rough around the edges sometimes, but hey, that is what BT is here for.

Welcome.

Thayne -- enjoyed your post, as well as all the discussion it generated. Limited beer selection kinda bugged me too. Although I got used to Brights . .

Thayne,

Good draft beer at Lion's Den.

-David

Hi Susan:

We're snorkeler's not divers but I think Audrey1 and Audrey2 would be great for the kids. Fairly easy entry, and lotsa stuff to see >What do you divers think of my opinion? Also, we had our first trip April 20-May1. The posts also had us worried. We stayed at CoCo Palm. On more thing, if you like to ride bicycles, in the morning before 10AM and in the evening after 5:30, it cools down traffic is light and a trip down the road to Sorobon is great. We rented ours from Great Escape. The vibe on Bonaire is great, wonderful, beyond our expectations! We don't have kids, so it was easier for us. If your kids love the water, they'll love Bonaire. Also Batchelor Beach and Windsock will be great and easy on the kids. This all JMHO.

Feed ME!

Sorry, I flashed to "The Little Shop of Horrors".

I think you mean "Andrea 1" and "Andrea 2".

Yeah, I was sending an e-mail to a co-worker at the same time, named Audrey! HA!HA!

Thayne
Maybe you must be surprised that you can pay in Dollars. The normal currency is guilders, like we had in the Netherlands till the Euro came.I change my Euro's to guilders when I come at Bonaire. Maybe you can do the same with your dollars, that is normal when you go to a foreign country!

One small comment on the beer selection: The Island Supplier imports Grolsch, Trappiste, Bavaria, Presidente, and Corona. I'm sure that The Great Escape isn't the only bar that buys and sells them. Warehouse Bonaire imports MGD. Many bars carry Balashi, too. Just wander a bit farther and look a bit harder.