I’m working to put together a Bonaire trip for my Dive Club in Florida. I’ve spent the last several days reading hundreds of messages and tons of web sites. Where has that got me – tons of confusion :-)

Some background information:
--I’m expecting around 15-20 people to sign up.
--Want to stay at a nice place. I’m not talking 5 star per say (although – not opposed to it if the price is right). But has to be clean, safe, and have a nice atmosphere. Prefer a little upscale - I enjoy the pampering :-)
--Need to arrange air travel. Ft. Lauderdale works well generally ($$$), but Orlando is actually closer. But either is fine – just looking for the best deal.
--Planing to do the trip the week of June 24 to July 1 2006.

As for accommodations, I’ve been eyeing the Sand Dollar Resort but not committed to it yet. Would love to hear some thoughts and suggestions on where to stay and/or comments about the Sand Dollar. Like I said earlier, I'm not looking for a $300 dollar a night room, but I would like something nice.

Air Travel – this is the part that is catching me by surprise. I really expected to be able to find something sub $400. Not even getting close unless I go all the way to Miami. But even then I’m hitting mid $400. PLEASE – anyone have any suggestions/ideas on how to cut down the travel cost (i.e., group rates, private charters, etc…). I hate to cut back on the quality of the accommodations as a result of high travel costs.

Overall suggestions: Any general suggestions you have to help put a fun trip together, things to do/see, places to eat, things to avoid would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks again and I look forward to everyone’s feedback!
Michael

Michael,
You didn't mention if you have been to Bonaire before, so I'll assume you haven't. We just returned from a two week trip to Bonaire last week. We have been going to Bonaire almost annually since 1997 or 1998. We have stayed at Sand Dollar every time except once. I think you will be pleased with Sand Dollar and the staff. The dive crew at Bonaire Dive & Adventure (which is on site) are great. If you have photographers going along, Tim Peters at Fish Eye Photo is also a great asset and on site. What makes Bonaire much different than other destinations is that the amount of hand holding (pampering) can be as much or as little as you want. Depending on the experience of your divers you can set the pace. What most of us love about Bonaire is the getting away from the herding the group onto the boat and then the underwater tour lead by the divemaster concept that most destinations offer. That is available if you desire, but most folks do their own thing on Bonaire. As to the cost of travel, you are correct. This is the one big problem with Bonaire. It can be difficult to get there at reasonable time and expense. Until this last trip, we had always flown Air Jamaica and been pleased. This last time we flew AA and it was okay, although we didn't make it to Bonaire until 10:30 PM. We used to arrive by 2 PM on the AJ flight. We live about 15 miles north of Tampa and we always drive to Miami because of the cost of flying from Tampa. We also want to limit the number of legs to reduce the chance of lost luggage. Next time we are looking into flying to Curacao and then taking Divi to Bonaire.

You will love Bonaire if you like doing your own thing in paradise. We have dove many places in the Caribbean and there are none like Bonaire.

Good luck,
Steve
http://www.bonairediveandadventure.com/
http://www.divesanddollar.com/index.html

Michael, If I may make a recommendation, it would be that you use a travel agent familiar with Bonaire. One that comes to mind is Ann Phelan who works for http://bonairepros.com/
Not only does Ann arrange group trip packages with many of the "better" resorts, the lady lives on Bonaire.

My preference of lodging for group trips is Eden Beach Resort, home of the web cams, Bongo's Beach Bar and my favorite Dive Operation - WannaDive Bonaire.

Michael,
My wife and I take along a few friends nearly every trip we take to Bonaire. We have stayed several places from Plaza, Buddy's, Divers Paradise etc.
I would recommend Sand Dollar for your big group stay. We love the unit #D20 a great view of both the north and south end of the island. #D20 is a three bedroom unit that will sleep six.

May I suggest booking the unit through an owner at Sand Dollar. Talk to Brad, he is very helpful and has a true passion for the island.
http://www.gotobonaire.com

Be sure and tell him that Jim and Margarite Hix sent you......with that many people you should get a free stay for at least one person.

Rent several of the pickups, you will want these to get around for the shore dives, Cultimare Market, and dinner. Rent these trucks with American Express cards and the AE liability insurance will cover the pickups, most Credit Card insurance limits their liability to Cars Only. Be sure and decline the insurance at the rental place, as they are always very high on their daily rate.

Good Luck and Great Diving

Jim

I would also recommend Ann, she's great and KNOWS Bonaire.

You might consider the Divi. I've been there twice with large groups, and never encountered any problems. With a group your size, it would be easy to get a dive boat that is entirely yours. That's what we did both times and it was great.

Same with Buddy Dive. I've been there when several larger groups were on island and everyone seemed to have a great time. Nice bar, good restaurant, well kept vehicles, very friendly staff and a VERY good dive operation with drive thru tank service.

The "house" reef that is shared by Sand $, Buddy, and Capt Don is wonderful. Not that there are really any "bad" reefs on Bonaire.

I can heartily recommend Buddy Dive, having been there many times -- going back again in two weeks. I have noticed that they always take very good care of groups, usually assigning a separate boat for just that group. I also highly recommend using a travel agent that specializes in Bonaire. For years I have used Amy at Caradonna Caribbean Tours, and since they're located in Florida they may be able to help you out there. Call 1-800-328-2288, ask for Amy, and tell her I sent ya!

Our group went to Sand Dollar and everyone loved it...everything is right there, excellent house reef 24/7..dive boat, tanks, rooms, restaurants, storefor supplies,Lovers Ice Cream, Michaels Chat & Browse, bank, you can rent cars but not really needed unless you want to do some more shore dives and see the park...our group hardly had time to leave the Sand Dollar area..but most of the above can be said for the other inclusives like Eden Beach and Buddy , Cpt. Dons..good luck and remember for every 10 seats or room one should go free..THATS YOU!

We just returned from a week at Sand Dollar. Our first and only time we will stay there. When we arrived on Saturday, we were checked into F16, a very nice 2 bedroom unit, but not totally air conditioned as we had requested and been promised. About 20 minutes after we finished unpacking, the person who checked us in knocked on our door and said we had to leave because the unit had been promised to an "owner's guest." The "guest" accompanied her like a vulture. The clerk said she had made a mistake even though the registration form had "F16" printed on it. We were told we were supposed to be in A5, which turned out to be absolutely hideous. Fortunately, we had refused to move until we checked out any unit they wanted us to move to. It took nearly 2 hours of hassling before we were finally given F20, 2 doors from our original unit. It wasn't quite as nice as F16, but at least we only had a neighbor on one side.
I will say that the maintenance people respond quickly when something doesn't work. We had the showerhead in the master bath fall apart and the toilet seat in another bath fell apart from rust. Both items were promptly repaired.
We looked at the Oasis villas at Don's and that's where we plan to stay the next time, unless we change our mind and go to Eden Beach.
We liked Bonaire Dive and Adventure; Benji, Jerry Ligon and Weitze(sp) are really great divemasters.
You might also consider the Den Lehman apartment units which are right next to Bonaire Dive and Adventure. We talked to some people who were staying there and they were pleased with them. People who stay there also use BDA. Den Lehman also has a restaurant which has very good food, a bit pricey but good.
Good luck, whatever it takes to get to Bonaire, it's worth it.

Michael
For the airfare it may indeed be worth considering going via Curacao. Coming from Europe, it can shave a big chunk of the fare (sometimes as much as 30%), with only $30 to add for the hop from Curacao to Bonaire. Things to consider with this option - one leg more means more uncertainty (luggage, missed plane, marooned on Curacao) and (a bit) more time.
Enjoy Bonaire - great choice!
Heike

First let me say THANK YOU VERY much to everyone for the comments and suggestions. You have been VERY helpful!

I'm starting to lean away from the Sand Dollar and concentrate on either Buddy's or the Plaza right now. It sounds like the Plaza is a little nicer as far as luxury, but Buddy's sounds like a better group setting. So I don't expect I can go wrong with either option.

Once I make my final decision, I will come back and see if you wonderful people have any suggestions on which condo's to request!

Have a WONDERFUL week everyone and I'm already getting excited about next June :-) Man, why do I plan these things SOOO far in advance :-)

Michael

also consider using Larry Friedman at www.worlddive.com to put your package together. Larry has been helping BT'ers get BE tickets from Aruba to Bon.

Michael....if your group wants to dive together, Buddy's may be better...they have a couple of larger dive boats....the boats at BDA are a little smaller...my two cents

I would second my husband's comments about Sand Dollar. The oasis villas at Don's Habitat surround a beautifully landscaped lagoon with koi. There is an area meant for dive groups, where the cottages are sort of grouped together. They include 2 bedrooms, kitchen, small living room and huge porch. We had the best meal we have ever eaten anywhere at Rum Runner's (called their 'special dinner') and the pizza there is good and cheap. There is a sand volleyball setting, and a pool. Altogether a MUCH higher class property than Sand Dollar, and last time I checked it was about the same price. The others you mentioned were more expensive. I don't know why they aren't handled by Bonaire Pros. If you should try Don's Habitat I would contact them directly. The manager, who is relatively new there is very personable and nice.

Scott is right. I called Amy for Feb and she booked my air from Aruba and got me 7 nights at the Divi. She is great!! She gets things done. I am all set up for Feb. Thanks to Scotts advise. I don't know if you get commision Scott, but I told her that you sent me. Booked the trip last week. Kent Gerber

Nah, no commissions or other compensation, just giving an honest referral of someone who's always gotten the job done for us and who actually travels to Bonaire frequently to get first hand experience of the place she's booking people to. We actually met Amy one year at Buddy Dive and did a few dives with her; besides knowing her stuff she's a hell of a lot of fun. Glad it worked out for you, Kent.