OK, so I haven't figured out how to upload a photo. I will post a link to the whole darn lot of 93 photos and you can look at them if you like!
GETTING THERE
We flew American Airlines /American Eagle, departing from Toronto at 6:40 a.m and arriving on schedule at 7:40 p.m. Unfortunately, all our checked luggage didn’t make the transfer in San Juan due to a delay in departure from Miami - it was very overcast and our runway was closed for a time. When we returned to the airport to pick up our bags the next night, the 7:40 was delayed over an hour. While waiting we had the opportunity to meet Al, the owner of Black Durgon Inn, who was there to greet his new guests, and we ended up staying at Black Durgon our last night. More on that later. Our return flights were on schedule and uneventful.
ACCOMODATIONS
We were fortunate to reserve Zale’s Condo at the Sand Dollar for one week but we wanted to stay 10 days, so we shopped around and reserved our first 2 nights at Coco Palm, and left our last night open, planning to figure something out when we arrived on Bonaire. After meeting Al at the airport, we decided to stay at Black Durgon our final night, planning to dive Small Wall our last day.
Coco Palm Garden – great low-cost accommodations, not on the water but there is a pool. Located just south of the airport in Belnem, and close to many excellent shore dives. These apartments are utterly charming, quaint, clean, quiet, fully equipped, lushly landscaped, walled with patios, and suitable for both divers and non-divers. We stayed in the Kas Contentu suite which was exactly as portrayed in their website – check it out. Owners Marion and Brigitte were gracious and helpful. Even though we rented a car at the airport and knew how to get there, Coco Palm sent a cab driver to guide us to our unit – Samuel was a gem. Because all the stores would be closed by the time we arrived in the evening, Marion suggested we provide her with a shopping list so she could stock the kitchen sufficient to get us through our first night and morning - this extra service was much appreciated. We would definitely stay here again.
Sand Dollar, Unit B6, Zale’s Condo – We loved it! It was perfect for us. All units face the water and are positioned for perfect cross-ventilation by the steady winds. Upscale, very nicely decorated and well-maintained, gourmet kitchen, new appliances, screened balcony, super beds, high quality linens, I could go on and on. We did not see other units at the Sand Dollar, but I understand there is a fairly wide variation in the quality of the condos, most of which are privately-owned which would account (to some extent) for the variances. Alan and Joan really go the extra mile and their unit is probably among the better ones. Nice new dock, 2 restaurants on site, pool and tennis court, a bit of beach. We would definitely stay here again.
Black Durgon Inn - This small (10-unit) basic inn has some unique characteristics and a special appeal. It is one of few hotels with private shore access. Most units face the shore which is only about 100’ away. The waterfront here is quiet and private. It is very peaceful and has a strong tropical waterfront feel, we really liked it. Our suite consisted of a large bedroom with a king bed, another smaller room with a twin bed, and a nice 3 piece bath. A small patio c/w table and chairs faces the water, and stairs lead down to an outdoor communal kitchen /dining area, dive equipment storage room, and sandy yard with table tennis. Good dock. One of the reasons we wanted to stay here was to shore dive Small Wall which is the “house” reef – Small Wall does not have open shore access – but in the end, we decided to be conservative and follow a 24-hour spread between diving and flying. Besides, our divelust was pretty well satiated and our equipment was all dry and packed! Erica and I snorkeled here to finish off the last few frames on her disposable U/W camera, and it was a fruitful, enjoyable snorkel indeed. Their rate is $85/dbl room per night, including breakfast. For other meals and snacks, guests have access to 2 frigs, a stove, dishes etc. so you can cook your own meals or snacks if you like. This would be a fabulous low-cost place to go for an intensive dive trip, especially with a group of friends. We would definitely stay here again.
DIVING
Our dive operator was Bonaire Dive and Adventure at the Sand Dollar. Their boat dives leave at 9, 11 and 2. We only did 3 boat dives and I thought 9 a.m. dives sounded great - no big morning rush. However, all 3 dives, 2 of which were our requested dive sites, ended up being “plan B”. We respect and value the rule about one boat per mooring, but we missed Forrest, Rappel and 1000 Steps due to competition. Any comments about this? I would like some feedback for our next trip. Otherwise, they have a great shore facility and dock, a convenient dive-thru tank storage facility, new gear storage room and lockers, and the staff on the dock and the boats were friendly and helpful. This is a really nice spot to dive, despite what you may hear about Bari Reef being damaged, we found it to be very healthy and colourful and certainly as nice as any reef in the central area of the leeward side of the island.
Overall, Bonaire is our favorite dive destination to date. I don’t imagine we could ever tire of Bonaire diving. I did a lot of research prior to this trip as usual, thanks to this bulletin board and with the benefit of Jessie Armacost’s book. It was difficult to choose from all the fabulous dive sites and it was the subject of much discussion with many last-minute decisions. What amazed me most was that the underwater terrain can vary so much every 500’ – 1000’ of coastline, yet the sites are all top-notch in their own way. I look forward to doing a few more advanced dives next trip. But what I will remember most about this trip is how relaxed and comfortable I felt, especially considering the following:
Rick is into underwater video, and he taped almost every daytime dive. So he is off doing his own thing and bears watching. Erica is a very capable and confident diver, but she is still a novice and tends to get caught up in what she sees so I feel the need to keep a close eye on her. I have been diving for 14years and logged lots of dives but I have ear problems plus occasional, unexpected anxiety problems. Most of our dives were done as a threesome which has its pros and cons. So, to make a long story short, I kinda felt like the divemaster without the ticket if you know what I mean. Yet I have never experienced such relaxed and comfortable diving in my life. Why? Very little current, we could poke about to your heart’s content and never have to go with the flow or swim upstream. Every dive had a sandy bottom somewhere between 110’ and 130’ - no subliminal worries about dropping off into the great abyss like Cayman and Cozumel. We did one bounce dive to 133’ at Captain Don’s to see the garden eels. Otherwise we stayed relatively shallow. There was little incentive to go below 70’. Healthy, colourful, heavy-coverage reefs, an abundance of fish, amazing numbers of fry, the variety of marine species… incredible. I am still dreaming about it every night, honestly and truly. We did 14 dives including 3 nights dives plus some snorkeling. The fish ran the gamut of the usual Caribbean cocktail but in huge numbers, plus lots of eels including Chain Moray and Goldspotted, Loggerhead and Hawksbill turtles, shrimp, anemone. It’s impossible to remember what you see let alone article everything!. Here is a list of our dives:
Bari, Buddy’s, Angel City, Alice in Wonderland, Country Garden, South Bay, Fish Hut,
Fish Hut South, La Machaca (Captain Don’s), Ol’ Blue, La Dania’s Leap, Karpata, Andrea II
Hard to pick favorites, but if pressed I would say Fish Hut and Fish Hut South and Ol’ Blue and the night dive on Bari with a huge tarpon threading in and out around us constantly in search of food in our lightbeams………..
The major highlight was a night drift dive of La Dania’s Leap to Karpata with Bas guiding us, and the Wahlig family joined us. We stayed within 30’ depth and the dive lasted one hour as Bas had predicted. 22 lobster sighted, plus a congo eel and 18” + balloonfish.
DINING
China Nobo – authentic Chinese, cooked and served by super nice people, very reasonable $ and SO GOOD – the sweet and sour is to die for.
Casablanca – a real winner. Upscale at a great price! Fabulous perky energetic service, students perhaps (Did you know they have a cooking school on Bonaire? Closed in summer so we couldn’t try it but worth checking out I am sure – ask when you get there, they are open for meals but only at certain times). We ate Argentinian beef tenderloin entrees. What a huge platter of food! And the Garlic Chicken appetizer. I am going to try to duplicate that one, simple but delicious. You will NOT be able to finish your servings, and don’t be too proud to ask for a doggy bag. You will regret it after your dinner settles and you want more. Or just go back tomorrow!
It Rains Fishes – Superb cuisine and an almost Moroccan ambience, waterfront. We watched our first sunset here and we all had Dorado entrees. The 3-course meal was excellent, with a salad garnished with deep-fried camembert chunks, and a fabulous dessert of crepes with ice cream and berries.
Lost Penguin – I cannot say enough about this place. People talked to us on the street about how they go there regularly. Everyone was singing the praises. 2 meals : (a) lunch – catch of the day fish and chips was Dorado, sumptuous, very generous portions with cole slaw for $10 (b) Eggs Benedict $5.50 for brunch – perfectly prepared, and we are very picky about our Eggs Benedict. There was a coupon in one of the free newspapers for free soft drinks.
Chibi Chibi’s – we had burgers and a club house, very generous servings, tasty and well prepared, terrific décor and nice ambience on the water but service was a bit snooty I thought. Just my 2CW.
Gibi’s – BT night on Tuesday, met up with some nice people including the Wahlig family from Wisconsin, Bas and Melody, and Bob Bartikoski (and Wendy if I recall correctly? See photos) Go there for a “local” feel. Sit in the pretty treed courtyard and catch the night breeze. We were in no hurry to leave! Great conch stew and goat stew (yup, I tried it – yum!), served with huge platters of fries and rice. Roast chicken looked good too.
KFC – in the Harbourside mall downtown. Great food, just like home, cheap beer too! Sit downtown overlooking the water and munch away.
Pasa Bon Pizza – good pizza and calzones in a nice atmosphere.
Lion’s Den – just went there for drinks but I hear the food is great. This is a nice place overlooking the water. BTW, Lions Dive is a beautifully landscaped, lush enclave with a great pool and dock.)
TAYING IN TOUCH
Telephone calls are expensive. The best option is to rent a cellphone or correspond via e-mail or instant messaging. There are a number of businesses offering internet access and cellphone rentals. We picked Chat’n Browse beside the Sand Dollar. They had the best rates of all the places we checked.
Masha danki, Bonaire, for one of the best vacations ever! Masha danki, Bonaire Talkers, for the invaluable information that enabled us to maximize our trip!
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By deb sperling (BonaireTalker - Post #30) on Thursday, August 21, 2003 - 9:15 pm: 
