We took the red eye out of Newark, works great for us since we live in NYC and a direct flight is so much easier than making a bunch of connections. Also, less of a chance to loose your bags.

For our second trip we went back to Sand Dollar and stayed in the same unit, it was redone not too long ago and is very cheery, welcoming and has all new appliances.

We decided to make most of our own meals in the condo this year. We haven't really been blown away by most of the restaurants and felt we could get more bang for our buck by going to the supermarkets. We always felt like we wanted more veggies and less starch, so we visited all the big supermarkets and a few of the smaller deli's and got some great food. We also brought down our own coffee, tea, oatmeal, granola bars and lunch meat.

I would definitely suggest people try the fruit stand, La Huerta. The guy who works there was very nice and let us try several of the fruits which we were unfamiliar with. The boat which fresh produce arrives on Thursday but they had lots of stuff all week. We did get Bobbijan's our first night, we bought both the platter and an order of ribs. It was way too much food, but we managed to push through and finish all that scrumptious BBQ ribs and chicken. Also, we got a strong recommendation for Will's Tropical Grill, and that did not disappoint. I had Wahoo and Suzanne had some excellent Dorado.

As for diving, we decided to try out Larry to see some of the bigger stuff and we also really wanted to see a ray or two, which we missed on our first trip. Eddy and Larry were great and we were lucky enough to have the boat to ourselves. Saw some huge turtles, a giant moray and a few rays. I would definitely suggest doing the blue hole, it was like being inside a giant aquarium. The diving on the west side of the island was great as usual. We spent most of our time in the south and got to see a whole bunch of rays but only one little hawksbill. Our favorite sites are probably Angel City, Hidden Beach, The Rock and Red Slave. The southern sites seem to have more diversity and bigger fish, but keep your eye on those currents, they can be quite strong and Venezuela is a long swim.

We used Susan's BSDME this year, it was a huge help and we got to see a lot more. I'm not sure if we actually found the rock at The Rock, but we loved the dive all the same.

We both noticed a lot more particulate in the water this year as well as more algae and coral bleaching. I'm not sure if this is due to runoff from construction or a natural cycle, but visibility suffered.

On our off day we tried out Kite Surfing, we both had a blast and I would suggest it to anyone who wants to try something new. It was easy to learn and the instructor was friendly and explained things very well.

Sunset over Klein


Iguana at Sand Dollar

I forgot that we also brought down a bunch of supplies for the animal shelter. They have a great operation and really care for all the cats and dogs. We were both very impressed and will continue to support them.

Great report Matt, Will's and Bjan's are complete opposites but both excellent IMHO. We also support the shelter and are happy to give a little on vacation, just a great group of caring people.

Great trip report, Matt. Thanks for sharing. My husband and I stopped at the animal shelter too, we had brought a few things they specifically needed, as well as some extras. We were so impressed with the shelter, the animals were so well cared for and the facility very clean. It was so clear to see that the people working there truly care. If we are fortunate enough to go back to Bonaire in the future, supplies for the animal shelter will definitely be on our packing list again.

Thanks for the report and photos Matt.