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Trip Reports: Trip report--focus on snorkelers
Bonaire Talk: Trip Reports: Archives: Archives 2000 to 2005: Archives - 2000-07-13 to 2001-05-18: Trip report--focus on snorkelers
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By phyllis rosenblum on Monday, January 22, 2001 - 10:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Just returned from our first trip to Bonaire. First of all, this newsgroup discussion was very useful. We followed a lot of tips from fellow travellers and they were very useful. We are snorkelers, not divers, so I'd like to add a few comments that I think it would be really helpful for the Bonaire tourism folks to hear.

We found information for snorkelers really hard to find, especially with the changes in the reef that followed the surge. New places are now good and old places not so much. Also, I think there's a market opportunity for Bonaire to appeal directly to snorkelers (e.g. as they do in Ambergris Caye and in Belize in general). Guided snorkeling at $25 per pop is ok for fairly new snorkelers but for experienced folks it's really a lot of money for more than we want to buy. There is almost no information on boat trips or very few boat trips designed with snorkelers in mind (or at least not that we could find without a lot of digging). Dive shops will accomodate snorkelers if the place is suitable but didn't seem like a good choice. Especially since the focus is clearly on the diving, which we do understand. Even trips to Klein Bonaire are not really designed especially for snorkelers although the snorkeling on one side of the island is very beautiful.

We would probaby have enjoyed more boat trips if we could have easily found them or gotten good information. So, I think a little more focus on this would be great. we found out about the best snorkel places from meeting people in the street!

Most of the posts on Bonaire talk about the good food, etc. and I'll add our recommendations. We thought the best food was at Capriccio, worth the extra money. Blue Moon and It Rains Fishes are also terrific. Kon Tiki is a nice place to have lunch if you travel to the Lac Bay area--just beautiful. Service is slow but the place warrants just kicking back and relaxing.

Also, in the center of the main drag near the tourist shops is a wonderful lunch place called Luigis. The guy is a great cook and the food makes up for the lack of ambiance. Every day Luigi makes different food--and the emphasis is on the "home" cooking. Hope he lasts a long time.

For shopping try the Food Warehouse on Kaya Industria (not sure if this is the right name). It's really a wholesalers place but offers a lot more interesting food to supplement what you can find in Cultimara.

Lastly, Carib Inn is a wonderful place to stay. Highly recommended.

All in all, we really fell in love with Bonaire and hope to return one day.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Lorraine Meadows on Monday, January 22, 2001 - 10:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ahhh:):) Another satified lurker,Bon Bini!! we're glad to be of assistance and appreciate your input, let's see who might help with this, any suggestions?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor on Tuesday, January 23, 2001 - 8:56 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Got you covered, Phyllis. Tnaks....

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor on Tuesday, January 23, 2001 - 8:57 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

oops! here is the missing "H"

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Linda Richter - NetTech on Tuesday, January 23, 2001 - 9:28 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Phyllis,

What snorkel sites did you really enjoy?
Was there a boat trip that worked best for snorkelers?

I think it is Josie that asked about snorkel recommendations on another thread.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By phyllis rosenblum on Tuesday, January 23, 2001 - 1:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for all the good feedback, guys.

Here are the places we went to that were very good and one that we didn't make it to that we heard was the best--Karpata. Our reliable source told us it was the best.

We loved Jeff Davis and heard that Andrea II was very good (couldn't find a good easy way in the day we stopped there but would try it again based on the good info).

We liked the small reef that's left at Sand Dollar and saw wonderful spotted morays there. Also, at Buddy Dive Resort we saw fabulous stuff one day and very little another. But if you're lucky you will see one wonderful octopus.

Windsock still very nice and a good spot in general with easy access. We even liked pink beach although we were told the reef in the south wasn't as good as the north. Generally we found both pretty good but north better.

There's a ladder now at Oil Slick and if you can dive down there are supposed to be some sea horses there. Not a beach entry and therefore, somewhat tough.

Snorkelers, bring your reef shoes. The coral on the beach is rough. If you have reef shoes to leave at the shore you will be better off.

We got the folks at the Bonaire Boat Club (at the bright light blue building near the Plaza) to take us out to Klein Bonaire with 2 other divers (4 minimum. Price was $15 each). If I had it to do again I'd go with a dive boat for $10 or $11 since the reef is deep there and you can snorkel with the divers, no problem. Forget the water taxi though--takes you to the wrong side of the Klein. The Plaza does a Thursday afternoon snorkel only trip at 1:30. We prefer to do boat stuff in the am, so we skipped it.

Enjoy, all. This is making me want to return!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By nancy edison on Tuesday, January 23, 2001 - 2:15 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks, Phyllis, for all your good detailed info.
on snorkeling locations, restaurants, etc.
As a family of mixed-level snorkelers, we now have
a lot to follow up on when we go in March.

One ?: Why do you all prefer going on boat trips in the morning? More to see?

looking forward to salt water, spectacular marine life, birds, and warm warm air!

Nancy

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By DARLENE ELLIS on Tuesday, January 23, 2001 - 4:46 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Phyllis, When we were there last year we went out on the Woodwind regularly, which sailed from the Divi and catered to people who snorkel. We snorkeled at No Name beach on Klein, the Small Wall and Andrea. They were very enjoyable snorkels and we plan to go out on the Woodwind daily this trip.(feb. 3rd yea!!!)I thought the prices were very reasonable for the service that was provided. We also went out on a dive boat and found that to be a bad idea. They said it would be a good place for snorkeling, but they took us to a place with a very strong current. We would not do that again.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Lorraine Meadows on Tuesday, January 23, 2001 - 11:43 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Nancy, you'll find everything your looking foward to and more!!Enjoy!:)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Alan & Joan Zale on Saturday, January 27, 2001 - 12:57 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Phyllis,
While you were snorkeling at Sand Dollar you should have looked into their designated snorkel trips. We are divers, but travel with friends who are snorkelers. They say the guided snorkels from Sand Dollar dive shop, especiall with the nature specialist Jerry Ligon were great. Keep this in mind for your next trip.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ross Pezzack on Sunday, January 28, 2001 - 10:49 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

The Toucan afternoon snorkel at the Plaza was the best organized snorkel we had , the guide felt out where we had already been, our skill level and took us for 2 drifts at Klein Bonaire which were very good. We had about 10-15 people which was a reasonable number. The drift snorkel is wonderful for us lazy swimmers. The other boat snokel we took was a sail excursion with Renee (?) she is great but it was VERY crowded with little kids who cried etc. We had to walk along shore (TAKE booties for your feet, 2 of us did and two did not what a difference on the whole trip) which with the coral is no fun. The "sail" was in name only, because the engine was on the whole time, and lunch was not very imaginative (cold cuts while we "sailed"). The guide was great but too many people. In contrast we took a similar trip in Belize where the boat dumped off 2 people on the shore and after snorkelling we came back to a wonderful simple beach BBQ.
We still talk about that one. Renee's night snorkel was good with a small group.
I agree more boat snorkel would be appreciated, I felt a little isolated down at the Plaza, some good lectures seemed to be going on down at the other end at Captain Don's, but we only had a car 2 days, at the incredibly extremely slow service at Kon Tiki's kept us from getting to one (but that's annother story). I think snorkelling holidays should be more emphasized and organized.

 


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