This was the fifth consecutive year we've visited Bonaire. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area, but fly to Bonaire from Miami, where we visit friends and relatives. We were on Bonaire for 6 days beginning July 5. There was a bit of rain one day, but on the whole the weather was sunny days with comfortable nights.
GETTING THERE AND BACK
To avoid the delays and hassles we previously experienced with DCA and its predecessor and to circumvent inconvenient departure times, we flew from Miami to Curacao and back on American, and from Curacao to Bonaire and back on Divi Divi Air. The strategy was partially successful. Divi Divi Air was superb. They had answered email quickly and I had spoken to them by phone. They left exactly on time, and there were no hassles. And the flight itself was fun! Highest recommendation.
Coming back through Curacao, we got stuck because of mechanical problems with the scheduled American Airlines airplane. American was very informative of the flight status as we waited and ultimately put everyone up overnight at a Hilton or Marriott with free prearranged taxis, dinner, and breakfast. Much appreciation to American Airlines. Despite the pleasant accommodations on Curacao, we would rather had an extra day on Bonaire!
ACCOMMODATIONS
We stayed as always at Ocean View Villas. (website : http://www.oceanviewvillas.com/) Since we are snorkelers but not (yet) divers, this place is ideal for us. For independent travelers, this is a great accommodation, especially if you plan to have a car. The hosts Tim and John readily assist in arranging activities and making recommendations. And Margareth provided a demonstration on the best way to open coconuts.
CAR RENTAL
We rented as usual from Netty's. The cars are well maintained, and we rented a Matiz. Netty's also allowed us to exchange the car for a truck one day in order to drive into the National Park. Because of a rain shower we brought the car back pretty mud spattered, and Netty did not even complain! Over the past 5 visits, regardless of the day or night time of departure or arrival, someone from Netty's has always been there to meet us when we arrived or were ready to drop the car off.
For anyone renting a car, be sure to ask what CDW covers. While in Bonaire, we spoke to a guy who had taken the CDW from his rental agency, only to find after he scraped his car on a fence that his CDW it covered damage only from a collision with another car, but not with a fence.
FOOD
We bought breakfast and lunch items from Cultimara and the Warehouse store. We bought produce from the vegetable market near the pier. The tangerines, limes, and bananas were particularly good this time. Note about avocados: Although they were large and relatively expensive, they were somewhat more watery in texture and blander in flavor than those we typically get in California.
We ate our dinners at restaurants. Our favorites this year was It Rains Fishes and Kon Tiki. At It Rains Fishes we liked the selection, quality, and atmosphere, and Ed and Joop were good hosts, despite the fact that the restaurants were very busy both times we ate there. At Kon Tiki the food was very good and service by the knowledgeable Dutch intern (didn't get his name) was very pleasant. We liked the large portions of Indonesian food we received at The Old Mill. However, wandering donkeys caused some problems for diners at tables nearest the road. Our Mexican food was fairly forgettable at one restaurant. A couple comments: First, there was no consistency among restaurants in including or not including a service charge/tip in the bill. You need to remember to find the policy on the menu or ask when you receive it. Second, service is more like the European laid back to slow service rather than what is often found in American restaurants. Expect a leisurely meal and your bill won't be brought unless you ask for it
SNORKELING
The water was warm this year, around 80 degrees F / 26.5 Centigrade. We slathered ourselves with spf 36 or 45 sunblock each day a couple times or more, and neither of us got sunburned at all, despite much time each day in the sun. I guess we have finally learned.
We liked Windsock, as always, though it tends to be fairly busy, especially on weekends. Watching the reef restore itself in this area after the big wave a few years ago has been very interesting. The variety of fish and their closeness because of the shallow water is always great.
We also liked Andrea 1. A third favorite was Wayaka (in the Park), with a great diversity of fish, coral, sponges, etc.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
We took the 6-hour Woodwind cruise (with BBQ lunch) to Klein Bonaire. Deidre and Ulf took good care of us, although we certainly missed Renee and her detailed description and updates on sea turtles. Deidre and Ulf kept track of our large group, gave special attention to inexperienced snorklelers, pointed out turtles, and provided a great barbecue and continuous beverages. We had also signed up on the sign-up board at the Divi Flamingo Resort for a second snorkel tour, but somehow we were mistaken for two others who also wanted to go. Since the Woodwind needs a minimum of 4 passengers, the trip was cancelled, even though we later learned that there were actually the required 4 who wanted to go. The lesson is to call the Woodwind in addition to simply putting your name on the sign-up board at the Divi Flamingo Resort.
The drive through the mostly dirt road of the National Park was much more fun and less stressful this year because we got out early and we drove a truck instead of a minivan. We also stopped to visit Fontein, which was oddly interesting. We did not see many flamingoes in the Park or in the salt works areas, but saw many on the road to Lac Cai. Every year seems to be different.
There seemed to be many more donkeys everywhere, compared to the past 4 years. We almost hit one that galloped out of some bushes onto the open road. They harassed people in a restaurant and seemed to be on their way to becoming equivalent to large furry cockroaches. Let's hope some kinds of humane controls can be implemented to allow before they cause serious accidents or drive successful business out of business.
We also visited Janice Huckaby's art studio (Kaya Gloria 7). It is a bit out of the way, outside central Kralendijk, but very interesting. We enjoyed being able to hear from the artist about each painting (oil or watercolor) and how she came to create it, and details about the subjects of the paintings. Both original art and photocopies are for sale.
That should be enough to give an overall picture. We sent a friend to Bonaire this year, and hope to get a couple friends to join us next time.
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By Tom Tarnowski ( Post #1) on Friday, July 18, 2003 - 8:31 pm: 
