My wife and I are planning on spending 2 weeks in Bonaire in October and have made tentative reservations at Buddy Dive. Now that the webcams are moving to Eden Beach we are contemplating booking there. Any info on the resort and their dive operation would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

The three businesses are Eden Beach, Bongos Bar and Restaurant and Wannadive. The folks at Wannadive are very friendly and helpful and have 3 places on the island where tanks are available all with great ease. Bongos is a barefoot in the sand kind of place. We have had many yummy lunches there. We have never stayed at Eden Beach but have seen the units two times. They were basic but clean and each had a small sitting area outside. There are lounge chairs on the beach for guests and snorkeling and diving from the beach. I do not have any personal experience with Buddy Dive other than a nice lunch a few years ago.

I was on the property in March and at least from the outside it looks fine. It's smaller that BD but it has a fairly nice beach by Bonaire standards. BD does not have a beach. The dive op is first rate. Bart and company, Wannadivebonaire, are about the nicest, most accommodating guys you will ever meet. The biggest negative with them is their nitrox is a little more limited than Buddies (we usually stay at BD but stayed a week at Wannadivehut in March 04) and I prefer to dive nitrox. I like the staff at BD and am returning in 3 weeks but I can also highly recommend Wannadive as well.

We love Eden Beach. Eva and I always stay in an upstairs studio apartment (when we don't bring the kids). Between Eden, WannaDive and Bongos....it just couldn't be better. Check out our trip reports from 2002 & 2003.

http://www.oldbonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/1022/62125.html?1049081585

http://www.oldbonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/1022/136229.html?1075855650

http://www.oldbonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/1022/136560.html?1078710870

Wow....I forgot how great those reports were! Where the heck is that blonde Dutch woman now???!! LOL. Great stuff! Carole

Eden Beach is the best! We loved the beach bar there and it was so nice to sit there in the evening and have a drink. The beach area is great too--and who else has 3 wreck dives right out in front?

Tim,

Wannadive is an excellent dive operation. You cannot go wrong with these guys.
Bongos is the typical tropical island beach bar. A bar where Tom Cruise could be shaking his cocktails.

They recently added a dedicated restaurant area. Excellent food and one of the largest menus on the island. (-: The view is not bad either, the sea and Klein Bonaire.

I cannot comment on Eden, since we have never stayed there.

Peter

Thanks so much for all of the replies. We have made contact with Bonaire Pros to see if we can switch and get a room at Eden Beach. If we can't I'm sure we won't be disappointed with Buddy's. It would just be a nice way to show our support for their adopting the webcams. We're also looking forward to meeting other BTers at Bongos!

124 days and counting!

Tim & Cindy

It depends what you are looking for. For Boat diving, Buddy Dive is fabulous. They also have a drive through for air fills if you are shore diving. I can't comment on their rooms, but recently took a tour of Eden Beach rooms for a friend. We were not that impressed. They were very inexpensive and not the type of room you would want to spend a lot of time in. We were more impressed with the outside grounds. Bongos is great and so is the beach. You are right next to Harbour Village which has great snorkeling across their beach.