My wife and I and 2 boys both 14 are going to Bonaire for a week in Spet., Oct. or Nov. We cann't decide between, Buddy Dive Resort, Capt Don's Habitat, Plaza Resort or Belmar Apartments. We only snorkel and will rent a car. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I was on Bonaire in end of November. What ever you do, the Divi Resort is a piece of work. It is run down , dirty ,unsafe , and the Management is not to truthing.Do not under any condition stay there.I did and it was the worst vacation of my life. After being rob twice ,do I say more.

After escaping from the Divi after three days ,we looked for a place to be protected for the rest of the week. We looked into all of the Hotel you named above but by far the Plaza Resort was the cleanest ,the safest(24 Hour/uniformed security that did care)and the most costly but who cares after being violated on Bonaire.

I would not go to Bonaire ever again but if you must go=the sure thing"The Plaza Resort".Good Luck!!!!!

I am sorry Terry had such a bad experience. I have been going to Bonaire for the past 7 years and have never had a bad time/experience. I have not stayed at any of the places you are asking about. I have stayed at Sand Dollar, and this last trip I rented a private home on the water in Belnem. I have been to/seen the places you are asking about, and I think you will be happy with any one of them. I hope you have a great trip.

Take a look at the Carribean Court Condo's. They are part of the plaza resort complex. I also have two teenage sons and the thought of the four of us in one hotel room did not appeal to me. The layout of the two bedroom unit looks perfect for a family of four. Some other pluses are you can eat some of your meals at home and you will have a place to hang out and relax at night time. They have a decent website at www.carribeancourt.com. Good luck

I'm going to Buddy Dive March 18th. If it helps a pickup truck is included in the package I got from caradonna (http://www.caradonna.com). I looked at them all and thought Buddy dive seemed to have real good value. I'm sure all of the places you mentioned would be fine.

Happy choosing!

If the 2 bedroom unit is available at the Carib Inn is available, you may want to consider that as well. The problem is, it books up early, as much as a year in advance.

My wife and I have been traveling to Bonaire since 1981. We have never had a problem with crime, but the times are changing. I can still recall the first time the car rental agency asked us to use the Club. ("What?! Are they joking?!") But we do use it, and keep the windows down when shore diving.

Where are you traveling from? A week is the bare minimum. You'll likely lose a day traveling at each end of the week, and five days will fly by much too quickly. If you can, extend your trip by a day or two.

Ok,I keep reading about crime. We have been to Bonaire several times, returning after three weeks just this past weekend. The only thing I lost was a few pounds (lotsa diving), and a bit of blood from the mosquitoes (just a trace of the red stuff).
Oh, yeah...we picked up a couple friends Sunday night at the airport. They were so excited, upon arriving, that they forgot to tell Customs and Immigration which unit at Lighthouse Beach Resort they were visiting. To make this story short, about an hour after we got back to the condo, two Customs officers drove up, said they were looking for so and so who was supposed to be staying at the complex, that they had driven around the complex and saw our lights. Why did they want her? Because she had dropped her purse at the aiport, and an employee picked it up and turned it over to Customs. They gave our friend her purse, complete with her credit cards, several hundred dollars cash, and her i.d. (her husband had her passport and C-Card). So, when you arrive on Bonaire, and you see Customs officers, ask if anyone is named Cliff (I can't remember the other agent's name). Tell them the folks from North Carolina have nothing but good things to say about their honesty and diligence.
As we have done each year, we take ONLY what we plan to take in the water with us to the dive sites. And, we leave our doors unlocked. At night, in the condo, we lock the doors. And, the owner of the condo where we stay has a safe where we lock our cash and airline tickets and passports...just in case. Somewhat like using common sense.
Now, the day we left..while driving around for a last look...we watched a couple divers go into the water at the Hooker site. They left, on the shore, clothes and expensive dive bags. We did not wait around to see if those items were still there when they returned...but, given human nature anywhere in the world, I'd not put money on it.
So much for the crime on Bonaire. Not, mind you, that it doesn't happen. And, as a strict law and order person, I do not condone police doing nothing about the pesky thieves. But, I'll admit I saw more police in their vehicles near dive sites this trip than on any other trip we've made.
And, when I get a break, I'll post more on our trip, which included News Years Eve. Nice.

We have been to Bonaire twice: January of 1998 and l999. We hope to go back soon.

The first time, we stayed at Port Bonaire which is also part of the Plaza Resort complex (at least it was then) but a 2 minute car ride away. It is on the water. It was very nice, but as we toured around we found Bel Mar Apts and they were even nicer and less expensive. Right on the water, lovely pool huge living quarters. The second year we invited our older daughter and her husband to go with us because we had so much space in the two bedroom unit. We had a second floor unit. The master bedroom is on the level with the kitchen and living room. There is a giant sized furnished balcony overlooking the sea. A winding staircase leads to the second bedroom and bath, which is almost the size of the whole lower level. The Dutch couple who were on-site managers were a delight.

You can snorkel right in front of the condo. You get a feeling like you are living on the island, not just a tourist.

I don't recommend Divi, Sand Dollar or Buddy. Not the same level of luxury by a long shot.

The only thing is, the Plaza Resort does give the resort atmosphere that might give the boys more to do, although I don't know what that might be.
(Well, viewing topless sunbathers on the beach, I guess)

We never saw any evidence of crime. We never felt uncomfortable or threatened in anyway. We have been to islands where we have felt uncomfortable, but Bonaire is far from one of them.

Good luck.

Micheal,
SunRentals Bonaire is a new company on the island. They have great villas, bungalows, houses and cottages.
www.sunrentals.an

Any of those would be fine and include Sand Dollar in your list. With boys that age, you probably want a unit with a kitchen! the 2 BR units at Sand Dollar give plenty of privacy for a vacation. they also rent kayaks and you can get bikes as well. Have a great time. But dont expect there to be a lot of kids their ages around, tho you could luck out.

I run a new company called SunRentals Bonaire. We offer accomidations throughout the island in a wide variety of sizes and locations. If anyone meeds any more information please contact me or have a look at the web site for listings.
Thanks,
Glynn
www.sunrentals.an

Check us out at www.barankabonaire.com and let us make you a quote which you cannot refuse.

Sincerely,
Leo Mayer