Hi everyone. It's Saturday and finally I have some time to write about our first trip to Bonaire (9/21-10-2). Initially, I want to thank everyone on this board for making our vacation to Bonaire the absolute most wonderful time we've ever had on an island! Also warning: This is a very long report….so much happened!

We flew from Chicago to Montego Bay to Flamingo with absolutely no hassle or waiting on Air Jamaica. We stayed at the Plaza, which is right next to the airport, and it was fabulous. Read Deborah's recent TR to get the scoop on the resort. We will be staying there next time. We loved it! Our first night (Saturday) we ate at the Plaza's Tipsy Seagull. Our table was right by the water and the atmosphere was awesome. John was the food critic for the trip and he didn't think the food was special. The two guys singing with acoustic guitars (on Saturdays) and the ocean lapping almost at our feet more than made up for the "tough and tasteless" Wahoo. I forgot what I ate but I remember not "hating" it so I guess the food was ok. (Now you know why John's the food critic!). A crab crawled onto a rock in front of us and watched us dine through out the evening. I named him Buster. He was a big red crab and just stayed on the rock the whole time. The service was excellent there. *** Out of ***** per John's rating system. Afterward we went to our Jr Ocean View suite -(really a palm leaf view)- and had a wonderful night's sleep.

Sunday: Breakfast at Plaza. (Note - when we did eat out for breakfast it was there so *** out of ***** for overall consistency - good omelets, fruit juices, fruits and coffee but pricey for breakfast.) Also, go there if you want to see a whole family of Iguanas. They feed them right outside of the restaurant. The rest of the day was spent snorkeling off the Plaza. Caren from Sea & Discover met us there so she could teach John how to snorkel. He's never been a very good swimmer and the whole idea of fins and snorkel were new to him. He said he was kind of freaked out at first (really - he's only been to the ocean once and that was Gulf of Mexico w/ me) Caren was fabulous. In his words "She made me a snorkeler for life". She was so enthusiastic and patient and just all around terrific. I was out and about swimming around while they worked together on getting him to kick right and float etc. Then she told us to practice and call her when we felt really comfortable for our classroom/snorkel lesson - 3 hrs. To make a long story short - John became addicted to snorkeling. We spent all day in the water after she left. It was amazing to see so many beautiful fish right off of the Plaza beach! Looking back, we think that area is perfect for beginning snorklers. It has the easiest entry and exit.

That night we ate at The Old Inn and John gave it a **** out of *****. It was so neat. We had the Rijsttafel, which was enough food for 10 people. Be prepared to be surrounded by food if you are just a couple! It was fabulous though. We ate what we could and then our waitress overheard us talking about Cultimara and offered to pick us up and take us there, as we weren't getting our car until Wednesday. The locals in Bonaire are so nice! Her name was Luswinda - I think - she told us to call her LuLu.

The next day, LuLu along with her mom, little brother and sister picked us up and took us to the market. She negotiated in Papiamentu to help me pick the best yogurt (I couldn't read Dutch and there weren't any expiration dates that I could see). We bought granola and yogurt for breakfast in our room as well as wine and Amstel. (I hear there’s a place that delivers wine but we never used them. Maybe next time.) The prices were very reasonable for an island. In fact, all of Bonaire was extremely affordable for a Caribbean Island! We then took a "bus" home - a local driving her van. 3 Guilders each. We had two boxes so it was worth it rather than walking back to Plaza with that load. Lunch at Banana Tree *** out of ***** but pricey - consistent throughout the week, like breakfast. Dinner at Richard's was an experience. The atmosphere was very nice but not as good as Tipsy . Food *** out of ***** but we will never go back there. Be forewarned because they don't... there is a 15% service charge added to your bill and it doesn't cover gratuity to the waitress. John's type A personality kicked in but I managed to get him out of there without him fussing at anyone. He felt it was very wrong to secretly add a service charge (I agree, it was sneaky) and so we are boycotting Richard's forever. Visited Coconut Crash on the way home (the Plaza's beach bar) and slept soundly afterward.

Tuesday, Caren picked us up for our class. She is an exceptional teacher. Her classroom is very cool. She drove us to the Andrea II and we learned so much. I can't say enough positive things about Caren. Sea & Discover is a must do for anyone wanting to learn about ocean life and have fun doing it. Andrea II is gorgeous for snorkeling. Went back to Plaza for more snorkeling and swam down to the Channel where we saw Barracuda charging at schools of fish. We also saw two huge silver fish (Tarpon?). John thought they were sharks. Later we are told that one them may have been Charlie - a big fish that hangs out around further down the island. (Can anyone clarify Charlie's residence?) For dinner we stayed at Plaza and celebrated Manager's night on the beach. Moogie played (we saw him at several places) and there was great BBQ and volleyball. Price very reasonable - only 10 bucks -many locals were there too. John gave it **** out of *****

Wednesday, Netty picked us up and we finally had wheels. Lili was passing by the island and "took all of the wind away" so it was a very hot day. We decided to take a back way to get to Lac Cai and explore the Southern part of the island. We bought a compass in Kralendijk because the maps there are hard to decipher. It is hard to get lost on Bonaire but parts of it are desolate - so it can be scary at first but with a compass it's easy to figure out the criss crossing dirt roads. We made it to Lac Cai and saw the Conch Shell monuments. The beach was full of beer tops and cigarette butts - I guess from the parties on Sundays. It was isolated except for a couple of islanders who sold us two cold Amstels and a couple of Aussie divers who'd just come out of the water. They'd had a wonderful dive and saw corals "as big as trees, very large rays and turtles". It seemed like a place only an advanced diver would go to as they had compasses and charts for their dive - (any comments about that dive spot?) Navigating dirt roads back - We got stopped by several donkeys and one walked up to our car and stuck his head in the driver's side of the window freaking John out. He threw the camera at me and yelled "take the picture before it spits on me or bites me or something!" I was laughing so hard but I did get a great photo. (All film no digital..Sorry I can't post them) The dry cactus landscape is beautiful and so is the marshy mangrove area where we got out and hiked into an area to take photos of flamingos. We also took a neat picture of a thunderstorm out at sea that ended up hitting the island later. On the way home, our van became very loud. Obviously - the muffler broke. We found Netty at her office and she gave us the only other Van there. It had a flat spare and no back license plate. She told us that someone had stolen it and that she had reported it to the police. She said it was ok to drive the Van w/just the front plate and that if we came back the following day - the spare would be fixed and waiting for us. Ok, fine. We went back to Plaza as it began to rain. The Manager of Toucan went with the rest of us to watch the lightning show at the Coconut Crash and bought everyone a drink. The downpour was truly a special occasion. Our roof leaked and the electricity went out all over the island. I loved it! That night Croccatino's was one of the few restaurants that had electricity so we ate there and it was wonderful. **** Out of *****. When we returned to Plaza there was still no power. We put towels on the floor and lit tea candles out on the porch and drank wine. It was a beautiful evening. Suddenly the power came on. We turned on the television for weather only to see that The Sopranos was on. We hadn’t watched TV at all but couldn’t pass up the show. After it was over, John hopped in the shower and the power went off again - and the water pump stopped - John was stuck in the dark shower with soap and no H20. He was having a lot of adventures that day! It all ended well and we got a good night's sleep.

Thursday we stumbled upon the Doll House as we headed back to Netty’s to pick up the spare. Very interesting place! She has pet turtles, flamingos and birds in addition to the many life size dolls - each representing a part of the past culture on Bonaire. Her back yard is the "museum" and it was unique and quite bizarre. The local woman is very creative and if you ask her she will relate a lot of Bonaire’s history to you. It reminded me of Howard Finster's farm (a folk artist outside of Athens Ga.) We then picked up the spare, attached it and headed back to Plaza to snorkel and swim. That evening was Liz and Ed’s party. It was quite fun. They are wonderful people and their home is lovely. We met a lot of very nice people (BT’rs) from all over the place. Including Jake and Linda and their children. Thanks Ed and Liz for inviting us. Also, hello to all of the others that were there! Jake & Linda invited us to night snorkel for the following night’s coral spawning. They were going to dive with others and we were going to float above. We had every intention of going but unfortunately - Friday’s adventures wore me out.

Friday we decided to go to 1000 Steps for a snorkel adventure. It was so beautiful there! Awesome place to take photos of the landscape and water. The waves were huge and it was just John and I - alone in the whole ocean so I was kind of freaked out. John, however, was now Master Snorkeler and having great fun (nice corals). We snorkeled for about an hour and a half there but it was difficult swimming against the strong current in huge waves. I was the driver that day and I wish hadn’t decided to drive. The road to 1000 steps is narrow but fun. However if you keep going North it turns into a one-way road and you have to go to Rincon to get headed back in a Southern direction. Apparently, I missed the sign that said One Way. Sooooo - I turned around going the wrong way on a one-way road. There was no traffic the entire time until I did that. Suddenly a bunch of Dutch Bikers going very fast - scream by us and yell - wrong way!!!! I freak out and pull over and am going to turn the car around when a policeman comes up behind them. Of course, he fusses at me too. I apologize profusely and he waits for me to turn around - to avoid an accident - Once I do that, he is behind me and pulls me over again. I have no rear license plate, it seems. I tried to explain but he fusses at me and tells me to go to the police station. I say okay. He follows me as I drive to Rincon - when suddenly a mother goat crosses the road. I stop for her and begin again only to almost hit the whole family of goats that come charging across the road after her. Well that was it! I saw a small bar, have no idea what it was but it was straight ahead. I drove there got out and went and got an ice cold Amstel. The policeman continued on, deciding to leave me alone thank God. John drove after that. I don’t remember much about Rincon except it seemed much poorer than Kralendijk. We didn’t explore it so I can’t comment much. Back in town we go to watch the sunset at Karel’s pier. See Yana and Craig from Liz and Ed’s party. They aren’t diving (24hr rule) so they are drinking - Yana says. We had a wonderful time watching the sunset with those two. They have great stories from their world travels. We ate at Compadres at Lighthouse *** of *****. Great chicken fajitas! We are both too tired to go to the coral spawning and go “home” to sleep.

Saturday- We went Sea Kayaking in the Mangroves. It was awesome. I felt like I was on National Geographic explorer. It was booked through Bonaire Tours (Air Jamaica Tours uses them. Their rep called at the beginning of the trip and told me I needed to book everything through her … not true. It’s cheaper to do it yourself.) The only thing I hadn’t booked was Kayaking so I let her do it for 45 US a person. I think everyone should do that trip once. There is a lot to learn about the nursery of the ocean. Gerard van Erp of Bonaire Boating was our guide. He picked us up at Plaza and took us to Lac Cai Beach. He told us his theories of the marine biology there. Some of them were far out so I need to do some research before I can vouch for his data. However, he was extremely nice, had good equipment and gave an excellent tour. The coral on the roots of the mangrove are bright and plentiful and there are bountiful upside down jellyfish there. That afternoon we meet Mike and Jaxn Hill at Coconut Crash. Mike’s a PADI regional manager whose territory is the Caribbean/Gulf coast. I would like that job. And Jaxn is a writer/editor who works from wherever she wants to, so she travels the Caribbean with her husband while she writes. I would like that job too! We left to have dinner at Chibi Chibi at Divi Resort *** of *****. Service charge is added but we are told about it so that’s ok. Food’s ok. Ambiance nice. I like Tipsy best so far in regards to seaside dining!

Sunday - John threw out his back so we cancel Renee and the Woodwind - move it to Tuesday. We sleep in, John feels better so we decide to tour the other part of the island - still in the south. I’m still freaked out about the North part. Next time we’ll explore that area. We go to the slave huts - interesting. Seems like teenagers like to go there. Check out the salt flats and piles - very beautiful. The foam rolls across the street blown about by the strong wind. The water in the flats is pinkish and is beautiful in contrast to the white salt mountains and the blue sky. We drive to Lac Bay and stop by the one of the edifices of beach trash that is erected along the way. Beach trash gets blown up on the Eastern shore. It is a global problem - not a just a Bonaire problem and it’s sad to see. The water is beautiful and wild with huge waves hitting the rocks casting large sprays of water. We make it to Lac Bay and watch how difficult it must be to Windsurf. Some people make it look so easy while others educate you really quickly as to how much work windsurfing is. Had dinner at Lion’s Den with Mike and Jaxn. ****Out of *****. I thought the food there was really excellent! Stopped by the Habitat on the way home nice bar with a bunch of crazy divers. It was fun.

Monday: Shopping day in Kralendijk. Found neat jewelry and t-shirts and souvenirs for kids. Went back to Plaza and snorkeled all afternoon. Went to Rum Runner’s for happy hour with our travel friends Mike and Jaxn. Saw Captain Don with a feather in his hat but we move onward to dinner. Had dinner again with Mike and Jaxn at Raining Fishes - great restaurant.
****Of *****. Although I think the lettuce wasn’t rinsed in the Greek salad because I became really, really sick the next day.

Tuesday: I woke up very sick, running a temp and all the usual unpleasantness that goes along with eating something that doesn’t agree with you. It’s our last day and last chance to go on the Woodwind. I pray really hard and we set out for four hours on the sailboat. I’m so glad I went. Renee is totally excellent! We snorkeled No Name Beach and saw 3 turtles, which she said, was a real treat. She had bunches of fish swimming around her as she was feeding them so we got to see a lot of big fish up close - neat for snorkelers. She then took us to the Andrea I, which was my favorite site of the whole trip. I spotted a sea wasp and alerted her and we all swam away from it. Other than that we saw a huge blue parrotfish and so many different corals. It was just gorgeous. I’m so happy that I didn’t miss this trip. Afterward - I could only make it back to the room and then collapse. John watched our last sunset on Bonaire on the beach and then came back to the room with some chicken soup. We left the next day with me feeling better and both of us looking forward to coming back. There’s so much more to do!
The End.

Michelle,
Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed trip report. Do you miss Bonaire yet?

Scott

Good report, Michelle! I think we must have been sitting near you at the Tipsy Seagull that Saturday night (the 21st), because I saw that same big red crab! It's great that John's a comfortable snorkeler now, because you'll probably become Bonaire addicts like the rest of us. Thanks for sharing your adventures!
--Deborah

Sounds like you and John are definitely hooked on Bonaire, Michelle! YOu had a wonderful time. Bonaire is such a special place. I know you will be planning your next trip very soon. Can you download your digital pics onto your computer to post on the BT board so we can all drool and ooooh and ahhhhh??!! If you can swing it, we would love it. Glad you had a great time. We all knew you would! Ayo. Carole

Michelle, Thanks for the great detailed report. I feel like I have just been to my paradise!!! I hope your PBD isn't too bad!

Michelle, I'm glad you really enjoyed the Party!! Ed and I loved meeting you all. As we talked about at the party, I have updated my website. We finally settled on a name for our Kas di Bonieru...go to www. scubabonaire.homestead.com/townhouse.html to see it or just got to my profile here and click on it. We did go on the night dive with Jake and Linda to see the coral spawn. There were probably about 8-10 ppl. It was REALLY cool!!! Jake invited Hendrik, the great video photographer to tape it, we got a copy, it is great! I will post my report on Tuesday morning because we just got home this morning at about 3am. Will talk with you soon!

Oops almost forgot...tell John we got some great Donkey pics for him....LOL...Only the few of us will get this and that's the way it should be!

What a great report-but where did you get that info about Richard's service charge not covering gratuity to the waitress? I've known him since before he had his restaurant (+12 years), and know for sure that his 15% is shared among his waitstaff and kitchen personnel. "Sneaky" and "boycott" are a very strong words to use here because of a misunderstanding.

michelle, I enjoyed your report so much...I'm feeling selfish now that I haven't taken the time to post my own. I'll do so soon. Thanks!!! Margarite

I, too, enjoyed Richards very much . I think I read in some travel guide...( or maybe in the dining area of this very sight) that there was a possibility of gratuity being added. So I was not surprised. Iguess that's the thing...you just hate a surprise. Sorry you had a bad experience. Margarite

Glad to hear you both had a wonderful trip. I told you that yall would fall in love with Bonaire!

Caren is wonderful. My daughter wanted to stay and live with her.

Yes - You guys were right - We both LOVED Bonaire and we both have PBD. I'm booking a trip for sometime next year this month!
Bonaire has somehow filled my heart with a sense of "ahh, I finally found THE place" or something. I'm working on transferring my pix to digital and will post when I can. The Richard's experience was okay for me. It was John who was very angry when he got the bill with the 15% service charge added without any advance notice. Then he asked the waitress if that included the gratuity and she said "No." So it was a double whammy. I think it was just the principle of it all. It was nice dining and the food wasn't bad at all - even our server was very nice so - "let the buyer beware"- In principle, though - To avoid upset travelers - he should just make it clear - A. Service Charge added - B. Service charge does not include gratuity or it does. It was a little thing compared to the overall wonderfulness of Bonaire. I can't explain why Bonaire is so alluring. It just simply "is"! :-)
Michelle

We were confused about the service charge and the gratuity. Several times we asked whether the service charge that was added to the check covered the tip and were told either "partially" or "no". We wanted to tip appropriately but not twice. It also is not clear as to what is covered by the daily service charge at some hotels. Can anyone clarify.

As for Charlie, he hangs out near Bari reef. He and his friends scared the daylights out of me when I did my first night dive. They came across my shoulder, attracted by the flashlight that helps them find food. A five foot fish in the middle of the night is a bit daunting! And they wouldn't leave us alone-I finally got used to them.

As for the gratuity, this is common in the Caribbean. Although I understand the irriation, remember that these folks don't make a whole lot of money, and are highly dependent on tourism. That being said, it should be up front and on the menu.

we're headed there in...23 days. Our third trip, and our favorite island. Can't wait!

Actually, all of the resorts seem to lay claim to Charlie - I've heard he's the big guy at Captain Don's too. Oh well, there are plenty of Charlies to go around!

Michelle, really enjoyed reading about your trip! Masha danke for sharing stories. The first time I saw a Tarpon I thought it might be a shark too, had my husband laughing underwater! Glad you were able to go on the Woodwind with Renee', always a fun experience. Bon Bini to "our" troop!

Usually the restaurant service charge is shared among all staff: waiters, cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, etc.-(it is a European 'trunk' system, based on 'points,' the more points you have as an employee, the bigger your share of the service charge; points are based on a variety of qualities, such as length of service, skill level, etc.). That may have caused the confusion, because the 15% does not in full go directly to the waiter; it goes into the pot from which she will get her share.

In my own restaurant (Mango's at Sand Dollar Resort), the 10% service charge is stated on the menu, and is shared by all kitchen and waitstaff. I give any tips left on the table, or on the credit card, directly to the waitstaff (although by law I must record and tax their wages for any credit card tips left). The waitstaff handles this among themselves, but what happens is that they divide up all extra tips and share them with the kitchen staff as well. I left that decision to them, and that's what they do on their own.

In the states, the waiters and waitresses usually "tip out" of their tips to the busboys, cooks etc - depending on how much they helped but there's a standard guideline of about 3% of wait tips go to kitchen. Since tipping varies by culture, it's fully understandable to have a service charge - just let diners know about it. It's been a long time since I waited tables in college but that's what we did! We will have to check out Mango's when we go back. There is still so much to explore!
Michelle

Thanks-what I personally witness is the waitstaff taking 50% of extra tips. They then divide this 50% among those on the floor, and the other 50% gets divided up among the kitchen/support staff. I think it's really nice that they decided to do it this way-but for me, it's a bookkeeping nightmare because I must record all credit card (aka 'traceable') tips per employee! UGH!

Michelle,
Thanks for the detailed report. I almost felt as if I were there again! I can't believe the police hassled you so. Is that common?

Wow, thank you very much for sharing your journal!

This site is fantastic, full of good information, everyone is into sharing...best of all no flaming. Well, after reading your journal and some of the postings, I've decide to plan a trip sometime within Dec - Feb for a week's stay.

Seems fairly safe for a single female traveling alone. Doesn't seem like I'll get bitten in the $ pocket too much traveling myself.

Annie - I wouldn't even hesitate to go to Bonaire alone - you will make many freinds when you are there! It's a wonderful place - have fun!
Michelle

Annie...I traveled alone there on my 3rd trip ....had a blast! I would go alone again in a heartbeat!

I've got a question about a week's stay. Not sure which would be the best. I intend to dive/hike/snorkel/bike/kayak/windsurf/be just plain lazy in a shade with a book or nap.

Option 1:
Pick a hotel/dive package add either car or scooter. In a day activity, dive (either morning or afternoon) and either Kayak/snorkel/hike.

Option 2:
Pick a hotel and add car or scooter. Add all the activities in individually. Not sure of the pricing.

If I fish, maybe I'll cook my own dinner. What do you think would be my best option money wise? Thanks.

I know that Liz and Ed Ginocchio (see email address in this thread) rent out their place ... I also know that the Plaza has villas - I'm all for their beach facility for relaxing. A big channel's by there also - great to snorkel by - which means charter boats are there also. There's so much to choose from. I enjoyed staying at the Plaza and then picking my own programs - they will still come and meet you for excursions. It really depends, I think, on what you think you'll DO the most - then it will be easier to pick a place to stay & type of vehicle you'll use the most
Michelle

Annie, I also spent my fourth trip on Bonaire as a single female, and felt perfectly safe, as well as comfortable eating alone. I found I met a lot of people and if I chose to, I'd never have to eat alone. No problem finding dive buddies.

I mentioned on your other post that we stay at Bonaire Town Homes. It has a full kitchen, so as many meals as we chose can be eaten in. Don't fish, but we get fish from several places --- it's wonderful and fresh. Bonaire Town Homes has two rental units that are on the family's own property a little out of the center of town. They go out of their way to make sure I feel comfortable, particularly when I'm alone. I feel very secure there, and any little need I have is taken care of immediately.

The people on Bonaire are wonderful, and however you chose to do it, you'll have a great time.