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Accommodations: Recommendations?
Bonaire Talk: Accommodations: Archives: Archives 2000 to 2006: Archives - 2003-05-01 to 2004-02-12: Recommendations?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cosimo Leipold (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 11:43 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I've heard of so many places to stay in Bonaire, I'm swamped and can't decide...

Here's what I'm looking for:

1. Reasonably comfortable accommodations - AC a must (I guess, since everyone seems to say I definetly want it). I don't care to much about paying a little more.

2. A dive shop damn near those accommodations. Better yet, on site.

3. I'd really like to have a site or two right off the dive shop - something I can go do when I don't feel like getting in a car.

4. Reasonable proximity to dive sites... either via boat or car.

5. I may have someone tagging along thats a new diver so ideally, the dive shop would have a good instructor.

6. I know this one is odd, but if, per chance, the dive shop also has steel tanks instead of aluminium - it's a done deal. (Much more comfortable, and usually bigger too).

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Julia Graves (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #307) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 3:42 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Try Lions Dive, Buddy Dive or Captain Dons. I think they all will fit your brief but I don't know about the tanks!
Depends on what sort of accomodation you want but they all have their own websites.
If you want to know more about Lions Dive, e mail me direct with questions.
Julia

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Marcus L. Barnes (BonaireTalker - Post #76) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 4:10 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Plaza Resort has air 24/7; Toucan Diving is a good shop on the resort; we have used them for the last 3 years - no problem mon! Have a good dive not what matter what you decide!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By herman mowery (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #253) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 4:14 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I kind of doubt that you will find steel tanks anywhere on the island. No need for them as most dive wet with little or no wetsuit. As far as AC is concerned, most places ONLY AC the bedrooms, the rest of the condo is not. We don't find this a problem, just open the room doors and windows and let the breeze pass through. Any of the places Julia listed will meet your needs (except tanks and maybe AC if BR is not enough). I would add Sand Dollar to the list.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chris Seck (BonaireTalker - Post #12) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 4:36 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I may be biased, but I suggest the Divi Flamingo. We have stayed there twice now and it covers all your needs less the steel tanks. We have not stayed in the hotel rooms. We have been in the studio rooms which are on the timeshare side of the resort. They have a kitchen which helps cut down on food expenses. The biggest plus in my mind for the Divi is location. The dive shop is on-site, very close to the studio rooms, and heading into town for dinner is a short walk along the water front.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cynde Loo Hoo (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #9990) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 4:37 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Cosmio,

I don't know if you prefer AC in all rooms, but most of the places have AC in the bedrooms only because of the expense. You may also want to check the Belmar, they are very nice as well. You may also want to check out Bellafonte Chateau de la Mer. We drove by them last summer and it is VERY nice. They don't have a dive shop on the premise though. YOu can check on prices and amenities of all of these places if you go to www.InfoBonaire.com and click on accommodations, then chose a price range.

(Message edited by cyndelee on December 30, 2003)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cosimo Leipold (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 5:02 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks a ton everyone! Looks like pretty much anywhere would be a good choice. I may end up going by myself so I'll have to look around for a dive buddy I guess... Sand Dollar looked nice, but for a 1 person studio it seemed a bit steep (more reasonable w/ 2 people)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rob (BonaireTalker - Post #31) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 6:59 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Cosimo,
I was in Bonaire for 3 weeks in July/Aug. We had a 2 bedroom condo and it was a ICE BOX in there. We went with SD because it had a full kitchen so we could try to cut down on eating out.

The dive shop you will love. If you have a question they are there to help you. I had a question about a dive site and the owner of the dive shop drove us to the dive spot and told us all abut it.

About the tanks, I do not recall if they have steel tanks, but they do have aluminium 80's, 63's and 50's

you will love BONAIRE

Rob

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cynde Loo Hoo (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #9992) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 8:34 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Rob, where is YOUR trip report????

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom Cousino (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #304) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 9:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Cosimo,

We all have our favorite places to stay, and of course they all are the "Best":-{)}

I suggest you find a resort with the on site dive shop and direct access to the ocean (which most have) which has a price closest to what you want to pay, book it and enjoy. I do suggest that you get a "Dive and Drive" package so you are not limited in the number of dive sites you may enjoy.

Tom

ps: My "Best" is Eden Beach Resort with diving provided by Wannadive--shhhhhhh!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cosimo Leipold (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 9:32 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I noticed a few people mentioned eating out - is it very expensive to eat out in Bonaire?

I.e. are we talking $20 a head or are we talking $100 a head?

I don't need lobster every night, but I do want something a bit nicer than a burger with fries. What would you budget for lunch/dinner daily?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom Cousino (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #305) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 10:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Cosimo,

Surprisingly, I find it no more expensive to dine out on Bonaire, than here at home. So I do not worry about budgeting money for meals.

Check out http://www.infobonaire.com/restaurant.html

or
http://www.bonairedining.com/guide/

for listings and to view some menus. Of course you may also check the "Dining" thread on this great board.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By herman mowery (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #254) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 10:52 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I agree, I don't find eating out in Bonaire any more expensive than here in Raleigh. Like any place you can find a $5 meal or a $50 steak and lobster. And like here, your bar tab will add up quickly. The plan we use has a buffet breakfast included so we pig out on breakfast, eat mostly PBJ for lunch and have a nice dinner. It usually runs in the $10pp to $15pp range. I think the most expensive meal we have had is in the $25-30pp range. I keep a 6 pack in the room so my bar bill is close to $0. You can always do some in room cooking if you have a condo. The food on Bonaire is very good because it is made to order but it takes time to cook so slow down some and enjoy the island.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cosimo Leipold (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 11:23 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

This board is such a good source of info. One last q: It looks as if I may be heading down by my lonesome ...

For obvious reasons, I'd rather not be pulling a truck off a random dirt road and visiting 100ft by myself. Anyone know how likely (or unlikely) it would be for me to find a dive buddy?

I may have one other person with me - but they are completely new to diving and would therefore be useless for hte first four days.

Also, I've had nothing but interesting experiences with new divers... One woman, donned in a brand new tech BC, POSIEDON regulator (!), lift bag and a light that might as well have been the sun itself came on a night dive once.. Proceeded to break coral and then very frantically shines her light directly in my face. After I got closer (all the while keeping hte light directly in my face) I saw that her tank was coming right out of her BC... She was freaking out. She then ran out of juice on her light and had no backup. Another woman, after answering "I'm an Advanced Diver" was paired with an open water guy ... She proceeds to try and come down the line only to completely and totally freeze at 10ft. Won't go down, won't go up, won't move. Completely and totally frozen. She wouldn't even let go of the line. It was like someone poured plaster over her and glued her hands to the line. At the same time, the open water guy somehow ditched his weightbelt by mistake... Turns out.. "I'm an Advanced Diver" really translated to "I did my four open water and my five advanced"... In another instance a week later another woman (which I fortunetly missed) apparently completely lost her cool at 60ft and proceeded to pull her reg out of her mouth, inflate her BC as much as possible and kick like hell to the surface. The divemaster on that dive, thinking quickly managed to shove the regulator back in and grab on to her legs to slow her ascent. The woman had a bit of a headache but was fine. Lucky as hell you ask me.

Also completely off topic...

Those of you interested in dive video...

http://ledune.net/roatan/

30 hours of underwater video I shot and edited and compressed to 12 minutes. It's a semi-slow link, so I suggest you right click and save as.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cosimo Leipold (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #5) on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 11:28 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

If that link doesn't work try this:

http://66.92.128.100/roatan/

I suggest right clicking and "saving as".


(Message edited by cosimo on December 31, 2003)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Marvin Lowman (BonaireTalker - Post #18) on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 12:31 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Cosimo:

In my humble opinion, Sand Dollar Condo Resort meets all six of your qualifications. My wife and I stayed there back in September and plan on returning next summer. However, it may not be the atmosphere you are looking for as it's pretty quiet. Being a condo, there's not the hotel, party atmosphere that some people want, but...

1. The units are comfortable and air conditioned (Studios are completely air conditioned, others have A/C only in the bedrooms.) All have kitchens, if you want to do all or some of your own cooking.

2. Bonaire Dive & Adventure is on site and offers great service. They have a gear storage facility just a short walk to the water's edge.

3. Sand Dollar is right on Bari Reef, the Caribbean's No. 1 reef for fish life diversity. After a giant stride off the pier, it's just a short swim to the top of the reef in about 15-20 feet of water. And by the way, since you may be traveling alone, I think you would even feel comfortable diving Bari Reef solo.

4. Bonaire Dive & Adventure also offers boat diving. And, Sand Dollar is located near many other sites in either direction.

5. Bonaire Dive & Adventure are very accommodating to divers at all skill levels.

6. And, YES, they have steel tanks (80s and 63s) which are available 24/7 at the pier.

Have a great trip!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By joe brannan (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #155) on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 1:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Nice video Cossimo..........what kind of camera setup are you using


El Quesonator

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cosimo Leipold (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #8) on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 1:40 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

If you liked that video, you'd love the DVD full quality version ;) It's a JVC cam with an ikelite housing... No lights... couldn't afford those too at the time. I ended up using a big rubber band and two basic lights strapped to the side of the case for night dives. As you can see in the video, it isn't ideal, but its a cheap solution ;)

I'm waiting for Apple to come out with a way to read JVC's new HDTV 16:9 SD formats (right now, only pc software exists) or for Sony to come out with their version... The idea of making HDTV 16:9 videos makes me drool.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rob (BonaireTalker - Post #32) on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 1:56 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Cosimo, here are a few photos of SD and Bari Reef.

Kicking back at our condo:
My Picture

Here is the dock at Dive & Adventure:
My Picture

You have got to eat here:
My Picture

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cosimo Leipold (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #9) on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 2:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

All I see is "Your Image here"...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rob (BonaireTalker - Post #33) on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 2:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

can you see the photos?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cynde Loo Hoo (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #9999) on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 3:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Rob, nice photos:-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By herman mowery (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #255) on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 4:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Cosimo,
You may be able to find a buddy here if you post when you are planning to be on island (or what time frame you would like to go if your plans are not set). Lots of times there are others on island who are willing to have others join them if they know you are on island.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole Baker (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3004) on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 10:51 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I can see your photos, Rob! Bobbejan's is an outrageous place for ribs...well worth any waiting time involved. ONly open on weekends, too. Carole

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By pat murphy (BonaireTalker - Post #75) on Friday, January 2, 2004 - 5:06 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

carib inn will also meet your requirements but it's small and usually booked up well in advance. i'd give it a try tho...they might have cancellations.

 


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