That is the title of an article in the current Amigoe online at http://www.amigoe.com/english/ . Scroll down to find the article. Bonaire articles are always the last news item-- any hidden meaning there?? :–)

Yepp, this are all plans so I don't think that all those 2000 rooms will be build. One thing is for sure, that on the Sunset/ Hotel Bonaire grounds a resort will rise in the coming years with a total of about minimum 400 rooms. The name of Hilton has already been heard the last weeks her on the board too, so I assume that they will be involved in these plans of the Bonairean government in their search to attract more air connections from the States to the island.

Why oh why can't the BON govt put a park there..picnic area, beach, playground?? Would LOVE it to be set aside for all to enjoy..

As nice as that sounds Annie, we need more hotel rooms, and that is prime real estate--we're in a perpetual "Catch 22"--airlines won't commit to more and/or non-stop flights from the US, if there aren't enough hotel rooms (how could they fly more people if there's no place for them to stay/why would they if there're not enough rooms to make package deals, etc?); hotel investors are wary because there isn't enough air-lift....

When it was there, Sunset Beach (aka Bonaire Beach Hotel) was like having a park: it was easily accessible (no long walks thru a gated "resort" property), there was a great beach-bar/restaurant (huge tiki hut, not "resort" prices), a sandy beach, and everyone was & felt welcome. It was quite the local hang-out, and a place visiting sport teams/friends/families from Aruba & Curacao felt comfortable in (read: not cheap-cheap, but certainly affordable to most). Everyone I know who remembers it, misses it, and we hope a similar relaxed-style hotel replaces it soon.

Thanks Ruth for the view..Please note what I have read in BR sheds light on a very large hotel taking over that spot, hardly anything relaxed in my mind.

This may just be my own worries that Bonaire gets filled with beachfront hi rises and the entire charm and integrity of Bonaire changes. I still would love to see a park there..land banks for some prime oceanfront land and other parcels set aside for nature and beauty..

Ann,
I have to say what I've been reading in BR about it isn't giving me any warm fuzzy feelings, either. What they're proposing sounds just awful, and completely counter to the Bonairean style. In my opinion it'll be a sad day on Bonaire if that present plan is brought to fruition.

I remember the Bonaire Beach too. It's the place that made us fall in love with Bonaire back in '86. At the time it was the best place to stay.No tv or phones, but air-co, They had roving Mariachie(sp) bands at dinner and local entertainment every night under the enormus handmade tikie hut(it's called something else).
They had a small diveshop and you could walk next door across the rinky dock to Capt Don's and rent a u/w camera. It had a casino that was sometimes opened. Many of the staff would later be working at the new Divi.Wasn't that project goverment subsidized or something?

High rise beachfront hotels <<shudder>>

My husband and I were on our honeymoon on a small cruise ship. Our second island was one I had never heard of before, Bonaire. We walked off the pier with our snorkel gear in hand, walked two blocks, and jumped in. We swam a few hundred feet and then sat for hours on a deserted beach that had a hotel under construction (which turned out later to be the Plaza Resort). No one was around. That was 1992.

No other island we visited had such accessible beaches and public water ways. No other island had so many fish that close to the shore. No other island had water that clear and serene. no other island has public beaches so readily accessible.

When the time came in 2000 to finally afford ourselves the SCUBA certifications that I had always wanted, the FIRST place that came to mind was our one wonderful day on Bonaire. It didn't matter that we came right after Lenny; Bonaire was battered a bit, but still beautiful.

Bonaire captured our attention and imagination the first day; SCUBA websites and boards confirmed what we discovered for ourselves: Bonaire's commitment to preserving a pristine marine habitat that is accessible to every visitor has always been obvious to us.

Yes, beaches are premium property, but so are public areas and miles of shore diving for all to share and enjoy. I detest beachfront property. I detest ugly buildings that ruin the beauty of a shoreline. This is why my husband and I save up our funds and take a vacation every 2-3 years to Bonaire, rather than waste time and money in places like Florida or Cozumel, in our opinion.

I agree that Bonaire needs to compete to increase tourism, but NOT at the expense of the very thing, the natural habitat, that sets Bonaire apart from everywhere else. Bonaire is large enough to house more hotels, but they do NOT need to be right on the beach. Any Medium or high rise will have a beach view, even if the building is located on the other side of the street from a beach.

This week's BR has more details. The good news is that the new room count is reduced to 993. Among many things:

A 570 room hi-rise Hilton is expected at the Bonaire Beach site.

A mid-rise hotel next to the Harbourside Mall downtown.

Moving of the container port to just south of BOPEC (and the until recently accessible Windjammer) with the area downtown rebuilt for cruise ships.

A salt-water golf course and 5-story hotel at Harbor Village.

An expanded arrival hall at Flamingo airport.

And at least 10 other projects.

WEB and other infrastructure to be improved for these (no mention of sewage disposal).

The Catch-22, chicken and egg question is air travel. Bonaire has not returned to pre-911 tourist levels yet, according to the article and if the new facilities don't attract air carriers......

All this is too be done by sometime in 2008. Will we be seeing also a disappearance of 'island time' from Bonaire??? And if the labor force required to service all the rooms and people comes from the same places it has for other islands, and earlier to Bonaire, yet another layer of crime problems may be added. And, of course all the new workers will need housing, etc., etc., etc.

I hate to write in pessimism and I know that Bonaire wants a 'better future' but....

Enjoy the present while you can, the times they are achangin'.

Glen, I feel ill..



And this is coming from a new home owner who moved here after living in Antigua where they ruined the shoreline with hi rises and overdevelopment..and seeing what happened in Aruba and some other tourist traps..sigh..



Where's my Maalox..

There have been grand plans for more rooms on Bonaire in the past..... I believe the count 'approved' was up to 3000 at one point 10 or more years ago. Even partial building happened.

Maybe we just need to take it as it actually happens and enjoy the present....

I do agree with Ruth, that we need some development on the island, I am a young Bonairean borned and raised on the island and have lived abroad for 10 years. Sadly our island hasn't grown in the past years to offer us, the native of this island the chance to return to our island and have the chance to live and work on our own island. Those who enjoy the island is the ones who have earn themselves a living through the years and now can afford some luxurious villa in the Sabadeco area. I am really looking forward to this new projects the island government has launch.

We need an economic lift, and these seemes to be it, many people has left the island trying to get a better live in Holland since the Sunset closed it doors. So as a youngster and island-born I'll be monitoring these plans and hope the best for my beloved island

I dove a site in 1991 while they were building the Plaza. They were just starting cutting through the reef and dredging the channel that leads up to Toucan Divers. I remember entering the water right at the construction site and it was like swimming in milk. Once at the drop off it was clear as gin and above was this layer of white. Great dive. I just can't remember the name of the site. It had a yellow rock there that has since been removed. Anyone remember the name of this site?

As much as my wife and I love the Island, we do not live there, thus we have no saying on what's best for her. Only the true Bonairians, the ones who have been borne and raised there, can give us an accurate portrayal of what will benefit them most. It pains us tremendously to imagine the hideous shape of the Hilton maiming the beautiful shoreline. It bothers me also that most of the profits will return to the greedy corporation, to fatten up the accounts of the heirs of the Hilton Empire, the controversial sisters.

I'm trying to think positive and hope that the construction will provide employment for those living on the island, provide misguided teens with the chance to do something useful with their lives, keeping them busy and away from crime. We're hoping that the additions will bring prosperity to those who seek it without entirely destroying the charm of Bonaire. Personally, we will NEVER stay at the Hilton, or support anything that has mega-corporation written all over it. I hope that they do something in good taste and refrain from building one of those cookie cutter edifications with hideous signs and tacky decorations. Just my opinion. Coach Izzy

Eventhough we are golfers, we are concerned about the harm to the reef from the course mainly the fertilizer.