Arriving on September 9, for our 4th visit to Bonaire. This time we wanted to try something different; on the other trips we have stayed at Buddy Dive with no complaints. We hope to find the same conditions at Eden Beach. Is there any advice on what we can expect or things we should make sure we don't miss or make sure we remember to bring. Our main reason for staying at Eden is to dive with Wannadive...we have hear only good from everyone that has been out with them and have also heard that if the wind lays down there is a possibility to dive the windward side of the islandby boat.

Friday night BQ night is always a fun, festive time at Bongo's/Eden Beach. You may have already slipped over from Buddy's and participated, but the atmosphere seems to crank up a notch and it sure is wonderful walking 20 steps back to your room after good, grilled chow and cold brewskies.
The house reef is also one of the best kept secrets on the island. All rubble...look closely. I have shot several hundred photos just under the dock at Eden. Also a great night dive spot with no one telling you the dock is closed for diving after 10pm. (I usually don't dive that late), but when at Eden, it is so convenient to your room and such a good night dive that any time of the evening is heaven, when your room is right there.
Also, Jose, the owner's son, is the most accommodating man I have met on the island. We routinely have wine, etc. delivered to our room prior to our arrival and Jose is always right on top of it, as long as we let him know what's going on beforehand. We will be having our breakfast on the sands of Eden on 7/7. See you there!

John just want to ditto Rich. Eden Beach is a well kept secret. Nice place, nice people and very convenient. Everything you need is just a few steps from your room.

The dive there is one of the best on Bonaire for fish. I could spend hours at the cleaning stations there and see every fish Bonaire has to offer.

See you there, we are ariving the 3th of september and leaving the 17th.
Our first time at Edens too.
Wannadive was also a factor to book there.
Maybe we will run in to eachother.

Ask Bart if he can locate the elusive pink rabbit fish! He seems to have a knack for spotting it. Check Klemmo's hairdoo for his latest design.

If you like a layed back and relaxed fun time, you will love Eden and Wannadive! Have some fun at the cams while you are there. Enjoy!

Smack

Eden Beach was nice. Nothing fancy, but it was definitely comfortable. I talk a little about them in my trip report (Just returned from 1st trip 2/6 - 12/6).

Things to expect: Kitchen with dishes, pots/pans, glasses, blender, coffee pot, utensils. No microwave but that's not a problem. Fridge, oven/stove--tricky to figure out how to work, but it could have been exhaustion.

Light bulbs kept burning out. The one in the kitchen was a nuisance because it was very dark without it. The fridge light came in handy at times. LOL!

Air conditioning in the living area and 2 bedrooms. Chad and Laura had problems with theirs, but Brandon and I were quite content (at least I was because I only need it cool at night when I'm sleeping). All in all the apartment was comfortable.

Television with lots of channels, if you need it.

They moved a second double bed into the second bedroom of our 2 bedroom apartment because we were two couples staying there, and no one wanted the 2 single beds on a tropical vacation.

Housecleaning came everyday, and she washed our dishes, mopped the floors, made the bed, changed out towels... These ladies were wonderful.

Sometimes the language barrier was difficult via e-mail, but for the most part everything was communicated well enough to get the details right. For instance, we emailed for a price on a second rental truck for Brandon and myself, and they did finally send the quote (iffy internet on the island we were informed). We got a better deal with Budget, so to save money on pricey trip we went with Budget. Julio at Eden reserved the second trip anyway, not realizing we wanted the price only (I forgot to inform him we didn't need the second truck through Eden--my bad!). No worries--he just returned the truck to Total Car Rentals with no problems. We did feel bad for the mix up though.

Having Wannadive next door (2 doors down) was great! Those guys are laid back, knowledgeable, and a blast. We did several guided dives with them, and it was money well spent. One complaint: Bart from Wannadive blew off his guided dive with us at the Salt Pier (you must have a dive master and Harbour Master permission to dive here and at Town Pier). Fortunately, Becky and Jeanine were driving back into town and saw the 4 of us waiting at Salt Pier with all our gear set up. They stopped by Wannadive City, and Jeffrey from Wannadive came out to take us on our dive. He was gracious and apologetic, and we made a good island friend. Bart did not win us over with his (intentional/unintentional???) oversight, but all was not lost.

We did not go to the BBQ at Bongo's because as nice as everyone was there, we felt a little out of place not being Dutch speakers. Brandon checked it out and said it looked like fun if you speak Dutch. Being exhausted (and a bit ashamed at speaking only French in addition to English), I opted for a quiet evening in town instead. Having Bongo's next door to Eden was great though. And as Jeanine mentioned in her trip report, there are 2 (maybe 3) very friendly cats there that know how to beg ever-so-sweetly from the diners. The scruffier one is timid and doesn't like food with sand on it in case you decide to share. The healthier looking one is "grabby" and punctured Brandon's thumb with its claws trying to grab some bacon. That one isn't as particular about eating around some sand.

As I've said before, while at Eden wear bug repellant (the stronger the better)!!! The sand fleas or sand flies, whichever they are, are ruthless!

Hope that helps! Enjoy your stay but don't spread the word too much on this "hidden" gem!

Oh, and beware the current at Eden's Rubble. Apparently it occurs more than is let on. Watch the big blue sail boat...

Parallel to shore = current = dive elsewhere (unless you don't mind drift diving to Town Pier as Becky suggested could happen lol!)

30-45 degree angle to shore = slight current = doable as a dive.

Perpendicular to shore = no current = great dive for lots of fish life!

Anna said they do not have microwaves at Eden. When we arrived last month, the kitchen was without a microwave. It did have a coffee maker. We asked at the desk and they seemed surprised. They not only brought us a microwave, they also brought a blender and toaster, too.

We did not have any problems with insects on the beach, but mosquitoes were bad in the room. When the side door was opened, they seemed to swarm into the room. The door opened into the corridor between the building and the dive shop and was used by the maid. Fogging the room with insect spray a time or two solved the problem.

Hi Smack. Hairdoo ...... design ??? ..... ha !!

Shhhh! No more talk about Eden, or else everyone will be in on our secret little paradise....