Bonaire Trip Report

Photo: Lise, Mary & Elizabeth at Sand$ Condo

OVERVIEW:
This was our 2nd trip to Bonaire. This time we went for 2 wonderful weeks. The first week we were by ourselves (my husband and I along with our 9 year old twin girls). The second week we were joined by two other families for a total of 13 of us. This included a baby-sitter. (All 3 families split the cost of bringing her down for the week.) We had nice weather and an absolutely great time. I will go into some details below on things that might help you in planning your trip.


Photo: Bob with Caren's dog...we thought they looked alot alike!!

FLIGHTS:
We flew Air Jamaica from Atlanta and had no problems either way.

ACCOMODATIONS:
We choose to stay at Sand Dollar again this trip and were able to rent
Joan & Alan Zales condo
We really looked around at different properties on our last visit and just didn't find anything that gave us what we could get at Sand Dollar for the same value. The Zale's condo is beautiful. It is upstairs and has a nice screened in porch. We realized how nice the screens were after the second week when our friends all had condos without the screens. They were all "eaten alive" by mosquitoes. After a few days our friends all had over 100 mosquito bites on them. They looked like they all had chicken pox!! Everyone but us had many bites. Besides the bugs..they all enjoyed their units. Sand Dollar is a good family place…lots of space for the kids to run around and the pool at Sand Dollar is larger then most other pools we saw at the other resorts. The new dock is wonderful. There are nicer resorts on the Island but we were able to stay for 2 weeks at Sand Dollar for what we would have paid for one week at the nicer resorts. Being able to rent directly from the owners can save you a lot of money.

DIVING:
The first week our girls were in Aqua Kids at the Plaza Resort so we choose to dive with Tucan there on the property. They are a great operation. Very helpful and friendly staff. We only did shore dives and over the two weeks, we dove from one end of the Island to the other. There has been so much written about the different sites, so I won't go into much detail except to say our favorite site (which we went back to 3 times) was Angel City. The double reef is beautiful and the fish life was abundant. The only other dive I will mention was our night dive at town pier. To be honest with you…I didn't really want to do this, but one of our friends had read about it and had her heart set on it. We went on a Sunday night and were the only divers there. Ebby from Toucan was our guide and was wonderful. This dive was the highlight of our trip. It is SO beautiful under there and we saw the first seahorse and frogfish that I have ever seen. (2 of each)
Our second week of diving we choose to use the dive shop at Sand Dollar. They have really improved the facilities from the last time we were there. New dock, lockers, rinse tanks, etc. We did have a few "issues" with the dive shop, but the management has been very responsive in dealing with us. I think they are really trying to improve their operation after all the problems that the hurricane caused them. As for the diving on Bonaire..you will not be disappointed. The reefs are in great shape and the diversity of fish life is amazing. Seeing the beauty beneath the water will bring you so close to God. I kept praising Him while underwater for His miraculous creation. I have to share a verse with you that I came upon during my "quite time" while in Bonaire: "How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number- living things both large and small." Psalm 104: 24 & 25


KIDS PROGRAMS:

Photo: twins doing SASSY in the pool

Two years ago our girls took Caren's Sea & Discover class and still talk about it. So we knew they would attend again this trip and decided to use her the second week of our vacation so that all the other kids could go with them. We didn't want them to do the same class two weeks in a row, so I did a little research and decided to use Aqua Kids at the Plaza. I did not have "high expectations" as I felt no one would do as good of a job as Caren! Well..Their instructor was Christy and she was GREAT! My girls were the only 2 kids all week and boy did they get personalize attention! Christy has a love for children and very knowledgeable about what she teaches. The kids took a boat trip one-day, visited the Donkey Sanctuary and also did SASSY one day in the pool.
The second week our group of kids all took Caren's class through Sea and Discover. Caren still has a wonderful program. The class was just as good as we remembered it to be. She will pick up the kids from where ever you are staying and take them to her classroom. The kids all loved this class. Caren is very good at what she does and really makes learning fun. The kids even found a Seahorse on one of their snorkels! If you have children with you and want to have the mornings off to dive…I highly recommend either of these programs. It is so much more then baby-sitting. Your kids will learn more about fish and reefs then you know!! I would snorkel with my girls in the afternoons and they knew the names of almost every fish we saw! We had fun evenings going back to the condo and looking up the different fish in our fish ID book. I homeschool my daughters and am convinced there is no better education then to travel with them. They would never learn and retain this kind of knowledge from a book!
And the best part is…I can count those weeks as homeschooling weeks and I didn't have to do anything! Now that is a great vacation!

Photo: Our group of kids at "graduation" from Caren's class. (along with baby Bonny!)

FISHING:
One of the men in our group loves to fish and lined up a charter trip with Chris Fishing. The 3 husbands went out for a 1/2 day of fishing and had a great trip. They brought home enough Wahoo for 2 dinners and l lunch for all 13 of us!

SIGHTSEEING:
We took one day and drove through the Washington-Slagbaai Park. This was really a fun day and I recommend it if you have time. Another day we headed south around to the windsurfing area. We then continued on up north along the rough shore. It is amazing to me how different these 2 sides of the Island are! Other then those two days….we spent the rest of our time in the water diving or relaxing by the pool! I actually read 3 books while in Bonaire! I never have time to read at home!!

RESTAURANTS:
Most of our meals were in our condo, but we did enjoy a few meals out. We left the kids with the baby-sitter and the adults all had dinner at Cappricos…excellent. Our last night, all 13 of us went to the Pirate Steak House. We sat upstairs on our own private balcony and had great meal. My steak was wonderful. We also met the Bonaire Talkers one night at Gibi's. It was fun to meet some of you in person. We had Jake and Linda to our condo one night and really enjoyed our time with them. Our kids had a great time playing together.

MISC. ITEMS:
CHURCH: We attended the church services on Sunday at the Christian Fellowship Church. (near Sand Dollar Condos)-service at 9am in English. Nice service and very friendly people. We were made to feel like family and were so happy we went.

CLUBS/ORGINIZATIONS: My husband attended the Rotary meeting on Wednesday. We also made a visit to the Maria- Hoppner Children's Home. All three families brought down clothing, toys and school supplies. It was amazing to see what Elly is doing with the home and the love she has for the children. A very worthwhile cause for anyone interested in helping. There has been much said on this web site about helping the animals of Bonaire i.e. the donkeys etc. and those are great charities, but I would like to encourage you to help these children. They are so sweet and have so many needs. They have had to close the girls home due to lack of funding (only the boys home is currently open) Elly said she has many girls on a waiting list…most have been sexually abused. Very sad! If you want to bring things down to them…in addition to toys and clothing, they are remodeling the home and she said they are in need of items to decorate the boy's rooms.
PHONE HOME: We used Michael's new Internet Shop…right in front on Sand Dollar to stay in touch with our Inn back home. Very convenient and using email sure saved us money on those long distance phone charges!

In conclusion…we LOVE Bonaire and if you are planning a trip there…you will not be disappointed. We found the Island to be clean and safe. The locals are friendly and most will go out of their way to help you. The diving is some of the best we have ever experienced. I hope some of my notes will help you in your planning and feel free to email me if you have any other questions.

Thank you for such a nicely detailed trip report. We visited with our 7 year old daughter last April and she attended Caren's class for one week as well. I agree with everything you said. We are returning again at the end of September for two weeks and our daughter will be 8 and wants to attend the classes again! I will have to look into the Aquakids at the Plaza, didn't know they had such a program.

Thank you for such a nicely detailed trip report. We visited with our 7 year old daughter last April and she attended Caren's class for one week as well. I agree with everything you said. We are returning again at the end of September for two weeks and our daughter will be 8 and wants to attend the classes again! I will have to look into the Aquakids at the Plaza, didn't know they had such a program.

SUPER trip report...Maggie, my 10 year old ALSO loves Caren.

May I ask the fees of the Aquakids?

Thanks..Annie

Christin,
If you are going for 2 weeks you should look into doing what we did. The classes are both great and we felt it was nice for them to have 2 different experiences verses taking the same class 2 weeks in a row. You can sign up for Agua kids through the Toucan dive shop. If you are not staying at the Plaza or only putting her in for one week, then Sea & Discover is the way to go...Caren will pick up your children in the morning and return them to your condo after the class...very nice! Here is a photo of the girls with Christy:

Annie, I think we paid $120 for the week per child at Aqua Kids..but would have to try and find the receipt to be sure! Caren's class was $100 BUT we had booked with her about 8 months ago when we first started planning this trip and she did mention that she was going to go up on her rates..so it would be best to check with both programs to confirm the rates. One thing about Caren's class is you know that Caren will always be the instructor. I firmly believe the instructor makes the class...not the activities..snacks, crafts,etc. We loved Christy at Toucan but I am not sure that she ALWAYS teaches the class...so if you decide to go with Aqua Kids, I would check to see who is teaching the class. One last thing regarding the fees...we tipped both teachers at the end of the week...so you might want to add that to the fee also. I can't say enough good things about the quality of the kids programs on Bonaire and I have not seen programs like this on any other Island that we have traveled to. Caren's class is one big reason we chose to come back to Bonaire. Our girls still talked about her 2 years later!! It is wonderful to go off diving with the peace of mind that your children are in good hands, safe, learning and having a blast!!

Lise, thank you for the tips, I guess I should email Caren since we will be going in six months. I will also look into Aquakids, sounds fantastic. Our daughter could ID so many fish after her one week class with Caren and she had just turned 7 while on our trip. I agree that two separate activities would be best for a two week trip and peace of mind is so important when leaving your kids!

Lise,
Thanks for the great report. The photos were a plus. Sounds like you had a relaxing time (ie 3 books)...I hope to have enough R & R to also read 3 books. What's the exact location for the Christian Fellowship Church? I don't recall seeing it and we'll be at Capt Don's.

Linda...if you were coming from Sand $ you would go to the round about. If there were no round about you would make a left turn at that street. So.. go all the way around until you can turn left. Then I think it is the first building/parking lot on your left. You will see the sign. Great people and nice service. You will enjoy it.

Yes, it is the first building on the left - yellow cream colored. It has a sign out in the front yard so you can't miss it.

Thank you for the great report. I'm going to print it and give it to my friends who have kids and are hesitant to leave the country with them. Bonaire is a great place to vacation with kids! margarite

Lise, Linda,
The location sounds like where the Bible Church is/was....Linda, can you verify?

Sand Dollar Condominiums has just about the original children's program on Bonaire, the Sand Penny Club. You can find info at http://www.sanddollarbonaire.com/kidsandfamilies.html

Margarie... Feel free to have your friend with children email me. We have always traveled with our girls..even as babies. They have been out of the country many times...mostly to the Caribbean and Mexico. It has been a wonderful experience for them and us!

As for the above post...the Sand$ Penny program is for younger children, I think age 6 and under. Their program for older kids only runs for certain weeks n the summer.

Linda S.

The Bible Church & Christian Fellowship are one and the same. The Trans World Radio church.

Jake

Jake, Thanks for the clarification!

Just to clear up the confusion on what Sand Dollar offers: The Sand Penny Club is a free day care program held weekdays for kids 3 - 6. Bonaire Dive & Adventures Ocean's Classroom runs weekdays throughout the year, as it has for more than 10 years. It is not just run in the summer. I think the confusion here is that we are running a special "camp" program for 2 weeks this July. But for all the other weeks of the year, the Ocean's Classroom is held routinely for kids ages 6 - 15.