Hello..well we are back from our much anticipated...and almost canceled trip to Bonaire. We fell in love with the place....we snorkeled twice a day..one day i went in a third time on the reef at the Plaza resort where we stayed. The Plaza was very nice...not exactly 5 star like i have seen in some review books..but it was very nice...the room was huge...the bathroom was huge...we had an oceanview room that looked out onto the poll so we couldn't see a lot of ocean but that was ok..the garden in the front and the activities of the birds and lizards kept us amused. We watched the sunset every night on the Plaza beach. We rented a car and drove all over the place. We snorkeled at 1000 Steps..one of my favorite...Ole Blue, the Invisibles.. Pink Beach.. Boca Slagbaai, Bachelor Beach...Jeff Davis Memorial....and also the reef in front of the palza which I thourpighly enjoyed..it was always calm..clear and full of fish. We ate at Casablanca,, It Rains Fishes...RumRunners...Richards...and The Banana Tree and Tipsy Seagull at the Plaza. We went to Klein Bonaire and did a drift dive. Awesome!!! We saw all kinds of things. Every place there was something new to see. We ran into "Mr Nasty" a fish that another poster wrote about on another tread. He came right up to my face and I think was ready to take a bite out of me.. He followed us for quite a way..always seeming to try to bite!!!I saw 3 sea turtles... a huge gigantic green and black parrot fish..we say 2 moray eels...I saw 2 spotted eels...French angelfish...aduts and juviniles....and so many different kinds of eyepopping corals!!!! My husband had to drag me out of the water every time... I could have stayed in all day!!! One of the best things we saw was at Bacheller Beach....at firts there wasn't much to see...and we were sort of just floating around...then in the distance I saw a school of fish that seemed to be swimming around a large concrete cylinder...well it turned out to be about 10,000..I swear at least that many...smallish white fish....It was breathtaking..we swam all round them and they swam all around us....It was like being in another dimension!!! We saw the Indian Inscriptions....the conch shells in piles at Lac Bay....every night I ordered a pot of coffe from room service to be delivered the next day..we bought muffins and coffe cake and cereal...and we had a relaxing enjoyable breakfast each day out on the little patio outside our room....sigh sigh sigh...as the week was going alomg all I could think of was how everyone here is so addicted to Bonaire and returns over and over..well I started to undertsand that about halfway through the week...I loved the low-key..informal atmosphere... and the lack of the big chain jewlery stores that you see at every other island....even in the casino at the Plaza there were never more than 10-12 people...we will be returning there..thats for sure.. I told my husband that we are spoiled now..how can we ever go back to those boat excursion snorkels..where they tel you where you can and can't snorkel..and you have to were their yucky life vests...and you have to get out of the water when they say......I can't imagine that there is a better place to snorkel and have that sense of freedom and relaxation......I WANT TO GO BACK!!!!!!!!! Thank you all for all your help and tips.

Marianne, thanks for the great trip report. Sounds like you had a wonderful time. We will be there soon. You mentioned dining at Richards. Recently there have been reports that Richards has really gone down hill, would be interested in your experience with quality of food and service. Also any sign of Richard, seems he has been off the island for some time.

We liked our meal at Richard's ..having never been there before I can't really compare it..but the food was excellent..we had great service...the people working there were certainly busy the whole time....it was a very positive dining experience for both of us...

Congratulations, Maryanne! You are now a Bonaire Addict! So glad you and your husband had a great time time on your vacation. I'll bet you were wishing you had more time to play with the fishies, too. You will now experience the dreaded PBD....Post Bonaire Depression. It can only be cured by planning your return trip immediately. That way you can hold off the PBD's as you will be anticipating your next trip to Bonaire. Welcome to our wonderful family! Carole

Ooops, sorry I mispelled your name, Marianne! Carole

I really enjoyed reading your trip report!

Great trip report, and so glad to hear that you didn't have to cancel!

Marianne,
Thanks so much for the awesome trip report! I loved reading all your snorkeling detail. It is as if I were there! I am glad that you made it there and fell in love with Bonaire's charm!

hi Marianne,

NOW GO YE THEREFORE UNTO YOUR LOCAL DIVE SHOP AND GET THEE AND THINE CERTIFIED FOR SCUBA! (insert voice of god here),,lol

If you like to snorkel you'll love being able to spend on hour of bottom time at 30 feet with all the wonders of the sea.

Welcome to the PBD (Post Bonaire Depression) we ALL share. The only cure is a return trip.

Glad you had a great time.

I agree with Randy...try scuba..it's easier than snorkeling and you can "be one with the fishes"..anybody with your enthusiasm is a perfect candidate for scuba...and it's great to take the classes in Bonaire ..maybe next year...happy you had a great time in Bonaire..we all just end up loving the island..welcome, and now you will have BT to at least stay connected

Marianne, thanks for the comments on Richards, nice to hear that perhaps all has not been lost.
Anyone else out there with recent experiences?

OHHH..I just remembered ..we also did a fantastic snorkel at AndreaII.. It was really one of the best of the trip...I had considered taking a scuba lesson...but all that gear and stuff that you have to wear looked very intimidating.... we ran into some people from our state down that when we were at Casablanca...they were trying to talk me into it too...they said they had been coming to Bonaire every year for the last 10 years..I am still considering the scuba....maybe someday...

The gear only looks intimidating. It's really just (a) a bottle of air to breath from, (b) some rocks that make you sink, (c) a blow-up vest that balances out the effect of the rocks, and (d) some gauges to let you know when to get out of the water. Hooking up SCUBA equipment is SOOO much easier than, for instance, programming a VCR. And while it may seem bulky and heavy on land, it's the opposite in the water.

As a snorkeler you remain positively bouyant and thus limited in your movements. As a diver you get to maintain a relative weightlessness. Compare jumping on a trampoline with flying a helicopter... one is simple but you only get little moments of the experience; the other requires more gear, but gives you so much more time and freedom in the environment.

Why have I burned up all those bytes on this reply? Because if you were impressed by what you saw at snorkel depths, it just gets bigger and better between 30 and 60 feet down. As a snorkeler you just cannot hover for 10 minutes or more watching a cleaning station up close, get into a staring contest with a barracuda, or notice that you are getting followed - or led, I can never tell which - around the reef by a big lone jack or snapper.

And of course, the only cure for PBD is your next trip!

Although I love scuba, I probably have as many fantastic memories from snorkelling. I'd recommend people get certified because of the diving options it provides you. However, with snorkelling, you have no time limit. With snorkelling, you tend to go slower and observe critter behavior more carefully. With snorkelling, you don't have the "Blub, blub, blub" or exhaled air disturbing the fish and are therefore less intrusive. With snorkelling, you can observe all the sealife that's present in two feet of water. Scuba divers tend not to spend much time shallower that twenty feet because of the difficulty of controlling bouyancy when shallow. And there are so many critters that aren't found in deeper water.

So... take a scuba class, but don't be concerned about what you might be missing. I continue to find new things in the shallows between Carib Inn and Plaza, in less than 4 feet of water.

On another note, have many snorkellers tried the inlet near the Salt Pier? After finishing a dive there, I spent an extra half hour snorkelling at the inlet. Lots of Glassy Sweepers there too.

Hi, Marianne!! I'm sooo glad you got to go to Bonaire! It's definitly the ultimate. I love to snorkle and still spend lots of time doing it, but diving is something you should try if you love the reef. YOu can get right up into all that life!! Also the sensation of weightlessness is one I really enjoy. Also looking into the sunlight from below. Diving is snorkling X 100. Then when I've worn out my dive buddy/hubby.....I go snorkling !! No time lost !

I've GOT to learn how to spell "snorkel"

Marianne, good report--my head was spinning--you did a lot of snorkeling during what I assume was a week. Carol and I did not get to some of the spots you mentioned and have decided we must try some of them based on your report-thanks. Had to laugh about "Mr. Nasty"--he almost ruined a great snorkel cause we were constantly on watch for our fingers after each being bitten once. I have already started the planning for April 04--we too love Bonaire.