Trip report
This was a mother and daughter trip. My mom and I have been doing this together for 6 years now and this was our second time to Bonaire. We left from Chicago on Friday June 20th on AA. Everything went well with the flight. We left right on time. We had a long layover in San Juan but it actually went pretty quickly. Our American Eagle flight left on time as well and was about ¾ full. We arrived in Bonaire about 9:00 and our luggage was there. ☺ We had rented a truck from AB and they were there to meet us and drive us over to the Plaza where they are temporarily located. We then proceeded to the Divi. We checked in a day early at the Divi so they told us that we might have to switch rooms the next day. So we didn’t unpack that night in case we had to switch rooms. The next morning we bought our snorkel tags at the dive shop and went to inquire about our room. We were staying in the same room. I’ll post more about the room under accomodations. We were in the timeshare section.
Sat
We got our bearings, (they have many streets torn up so we were a bit confused about where we were going as some of the streets you can not drive down) went to Chat and Browse met Michael and rented a phone from him with about 30 minutes on it for $25.00. We wanted to be able to call home and check in with our hubbies. Then we went to Cultimara and got a few groceries. Headed back to the Divi had lunch and then snorkeled at the Divi, relaxed, and enjoyed Bonaire. We had dinner that night at City Café. It was good. My mom had a seafood salad, and I had a fish sandwich. Holland had lost there soccer (football) game that day but there were many people wearing orange!!
Sun
We met Renee at 9:30 and she took us to three locations snorkeling. One of the locations was yellow submarine, one was a small little reef that is not named, and the other was town pier. Town Pier was amazing to us. It’s hard to believe that something so unsightly on land can be so beautiful underneath. I could have spent the day there. Snorkeling with Renee is great. We saw a loggerhead turtle, and many many fish. It was great. We got back to the Divi around 12:00 and had lunch in the room and then headed down to the beach. We relaxed and watched the iguanas and snorkeled again at the Divi. Lots of trumpet fish there, a huge bait ball, and many eels, as well as parrot fish ,blennies, file fish, butterfly. We also enjoyed the green parrots flying overhead. Someone told us that they are mating now and are really searching for lots of food. They were very active. We loved hearing them screech and then looking up and seeing them fly over.
That night we wanted to have dinner at Cactus Blue but they are closed on Sunday. So we ended up at La Luna. We both had the fish special which was Wahoo. We both thought it was a bit tough and perhaps overcooked. We had a great dessert though. Vanilla ice cream with Ponche de Crème poured on it. Yummy!!
Monday
We did a tour of the southern part of the island with a stop at the salt mines, the slave huts, and to view the flamingoes along the way. We had lunch and spent most of the day at Jibe City. It was fun to float in the water and watch the windsurfers. We had great Crab Salad sandwiches at the bar. About 2:00 or so headed back to the Divi and did a snorkel there. After our snorkel we sat by the beach. We met Renee at 7:15 to do a night snorkel. I have to say that my mom and I were both a bit nervous about the night snorkel. Something about being in the water in the dark just felt unnerving. Renee talked with us about what we would see, and showed us how to use the flashlights. We entered the water about dusk and as it got darker and darker we were amazed at what we saw. It was so beautiful. The coral was just incredible. We saw so many lobsters, and sea urchins too. The colors of the fish were incredible. It was really amazing and one of the highlights of our trip. After snorkeling we showered quickly and had dinner at the Chibi Chibi at the Divi. It was very good.
Tuesday
In the am we went on the Mangrove kayak and snorkel. We were picked up at the Divi and taken out to the mangroves. We were given a bit of info about the mangroves and then headed to the kayaks. My mom and I shared a kayak and we didn’t do too bad maneuvering it. The mangroves are really an amazing part of the eco system. The mosquitoes were awful. We had bug spray on but it didn’t seem to help too much. When we got to one spot in the mangroves we pulled over the kayak’s to snorkel. We were shown an upside down jellyfish by our guide and told to be careful not to step on them. We were supposed to snorkel up this tunnel created by the mangroves to a lake and then back. You can’t wear fins. We were told to see if we could find the three scorpion fish that are in the “tunnel” The current was so strong that it was literally like swimming in place. There was no way we were going to get anywhere. So I put my feet down and started trying to walk through. This was not easy either. It took us a long time and at one point I had to pull one of the other ladies on the tour because she wasn’t tall enough to touch the ground. At one point when we were almost to the lake I looked down and saw the scorpion fish. Thankfully I saw it in time to warn the others not to step on it. Finally, we had made it to the lake. I felt something tingly on my upper thighs but didn’t think too much of it. The way back down the river was a nice easy ride and we were able to see some fish and sponges that are growing on the mangroves. It was a very interesting tour but if you do it beware of the mosquitoes. They were brutal. We headed back to the Divi for lunch. I noticed when we got back that the part of my thighs that had been tingly was very red, and kinda bumpy. I put some cortisone cream on and didn’t think much more about it. We wanted to go to the fruit stand today to check it out and see what kind of great fruit we could get. Renee had told us to go after noon so they could get through immigrations etc. While we were eating lunch in the room it started pouring. It rained for probably about 20 minutes and as soon as it was done raining we headed into town. At the fruit market we bought a mango and a slice of watermelon. We walked around town but all of the stores were closed so we didn’t get to do any shopping. We headed back to the Divi and spent the afternoon lounging and snorkeling at the Divi. We were supposed to go on a sunset sail for the Divi timeshare members, but as we were getting ready we got a phone call that it was canceled because it “might” rain again. (It never did) The sail was rescheduled for Wed. We had dinner at Cactus Blue. We had to be careful of all of the bricks sitting in the sidewalk as construction is going on. I had the Ahi Tuna and my mom had a shrimp dish. Both of our dishes were fabulous. The service had been great until it was time to get our bill. We asked for it about three times before we were brought it and then it took them awhile to come and collect it from us. We were also charged .90NAF for water service. This was the only place we were charged this. The food was great though.
Wednesday
Wednesday we were planning on driving around the northern part of the island and going to the National park. We got up and got ready to go and it started pouring. It rained really hard for probably and hour and a half to two hours. So we read on our screen porch waiting for the rain to pass. We ate our mango for breakfast and it was the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. I’ve never really liked mangoes but I’ve never had a mango that tasted like this. Make sure you get one. The birds were very excited about the rain. So finally it stops raining and we head down to our truck and it won’t start. So I call AB and they say a mechanic will be there in 5 minutes. About 30 minutes later I head back out to the truck to try it again just in case, it still won’t start and I meet a man in the parking lot who is also waiting for a mechanic from AB because his car won’t start either. We both waiting another 10 minutes or so and the mechanic showed up. They jumped his car and got it started but could not get ours started so they called for another car to be brought. The man who brought the new car checked out the dead one and then told us that we would be charged for gas because we had not filled it up to the level it was when we had rented it. I explained to him that we couldn’t do that because it wouldn’t start. After a bit of arguing he agreed to not charge us for the gas. We set off on our “tour” . Our first stop was Lovers ice cream for a hot dog and some ice cream to get us started. I am amazed by this part of the island with the rocks along the water it is really breath taking. We were going to maybe snorkel a few places along the way but felt a bit apprehensive about snorkeling on our own so far from help. By the time we got to the park it was a bit later in the afternoon than I would have liked our drive through the park to be but it didn’t matter because it was closed because of the rain. We did go through the museum and have a Polar. The museum is really great with lots of interesting information. We headed back to the Divi to get ready for our sail, but did stop first to ask if it was still on. It had been canceled so we headed down to the beach to snorkel. Dinner was at Capriccio. I had pasta with shrimp and veggies, and my mom had pumpkin ravioli. Our dinners were both great but her ravioli was delicious. We shared a cheesecake for dessert. Very good as well.
Thursday
Today we met Renee again at 9:30 to do another snorkel with her. We went to Tori’s reef and saw a hawksbill turtle as well as many other fish. We were looking for a ray but didn’t see one. We then went to another spot across from the salt lagoons and to the spot across from the airport. We saw another turtle in this spot as well as two spotted drums, and many other fish. An angel fish that was really posing for me and seemed to be following us at one point. It was a great morning. Renee is so great to snorkel with. She really is good about finding the right spots and finding interesting things to see. Renee dropped us off and we had lunch in our room. After lunch we had signed up to do a snorkel on one of the dive boats. When we got down there we were told that the boat we had signed up for might not be going to a good snorkel spot. So one of the guys from the Divi dive shop asked around and found a boat for us to go on. This was our first time snorkeling from a dive boat but some people we had met at the Divi said that they had done it and that it was really easy. We went out to a spot off of Klein. I think it was called Bellafonte? We waited for the divers to all get off and then we headed in. The water was a bit choppy, but the dive master told us which was to go first and then head back towards the boat. We didn’t have any problems. We got back to the boat before the divers so as not to interfere. We both got the distinct feeling that the divers weren’t real happy to have us on the boat. The feeling we both got was that they could have gone someplace better if we hadn’t been there. Not sure we’ll do that again they weren’t real welcoming. Had dinner at Richards. It rained again while we were getting ready for dinner. Had a great dinner at Richards. It was probably one of our favorite dinners. The service was great and so was the food. We both had Dorado, and it was delicious.
Friday
The rash on my legs is still pretty red and bumpy. The cortisone doesn’t seem to be helping much but the saltwater does. Today we headed back to our favorite little snorkel spot that Renee had shown us. It’s just a tiny little reef but the fish life is amazing there. It’s like a little village. We also saw two eels there. We spent about two hours there and then had lunch on the dock at Karel’s. After lunch we walked down to the fruit stand to get another Mango. I wish I could have taken the whole pile of them home with me. We spent the afternoon lounging and snorkeling at the Divi. We were both sad because it’s our last night. We went to dinner at It Rains Fishes. I had the Japanese salad, and my mom had the Cesar Salad with shrimp. Both were delicious. Service was a bit slow, but we weren’t in too big of a hurry so it was ok. The restaurant really looks different compared to a year ago when we were there. We walked back to the Divi and got packed.
Saturday
We were a bit nervous about the timing of things as were told to check in at the airport before returning the car. So we got up early so we could get to the airport and get in line early. We got to the airport about 4:45 and we were probably the 4th or 5th people in line for American Eagle. While we were waiting for them to open I went over and paid our departure tax. There is a sign that says you need your boarding pass but they didn’t ask for it and the people ahead of us in line had bought theirs the day before. All went smoothly. We checked in and sent our luggage off and then drove over the Plaza to return our car. They drove us back to the airport and we got through security without a problem. As we are waiting, and on the plane, the rash on my legs really starts bothering me. I have some Benadryl with me, which I take. By the time we get to San Juan I’m pretty sure I’m going crazy. After we get our luggage I pull a skirt out and head to the bathroom to change. By now my rash is very red and weeping. We were possible going to try to go to Old San Juan as we have about 5 hours but I’m so itchy and tired that we decide to just kill time at the airport. Our plane leaves on time and we have no problems getting home. We arrive in Chicago at about 7:00 it took awhile for our luggage to come out but it did!! By Sunday morning I’m so miserable with my rash, and now feeling like my throat is thickening. I eventually head to the ER where I’m told that I definitely had an allergic reaction to something. No idea what it was but, it must have been something from the mangroves. So if heading into the mangroves you might want to consider wearing your dive skins or something to protect you from stings. I am really sensitive to stings and allergic to bees so it could just be me. We had a great time in Bonaire and there are many other things that we want to do. Hopefully airfare won’t get too ridiculous and we can head back again next summer. I’ll post some pics (I’m no pro) if I can figure it out.
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By Jennifer Parmley (BonaireTalker - Post #65) on Sunday, July 6, 2008 - 6:06 pm: 
