By Pat Relich on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 12:17 pm: |
Hello everyone,
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By Ken on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 4:39 pm: |
if you have a deluxe room (near the ocean) ask for a room close to the Chibi Chibi restaurant... there are barking dogs located adjacent to the south end of the property (away from the restaurant). Email a request for a refridgerator... good for sodas, beer, etc. If breakfast is included in your package, you will get coupons upon arrival... be aware that they can be used for a lunch item if you don't use them for breakfast. Laundry service is cheaper if you drop it off yourself at the laundry (off-prem.) vs. using the laundry bag in the room.
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By Corney Ann Carter on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 6:09 pm: |
The construction is in the timeshare area and will be ongoing for a while yet. It is away from the hotel section. The laundry is just to the right of the stadium in town.
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By Carole Baker on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 8:24 pm: |
So sorry to hear about your Mom, Pat...I went thru something similar just last year with my Mom. Our sympathies go out to you. Bonaire will be a good place for you to "get away" and have some well needed quiet time. The Divi is a good place to do just that...swim, dive, snorkel, relax, dine or just do nothing but recline on the chairs on the beach or the tanning pier. We love it at the Divi. Someone had mentioned there was construction starting at the outdoor breakfast area which overlooks the Divi beach. I don't know what type of construction it is or how loud, etc. Someone who just came back might be able to give you more input on that. The Deluxe rooms are literally right on the water. I have been told the second floor units are nicer in that they have higher ceilings and ceiling fans in them. We are on the timeshare side, but we were booked in the deluxe side closer to the Chibi Chibi restaurant for Thanksgiving week when we had to cancel out due to my unexpected dental disaster. Darlene Ellis has told me that her favorite room is #203 up on the second floor of the deluxe units...she says it is much better upstairs than downstairs.
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By Ken on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 10:12 pm: |
they are tearing down the old Caleba's restaurant area. The are moving right along and are probably about done with the removal. The only things we noticed was that they would block the main path and make you walk 20 yds out of your way . They are supposed to be building a new restaurant on the same site. They only work during the day and it has no impact on your stay.
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By Denise Kacavas on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 1:24 pm: |
deluxe rooms are well worth the additonal $ in my opinion. If not in one, and therefore not on the ocean I would suggest you get an upstairs room from what I have seen in the past... We always took the deluxe rooms and loved waking in the AM, stepping out on the balconey over the water, and at sunset before dinner also.... lots of various fish in the water right up to the edge, and they love to be fed!!!
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By Pat Relich on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 2:23 pm: |
Thanks everyone,
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By Linda Richter - NetTech on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 2:35 pm: |
Here are the pages about their rooms.
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By Pat Relich on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 2:50 pm: |
Linda,
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By Sarah on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 4:52 pm: |
Hi Pat, the Plaza and Port Bon Villas are very close together, just a short walk to the amenities at Plaza. We have stayed at Plaza a few times, and liked it very much. We stayed in a laguna view room; it had a well equipped kitchen area, nice big bathroom, separate living area with TV etc and a balcony, there's also a car parking area very close to the laguna view rooms, we liked that as we could drive up to our door and drop off shopping,luggage etc...
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By Carole Baker on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 9:47 pm: |
I think the main difference is that there is a beach directly on the Plaza property and you would have a short walk stayig at the other accomodation. Personally, I would prefer the beach at my fingertips...er..toetips! If the savings is important, than do what is best for you. I just know "me"! LOL. I believe the water you see outside the window/glass doors in the Port Bon Villas is not the ocean directly and immediately in the front...it is further out in the background if you look closely. I do not know of anyone who has stayed at the Port Bon Villas as yet as they are fairly new,(they do look lovely, tho) but I have heard lots of great things about the Plaza beach and the snorkeling there and I believe they have a restaurant, etc, as well as a small casino right on the property. There are different category rooms with different views and sizes and prices, but I love the water too much not to be able to just walk out the door and be at the beach and in the water.....well, almost! Good luck on your decision. You will enjoy Bonaire no matter where you stay...of this I am certain. Carole
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By mimi greenberg on Friday, March 29, 2002 - 2:06 am: |
ken,
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By gregg brewer on Friday, March 29, 2002 - 8:50 am: |
Bruce's dogs are great compared to the barking dogs on the north side (time share area), roosters and parrots which start screaming early in the morning.... they've been there for years
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By Clay Lansdown on Friday, March 29, 2002 - 9:31 am: |
I think the complaints were not about Bruce's dogs but about others.
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By DARLENE ELLIS on Friday, March 29, 2002 - 10:50 am: |
They weren't Bruce's dogs. They belonged to whoever lived in that white building next to divi
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By mimi greenberg on Friday, March 29, 2002 - 11:54 am: |
clay - I stayed at the Carib Inn for 2 weeks, approximately 18 months ago. The dogs barked through out the night. Numerous guests complained to the staff. Nothing was done.
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By Dan Goff on Friday, March 29, 2002 - 12:42 pm: |
Barking is not necessarily a bad thing. I welcome the barking if it is to alert to safety concerns.
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By Clay Lansdown on Saturday, March 30, 2002 - 7:56 am: |
mimi.. If you sit in the gazebo at Bruce's and look to your right, you will see a long platform running out over the water. It's about 20 feet or over the water. That belongs to a house between the Inn and the Divi. (Note, I am not talking about the low Divi dock that was damaged due to the wave action). It's been there for many years, but you may not have realized that it was not part of the Divi since it abuts the Divi.
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By mimi greenberg on Saturday, March 30, 2002 - 1:31 pm: |
clay - i know the house that you referenced. it was vacant and in terrible shape. I doubt that it was habitable without major reconstruction. The reason i know this is one of the guests asked Bruce if he was interested in buying the property to expand the Carib Inn. And he said he wasn't interested and the place was a wreck.
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By DARLENE ELLIS on Sunday, March 31, 2002 - 9:23 am: |
Clay, those are the dogs I spoke of. There are two of them and they were there this past January. I never heard any barking and I felt so bad for them and would go and talk to them from the new Divi dock right next to the dock you speak of. By the way, they were putting the finishing touches on a big beautiful dock and there is great fishlife under it with lots of coral growth on the pillars.
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By Clay Lansdown on Sunday, March 31, 2002 - 10:39 am: |
mimi...I am not sure we are talking about the same place. The one with the high deck has been occupied for the last several years. I don't know what shape it's in on the inside.
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By mimi greenberg on Thursday, April 4, 2002 - 3:55 pm: |
Hmmmm. According to the posts, the dogs don't bark at the Caribb Inn or at the house between the Divi & Caribb Inn. Yet, Ken made reference to barking dogs at night on the south side of the Divi.
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By Clay Lansdown on Friday, April 5, 2002 - 8:10 am: |
mimi.. You are right, it's a terrible place. They can barely manage to keep the place booked up a year in advance and only about 80% of the guests are repeat visitors. There must be a lot of problems and aggravations. Don't go back there..please.
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By mimi greenberg on Friday, April 5, 2002 - 10:30 pm: |
clay...you said the Caribb Inn is terrible. Not me. I said the barking dogs that are heard at night on the south side of the Divi, are Bruce Bowker's dogs. Let's keep who said what accurate. If you won't, I will.
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By Carole Baker on Saturday, April 6, 2002 - 3:25 am: |
Enuff, already. I don't think this board was meant meant to maintain continued altercations and snipes at each other. Nothing productive is coming out of some of these comments and exchanges. Maybe it's just me, but you can feel the tension with each letter being typed onto this subject. Why not take it "off board" and continue with the barbs that way? I know I am going to be the subject of a lashing here, now, but I don't care. I will turn the other cheek and walk away without dignifying a response to a negative, personal dig. No mas, No mas, por favor. Dogs bark...period. Birds sing...period. Roosters crow...period. Nothing is perfect...what it does is make you aware you are alive...just go with it. We should all be grateful we are able to be on Bonaire and enjoy what she has to offer in general. Carole
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By Clay Lansdown on Saturday, April 6, 2002 - 8:02 am: |
Carole I agree with you. As Forest Gump said "That's all I have to say about that"
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By DARLENE ELLIS on Saturday, April 6, 2002 - 10:22 am: |
Carole, nicely said!
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By mimi greenberg on Saturday, April 6, 2002 - 3:05 pm: |
I never understood why the sniping started in the first place. but it's good to know that it has stopped.
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By Kay Powers on Sunday, April 7, 2002 - 2:09 am: |
All I need is another trip to Bonaire! :-)
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By Lorraine Meadows on Saturday, April 13, 2002 - 4:15 pm: |
Yes, another trip to Bonaire always does make things better. Unfortunately we have to postpone our regular May trip to the fall this year. I am back on the board today looking around to see what's been happening lately. Good to "hear" some of the old voices again !
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By Bob Davison on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 4:42 pm: |
Woof.
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By sherry baker on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 9:03 am: |
10 more days until barry and i arrive on bonaire. Yippie!!
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By Lorraine Meadows on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 8:21 pm: |
Have a great trip Sherry!! Give my love to everyone and let us know when you and Barry plan on being on the web cam.
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By Jan Klos on Wednesday, April 24, 2002 - 7:07 am: |
Sherry& Barry----If i don't talk with you --- Have a galloping time!
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By Ernie Barreyro on Sunday, April 28, 2002 - 3:04 pm: |
My wife and I are close to selecting our accomodations. We are leaning towards the Divi.
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By Ann Phelan on Sunday, April 28, 2002 - 3:47 pm: |
In Aug. I had an upstairs oceanfront witn balcony and it was lovely...last week I had a lower level oceanfront with a balcony..again a super view of the parrot fish and crabs..
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By Kitty Lee on Wednesday, June 5, 2002 - 2:07 pm: |
Has anybody been to the Divi lately? My family arrives June 24. Are the renovations complete? We are staying in the timeshares.
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