Has anyone stayed here? It looks terrific from the website. From the photos posted, their is a street that runs in front of the property in front of the ocean. How is the snorkeling right off the property? That is my only hesitation. No onsite dive shop either.

Playa Lechi Residence is just behind the road that leads into Kralendijk so you do have to walk across it to snorkel. We haven't stayed there but did consider it and like you - hesitated because of the road and no onsite dive opp. Although the appartments look super luxurious & modern, we opted for Den Laman instead - super appartments - modern and fully aircon + great dive opp (Dive and Adventure) for all your Scuba needs.

We're staying there in April (for the first time). I'm almost entirely positive it's right next door to Yellow Sub.

We have stayed twice. Excellent location and facilities. They should have free internet access, just ask for the access key to connect. We have used Yellow Submarine numerous times, and are very happy with the service. I have snorkeled in front of the unit many times, and have enjoyed it. The reef is a little deep, but there is some nice things to see in the shallows north of the pier.

I have stayed at many places on Bonaire over the years. Eden Beach Resort & Wannadive is by far the best. Wannadive gives you 24 hour access to tanks & storage. Other Resorts claim 24 hours but usually shut down around 4:30pm and don't open until 8:30 a.m
You can't go wrong at Eden Beach. Jose & staff go above and beyond the call of duty to make everything perfect. Good Luck anywhere else!

Well I've also stayed at many places on Bonaire & will state that they all have something a bit different to offer. We do have our favorites, but to say to someone "good luck anywhere else" is really a bit misleading.

**Divemom** I've been in the apts at Playa Leche & they really are very nice. I have not snorkeled directly off there property but it should be fine. Some of the units also have a/c throughout & not just the bedrooms if that's an issue for you.
I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay whichever you chose.
And don't forget to look at other places so you have first hand knowledge when you plan your return trip!

I thought I would add some photos from our last two vacations where we stayed at Playa Lechi. These are all photos of the unit, and underwater shots from snorkeling in front of the unit. Both myself and my wife suffered with a cold on our last vacation and we lost a week of diving. As a result I did a number of snorkels in front of the unit, and was able to get a number of nice shots. I have additional vacation photos.

If you want to see more of our vacations shots:


The first one I really like.


This shot was taken from in the pool


These are shots of the unit we stayed in. You will notice a number of balcony shots. This is because we lived on the balcony. It opens wide and has a screen. One benefit we enjoy on the third floor was fewer bugs in the evening.





The following images are from in and around the unit






The following pictures were taken underwater in front of the unit







Hope this gives you a clearer picture on how nice the unit is and the facilities.

Terry, you can't even write your own report, so why would anyone listen to your rude recommendations?

I forgot to add the link to my vacation photos if the ones I post were not enough.

http://gordalder.smugmug.com/

I would also like to note that Yellow Submarine allows you to store your equipment on site with them. It is actually a short walk down the road, but we are always driving to a dive site its not a big deal for us.

Ron, that was a pretty rude thing to say yourself, did you count to 10?.. Now can we all ohhh and ahhh over the photos that Gord has posted.. they are wonderful

Ron, I don't think I was being rude. Didn't mean to be! Like I said....Eden Beach has been the best place to stay out of many. I'm sure there are other nice places. As far as the trip report...I was playing with Kevin...guess I thought his report was good enough to post twice! Didn't mean to offend anyone. Looks like some people need to loosen up.

Hey guys, Terry did it as a joke.

nice pictures :-) very sharp!

Gord,

Thanks for all the great photos. Did you do all your boat dives with Yellow Submarine? Also, have you ever stayed at BelMar apartments? That's the other place we're looking at. I just hear they only have ac in the bedrooms, not the main areas...living and kitchen. Thanks again for all your feedback. I'm excited to go.

We have done 5 trips to Bonaire over the last four years. We have not stayed at BelMar, but my step-daughter has stayed there last October for their honeymoon. They have also stayed with us at Playa Lechi. They indicated that Playa Lechi is nicer accommodation, but they did like the convenience of an on-site dive shop. For us the dive shop is not that important, because as I mentioned in my post above, we drive to most of our dive locations, so we simply hop in the truck, pick-up tanks and equipment, and dive. Then do the same in reverse, drop off tanks and equipment, rinse and shower, then head home.

The Playa Lechi unit we stayed in only had air conditioning in the bedroom, but we never found it hot in the unit in the day time. You open the big doors to the balcony and the front window by the entrance had a screened window, and the breeze would blow through the unit.

We have only used Yellow Submarine for our boat dives, even last fall when we were with Wanna Dive on one trip. Out of all the boat dives, we have only been on a full boat once. Usually 2 or 4 others have shared the dive.

Gord, fantastic pics, I've always wondered about the Playa Lechi apartments

Divemom..Just to clarify..There's Bel Mar the resort & next to it there's Bel Air Apts or Condos.
Sometimes people get them mixed up.
Bel Mar has the on site dive operation (Buddy's) and pool.
**Gord** Great photos. Like'd the macro of the yellow butterfly. I agree with you that inside Playa Leche is nicer then at Belmar and also agree with your observation about less bugs higher up. The mosquitoes like it lower which is why they tend to congregate under the tables at the resorts.

Thanks, Gord, for the photos. We looked at Playa Lechi to purchase last year. The unit that was available was on the ground level....we preferred the 3rd level. We also looked at a For Sale unit at Belmar. It should be noted that on both properties some units are better than others. The Belmar unit we looked at was run down and needed a lot of replacement furnishings. We were told that one unit is owned by a celebrity from Holland and is often requested because the furnishings are so much nicer. Can't tell you the unit number (because I don't know it) but it is the south unit, ground level - a 2 bedroom.

Playa Lechi has the advantage of being right in town with easy walking distance to the downtown activities. BelMar has the advantage of the quiet and less travelled reef.

Gord, thanks for posting those pictures.

We're looking forward to trying out Playa Lechi. Our friend (and travel agent guru/extraordinaire) Ann Phelan recommended it to us and booked it for us. She has exceptional taste, so I wasn't worried, but it's great to hear such awesome feedback and see such beautiful pics from another happy customer.

Gord, great job with the pictures, very descriptive. I love that superwide angle lens, nope no envy here.

Great pics!!! I can't believe the detail you captured on those...you can actually see the texture of the fish! GREAT!!
Topic...what was the topic...Oh, back to the Playa Lechi...

We stayed at Playa Lechi this past visit. The rooms were very nice and clean. There was no noise being so close to town and the residents we met were very friendly and eager to help.
You have to "buzz" yourself into the gate to get in and then there is another gated area to go through to get to the stairs/or elevator to your apartment.
The three keys made it a little bit of a juggle with gear but it was SAFE. We frazzled out the key buzzer on the first dive by forgetting it was not water proof! Luckily there was a back gate that we used till the front key could be replaced!
They have plants along the balcony that made it difficult to see the ocean...but we stacked up the chairs and made "high chairs"! But other than those minor things...it was a very nice place to stay.

Very nice photos, Gord! The place looks fabulous, too.

Just proves you can still see amazing things in the shallows of Bonaire without tossing on a tank. (We are snorkelers, if you can't tell! LOL). Carole

PS Meryl: Hi-chairs for adults! Love it. We don't need no stinking babies for hi-chairs! LOL. cb

This is a link to the web site of the actual unit we rented: http://www.vrbo.com/109862 I forgot to post this in an earlier response.

Thank you all for the complements on the photos. I find some of my best shots are in natural light in the shallows while snorkeling.

Can someone tell who handles the rentals for Bel-Air apt/condos? i can't find anything on the web. Thanks in advance, Andy

I think Marina over at the donkey sanctuary may handle some of the units at Bel Air. Try contacting her.

Andy:
Here's a link to one of the Bel Air condos.
http://www.bonairenet.com/john/
I also have the email address for another unit at Bel Air that you might check on.
If you want the email address, please send me a PM and I'll forward it to you.