Our Bonaire photo slideshow can be viewed at:
http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4e4459314e4449324d513d3d0d
Enjoy!!!!
We’ve received so much help in the past from other posters on this board that we want to return the favor and offer a post of our own.
Getting There
We took the Continental red-eye from Houston. Note: Do Not Miss eating at Papadeaux’s in the Houston airport terminal! The crawfish bisque is superb (try it, even if you think you won’t like it; it is GRAND). The restaurant just happened to be right beside the gate we left from.
We’ve decided we need to investigate some other means of getting to Bonaire in the future. That all-night flight left us feeling like we do when we fly to Europe. The entire first day was pretty much shot because we were so tired from being up most of the night (flight was delayed out of Houston by 1 and a half hours). And getting up at 3 AM for the 6 AM return flight was not our cup of tea either.
But…we did arrive on schedule and got all our luggage (something to be said for that), got our rental truck without incident and headed downtown. Parked the truck where we could see our luggage and had breakfast by the waterfront at City Cafe. Good breakfast at a decent price.
Upon Arrival
For first-timers, keep your eyes open in the baggage claim area for island information. It is along one wall. Be sure to pick up a copy of the Bonaire Dining Guide, various advertisements and the weekly (or seems like now it is bi-weekly) schedule of events on the island. Another good place to get info is the tourist center, located on the southeast end of the main shopping street (one way street running behind all the waterfront restaurants downtown). Restaurants Warung Louise, Mona Lisa and Plazita Limena are all on this street as well.
Accommodations
We stayed at Den Laman for the first time. Liked the accommodations and the location. They were able to get us into a room rather quickly so we could rest for a while after our all night flight.
In the past, we have stayed outside of town. We noticed a big difference in our gas consumption this trip by staying in town. One tank of gas lasted us the entire 15 days—even with trips to Washington Park, Lac Bay and on more than one occasion to both ends of the island.
Car Rental
We used Total Car Rental as part of our package from Den Laman. Were a little leery after reading some negative posts. But our experience with them was great! Almost no waiting, got an almost brand-new truck with A/C and had absolutely no problems with the vehicle. The staff was very friendly and accommodating.
Cell Phone
After reading other posts, we took our tri-band phone with us and went to see Michael Gaynor at Chat ‘n Browse. He gave us a great deal on a chip for our phone that allowed us to call all over the island and back to the States. He is such a nice guy—very accommodating. He also has internet service available at a better price than we got using the “house” service at Den Laman. But we didn’t find that out until we had already bought the internet card from Den Laman. Next time!
Food
We shopped at Cultimara (downtown), Warehouse Market (behind Lisa Gas) and at the bright green fruit and vegetable store on the left as you head out of town toward “hotel row.” Each store had its own variety of products. The fruit we bought from the fruit store was delicious. DO try the mangoes while you are on the island! Just the right ripeness, juicy and flavorful.
Most days, we ate breakfast in our apartment and many days had lunch there as well. All evenings (except one when we got take-out pizza from Pasa Bon Pizza) we ate out.
We made several runs by Lover’s Ice Cream and were glad to see our favorite flavor, Cherry Brandy, was still available (although we may have a new favorite, Cappuccino Almond). They make their own waffle cones there—not to be missed.
We had shoarmas one day, buying from the man who operates a little stand out of Sand Dollar grocery. Really good sandwiches and very reasonably priced.
Restaurants
The remainder of the restaurants we’ll list by name. We are “foodies,” thus the long descriptions of various restaurants. Recognizing that tastes in food are very subjective and also that any restaurant can have an “off” day in the kitchen, we will attempt to give our honest evaluations. It is not our intention to hurt anyone’s business. We can only imagine the challenges on Bonaire of running a restaurant when most items have to be imported. Nor do we wish to get “flamed” for offering our personal opinions. We’ve appreciated other people's honesty in the posts we have read. When on vacation, the last thing you want is to lay out a lot of money for a meal you don’t enjoy. So take our evaluations with a grain of salt and compare them with what others have said. Ultimately, everyone makes his own decision about where to dine.
Bobbejan’s—Open weekends only. If it were possible, we think the ribs and chicken were even better than last time we were on the island. We bought two different times in LARGE quantities and carried them home so we could make several meals out of them. Very reasonably priced and SO TASTY!
Warung Louise—This was our first time to try this restaurant. We ordered the mid priced rice table for two. The food was very good. We felt the portions were a little small for the price. Our previous experience with rice table was at the Old Inn, and we always took food home for another meal. Wife wanted to go back later in the trip and try a different dish from the menu; husband wasn’t interested. One dose of Indonesian food per trip is his limit. But next trip we’ll return.
Bistro de Paris—Only had lunch there after reading other posters' rave reviews of the lunch menu. Maybe we hit it on an “off” day or our tastes are just different. Per what others had said, we ordered the house specialty sandwich and the French onion soup (really thick versus other French onion soups we have had). It was good, but in our opinion not up to a rave review. We did, however, ask to see an evening menu. It looked interesting enough to draw us back for another try next year.
Wil’s Tropical Grill--The menu was very imaginative. We like that! Perhaps we ordered the wrong thing. Appetizer soups were good. Wife had catch of the day that was wahoo (unfortunately no smoked marlin to try). It was a little dry and “fishy” for her taste (so maybe she doesn’t like wahoo). Husband had the shrimp, and they were very good. Homemade bread sticks were so good we asked for more. Husband wasn’t interested in any of the desserts (some were not available that day). Wife had panna cotta with a tropical flair, and it was very good. We want to visit this restaurant again next trip to Bonaire. We feel more is lurking there in menu items we didn’t try.
Donna and Giorgio’s--It was packed the night we went, so service was a little slow. Menu was listed on a chalkboard. There wasn’t much that interested us. So we got what we got last trip to the island—spaghetti with meat sauce and lasagna. Couldn’t tell the difference between the two dishes. The taste was the same and not as good as last time. They did have a very good mixed green salad. Undecided if we’ll return in the future.
Pasa Bon Pizza--We ordered pizza to carry out one night. Husband really, really liked it. Wife thought it was good. (But husband likes pizza more than wife does). Their molten chocolate cake dessert is very good.
Casablanca--We ate there twice during our trip. The first time, husband had a steak that was very good. Wife had chicken with green onion sauce, a dish she’d eaten previously when Casablanca was under different management. It was so delicious back then that she had looked forward to having it again. But this time the chicken was dry and the sauce was totally different. She didn’t like it at all.
Second go around we both had steaks, and they were excellent. Great sauces to go with them. So guess it is all in what you order.
Papaya Moon--We ate there twice. First time, we split the fajitas. Pretty good. But the desserts were awesome—hot apple pie on a sizzling plate with brandied caramel sauce and raspberry lemon tiramisu. Wow!
The desserts brought us back the second time. We split the nachos with everything on them—still lots of food. And again it was pretty good. Then we had crème brulee and the death by chocolate torte. Wow again! If for no other reason, go for the desserts! They are not to be missed. And if you “hanker” for Tex-Mex, it will scratch your itch.
Saved our favorite two places for last!!
Cactus Blue--This restaurant was a close second to our favorite restaurant. Both have excellent chefs who know their craft.
Cactus Blue specializes in foods with a Caribbean flair. We’ve not had a bad dish there in the three years since it opened. We dined there twice on this trip.
The first time, we had the 3 course special of the evening which started with crab balls as an appetizer, moved on to a fish and shrimp entrée and finished with the most delectable key lime pie we’ve had anywhere. Overall…delicious!!
The second time we split the crab, artichoke and cheese dip appetizer. Wife had the Caribbean Chicken Curry—wow!! Husband had a steak. Again, we HAD to have some of that key lime pie! Overall…delicious!! Service was very good. Big plus…interaction with the owners. Each time we were there, the husband (who is the chef) came by our table to chat and to be sure our food was to our liking. Nice folks.
Mona Lisa--Our all-time favorite restaurant on Bonaire. A culinary experience! Chef Douwe (yes, we know his name) is an artisan! Over the 10 years we’ve been coming to Bonaire, we have had the PLEASURE of dining at Mona Lisa many times. Never has there been a disappointment!
We dined there twice on this trip (and looking back wish we had done so more times and skipped some of the “investigative" dining we did at other places).
First time, we both had the bar hap menu that happened to be roast beef. It was exquisite--thinly sliced, tender and prepared to the perfect state of doneness. It was beautifully presented over vegetables with crisp curly onion topping and with a side of Chef Douwe’s signature potatoes. Dinner was topped off by desserts of apple pie with cinnamon ice cream and mango cheesecake with raspberry sorbet—all homemade. Absolutely scrumptious!
The second time, we started with mixed salads…some of the best we have ever had. The salad dressing was indescribable—light, flavorful…mmm…the memories have us salivating. Next came red snapper with shrimp and scallops in a wondrous sauce over veggies, and again with those delightful potatoes. We both had the homemade apple pie with wonderful cinnamon ice cream for dessert. Magnifique! Impeccable! Service both times was great.
Weather
Always at this time of year (late August-early September) the weather is horribly hot. This year, all the hurricanes in the Caribbean had the added effect of reducing visibility in the water. In 15 days, we really only had 2 or 3 days when the water seemed fairly clear. The wind was an interesting factor. Surf was so strong one day that it was booming up against the sea wall at Sand Dollar, sending spray everywhere and making entry on the west side impossible. Some days the wind came from the east, some from the west and some days there was no wind at all. These changing conditions made it possible for us to snorkel in some spots we normally don’t get a chance to snorkel, and that was an added bonus.
Snorkeling
We’ve been avid snorkelers for the last 20 years. Have been all over the Caribbean, but no place compares with Bonaire! That’s why we keep coming back! Divers always urge us, “Try diving!” Well, we have on two separate occasions. And the truth is…we prefer snorkeling. We like having the larger picture from the surface as compared with the up-close but more limited range of vision diving affords. We like to be able to follow something interesting in the water without having to worry about whether or not we will run out of air. And, we like being able to stay in the water for 2-4 hours at a time as well as going into very shallow water for close-ups of sea life and juveniles that you don’t see in the “deep blue.”
This was our year for turtles! We must have seen at least 20 different ones! Flounder were everywhere as well. And fish seemed to be swimming in pairs much of the time. Hadn’t noticed that so much on previous trips around this time of year. We snorkeled pretty much all over the island at the standard snorkel spots—Andrea 1 and 2, Windsock, off the shore at hotels and even downtown (in search of clearer water). So we’ll only list the most interesting spots.
On this trip, we got to do 2 snorkels that we’ve long wanted to do.
Drift Snorkel From La Dania’s Leap to Karpata
We could not have picked a better day. The water (normally full of waves) was almost flat. There was a dive boat just leaving LaDania’s Leap, so we got the divemaster’s help in locating the jump off spot (to the right of the path that leads to the cliff’s edge). It was an easy giant stride in. The coral was beautiful! We swam leisurely out to deeper water and alternated coming back in to shallower water (although no spot was truly shallow). We saw a turtle and followed him for quite a ways, getting some great photos. The markings on his shell (which will show up in our slide show) were absolutely amazing! Like a painting. Exiting at Karpata was a breeze (compared to last trip when we got pretty beat up by wave action on the exit). We highly recommend this snorkel (on a good day). The walk to La Dania’s from parking the truck at Karpata was much longer than the swim back to Karpata seemed to be. Also, it is not the first trail you come to (which is much nicer than the real one). Just keep walking and you’ll come to the smaller trail leading to La Dania’s.
Wayaka 1 and 2 (Washington Park)
The roads in the park were very washed out due to recent rains (in fact, the longer route was closed). So we got jostled around quite a bit getting to the sites. And…the sea was rougher than at any time we had been there before, with resulting clouding of the water. That was disappointing after such a long ride. But the sites themselves never fail to disappoint. Angel fish follow you around like pets. And huge parrot fish (especially midnight blues) like to hang out further from shore over the reef. This was our first time to swim over to Wayaka 1, and we can see that on our next trip we’ll be doing more investigating there. The water was shallow in the lagoon of Wayaka 1, and with the cloudiness of the water, it was hard to see a lot. But it is teeming with fish life. Swimming in the areas all around these sites is like being in a giant maze or grotto.
Lac Bay
We had gone to Lac Bay once before on another vacation with a guide, but this was our first time to do it on our own. Thankfully, when the wind switched to blow from the west, it made Lac Bay accessible. Looking back now, we would not do the walk/swim out again. Too tiring and time consuming. From now on, we’ll rent a kayak and paddle out, tying up to the buoy. At that point, the best snorkeling is to the right and left going toward the offshore reef. We saw ALL KINDS of sea life. Turtles, squid, fish that we saw nowhere else, juvenile fish (some looking very different from their adult versions) and got surprised by the largest fish we have ever seen while snorkeling. He came up on us in about 4 feet of water and was almost as large as we were! Still don’t know exactly what it was (not a shark, thankfully). One HUGE turtle let us get so close we could almost have reached out and touched him. Many different types of coral are there in abundance (the closer you get to the reef the more abundant it is). All in all, it was probably our best day of snorkeling, and the water was more clear there than at any other spot, allowing us some great photos.
Rocks/Reef Near Yellow Hut to Right of Windsock
You can see the yellow hut from the road, right about the end of the runway to the airport, and there is a driving trail leading down to the hut. We entered to the right of the hut. Be careful upon entering as this is the mouth to a marina. Stay within the roped off area. Stick to the rocks on the left and go around until you are in Windsock proper. There was lots of fish life here with good photo opportunities in shallow water.
Bari Reef off Sand Dollar
There was a “pirate” ship anchored offshore. Snorkeling near it, we saw two large triggerfish feeding off the bottom of the ship. Later, someone on the pier at Den Laman remarked that those fish are not often seen there. We got a good photo. Lots of life in the shallows all along the rock and reef coastline. On the way in, wife almost swam right into a dinner-plate sized jellyfish! Yeeouch!!! Where did THAT come from!!??
Soft Coral Garden
This is one of the lushest spots (coral-wise) for snorkeling that we have visited. It’s not easy to find, on the south end. Buy one of the shore diving books in a Bonaire dive shop, and good luck! It took us a few tries. This year, we saw huge porcupine fish and a school of squid. One year, we got into a school of giant parrot fish in the shallows that let us swim among them in about 3-4 feet of water. Unforgettable!
When weather is changing almost daily as it was when we were on-island, it’s good to ask the personnel at a dive shop where the best snorkeling will be that day. They keep up with it and can save you a wasted day.
On Top of the Island
Take time to enjoy the other wonders of nature on Bonaire. They’re not all under the water! We had great photo ops with free-roaming donkeys and goats (several with young ones along), large and small iguanas and lizards (many of them beautifully colored), wild birds of all kinds and colors and the exotic parrots and flamingoes native to the island.
Don’t spend your time on-island in a frenzy to go everywhere, see and do everything. Relax and enjoy your trip! There’s too much to see on one visit anyway--you’ll want to return!!
Our Bonaire photo slideshow can be viewed at:
http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4e4459314e4449324d513d3d0d
Enjoy!!!!
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By F. Keaton (BonaireTalker - Post #51) on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 9:19 pm: 
We love to LaDania's to Karpata snorkel too. Also the dive is nice as well. We do both. Note: Next time you do that snorkel, one of you stay with the gear at LaDania and one of you park your truck at Karpata, it is only a 6 min. walk back to LaD's, so when you exit Karpata, your truck is waiting. We do it that way. Just a thought.