My wife and I are going to Bonaire for the first time at the beginning of May (6-13). We have always wanted to hit Bonaire, now we have the chance. We've made reservations at Buddy's and was wondering if anyone has recently been there that could give a quick critique of their stay. I've heard they had the old Buddy side partly closed last Fall for renovations and that the grounds/rooms needed some updating, etc. Also, how was the food? I've seen lots of postings for great food/restaurants which we will try, but will probably end up eating there a couple of times since its so close.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Shane,

Just got back from Buddy's. Went with another couple and stayed in a 3 bedroom, 3 bath unit on the 2nd/3rd floor of building 2. The unit was very clean and in pretty good shape. The air conditioners in the bedrooms worked well and we didn't really need a/c in the shared rooms with the breeze blowing through the windows and doors. Our kitchen was fully equipped except no microwave (no big deal though) and the daily maid service was quick and efficient.

Don't know how the other (1 or 2 bedroom) units stack up, but ours was fine. Be advised though, that this is not a hotel room, but a condominium-type accomodation. It's meant to be low maintenance for divers (i.e. tile floors so you don't drag salt and sand into carpeting).

We ate the buffet every morning for breakfast and it was just fine. Lots of fresh fruit, a fantastic coffee machine, made to order omelets, cereal, etc. We ate at the restaurant one evening for dinner and it was quite good too. Did some grocery shopping the first day and made sandwiches each day for lunch.

The folks that work at Buddy's were all very nice. We were impressed by how long most of them had worked there (a good sign), and how proud they are of their island, their heritage and their resort.

Let me know if there's anything else specific I can answer for you.

Gini

Hey Gini,

Thanks for the great info. Glad to hear you had a nice stay and trip. My wife will kill me if I don't ask: How was the coffee? Was it Euro style with a thick head? We went to Curacao a couple of years ago (Lion's Dive) and she loved their coffee. That's all she talks about...that and the nice diving. Also, was there any ongoing construction? Is the pool bar finished? Is it a swim up bar?

Thanks again,
Shane

Shane,

The coffee machine in the breakfast buffet is awesome! You place your cup under it and push a button for your selection (coffee, espresso, mochachino, hot chocolate, espreschoc, hot water) and it makes it right in the cup in about 15 seconds. And yes, the espresso drinks are very strong with a big bit of froth on top. I highly recommend the esprechoc...kick a** coffee and chocolate together-doesn't get much better than that! I wanted to bring the coffee machine home with me but my husband said it wouldn't fit in my suitcase.

The pool bar is finished and is a swim up. Not many folks seemed to use it but we did.

We really enjoyed ourselves and plan to make that an annual winter getaway. I know you'll have a great time!

Gini

Hi Shane- My husband and I returned from our second stay at Buddys in January. We really love it there. The first trip we had a one unit on the Lion's Dive side, and this last trip we had a one bedroom unit ocean view on Buddys side. Both rooms were Great, spacious clean, full kitchen, balcony or patio. The only difference was The lion's dive room had air conditioning in the entire unit, on Buddys side ac only in the bedroom. In August it was hot and we used the ac, in January it was very breezy, so ac was not an issue. The new swim up pool bar is great! And as Gini stated no one really seemed to use it, we did and enjoyed. My husband raved about the breakfast especially the coffee, I'm a late sleeper and don't drink coffee so I missed breakfast. Lions Den Restaurant is fantastic, we ate there several times and never had a bad meal. The blues burger is to die for. And the setting is beautiful, right on the water, you can watch the night divers. I thought they did a lot of improvements on the property. The Pool area is great to hang out by, the dive locker area is large, they make everything so user friendly! The staff is exceptional, they go out of their way to make you feel like family! I could go on and on, can't say enough about it. I know you will have a fabulous trip, we can't wait to plan our next one. Let me know if you have any other questions. Hope this was helpful!
Kristin

Hello Kristin,
My wife are heading to Buddy's for the first time on April 8th, staying in the Ocean View 1 bdr. Has Buddy's recently been remodeled? One traveladvisor review was not so good, but it sounded like these people wouldn't be satisfied anywhere, most reviews were good. What did you think?
Norm

Hi, guys!
We are heading to the same place but we are staying in a 3 bedroom villa on the beach. Any comments on this? How safe is it? I heard about robberies - is it real? Do we, people from villas, allowed to have breakfast at the main place? What about laundry facilities - any convenient places? I hate to over pack myself with clothes - the diving stuff is heavy!
Marina