we are looking for a nice, simple accommodation from which ideally we could geared up step out of onto the beach into the sea...and diving there is good enough.
Great would be if a diveshop with nitroxrental is close by, (a, say 15 min. drive, to get our tanks, is close enough)
Somebody who could help us with this?

Judith - you have a vast array of places to choose from though the "beach" part may be a bit tricky. Most places have their own dive shop on the premises and many also have nitrox available. You have a choice of price, accomodations, areas - all that and more. I would do a list but I guarantee you that I would miss some but here goes:

Lighthouse Beach Resort (Don't know about the dive shop)
Happy Holiday Homes (but don't know about the dive shop)
Bel-Mar
Plaza Resort
Divi Flamingo
Dive Inn
Carib Inn
Harbor Village
Black Durgon
Eden Beach
Sand Dollar
Buddy Dive
Lions Dive
Capt Don's
Hamlet Oasis

And I am certain that I have missed many many more. You can try using www.infobonaire.com and see what you might be able to find there. Beach is a liberal term so just know that some that don't say that they have a beach, actually do.

Hello Judith,

ALL the shore based resorts would fit the bill. Starting in the south with the Carib Inn and Divi and then north of town with the Sand Dollar, Buddy Dive (my personal favorite) Lion's and Capt Don's. Both stretches of "house" reef are simply wonderful. I did over 25 dives right off the Buddy dock and saw something new and interesting on EVERY dive, day or night.

All those I've mentioned have in-house dive shops, boat diving, nitrox availability and SUPER staff. There's really something for every budget on Bonaire. You will typically trade off amenities and shore access for lower costs in housing. And the drive from Capt Don's down to the Carib is maybe 15 minutes, even with "rush hour" traffic. lol

thanks, Marabeth Owens and Randy P!Very much! This sure is very helpful!
Judith

Let's see I personally like Lion's Dive and Buddy Dive. They both have stairs that you have to go down to get to the dock and water, but they are right on the water. If you want to go simple, I suggest Dive Inn. It across the street from the water (but nothing obstructing view, you just have to walk across the street to the dock and water). Ed and I stayed there many years ago before we owned property on Bonaire, before it was Dive Inn. It was small, nice, simple and the thing I like about it the most was if I woke up in the morning all I had to do to get in the water was walk across the street!

Ok, thanks The Ginocchio's @ Golden Reef Inn!
I'll look into that, too!
It sometimes is so hard to describe things.
Picture this:
2 parents...especially dad is craaaazy about diving, a 15 year old...(she will do her first oceandive this december..yep..Bonaire!),a 9 year old..(who can't wait until her parents think she's old enough to get her certified),having a small, low key, with no big luxurious features at hand..(left it at home for once), but clean and cooled house right on the beach, so the 9 year old can play on the beach while dad or mom and the other two shoredive of of that beach.
Is this possible at all? Are there places like that? Or is it only the resorts that offer this?
Thank you all!!!
Judith

First of all, resorts on Bonaire are in general pretty low-key. There are no "Scandals", "Breezes" or any of that type (thank GOD!), nor are there 5-star pamper you your every waking moment resorts.

The private residence type rentals right on the water are, as might be supposed, fairly pricey. You may either have to waive the "on the water" requirement or try something like one of the smaller resorts to get on the water for a reasonable price.

We like Habitat a lot: it's comfortable, clean, the staff are friendly, the divemasters are great, the diving right off the dock is outstanding, Nitrox is available, there's a restaurant on site and a few more (Lion's Den, Mangos for instance) within walking distance, and a nice bar to sit at and watch the sun set.

There's also a pool and a small beach on the property, and if you can't live without some of your "modern conveniences", they've recently set up WiFi, conveniently available right at the restaurant or bar right now (they've got plans to extend it throughout the entire property).

We go to Bonaire to relax, and we've never had any problems doing so.

Judith,

The only issue that you may have is with a "beach" as that is not so easy to find on the island. Lion's Dive has a very small beach area - and I do mean SMALL. Buddy Dive does have an activity center and you may want to consider some of the snorkeling activities for youths that are mentioned throughout some of the other threads.

I agree with Susan that resorts on Bonaire are in general pretty low-key. Ahh - now that I think about it doesn't Eden Beach have an actual beach area - the ones we see on the web cams. That is very low key too and this may also be something that you may want to look into.

Best of luck with your search.

Oh, I forgot Harbour Village - that may be a 5-star pamper you your every waking moment resort...

The thing about Eden Beach that amazed me was how much smaller the beach was in person - I'd never been there before this trip - than it looks on the webcams. It's still a lot bigger than most others on Bonaire (except perhaps the Plaza's beach), though.

Marabeth is right - that might be a good place-with-a-beach option for you.

Hi Judith, welcome to the board!

You might also check out the house rentals with Jose at Sunrentals...check their website at sunrentals.an ...we prefer to have a "home from home" situation when we come diving with our two boys, rather than a resort, and it's often less expensive than getting two rooms (bonus!).
Last year we stayed at a house in Belnem which was great...no beach, but we either jumped in to the ocean or used the ladder, no problem! There was a "beachy" area on the property where we relaxed and watched the sunset!

I have some pictures if you're interested and also if you search for "Elkadia" you'll find some info posted earlier, with a couple of pics too!

There are other house and apartment options too that might suit your needs.

Ask more questions if you have some...everyone here is very helpful; in fact they are the reason we first came to Bonaire!

Cheers!
Jill

this is my first day on a
board in my life, and i can't believe how wonderful people can be!!
Thank you sooo much!
susanf and Marabeth, thanks for your tips on Eden, I'll definitely look into that!
Judith

Judith we are very happy to have you on the board. And you will find that everyone will try to give you answers to your questions.

Jill - didn't you just love Elkadia!?!?!? I dove there this summer when Seb and Mary stayed there and then rented out a couple of weeks ago when I took my hubby on his big dive adventure.

I would recommend Sand Dollar Condo Resort. We've stayed their twice and will be back again next year. Their units are simple but nicely furnished. The dive shop is on the premises. There is a small beach but even better is the dive pier. Tanks are always available at the pier. Just gear up and giant stride off the pier. A very short swim puts you at the top of the reef. Great diving - Bari Reef. Check out the website - sanddollarbonaire.com.

Marvin

Judith,
Go to my profile and copy/paste my trip report from 2002. The 12 yr. old in the report is now 15 and absolutely LOVES Bonaire (as her parents do). We did an extensive "on island" search our first trip and chose Capt. Don's. Email me direct if you have any questions.

Judith:

If I were you, I would think about:
a) How much do I want to spend? Am I comfortable spending more if it is on the water?
b) What amenities are most important to me? A beach? Restaurant? Bar? On-site Nitrox? Good house reef? Resort feel? Pool?
c) What sort of room am I looking for? Is a water view important? A porch? Two bedrooms or one? A kitchen?
d) Where do I want to be located? Keep in mind it is a very short drive from most places to most other places. Is it important to be within walking distance to town?
e) Are there any other activities that are important? I hear good things about a kids program -- Sea Discovery (or something like that?) as well as the activity centers at several resorts.

As Randy pointed out, you often trade price versus amenities. At the upper end (price wise) would be Harbour Village -- think Conde Naste best resorts type (and priced accordingly -- a two bedroom suite is over $600/night). That same $600 would just about get you a week in a two bedroom at Happy Holiday (very nice and clean but no pool, not on the water, no spa, etc.). All pre-taxes.

As for me, location is king and I love to stay on the water where a shore dive is no more than a few minute walk away. And I really appreciate a pool.

So, check out http://www.infobonaire.com/ and other threads here to see what others are saying! [I would have suggested the three bedroom/two bath house or the two bedroom unit at Carib Inn (lots of space and a nice spot at a good price) but they don't pump Nitrox (last I knew).]

Enjoy your trip!
Dave

Mary - Yes! We loved Elkadia and would stay there again any time.
This Christmas, just for a change, we are trying a house further North, so will see how that feels (we've always been in Belnem before).
Five weeks and two days to go. Not that I'm counting or anything!
'-))Cheers,
Jill

wow!!!
i think i know a lot more now
thanks you all!
judith

Every body who helped us in our decision process: thanks! many thanks!
Mainly thanks to Ann Phelan.
www.bonairecaribbean.com

She helped me finding a place. Simple, close to a beach.

As soon as we come back from our trip i tell you what we thought about this place.
Thanks!
judith