My husband and I are planning a 2nd trip to Bonaire and heard that Sand Dollar Condos are a great place to stay. We were wondering if people who have stayed there could comment on the accomodations, location, dive shop, gear storage, staff, dining facility, etc. Thanks.

Hi Deb,
I am prejudiced because my wife and I own a studio unit at Sand Dollar. We think it is one of the best places in Bonaire.

Sand Dollar has studios, one, two and three bedroom units available. All units are individually owned and all rental units have standards set by the management as to condition, furnishings, equipment and upkeep. There is daily maid/housekeeping service available as well as on-site maintenance and management.

Sand Dollar has a newly renovated pool, lighted tennis court, restaurant, bar and a large sun deck. It has the longest waterfront of any resort in Bonaire. It is immediately adjacent to the Bonaire Dive and Adventure dive shop. It has a small shopping area on site (Chat n Browse, Lover's Ice Cream, Spa, Gallery and Bank). The house reef(Bari Reef) has been noted as having the highest fish diversity in Bonaire.

One of the main reasons that we like the Sand Dollar is the relaxed atmosphere-it is very casual.

You can read more from their website
http://www.divesanddollar.com/

Private email me if you have questions.

Enjoy your trip to Bonaire-it's all great.

Vann Evans
Sand Dollar A4

For several years we have gone to Bonaire always staying at the Sand Dollar. This past Aug. that we stayed was so fantastic that we bought our Condo there. We are now proud owners of part of the Sand Dollar and beautiful Bonaire. The location of the Condos are only minutes from downtown Kralendijik. It is right on the #1 reef, BARI REEF. This reef is absolutely all that is written about it. The dive shop is right on the premise (Bonaire Dive Adventures). Very professional competent staff and extremely pleasant. Gear storage right on the dock with plenty of full tanks available (air and nitrox). You can eat out or use the fully stocked kitchens. We do both. Since the condo units are individually owned they are all favorable to stay in. Very roomy and the patio's are great to sit and watch the sunset or listen to the ocean just a foot path away. Diving off the dock or going for a boat dive, or simply doing a shoredive is all made easy for the guests. I really hope you enjoy your stay, you won't regret it.

we've stayed there two out of our three trips -- a 2bdr unit both times -- two important features: there are screens on the windows and it's on the ocean

also lots of parking and spacious grounds-- you're not wedged in on both sides like many oceanfront properties

We have stayed at 2 units, A1 a 1 bedroom unit right on the water (and the pier) and a 2 bedroom in the B building, 2nd floor. Both were very nice(screened porches !) and since individually owned, we realized we lucked out with the interior. The complex looks tired, the landscaping lacks a fresh touch. BUT the location, convenience and affordability makes up for this. I did not realize how unusual it is not to have to pay for air co extra. We never faced this issue at Sand Dollar. You can walk to dinner at Den Laman, overlooking the ocean and pier, you can walk N to the 2 restaurants at Buddy, even Capt. Don's place is walkable. S Towards town you have endless possibilities. You can cook if you want in the well stocked kitchens, 2 grocery stores in close proximity, Sand Dollar mall and a chinese store just a little N.You have Michael at Chat'nBrowse on the property, he knows everything and can help with everything Bonaire related. Lovers Ice Cream next door to his place is an institution, not to miss. Vann gives you the details on the actual complex, can only second those! Would spend another vacation there anytime.

I also own at Sand Dollar and feel it is more geared towards independent travelers that want amenities available. The complete kitchens let you make meals if thats your thing. We usually eat all breakfasts and about half our lunches at the condo. You can walk easily to multiple restaurants and you are centrally located on the island. The grounds are large so you do not feel boxed in and the ground floor patio's and second floor balconies are large. All are setup to be private and most have fantastic views - all oceanfront. You can dive with BDA or Buddy's just next door depending on how you set things up. Bari Reef is a wonderful dive any time of the day and also a great snorkel spot IMHO. My wife and I love it there and would retire tomorrow if life allowed....

Deb, regardless of where you stay have a great trip back. I would also be happy to answer other questions here or privately. Patrick

I guess it's time for another nonowner of Sand Dollar to chime in. We stayed there in March '09 (see our trip report March 21-28). Like Chris stated, our first impressions were how "tired" it appeared. However, you'll quickly get over it. The fact that all units are ocean view, the convenience of everything, dining options, and the nice dock facilities certainly make for a wonderful stay. And, as many have already stated, Bari Reef is awesome! Not all units were screened so make sure you get one that is. Oh, and my wife insists we stay at Sand Dollar again on our next trip.

We stayed in a one bedroom ground floor unit for one week last March. It was convenient for parking right near the unit, but not easy to lug all of our gear down to the dock for diving. They have dive gear rooms at BDA near the dock but they are all open and not well guarded (in our opinion) so we didn't leave our gear in the dive locker rooms. We ended up doing mostly shore dives at other dive sites rather than Bari Reef for convenience of being able to park closer to the entry at other sites. (It's closer to enter Bari reef from the small beach just south of the Bari dock, but with a new resort being built at that site may not be accessible by now.) Our unit was quite nice inside, but a bit dark, Be aware of the upper floor residents if you stay on the ground floor. Our upper neighbors were quite noisy with the same music playing over and over which was annoying when we wanted to relax and hear the quiet. If you stayed in an upper floor unit you would have to be hauling all of your dive gear up stairs to secure it at night.

We have stayed at Sand Dollar twice. In 2006, we stayed in a second floor 3-bedroom unit with a HUGE unscreened balcony. In 2007, we stayed in a first floor 1-bedroom unit which had a screened porch. The porch had a door with a keyed lock which we loved--we could come back from the dive a little wet and sandy and dry off in the porch before walking through the condo. Both units were nicely appointed, clean, and very comfortable. Both units, and I think all units at Sand Dollar, have air conditioning in the bedroom--some units have air conditioning in the living room as well. The units both had full kitchens with full-size stove, fridge, dishwasher, and microwave. The kitchens had utensils, dishwear, pots/pans, etc., and we cooked several meals very easily in the condo. We have used Bonaire Dive & Adventure (BDA) three times which is the dive shop located directly between Sand Dollar and Den Laman condos. The dive shop was great and we had no problems leaving our gear in the storage room, however, we did take our regs, masks, and computers back to our room between dives and overnight. The gear storage is one large room with two very long racks down the middle with hangers to hang your wetsuit. Each diver is assigned a numbered peg on the outer wall (still inside the gear room) to hang fins, bc, booties, etc. There are two rinse tanks right on the dock to rinse gear as well as a third rinse tank exclusively for regs and masks. There is also a camera sink on the dock but it was not working during any of our stays. There are two outdoor showerheads on the dock for rinsing yourself as well. Also, there is a bathroom steps from the dive dock. CONVENIENCE is the perfect word to describe this set up. The dive shop ran the mandatory orientation at 9:30 a.m. and because there was a large group during both of our stays on Sundays, they also ran it at at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. You complete the paperwork, show your C-cards, pay your $25 mandatory marine park fee inside the dive shop first and then attend the orientation which takes about one hour for new visitors and about 30 minutes for repeat visitors. You obtain your weights after the orientation and you keep them for the duration of your stay. You then must do your first dive off the BDA dock but there is no divemaster in the water watching you, however, there is always a staff member nearby if you need to obtain more weight. After your do your first dive at BDA, you are free to dive anywhere you like the rest of your stay. There are two locations at BDA to obtain tanks--one on the dive dock if you are diving off the dock--and the other near the parking lot if you are shore diving elsewhere. Just grab a tank, check the PSI, check the Nitrox if you are using it, write down your diver number (same as your peg number) on the sheet, the tank number, and away you go. We have always found the staff at both Sand Dollar and BDA to be very helpful and professional. As others have said, there are many restaurants within walking distance. The restaurant at the adjacent complex, Den Laman, is called the Sunset Grill & Bar--it is very good and managed by the same people who manage the Lion's Den Restaurant at Buddy's Resort. There is also a restaurant near the pool at Sand Dollar and I believe it is called Eddy's Restaurant. You will not go hungry--there are plenty of places to eat within walking distance if you don't rent a truck. If you need anything while on the island, your "go to guy" would definitely be Michael at Chat-N-Browse which is the little store in the plaza in front of Sand Dollar. He has internet, cell phones for rent, sunblock, souvenirs, etc., and is a wealth of information to assist your every need. There is also a bank with an ATM within walking distance of Sand Dollar as well as the important Lover's Ice Cream shop. I have stayed at other places in Bonaire (have been there a total of four times and will be back for for my fifth time in January) and do continue to recommend Sand Dollar as well as Den Laman and Happy Holiday Homes all for different reasons. You will have a wonderful time at Sand Dollar.

Thank you everyone for all of you honest, thorough and candid feedback. I especially appreciate that the owners revealed their ownership to potentially identify any biases. I am still trying to finalize my plans, but Sand Dollar is definately at the top of my list. Now, I just wish the airfares out of Philly for the February/March timeframe would get a little more reasonable!!