First of all - WOW - what a fantastic island. Since our main reason for visiting any island is to snorkel, Bonaire has made it to the very top of the list. Here's a trip report. Thanks to all of you who helped me learn about the island before we arrived!
Travel: There's no doubt about it - getting to Bonaire takes a long time - but it's so worth it! We went from Louisville to Orlando to San Juan to Bonaire. 13 hours total. Overall everything went well though, no delays or luggage problems. My husband and I never check bags (2 carry-ons and a backpack) and managed to overpack again. Even got the snorkels, fins and masks on board. Maybe next time we'll check into the direct flight from Houston. One thing to be aware of though, if you use Travelocity or some other trip site, try to avoid switching airlines or you'll find yourself having to go through security more than once. We used Delta to get to Orlando, then switched to AA so we had to go through security again. On the trip home, we did have to check a bag though. Wil and Sue (of the famous Wil's Tropical Grill) were gracious enough to procure some jars of chili peppers for me and one was too big for carry-on. No problems though, everything made it home OK.
Snorkeling: We met up with Renee three times while on the island and were so glad we did! She took us to Windsock, Tori's Reef, Yellow Submarine, Invisibles, Salt pier and one of her un-named finds. Renee has an amazing ability to spot unique fish and really helped us learn how to find them ourselves. We saw an eagle ray at Salt Pier, garden eels at Invisibles, and many other wonderful fish and even an octopus that she identified for us. We also met Renee for a night snorkel at the Divi which was a really amazing experience! I felt so refreshed and alive after the night snorkel and the colors were spectacular. Renee is a wonderful, enthusiastic guide that I highly recommend!
We also enjoyed a snorkel trip on the Woodwind to Klein Bonaire and Andrea 1. Unfortunately the jellies were all over us at Klein so we were distracted trying to avoid them. We did see several turtles and an eagle ray on the trip.
Other sites that we snorkeled included Witches Hut, 1000 steps, Front Porch and Eden Rubble. I can't even begin to list how many wonderful creatures we saw.
Lodging: We stayed at Eden Beach since it is one of the few hotels that had a beach. We were not looking for anything fancy and Eden met our needs. No problems at all. Olivier is a wonderful host and was very outgoing and helpful - especially with reservations. Normally it was very quiet, except when the boat arrived (3000 passengers!) and they basically took over the beach and all the chairs. Except for that one day, the hotel was very quiet. They have a nice restaurant, Brisas Del Mar, and a great server (Samira?)helped us each day with our Pina Coladas. Not so thrilled with Bongos but no big deal.
Dining: We found a few places that we loved so not many restaurants this trip. Most notable was Wil's.
Wil's Tropical Grill: WOW. What a wonderful place! Wil really has a flare for combining flavors to make wonderful meals. Sue, Wil's wife, was charming and since she's also from NYC, we hit it off. They are a wonderful, gracious couple that really strive to make dining at their restaurant a special experience for the well-travaled palate. We went there 3 times and everything we had was delicious. Wil makes a great caesar (adds prosciutto, original and lovely presentation!) and also a delicious calamari salad. We had these each night. Shrimp wrapped in prosciutto, tuna with teriyaki, sesame seeds and other wonderful ingredients, and ribs were some of the entrees and all were perfectly prepared. Wil received a fresh 65 pound yellow fin tuna the first time we ate there and invited everyone into the kitchen to see it. The desserts are to die for, especially the lava cake. The chocolate chip cookie was my favorite, while my husband went for the lava. We definitely shared. The shrimp and coconut soup was also wonderful and when I asked what pepper they used to prepare it, Sue and Wil bought us some jars of the peppers they used and gave them to us the next time we ate there! Needless to say, please make this a stop on your travels and you definitely will not be disappointed!
Capriccio: We ate here twice. Really enjoyed the food! Lola was great and personally took each of our orders, recommended excellent wines (she knows her stuff here). The pastas were hand-made and were prepared perfectly. We focused in on the lobster pasta and lasagne. Both were excellent. Her dessert, death by chocolate is also not to be missed! Lola also came to the rescue for us at Richard's so read on.....
Patagonia: Ate here once and the meal was very good. Best fried calamari I have ever eaten. Excellent steaks as well. We had a waterside table (on the harbor) and the ambiance was lovely.
Richard's: I reserved the pier table in advance to celebrate our anniversary and it was really wonderful. We did have one issue that was quickly rectified - Richard apparently does not carry champagne! Since it was our anniversary, and I really wanted some bubbly to celebrate, Richard was kind enough to call another restaurant (Capriccio) and found us a bottle. He picked it up himself and saved the day for us. Keep this in mind when you reserve this table for your special meal. The food was good, service was fabulous and the private table was extra special.
We will definitely be back to Bonaire. I'll post some photos next.
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By Christine Albro (BonaireTalker - Post #16) on Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 1:19 pm: 
