Returning to Bonaire in February. Finalizing the reservation this week. Last time we stayed at the Plaza, and it was a good property with a great dive operation. We're probably staying at Divi this time. Should we make the change or return to Plaza? It's been a couple of years and I'm having trouble sorting out the various posts.

thanks.

Depends entirely on what's important to you, and what you liked so much about the Plaza. I have been at the Divi 5 out of 6 visits and most likely will always be at the Divi in my future visits. The dive operation is very good, the house reef is pretty good and makes for a good night dive as well, on site restaurants are good, and we have made very good friends with one of the dive masters in particular. Two nice pools, casino on site, close walk to town and other restaurants .... We have stayed in the rooms on the water and in the studios. Each is good but I plan on staying in the water front rooms next time since we hardly used the kitchen due to the many the great restaurants on Bonaire. I recommend you give the Divi a try.

I agree with Denise; the Divi. Our dive shop is going there the end of Jan. The new dive deck is nice. Sue

Ken, give Divi a try, and if you don't like it, you can always switch back next time. I'm sure you love it though.... it's a fabulous property.

Ken,
If you enjoy luxury then stick with the Plaza. If you'd like to try a laid-back Caribbean resort that lacks glitz but has plenty of nice people and a great dive operation, try the Divi. In either case, you can't go wrong as long as you're on Bonaire.

Sue, which dive shop do you use? Scuba Network in Totowa? Coach Izzy

When we were there in September the Divi had a lot of construction going on, is this still the case?

Hi, I am in the same quandary. Have stayed at Divi twice before. Second experience had problems with the rooms and their policy of 'no guarantee' what room you get until you get there. If that has changed, I would be happy to know this.

We have contemplated Plaza (or any other place for that matter) but we would like to have snorkeling from the property that is relatively easy to access and comparable to the lovely sights are Divi.

Have had major neck surgery and have to avoid falls, hard /rough waters etc.so easy entry would be a plus!

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Cheryl

The Divi Flamingo has handicap setups I like the fact that you can go down the ladder on the timeshare dock and it is very easy ...... I have post polio and too have to be very careful. The plaze has a shore entrance and I really have not had trouble either place. However, I personally think the Divi is much more friendly and to me there is not a comparison but I am very bias. 17 years at Divi every Feb.

Thanks Beverly, how would you compare the fish / coral at Plaza?

The plaza seems to have more coral close to shore but I still love the divi with the wreck and all it's nooks and crannies. The rock pier is getting to the point where tons of juveniles were there

We have stayed at both the Plaza and the Divi. We are sold on the Divi. Not meaning any disrespect to the Plaza but Divi to us is less pretentious and not so sprawling. Easier to get to the dive shop and pier from any part of the property. Closer walk to town, when it gets late you'll appreciate the 15-20 min less of a walk to your quarters at Divi. The diving is awesome from the Divi dive facility. Very user friendly. Can't really say anything negative about the Plaza dive operation Toucan. They are top shelf too. The Plaza rooms are much larger and all tile floored Divi is a little less sterile but comfortable. Whatever you decide you won't be sorry.

Thanks for the responses, we loved the snorkeling off Divi and the mention of the wreck brought back great memories of Charlie the Tarpon and flying fish at night :o). It sounds like the entry at Divi may be a little easier ... sandy beach as opposed to coral closer to the shore. We did appreciate the short walk into town!! Thanks again for your input!!! Cheryl

Just back from the Divi. In all we had a great time. The timeshare dock is still under construction, though it looks quite close to being done. That worked out for us, since our room was at the other side of the property and the boats were leaving from the dock right by our room. Cheryl, I don't believe the ladder is there yet, but the water by the dock that's operating is very calm. Would a giant stride off the pier work for you? The stairs are slippery as all get out, so I wouldn't recommend them. You can also through your bcd in and make for a lighter hop off the pier if you don't mind putting your gear on in the water.

Not a lot of coral, but overall, a very nice dive right there. The dive shop was great, we had some very nice boat dives with them. I'd say it's still a toss up between the two, but the entry might be a bit easier at Divi, as my recall of the entry at the Plaza was a lot of rocks/boulders and coral to get over. Also, the tanks are right there on the dock at the Divi and at the Plaza (unless it's different) you'll have a little ways to go on land with your tank until you hit the water.

The Divi is really convenient to town, but since we had the room closest to the northern gate at the Plaza, it wasn't significantly different.

Oh, I forgot....

We did move rooms at the Divi after the first night, since there is no guarantee about your room type. And, they do have the rental refrigerators for the rooms, despite what the book in your room says. (It says that they are only available in the studios. I guess they meant that the studios come with them and everyone else needs to rent. Since we were there for only a few nights, it didn't make much difference for us, but if you're there longer, it may help.)