Part I

Overview
This was my tenth trip to Bonaire -- leaving Seattle on Oct 3rd and returning on Oct 26th. The focus was, again, shore diving. Part of the time was Regatta Week. That is both good and bad -- lots to do but also more crowded.

I was by myself for the first week and with two friends the last two weeks. They had never been to Bonaire.

Getting There
I flew AA from SEA to DFW to SJU to BON. I left my house at 8pm for the airport and got to Bonaire at 9pm local time. The next day. A long but uneventful day. Many of the flights were fairly empty on the way down (and full on the way back).

I booked well in advance and was able to use 30,000 miles (and $20) to purchase the ticket. (And 25k of the miles came from the sign up bonus for their Visa)

The new weight restrictions are an issue -- under the old 75# rule, I could take everything but the kitchen sink. Laptop. Tons of food. Building supplies. My entire gear trunk (except the dry suit).

I will need to be more careful in the future. (If your bag was between 75 and 100 pounds, I think it was an extra $100. And that might be each way.)

I did spring for the Admiral's Club day pass ($50 for one,I think $75 for two). The shower in DFW is worth the price alone. After a red eye, a quiet place to rest is nice. And the shower has at least six (or was it eight?) shower heads and heated towels. All in a little private suite. The day pass could also be used at SJU. That one was much less nice -- sort of grubby and much noisier (although that could, in part, reflect the time of day). And no shower.

On the up side, SJU has some new food options (over by the gates used by Jet Blue) in the secured area. Starbucks. Baked potato place, etc.

The way back was long as well -- at the airport by 5:15am and landing in SEA around 10pm.

In the future, I will probably do AA to CUR and then Divi Divi (as I did last year). The price is right and I get to Bonaire at least 3 or 4 hours earlier. And I don't leave Bonaire on a 7am flight... I will also check the Continental option. That said, I like the fact there are two AA jets a day to CUR and Divi Divi is just great. The only real downside to that approach is clearing customs in Miami and the fact that Divi flies daylight hours only.

Getting Around
When I arrive, I typically take a cab to the hotel. Why? It is only $12, saves a day worth of car rental, gets me to the hotel much faster and I avoid dragging bags across the lot. I then have the car rental place pick me up the next morning. This worked well again.

I have used Nettys in the past and been happy with their service. I sort of used her this time as well -- and everything was great.

She is in the process of selling the company but is still honoring all reservations. She misses her family and is going back to Holland. Because she had no inventory, she acquired a truck from A/B (an upgrade at that). So my contract and services (and prices) were from Netty. But the insurance options were from A/B. Essentially transparent to me and she was always where she said she would be. I am not sure of the status of her selling the business at this point but, again, she honored all prior reservations and prices 100% (except for the new/different insurance options and that is to be expected).

Had one flat and had the tire repaired. No problems although that was very sweaty work.

Part II

Staying There
I stayed the entire time at the Carib Inn (my home away from home). I did one week in room #3 (right by the pool, studio with kitchen). The rest of the time in the three bedroom, two bath house. While the two bedroom unit (back opens to a private deck and the ocean, front opens to the pool) will always be my favorite, I really like the house. My only complaint (and it is very minor), is that it is a walk to the pool and part of the way is gravel. Those that stay at large resorts will laugh, as the walk is still very short (maybe a minute). I would say it is like the distance between the two restaurants at the Divi.

Why am I such a big fan? I enjoy the staff. Many of the staff have been there a long time (including staff who fill tanks and housekeeping). The place is well run and the dive shop is one of the best on the island.

The house reef is, I think, very good. On one dive, I had garden eels, a turtle, a larger grouper, two spotted morays, a squid, an octopus and a bunch of very tiny juvenile fish (many sort of shrunken versions of the adults). In all fairness, it was a very long dive...

The pool is nice and the atmosphere informal. The rooms are clean and seem to be in the process of being updated (tile bathrooms, solid surface kitchen counters). There are many repeat guests who tend to come at the same time each year. I have heard it described as being like a family reunion -- but with people you like. At any point in time, I knew between half and 75% of all guests from past visits. It was like visiting with old friends.

There is a micro beach. It is in a great location for me (I like to be close to town, but not too close. I like the southern dive sites). It is small-- to walk from the end of the dive dock to any room must be less than one minute (maybe two to the house). I think, for the price, it is a great value (more later in part III).

One of the great things about Bonaire is that there are tons of different lodging options. North or South. Water or not. Big or small. Different costs. Pick what is best for you -- not what I like (unless they are the same!)

In other words, it is not for everyone. There is no 24 hour front desk (the office is open 8 to 5). There is no on site restaurant or bar (although Richards and the Divi are a short walk). Cactus Blue and Casablanca also within a very reasonable walk. The furnishings are basic but complete (kitchen utensils, wash clothes, etc.). The plane noise might bother some although it is not too loud. And it is small. So, if you want to be somewhat anonymous it would be hard to do that here.

Reservations can be a challenge with the high repeat rate and the small number of rooms.

Eating
A highlight of any trip is a visit to Cultimara. They run low on some stuff but always seem to have way too much of other things. One trip it was cheese. They had pallets of gouda wheels. Another time it chickle chewing gum from Spain (shopping carts full). This time it was Capri Sun. Still, if you want fresh milk, this is the place to get it (typically Friday until about Tuesday). A new brand -- the appear to be going from MacArthur (sp?) to Dixie Fresh.

More for Less had some good produce as did the boats from Vz. There is also a veggie market somewhere on the island (past Bonaire Warehouse?). And Bonaire Warehouse is where I did most of my shopping.

As for restaurants, had good meals at Richards, Pizza Bon and Casablanca. Had good drinks at Mona Lisa and Cactus Blue. (I went there for drinks only). But mostly ate in the room (food I brought with plus food purchased on island).

Part III (Final Part)

Diving
I had many great dives -- all done by shore. A few unique things from this trip: diving lighthouse with ankle high waves (never seen it that flat!); a juvenile slender file fish that changed texture/color three times within two minutes; a chance to dive with a fellow BTer (Becky from Wisconsin); and a chance to see those strange flashing lights at night (it looked like all of the water was a giant field of blinking stars -- seen at the top of the reef in about 25 FSW).

All in all, I had many great dives. My only regret was that I didn't have a chance to see the windjammer (how collapsed is collapsed?) again. I have enjoyed it over the years.

Observations
I found this to be a trip in contrasts. In many respects, I felt like a part time resident. I knew a great many people (fellow guests, car rental staff, hotel staff, etc.). I know how to get almost anywhere on the island as well as I know my own city. I know what most of the shopping options are. I know what is available on island and what is not. I know who is open on Sunday and who is not. I started to pay attention to real estate...

So, in many respects, I felt like a temporary resident. That made things very relaxed and I didn't feel like I needed to see certain things or I would be missing something. On the other hand, a lack of urgency meant my vacation day was probably a little less action packed than on the first trip to a new location.

At the same time, I spent two weeks with new visitors. And, saying aloud some of things I have come to take for granted with Bonaire was sort of like rediscovering certain things. Both good and bad things I have simply internalized.

Of course you can just drive ten minutes south and be at a great dive site. Of course it is a short swim (three minutes average) to the reef. Of course there are things to see on the way. Of course the dive will be at least good and we will be by alone. Of course you can dive solo anytime you want. Of course you can walk out your hotel at 10pm and be doing a night snorkel (or dive) within a few minutes. Of course you can park almost at the water's edge.

Of course you can shore dive a week for the price of one day of diving in Palau. Of course there are lots of good restaurants. Of course there really is very little traffic on the island. Of course there are lots of places to stay on the island.

These are all things that seem to amaze new visitors. But so do the negative things.

Of course you lock your door when you leave your hotel room. Of course you don't lock your car. Of course you keep your windows down. Of course many of the homes have bars on them. Of course you leave nothing of value in your car. Of course there are limited shopping options.

But as a repeat visitor I tend to notice the incremental changes. Some are nice surprise (Cactus Blue) and others are not (those houses south of the airport right ON the water -- I see one now looks occupied; the development at the mangroves, etc.)

Bonaire changes slowly but it is changing. I sense a bit of gentrification. I am seeing business mergers. All of that is, to some extent, neither here nor there. IMHO, what makes Bonaire truly unique as a tourist destination is shore diving. (A second one would also be the people).

My hope is that the government guards against development that harms the reef (i.e., golf course, mangrove developments, cruise ships, etc.) and allows both resident and visitor access to the water. In the last 15 years, I have noticed several points of access go away -- and they have not come back. Connecting the residents with the sea is, I think, very important. And I think it is crucial to maintaining the shore diving that is Bonaire's signature tourism feature.

And I do worry about what I have seen lately. The house south of the airport. Mangrove development. Draining of undeveloped property to develop it. Developments eliminating dive sites. More houses in previously undeveloped areas. Talk of things like a golf course or cruise ships.

On the positive side for visitors, Bonaire seems to be bursting at the seems with new (nicer) small hotels. Places like Atriol (I think), Golden Reef, etc. are offering visitors a chance to visit Bonaire for much less money. There must be at least ten new ones in the last two years. These are in addition to places like Happy Holiday and Cyndanny (whatever it is called now).

My hope is that there is enough business to support all of the hotels - that is something I doubt.

Golden Reef appears very nice, has a pool and is about half the price of a place with water access. For me, the incremental cost of staying on the water is worth it. (In the grand scheme, the $150/week per person to stay on the water is a small part of the vacation budget and a huge part of my vacation enjoyment.)

Hi David,

We too have noticed the little developmental changes over the past 4 years. We worry about how the island will change once Holland takes over..we were told the island will have dutch police and no longer will be governed or policed by "Uncle Bob". More money for Bonaire, is that a good thing or a bad thing? We just hope it never loses its local flavor or the laid back pace we thrive on while we are there. These are the reasons we keep coming back, even though there are so many more places we wish to dive. There really is something to be said for the simple life of Bonaire...we love every aspect of it!

I really enjoyed reading your interesting report. I also never feel like a tourist while in Bonaire. It feels more like my second home.

David - thanks for your very detailed report and observations. Interesting because as Bonaire is -is what attracts us and keeps us coming back. We'd also like to "try" other islands but we both know we'd be comparing the diving/snorkeling constantly. And, of course, the wonderful people there & all the BT friends we've met on island and on BT. One just can't get this comradery anywhere else - a very unique quality. We hope the island doesn't change or grow too radically or too quickly.
Thanks again

Hi David!
I loved that night dive... my staff was in awe as I described the luminescence (ostracods?). What an amazing experience - thanks for being my "guide".
Your report is great, you've got a really level view of things.
Happy diving,
Becky

Great report David - I really enjoyed it! And I too feel that Bonaire is my second home.

Well said, David!

My wife and I have been visitors on Bonaire seven times since 1995. We were married there. To us, it is a second home.

Like you each visit finds us enjoying a growing familiarity. We also see the things, meet people each trip anew, changes positive and negative. We return to the paradise that is North Carolina and and suddenly realize that even our little community, like most, is ever evolving....mostly for the better and sometimes for the not so good.

Can't wait to revisit the second home by the reef that is Bonaire. 63 days and counting.

Thank you Becky, Mara, Claude, Judy, Darlene and Merideth for your comments!

Several follow up items (mostly what I forget in my first posts):

Becky -- Becky was truly a delight to dive with. She was very gracious about working around my schedule. We were treated to the ostracod (or whatever they are!) -- I only had that happen on two of my 15 plus night dives.

Jelly -- I took a very new diver (not Becky) on a night dive another night. She was very cautious and stayed at least 15 feet off the reef. The result was that she attracted a cloud of small jelly fish. Nobody got stung so my guess is that they did not have much in the way of toxin. (I think I was able to swim around them but nobody else seemed to notice them).

New Visitors -- Having a new visitor with me allowed me to see Bonaire as both a seasoned visitor and as someone new to the island. For those who have come to take aspects of Bonaire for granted (in my case, without even knowing it), it is away to discover Bonaire anew.

Other Destinations -- There are many things I love about Bonaire, especially as a dive destination. If diving is out of the mix, I would go back to Europe. If diving is a side activity, I would go back to the Yucatan. The mayan ruins (esp. Palenque and Uxmal are great). And Dominica and Saba are still on my list of possible destinations in the general area of Bonaire.

That said, I am thinking of Micronesia or PNG/Indonesia -- especially Raja Ampat (I saw this place on the Equator series on the HD channel). While the diving would be awesome (better than Bonaire by all accounts), it is much more expensive than Bonaire (and lacks the diving freedom that is Bonaire).

In the end, Bonaire offers a very easy dive destination, with freedom and great value.

Getting There -- I am always looking to improve the air travel portion of the trip (everything else I have nailed!). In the end, there is no easy way to get there. So I settle for small improvements -- the club lounge in DFW, day pass at the gym at the Miami airport, finding quiet places in airports (or with decent food), etc.

Anyone have any great ideas?