My husband and I just returned from our first trip to Bonaire (May 2000), and we stayed at Captain Don's Habitat. Overall, we absolutely loved the ease of shore diving and the beautiful reefs. We rented a jeep and loaded our scuba gear, and drove down the road to the dive sites (marked by yellow painted rocks). Some shallow corals were damaged from the waves from the hurricane, but the northern diving areas were beautiful.

I have mixed reviews for Captain Don's. We stayed in a "junior deluxe" (basically a hotel room with a fridge) in a villa along the water. Each cute villa was broken into 4 units - the patio was ocean view and very private. We unforutnately needed to change rooms after 2 nights. First, a new rental property was under construction literally several feet outside our room - we awoke at 6:30 AM to loud construction sounds. We also did not have basic necessities in the room (no blankets - just sheets, a bright exterior light that shone through the window in our door all night, musty pillows, etc) and despite asking for blankets or pillows, we did not receive any. Finally, a private owner living next door had a huge loud dog that barked throughout the night. After complaining we were put into another room. It seems like Captain Don's is trying to sell off these units because several of the villas had 'for sale' signs, and some already had private owners.

The rooms are not luxurious, but for divers they were good. There are no phones/TVs (and some rooms don't have clocks), and the villa rooms have older furniture. These are not 'glamorous' rooms but they are small and simple. The pool also needs work - paint was chipping off the steps and the bottom.

Overall, I recommend the accommodations. The staff, however, was mixed. There were several outstanding staff members who were very kind and went out of their way to help us, but several others were quite rude. We had to argue with the front desk about getting an alarm clock to wake us up the night before our 7:30 AM flight. The attitude was NOT helpful, but "tough, oh well". In addition, at the Rum Runners restaurant the 'snack' service was so slow that sometimes it felt like we were intruders rather than customers. We're used to 'island time' from our other trips, but one time we never received our order, and when we requested it again, no one seemed to listen or care. We ended up never getting the order.

Several guests were complaining about loud construction noise due to the installation of a new pier right outside the resort. Jack hammers/pile driving noises were very loud (and could be heard underwater), but Captain Don's was quite accommodating in offering shuttle service and vouchers to the Plaza Resort as compensation. We personally were not offended by this construction noise, but rather by the general attitude of the staff on accommodating guest concerns.

We drove around the island and reviewed several other hotels. We checked Divi Flamingo - we walked through their property and were NOT impressed - although one area had been re-done, the rest of the area seemed like a run down area. Buddy Dive looked very clean and modern, with a very nice pool and sitting area along the water. We talked to divers there and they recommended Buddy Dive. The Black Durgeon seemed very run down.

Finally, I commend the resort for their terrific dive orientation - they were very nature conscious and explained in depth how to respect the marine park. We got the feeling that they definitely respected the beautiful reefs surrounding them.

For your next trip to Bonaire try Sand Dollar. We have stayed there eight times since 1995. It's a great place. The rooms are really very complete and comfortable. They have studio, one, two and three bedrooms. We think they have the best dive operation on the island. The staff is very friendly and they go out of their way to help

Thanks Alan/Joan. I love the island and the diving, so we were looking for other places to stay. We didn't review Sand Dollar, so thanks for the input. Any comment on Buddy Dive?

I have also been to Capt Dons, and Buddy Dive. I agree completely with both assessments.

I also have stayed at Black Durgon on my last 3 trips to Bonaire. It may look a little run down and rustic from the street, but it's a small tropical beach front paradise. The rooms are basic diver facilities. Black Durgon is almost on top of small wall and is a great shore dive. It's quiet, clean, offers breakfast and has an outside kitchen for guest use. There are Ocean Kayaks for use and the owner will be glad to show you his many horses. Check it out the next time you visit.

Joe
San Jose, California

I LOVE Buddy Dive - I've been going there for 7 years. In that time they have grown to one of the larger resorts on the island (I think!) The rooms are modern, nice and clean. Fresh towels every day and sheets every other. my only complaint would be the tile floors of the stairs, the get very slippery when wet. The staff is friendly and VERY accomodating. The dive operation is also First Class and Buddy'd Reef is only feet away. I strongly reccomend Buddy's