BonaireTalk Discussion Group
Accommodations: Going without a reservation
Bonaire Talk: Accommodations: Archives: Archives 2000 to 2006: Archives - 2006-08-31 to 2006-12-31: Going without a reservation
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By France Hudon (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Thursday, October 26, 2006 - 5:24 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi my name is France,
I am going to Bonaire for 2 weeks november 24th till december 8th 2006. I haven't made a reservation yet at any place, I was thinking about finding something once I'd get there. I would like to know if it is easy to find something last minute or if it is recommended to reserve before going at this time of the year?
Thank you!
France

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4581) on Thursday, October 26, 2006 - 5:50 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Welcome to BT, France. Well, you got spunk for going without reservations, I'll say that. Personally, I would ensure that I had reservations prior to leaving. Unless you have been to the island and know exactly a few places you can afford and want to go to, well, you might end up paying more than you want just to have a place if you don't know where you are going.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ruth van Tilburg (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #641) on Thursday, October 26, 2006 - 7:57 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Most other times, you may be able to get away with this-however, you're traveling the day after USA's Thanksgiving holiday--usually a very busy time on the island, and you might encounter no vacancies, or especially "high season" prices for whatever rooms might be leftover, and maybe even a shortage of rental vehicles. I agree with Debbie's suggestion; even if you don't make a reservation, you'd at least be aware of your options.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Linda Stoltzfus (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #967) on Thursday, October 26, 2006 - 11:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

France,
welcome
We are looking forward to our 6th annual trip in just a few, hopefully short, months. Our first trip was made during "High Season" with our first night ONLY reserved. We then enjoyed the adventure of finding our ideal accommodations for the next two weeks. It worked for us but Ruth is on island and knows best about availabilities during your travel dates.



 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ann Phelan - www.bonairecaribbean.com (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2443) on Friday, October 27, 2006 - 8:52 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

To me it's exhausting finding a place once you arrive. I did that in Jamaica. It cost us a lot to drive around with a taxi finding a place and it took a few nights to find the right match. I do not recommend it.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Brian (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2298) on Friday, October 27, 2006 - 9:09 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I would not want to risk it either. Maybe you could book the first few nights and then move on.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill Carrier (BonaireTalker - Post #72) on Friday, October 27, 2006 - 9:26 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Text removed by moderator.
Reason: Self promotion.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2311) on Friday, October 27, 2006 - 11:04 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

There are quite a few charming places, ie Great Escape, Lizard Inn, Coco Palm, etc. that may have last minute availability.A rental car res is a must at that time of year, however you may want to follow the suggestion and book at least the first one or two nights until you get the feel for the right place...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2305) on Friday, October 27, 2006 - 12:24 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

France, take there advice. Ever sleep in the back of a car? Do some homework, pre-book.
Try www.bonaireinfo.com good amount of info.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By eugene grimes (BonaireTalker - Post #45) on Friday, October 27, 2006 - 6:36 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi France,
What I would do is....Book the first 14 nights at the Black Durgon, The price is right! the rooms are OK, and You can dive and snorkel right off their dock!,,,You will need the 14 days to find a better spot on the island! BUT that's just my opinion..

eugene

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gail Thomas (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1613) on Friday, October 27, 2006 - 7:09 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

eugene - is there a better spot on the island.....? :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Hix (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2173) on Saturday, October 28, 2006 - 9:23 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

You will need a place to say you are staying for the immigration form. I am not sure why exactly, but immigration takes a very dim view if you leave that question unanswered....

Jimmy

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin Wayne Williams (The Great Escape) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #212) on Saturday, October 28, 2006 - 11:28 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

It's not particularly unusual for people to come to the island without a room reserved. During high season, I probably deal with five or six walk-ins a week. Usually Europeans that did exactly what France is talking about. If I'm seeing six a week, you have to bet that Plaza is seeing 60. Not saying that I think it's a good idea, but he isn't the only one that has it.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By France Hudon (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Sunday, October 29, 2006 - 4:12 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks to everyone for you helpful answers.
France

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Russ Coash (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #173) on Tuesday, October 31, 2006 - 10:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Unless you have a need for adventure - and an unsusual desire for how to fullfill it then why not just make a reservation.

With that said I have thougt it might be interesting to do just that - but then again I thought just why do that.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Alan T. (BonaireTalker - Post #63) on Wednesday, November 1, 2006 - 7:36 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Someone should do it, just to see.
Please report back, if you can.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin Wayne Williams (The Great Escape) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #223) on Wednesday, November 1, 2006 - 7:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Don't see why, Alan. As I said, it happens all the time. I had a Norwegian couple last week that was bumped off a flight to South Africa. They asked KLM "Well, what other countries can we go to today?" They got on the plane to Bonaire even though their luggage was going to go to South Africa instead. They asked the taxi driver to take them to a hotel, and here they were. They seemed to have a nice time.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Linda Stoltzfus (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #972) on Thursday, November 2, 2006 - 12:24 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

And as I stated above...we did it...loved it... and will do it again when we venture to a new destination ! ;)

I would recommend a first night reservation, though. And if you were on a short, one week trip, I'd reserve for the entire stay as you may waste valuable vacation time finding your perfect-fit property. But not for France as she's going for two weeks! :-)

On our first trip, we loved touring the different properties and visiting with fellow innkeepers.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro (Bellevue Condos # 9) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #503) on Thursday, November 2, 2006 - 7:06 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I find it extremely interesting & valuable for planning sucessive trips to visit/tour different resorts & properties while on Bonaire. I strongly encourage others to do likewise. It is a pleasant activity to do while burning off excess nitrogen between dives.

 


Visit: The Bonaire WebCams - Current Bonaire images and weather!
The Bonaire Insider - the latest tourism news about Bonaire
The Bonaire Information Site, InfoBonaire
Search Bonaire - Search top Bonaire Web sites


Topics Last Day Last Week Tree View    Getting Started Formatting Troubleshooting    New Messages Keyword Search Contact Moderators Edit Profile Administration