We stayed at Bonaire Beach Villas during our recently completed vacation. According to their web site, they have 13 units (not including those in Lac Bay). We stayed in unit #1403, so this report applies mainly to that unit.

To begin with, let me say this: Our unit is a great deal at current prices, but it isn't for everyone. We have a timeshare that we use, and to us, this was very similar to that. Basically, you have a room, and that's it. There are no other amenities (other than some shared outdoor facilities described below). There's no desk service (but there is mostly daily maid service, something we usually don't get with our timeshare). The management is not professional (i.e., very informal), but when around, was very helpful & friendly. The unit was clean, and in relatively good repair, though not "perfect". In sum, if you're picky, fussy, or prissy, this probably isn't the place for you. If you like independent arrangements and a very good deal, I'd highly recommend BBV.

Now, for the details. BBV is in the Hamlet Oasis Resort (http://www.hamletoasis.com/). I don't understand the relationship, if any, between BBV and Hamlet. Anyway, dive-site-wise, BBV is just south of Cliff, and a bit north of La Machaca. It's a few minutes walk along the water to Captain Don's Habitat (and a few minutes more to Lion's Dive, Buddy Dive, and Sand Dollar). It's about a 5-minute drive to town, 10-minutes to the airport (or the Plaza or Windsock), and about 5-minutes to the Andreas (in the other direction, of course). In short, we found it perfectly situated.

That first night, it was a bit difficult to locate exactly where the "office" was. Don't despair, you'll probably find it. There are BBV signs directing the way, but the office itself wasn't marked when we were there. We had to ask someone (luckily there was someone around to ask).

The unit itself (http://bonairebeachvillas.com/villa14up.htm -- upper left photo) was clean, comfortable, and has a very nice ocean view from the patio. It's one room, plus a bathroom, and walk-in closet. There's a wall air con unit that does a fine job of cooling the room (though it doesn't help that much for the bathroom, which is fine). The a/c is great to have, since the patio door doesn't have a screen, there isn't much hope for cross ventilation using fresh air.

There's a small refrigerator in the room (just a wee bit bigger than a "bar fridge", though the freezer is just as tiny), along with a small microwave. And there are dishes & utensils, but there's no kitchen, so you have to wash things in the bathroom sink. It worked out fine for us, allowing us to eat all our breakfasts there, and a few other meals as well.

There's no phone; there's a small tv (which we never watched), and a sofa bed (or so the website says, we never tried opening it to find out). We thought the bed was going to be two double-beds pushed together, but it was a real king-size bed.

There's a table & 4 chairs on the patio, where we ate almost all of our meals. (There is no obvious spot to eat inside, but who wants to eat inside anyway, with a view like that on the patio?) There's also a clothesline on the patio, great for drying swimsuits and the like. (I wouldn't keep them out there while you're gone, though.)

There's a gazebo right near the water, which I believe actually belongs to the downstairs unit. Anyway, since no one was in any of the units in our villa, we had free use of the gazebo anytime we wanted. There's also an outdoor shower available for rinsing equipment & people after dips in the salt water, a very nice feature.

The a/c went out one Saturday afternoon, and we were afraid we'd have to be without it that night. But the manager called the very nice maintenance people, and they came to fix it that night.

The snorkeling was great right in front of our unit (see my report under "Snorkel Bonaire"), and as mentioned above, it's a short drive to other sites as well. Its close proximity to Capt Don's and other resorts was also very handy. However, it's located right next to the water plant, and so there's a constant humming noise (like a helicopter approaching) whenever you're outside. It didn't bother us, but it might bother some folk.

Bottom line: If we were to do it over again (& I hope we can!), we would most definitely stay there again, given the same rates.

Ken