In the Extra paper of yesterday the government announced that the Divi Corporation signed an MoU to build a 200 rooms resort and 60 condominiums on the Sunset Beach site!

The rumours of a Hyatt resort is still in the air, and possible location would be the ruins near the Salt Company

Sounds like real overkill to me. I can't believe a 200 room resort plus 60 condos??? I'd seriously question this.

Ok, who's been telling people about Bonaire?
It's going to get crowded.

I dont understand why any one would question a 200 room hotel resort. Bonaire needs to have more rooms in a resort setting to attract visitors and to boost the economy. The local population will benefit as will other visitors who will have more choices. It also will bring more airlift and competitive pricing. The Hyatt but is still talk but I would not be surprised to see them buy an existing property and expand it. BTW The Divi Corp is pretty savvy when it comes to hotel management...They have done their homework!

There are some real chicken-and-egg questions involved in this kind of thing, but I don't know how to avoid them. There are a lot of properties on the island that don't get the occupancy rate they would like, and that is due to planes being full before the hotels are full. Add enough more rooms, and you have worse occupancy until you convince planes to fly. But without the hotels, there won't be planes.

One more Plaza-size hotel on the island won't hurt a thing. Hotels that size can enter into agreements with airlines that help the airlines believe they will have a profitable flight. If Divi builds a big one, and that makes Continental believe in adding another flight, I'll be happy to take a few of the other passengers as guests.

We are a long way from being Aruba, folks. To hit Aruba's population density, we would have to have a population of 170,000 people. We would need to have a hotel capacity of about 15 times our current capacity to handle their volume of guests.

At the size we are, nearly every business struggles. If our tourist capacity were to double, you would still have a nice, small, friendly island to visit, and the island economy would be much better for it. Every time you beg for people not to discover Bonaire and not to come here, you are begging for businesses to fail and for people to lose jobs.

I certainly agree with Kevin. Growth is inevitable but a good plan will make it manageable and controlled. A new and large Divi should do nothing but improve the Island for all concerned. When there is growth and competition it seems there is usually significant improvement.

Well I'm all for growth (being a confirmed capitalist).. But the caveat is growth at a reasonable price. Personally I think if the Bonairean Gov. allows this, they should insist that a major contribution be made to develop sanitation facilites for the island.. We certainly wouldn't want the ecology damaged by a septic.
I also agree with the "chicken & egg" analogy by Kevin.
I assume most people in the tourist occupancy business would agree that the occupancy rates should be higher. So paradoxically you MAY have to add more rooms to increase this..Assuming however the assumption of a quid pro quo with the airline industry..

I for one however would remain cautious.. Lets not forget the big unfinished eyesore down south (next to Kings Beach). The best laid plans at times go astray..As far as the financial acumen of the management at Divi, this may or may not be accurate.. Personally I don't know. I do know however that there have been many companies done in my bad management decisions.

I agree, if the growth is well managed and environment sensitive (protection for Bon the key here) there should be room for this sort of thing. All hotel chains are not always high rise. Hawaii's outer islands have done a good job of developing hotels that blend into the environment quite well and are limited to 2 story bldgs. It could be a real paradise if well designed. And although I won't be moving down, I wish all on-islanders a good living standard. I think its remarkable the job being done to make fine food and dining and accomodating dive service available on Bon. Keep up the good work guys!

Divi Resorts has an established reputation of running Caribbean properties (Bonaire, Cayman's and Aruba) without using high rises. If we are going to have a large operation better it be one who understands the islands, how they work and utilizes more local folks than off islanders.

I am not thrilled by the idea of a new large hotel/condo but with these folks we can hope to avoid some of the fiasco's the island has seen in the past. Hyatt, Hilton or Sheraton could build something that in no way conforms to the island nor fits the profile of the tourist we get here.

How the government decides to handle land use planning, zoning and building restrictions remains to be seen.

Another weekly non-stop from the US will bring another 150 tourists and only fill 75 hotel rooms. If this is what it takes to get better travel connections, I'm also in favor.

Divi is going to build another resort which should be finished in about two years. How many BT are Divi time share owners? We have 721.

We have 719, Were neighbors! I was wondering how, if at all we will be affected. We will probably be able to choose which property like you can in Aruba etc....

We own 720 but usually go at a different time of the year and ask for 701. Love it there!

We take our Aruba Divi Village week and add it to the owned Bonaire time so we have two weeks on Bonaire at the Divi. Enuff of Aruba already....never really want to return...watched it get destroyed. Last trip there was 1988 or so. THEN we "discovered" Bonaire! LOL. Carole

PS Does anything suspect Divi will close the timeshare at the Flamingo and replace it with the "new" structures?? Hmmmmm.....then there would be a scramble of sorts to see who gets what and when and how much more, etc. I'm torn on that thought....cb

200 hotel rooms and 60 condos...no mention of timeshares, tho....cb

Hey, my parents have 721 too!

734 and 735 here...sold the third one.

Any idea when construction might start? I'd rather not be staying next door during the construction phase.

Gary...thanks for asking what I have been wondering. I was just there in May/June and they are removing the rubble. Any one know when they will begin to build? What are the "time" laws for construction on Bonaire? Just curious because I am booked at Eden Beach for New Years. I realize it might be louder for those booked at Den Laman/SandDollar, but I think we would all like to know if we will be waking up to the wondrous sounds of jack hammers.

I have been to Bonaire twice in the last 7 months staying 3 weeks at Divi Flamingo. Forgive me - but where is the Sunset Beach site location in relation to the current Divi property?

Diane, It is by the circle or runabout, very close to Eden Beach and Sand Dollar Resort, in between there. Hope that helps.

So it's North of town? Thanks.

Yes, Diane, that is correct, go past town, past Pasa Bon Pizza, past Harbor Village going north then there is Eden Beach then the new location, circle or runabout, Little Strip Mall with Sand Dollar Grocery, Chat-N-Browse, Lover's Ice Cream, then Sand Dollar Resort, Capt. Don's all that way. I would say it is about 3 or 4 miles north of town.

Hi, everyone! Does anyone know if the new place will be strictly hotel and condos? Any talk about timeshares? Transferring of ownership from the "old" to the "new", if so? (very doubtful as the "new" would certainly cost more "if" they include ts spots, too).

Any input on this aspect? Thanks! Carole

I just hope they keep the original location / property going ...

Actually, the property of the existing Sunset Beach is and was a beautiful property before the fire, Lenny, etc. I think like Michael. If there were two high end resorts built, possibly getting to Bonaire would be made easier. Personally, I would like to see something built there, as the rubble and trash are not real eye candy as it stands now.

While making my January reservations I asked about Divi plans. I was told that it will be an all inclusive resort and time shares are planned. I was unable to get any further details.

Thanks, George!

I am just back from a dive at Front Porch, Divi's "new house reef". Still a nice reef, but, the economics of a big resort has clearly taken over already. Even on Sunday's the preparations for the construction have to go on, which results in a very noisy and dusty "beach" where locals love it to hang out on their free weekends. Today I did not see any locals hanging out there. I just wonder .....
Also new to me is the real big bill-boards suddenly "everywhere" popping up. Bonaire is changing rapidly. I just wonder where it will go .........

wow, I can't believe they would have it completed by December/January! There was no construction going on 3 weeks ago, they must have just started. It would have been nice if they would have made it a park/public beach...but I guess that won't happen.

Menno, do you read the bonaire reporter? the last 2 weeks there have been lots of comments from folks about the billboards. I was there when Digital was putting them up...and I agree, what an eyesore!

No, I did not read the Reporter lately. I do hope that the bill-boards will disappear again quickly (never to return) and that the Sunday as being a rest-day will be reinvented !!!

Grasshopper....which year? Builders will always be done by friday

Wally, 2010...lol...

Does anyone know the projected completion date??

Ha, does anyone know the project starting date ??

I received the following from Alethea Easterling of Divi: " Things are still in the planning stages but to answer yes we have signed an agreement to build a 250 to 300 room all-inclusive resort plus 60 condominiums on the Island of Bonaire. Please check for updates on the the Divi website, www.diviresorts.com. This message was dated July 28th but I was on vacation and just picked it up.