After a week on a cruise and a week in Aruba what a delight spending the last week of our vacation in Bonaire. In brief:
Flew via Bonaire Excel from Aruba. No problem or delays at all. Our luggage was NOT light--we had our own snorkel gear--and my husband even carried his newly purchased fishing pole with him. NOTE: Don't forget to bring CASH, in 20s with you for airport exit tax. Out of Aruba they wouldn't take large bills, traveller's checks or credit cards ($20 per person.) The tax window in Bonaire WOULD take traveller's checks.
We arranged back in March to stay with Babs at Dive-In (Seaview #3). Absolutely perfect. We are not people who care about fanciness (only cleanliness!) in where we sleep. It was spotless, the daily maid service was thorough. Simple, spartan accommodations right on the water within a 5-minute walk of downtown with parking right in front. Loved people watching as we sat outside our room. And we could just roll into the water and snorkel. And I could walk to the Flamingo Divi casino within 3 minutes (which turned out to be a mixed blessing)
We rented a beat-up Suzuki soft-top from Island Rental. Relatively inexpensive and perfect for knocking about. Babs at Dive-in made the arrangements for us. We weren't clear about our arrival time but they were VERY accommodating and in no time at all, we were ready to explore.
Ended up having lunch and dinner at LaLuna--hamburger and catch of the day (mahi-mahi) were excellent. Steak was smallish and gristly. . Chicken breast with French cheese delightful.
On Day 2 we went to Jibe City and had a PERFECT day. For only $45 my 13 year old learned the basics of windsurfing and practiced over a two-hour period. I grabbed one of hammocks and napped and read while Dad took the Suzuki and drove around to snorkel. Nice people at the bar--excellent sandwiches. A beautiful place to spend a Sunday. Afterwards we drove up towards the national park and did the loop through Rincon as the sun set.
Also did all our grocery shopping at Cultimara (who takes American Express with no trouble)--Ate a lot of Gouda and good bread and grapes. We loved the Dutch coffee. AND bought barbeque at a little place only open on the week-ends (and forgot to write down the name) but it was excellent.
On Monday we sent the teen to study and snorkel with Caren the marine biologist at Sea & Discover. She brought him back to the hotel for lunch and then we all returned at 2 for a guided snorkel to Andrea II. She is delightful--knows her stuff about fish behavior and is very patient and generous. What we learned from her helped us appreciate the rest of our time underwater in Bonaire.
On Tuesday David drove around to inquire about the best places to fish. . . He never caught anything but he had a lot of fun, alternating fishing with snorkeling and jawing with local anglers. My son and I wandered around the shops downtown--had a very good hamburger and Caeser salad at the Ribs Factory. Again, great service by a Dutch waitress (who filled us in on the Freewinds, the Scientology owned cruise line that frequently docks at the city pier). That night we splurged and went to Le Bistro Paris--a miracle of a French restaurant. The onion soup was perfection, can also recommend the garlic shrimp with truffle oil, chicken with morels and mushrooms and the filet de boeuf. A GREAT meal--expensive ($100 or so) but well worth it.
On Wednesday we did the Discover Scuba with Roger at Dive-In. He was patient and friendly and kind. Don't know if we'll dive into diving but this taste of it was a good one. Linked up with Tish (from these boards who turned out to be a friend of a friend) for a lovely 2-hour lunch where I learned about what it's like to live in Bonaire. David went snorkeling at Thousand Steps and Karpata. And then my son and I went downtown to the well-kept, adorable 6-lane bowling alley. One hour of play for $30 including shoes--lots of fun.
On Thursday, Dad and son went horseback riding through Marian (the only horseback riding on the island). A little pricey at $90 US per BUT they had a great time including time in the ocean swimming with the horses. Only 4 people on the trip and since the boys are experienced riders they got to do their own thing rather than feeling herded (like they often do on organized rides). I had them drop me at Jibe City where I found my favorite hammock and polished off another book. Headed to CasaBlanca for our send-off splurge. The steaks are where it's at there. They were excellent and the service couldn't have been nicer. We got there a little before they opened and they settled us with a glass of wine in the back before they seated us.
Honestly we had NO serious problems and loved the slow, easy pace. My husband's ankles got chewed up by no-see-ums (solved by my cache of Off towlettes) and even though we're used to large palmetto bugs (i.e. cockroaches) the one that scurried across our bathroom floor sent us shrieking. And one day, we had no water pressure to speak of. We felt very safe and I never even took the motion detector we bought at Radio Shack out of its packaging. If you stay at Dive-In you'll want to take your own shampoo and soap and coffee filters--everything else was provided. Transportation home was a piece of cake--we flew to Aruba and then home to Orlando via Atlanta on Delta (and no you don't have to pay the exit fee twice--make sure they note you as in-transit when you go through immigration).
Thanks to all on this board who guided us in our chioices. If I can answer anyone's questions, let me know. |
By Margot H. Knight (BonaireTalker - Post #12) on Friday, July 29, 2005 - 1:31 am: 
