This was the third trip to Bonaire for me and my boyfriend, Mike. After our first trip, we can't imagine NOT visiting Bonaire at least once a year. We are hooked!
FLIGHTS:
We flew on Northwest Airlines from Minneapolis to Houston, and Continental from Houston to Bonaire (reverse on the way back). We paid for Mike's ticket and I used Northwest Worldperks mileage to fly free.
This was our second trip using the overnight from Houston on Continental, which went smoothly on the way down. No delays or problems, other than trying to sleep in an upright position. Mike took one Sominex and slept better than me. We left Minneapolis at 7:00 PM on Friday March 23, made the connection in the E Terminal in Houston for the flight to Bonaire with plenty of time to spare. There weren't many shops or restaurants open, but the layover seemed to go quickly. After landing on Bonaire and picking up our luggage we stopped by the counter out front and paid our departure tax.
The return trip had two hiccups. The plane left Bonaire an hour late (no reason given), so we missed our connection in Houston. Instead of leaving Houston at 1:00 PM, we left at 5:00 PM. The Houston airport was a zoo. There had been a heavy rainstorm earlier that morning, and people were trying to book new flights out, or grabbing standby seats where available.
Also, when leaving Bonaire, Mike was not issued a boarding pass for our flight from Houston to Minneapolis, but I was (go figure), so we struggled to find a Continental employee in Houston that could issue him one. All of the agents were busy helping stranded passengers, and lines were at a standstill. Our flight to Minneapolis was on Northwest Airlines, so I went out of the secured area and found a Northwest check-in desk where a helpful agent printed a boarding pass for Mike. He was reluctant to leave the secured area in case there was a problem getting a boarding pass because he would not be allowed to get through security without one.
We have flown through San Juan on American (our first trip), and are thinking about doing this next time, but the LONG layovers are a deterrent. Although, with the delay we experienced in Houston, we probably could have flown through San Juan and made it home in just about the same amount of time, and probably for a lot less money. Anyway, something to research for next time.
CAR RENTAL:
AB Car Rental rented us a practically brand new Mazda BT50 pickup. This was our third year renting from them, and we had another great experience. Fast and friendly service, even at 6:00 in the morning! Absolutely no surprise costs and no problems with the vehicle.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
We stayed in the penthouse apartment at Bonaire Oceanfront Apartments (our first time staying there). The location is fantastic for access to downtown. It's just a few blocks from all the waterfront restaurants, as well as the main road that runs north out of town. We walked to It Rains Fishes, City Cafe and Papaya Moon (see DINING reviews below). The staff is very gracious and friendly, and the view from the balcony is first rate, especially the sunsets. We loved the pool area and gardens. The birds and flowers are abundant. Also, Last Bite Bakery is right across the road, so we took great advantage of that. Most evenings we would take a walk on the waterfront, since it's right out the back gate. We hadn't expected to be able to get into the room until the afternoon, but the previous guests had left a day early (HUH???) and we got in right away at 9:00 AM after checking in at the office.
Just a few MINOR inconveniences, nothing too serious and nothing that would keep us from staying there again, just a few things to make people aware of:
- There is no phone in the apartment. You can use the office phone during office hours, but after 5 PM or on Sunday, if you want to make a phone call, you'll need to use a cell phone (we didn't have one).
- The TV didn't work, but we didn't watch any TV anyway, not with the spectacular sunsets going on just outside! We didn't even ask anyone to fix the TV for us, and we kept forgetting to mention it to the office staff.
- The apartment building is between two busy roads, so if road noise bothers you (scooters, Harleys, pounding subwoofers, beeping horns) just be aware of that. We could have shut the windows and turned on the air conditioning, but we loved the island breezes! Other noises we noticed were the roosters crowing and the dogs barking, sometimes both, and in the middle of the night.
- We are snorkelers, and we both bring full dive suits, masks, snorkels, boots and hoods. At both previous places we stayed on Bonaire we were given keys to the storage lockers/areas for our gear and it was no problem. Bert at the on-site dive shop told us that he had a lot of divers that week and we weren't given a key to the storage area for our gear. Each time we returned to the apartment from a snorkel (sometimes twice a day) we would rinse our gear and then haul it all up to the third floor to hang it up in the apartment or out on the balcony to dry. Not a major inconvenience, but slightly annoying, especially since we knew that the storage areas was just a few feet away from the rinse tank.
SNORKELING:
We hired Renee of Renee Snorkel Tours to take us out for one afternoon snorkel, one morning snorkel and one night snorkel. We both love snorkeling with Renee! She shows us creatures we would probably just swim over the top of and not notice. Another of the reasons we hire her is because she can read the ocean and know at a glance whether it's going to be worth even getting out of the vehicle and into the water. She would look at the water at a potential snorkel spot and say "No, not today. We'll go somewhere else today.", where we would have jumped in the water and been disappointed in the visibility.
Renee took us to Yellow Hut, two spots on the waterfront just north of our apartment (yes, practically DOWNTOWN!), the reef at the old Sunset Beach Resort, Tori's Reef and The Invisibles. The night snorkel was at a pier in town (not Town Pier, but south of it). All the snorkels were fantastic. Lots of fun and lots to see. At Tori's Reef we saw three eagle rays feeding in the sand and at Invisibles we found FIVE kinds of eels! At the waterfront in town Renee found a seahorse (!) and an octopus. The snorkel at Sunset Beach was bittersweet. Renee said it was probably the last time we would be able to easily access the reef because construction is due to start soon on the new hotel. Mike and Renee were both stung by jellyfish at Invisibles. Mike got stung on the upper lip and Renee by her ear. She carries Lanacane in her van and after putting some of that on their stings they were ready to get back in the water again. I was glad that we were covered head to foot in lycra and neoprene because there were lots of jellyfish in the water at that spot.
When not snorkeling with Renee, we went off on our own to Andrea 1 and 2, Petries Pillar, Karpata (got up before dawn and drove up there to see the reef wake up, AWESOME), 1000 Steps and Windsock, as well as return trips to the waterfront just north of downtown (once at night). At all spots we saw lots of fish (too many species to name), and at four spots we saw sea turtles in the shallows. Our favorite thing to do is hover over the coral in the shallows (3 or 4 feet deep) and watch all the juvenile fish. They are all my favorite, but I'm really soft on the baby spotted drum and trunkfish. Even Renee says "Awwww! So cute" when she sees a baby trunkfish.
DINING:
It Rains Fishes (dinner) - always a favorite. I had the catch of the day (Dorado) with mustard sauce and Mike had the ribs. Excellent food and friendly service, as usual.
City Cafe (breakfast) - because our flight arrived so early in the morning and we hadn't expected to get into our room until 2:00 PM, we drove to downtown and parked in front of City Cafe until they opened at 7:00 AM. We were really hungry, and split the American Breakfast, which had really yummy pancakes in it (not part of that breakfast last year). Later in the week we revisited City Cafe for a repeat.
Paza Bon Pizza (dinner) - LOVE IT! Ordered twice during the week for take away and enjoyed leftovers beside the pool at the apartment.
Rum Runners (lunch) - Burgers and drinks by the ocean. Just doesn't get much better than that.
Papaya Moon (dinner) - New Tex-Mex place about a block south of the apartment, run by a family from Texas. We sat down at 6:00 PM and were informed that it was Happy Hour. Drinks were 2 for 1, so we both ordered Mango Margaritas, which were excellent. When we asked our waitress what the catch of the day was, the chef was just walking in the front door with a Dorado he had just purchased!! I ordered that with the green chili cream sauce and half hour later it was ON MY PLATE! It couldn't have gotten much fresher than that. Mike ordered the pork tenderloin with mole sauce. Both meals were delicious, as was dessert, fried flour tortillas with cinnamon sugar. All through the meal the owner checked on our meals and chatted with us, and after dinner we spoke with the chef. Turns out he has fished on Lake of the Woods in northern Minnesota! We were both impressed with the food and the staff and were sorry we had waited until so late in our stay to visit. I wish them the best of luck in the future.
Patagonia (dinner) - Renee recommended this restaurant, and she was right about the steaks - fantastic! We got there when it opened at 6:00 PM and watched a super sunset take place while we enjoyed an appetizer of melon and prosciutto. The tenderloin steaks were delicious, mine with black pepper sauce and Mike's with saltambuco sauce. Unfortunately we had no room for dessert!
Last Bite Bakery (breakfast) - almost every morning (she was closed on Monday and Tuesday) Mike walked across the street to get fresh breakfast items. We really enjoyed the individual ham and cheese quiches (just reheat in the microwave), but the muffins, cherry turnovers and apple turnovers were yummy also. The Key Lime Pie, Molten Chocolate Cake and New Orleans Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce were out of this world. I think when you munch on these wonderful things while gazing out at the ocean from your private balcony, EVERYTHING tastes better!
Warehouse Grocery - We purchased breakfast cereal, milk, juice, yogurt, bread, cheese, salami, wine, rum, paper towels and candy.
Fruit vendors in downtown - Bananas, mangos and melon, then a repeat visit for more mangos.
Lover's Ice Cream - Two pints of coconut ice cream. Could have eaten THREE! This is really good eaten with the Molten Chocolate Cake from Last Bite Bakery. Heat the cake for 15 minutes in the microwave first.
MISCELLANEOUS:
-Twice during the week were enjoying an afternoon snack on the balcony and happened to see what we thought was a pod of dolphins swim by between us and Klein Bonaire. We later heard that they were pilot whales.
-On our last day on the island, we drove around sightseeing for a few hours. We drove up the coast to Karpata and BOPEC, then over to Gotomeer, through Rincon to Boca Onima and the Indian Inscriptions, up to the overlook at Seru Largu, over to Lac Cai, then down to the southern tip and back up into town. We have really come to appreciate the landscape of the island. It's amazing to see the contrast between cactus and mesquite trees on one side and the brilliant blue sea on the other. And how do you describe the iron shore or the eastern side to someone who's never seen it?
OVERALL:
Another fine vacation on Bonaire. We have come home with more fond memories and more incentive to return. Post Bonaire Depression hasn't set in yet. Everything is still fresh in my mind. |
By Amy Johnson (BonaireTalker - Post #34) on Wednesday, April 4, 2007 - 3:06 pm: 
