I recently returned from a 10 day stay on Bonaire at the Golden Reef Inn and realized I sort of glossed over the accomodations in my trip report.

First off let me say that GRI is a great place to stay. The studio unit I stayed in (Unit D) was a few blocks away from the main Inn. My neighbors were awfully noisy I heard them every morning: Roosters crowing, donkeys braying, horses whinnying, and peacocks making their strange assortment of noises. Oh, yeah, there were parrots/parakeets attracted to the trees and the hummingbirds were attracted to the flowering century plant at the end of the driveway. There were also various lizards crawling around the yard

The studio itself was very clean and very cute: a nice porch for sitting on in the morning enjoying what passes for breakfast with me (not a brekkie eater) prepping for a day of diving. There was a microwave, refrigerator/freezer, stove/oven, and plenty of dishes and utensils. The bathroom was small but functional (who needs the Taj Mahal?) with a little individual water heater that I never used. Bonairian water is never "cold" and the heat of the sun made the water perfect shower temp without using the heater. There was a wardrobe in which to hang clothes with a couple drawers in it for small items, and a safe on the wall for small items (a small camera would have fit in it and my cell phone and wallet/passport etc lived in there. There is also a TV in the room I usually only had on for background noise as I filled in my log book at night before bed.

My unit had 2 twin beds, but since I was traveling alone, it was perfect. The air conditioner worked just fine, I only turned it on for sleeping, otherwise the ceiling fan was on for circulation.

The best part of GRI for me was the feeling of being "off the beaten path". One day I came home to find 15 goats in the yard (the gates were closed and I didn't see any holes in the fence so I have no idea how they got in, but I was very easily able to herd them out). I should have grabbed my camera, but thought about that as the last goat exited the gates.

There was an outdoor shower/hose for rinsing SCUBA gear (and yourself I suppose) with a rinse bucket provided by the Inn.

Liz and Ed have a great place there, I'd highly recommend it and wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.