Hi
Will be my fist time in Bonaire, I think I will go with Dive Friends Bonaire for the dive operation but for accomodations, there are so much to choose from, I'm a little lost.
Any thoughts on Hamlet Oasis?

Hi Jennifer..Everyone has their own favorites. I'd start by checking out the various accommodations on this website broken down by price. Take your time & remember which ever you chose to carve out some time to personally look at the various places when you're on island since no doubt you'll probably be returning.
http://www.infobonaire.com/hotels.html

Yes I've already checked it extensively, but just wanted personnal opinions on Hamlet or others places. thanks ;)

I have stayed at Hamlet Oasis and was very happy there. Then I found Bonaire Exclusief and love it.
It is nearer the town so you do not always have to drive and Bobbyjans is the nearest bar/restaurant, which can't be bad. I stay in either 20, which is a one bedroom, or next door at 19a, which is a two bedroom. Both are very diver friendly and have outside wash tanks, showers and secure drying areas for dive gear.

If you just want to step out of your accommodation to the DFB Yellow Sub location, you should look into Seaside Apartments, or the apartments at Port Bonaire, their other location. Their boats leave from these 2 locations every day. Would be the most convenient choice if you want to go with them. Both accommodation choices are on the web sites of local rental agencies, or privately advertised. Some owners of these units are on BT, too.

We just got back and had a package at Bonaire Seaside Apartments with diving at Dive Friends. The accommodations are great and it is very convenient to the dive shop and within walking distance to town.

Jennifer, Look at Bonaire Oceanfront Apartments, they have a Buddy Dive shop on site, rince tanks, and gear storage. They also buy your breakfast(5x a week)and it is very good food. BOA is located one bulding north of Bobbejans. Freshwater pool, and nice diving out front. Oh, and the price is rite!

http://www.bonaireoceanfrontapartments.com/ you can call them toll free if you have any questions... Ron

Bonaire really does have loads of lodging choices -- from luxury resort to pretty basic. What may be a good fit for one person, may not be for another.

A few things to ponder:
a) How many people, for how long and at what target price?
b) What features are most important to you (i.e., proximity/quality of a house reef, pool, location (south of town, north of town), noise, kitchen, proximity to water/beach, room amenities, bar, restaurant, on-site dive operator, resort amenities, spa, size/social scene, etc., etc.)?
c) How much are some of those amenities worth (either in terms of cost or traded off against other amenities)?

My personal favorite (Carib Inn) works great for me. While they fit my criteria to a "T", they might not fit your criteria at all. If you would prefer, I am also happy to respond to a private email seeking more information.

Jennifer, welcome to Bonaire Talk

David has some good questions that can help us give more direct feedback. Another question, do you want North or South of town, or does it matter.

In regard to choosing your dive shop first, most places either have a dive shop or satellite dive shop on their premises. Hamlet Oasis uses Capt' Don's dive shop because it is right there. It's most convenient to use the shop on the property rather than using a shop that is not.

I've used various dive shops over the years, and really can't say a bad thing about any of them. That's one of the wonderful gems of Bonaire, the people, particularly those who make such a great effort to assure your diving experience is outstanding while on the island. Most accommodations owners/managers have the same attitude.

Other choices?

Den Laman
Sand $
Divers Paradise (not on the water though but you have access to Black Durgon House Reef and a free breakie every morning)
Coral Paradise
Carib Inn (as mentioned)
Blanchi Koko
Coco Palm Gardens (a couple of blocks from the sea)
Rumors B&B
Belmar

See, there are loads of options in addition to the one's above!

I would not hesitate to recommend ANY of the oceanfront full-amenity (restaurant/bar and dive op on the premises) resorts on Bonaire, especially for a first timer. Yes they cost more, but they also offer a LOT more to the newcomer and seasoned traveller alike.

They provide the immediate availablity of divemasters, potential dive buddies, boat dives and an easy to access house reef for 24/7 diving.

I have personal experience with Divi Flamingo, Buddy Dive, and Den Laman and give them all high marks.

let me answer to your questions!

A) 2 persons, for 1 week and not too expensive...we are backpackers kind of traveler, so we are used to basic rooms.;)
.I'm looking in the range 70-100US a night. so I guess i'm more toward budget accomodation? I'll be in the water anyway so the rest is not really important for me.

B) Since i'll rent a car the location doesn't mater. We will be diving as much as possible and from different locations. So house reef is not important. Doesn't have to be near the water/beach. Don't need proximity of bar or restaurant because I want to cook and spend on diving instead of food..;)So the room has to have a small kitchen. We are more solitude type so doesn't have to be around a lot of people...
Don't need a pool either...

Well my criterias would be quiet, intimate place, low price. that's it!

Den Lamen is very nice indeed!
I was wondering, is it much better to take a dive package with accomodations? the price seems the same even if I take everything separately...


what about the low priced place, tropicana, fun appartment, yachtclub?

At Den Laman I've read that tanks are not accessible 24/7....we want to do night and dawn dives, we put the tanks in the rooms?
For diving gear, can we store them in the room instead of the shop?

Never stayed there but from what you say Golden Reef Inn sounds like a fit. I know nothing about the places you've asked about. I've stayed many times at the black durgon inn and love the place.
it fits with a lot of what you want but the shared kitchen is a turn off to some. It can be a positive or a negative. as i've said about it before you are dependent on who is staying there. golden reef would have none of those issues but not on water. its actually close to black durgon but no affiliation. wannadive is there dive vendor of choice--they are great. if you are set with dive friends i'd check into holiday homes. have not stayed but visited and it would fit you well based on your comments above. they're located south of town and golden reef north.

Jennifer:
We also enjoy a comfortable apartment at a good value. We have stayed at Coco Palm Garden many times and have enjoyed our stay. Brigette Marion and Niki give you all of the information needed to enjoy Bonaire your way. We have always used Dive Friends South location; which is currently at Port Bonaire. Coco Palm will also make your truck rental for you so that it is easy one stop shopping at a great price. Review their web site. It is very accurate.

In your price range, I'd look at Bonaire Town Homes (my home away from home) Very reasonable, everything you need, including full kitchen, and AWESOME on-site owners (Benny and Ester), who know everything about Bonaire and are happy to share it....

www.bonairetownhomes.com, or email to: info@bonairetownhomes.com

I guess I'll have to add to my criterias the access of 24/7 to dive tanks..
..I think nothing can beat the Buddy Dive for it??

Eden Beach and Wannadive Bonaire.

We love Buddy Dive. Used to go to Sunset Beach, since its demise, its been Buddys.
Great pick up return airport shuttle, tank service, newish, well maintained trucks, office/maintenance, front dive (you can also dive Dons and Bari Reef from there),
dive staff, boats, well stocked rooms, which is good, 'cause other than the breakfast.........which is great, the other meals, well, eat out or cook for yourselves. JMHO

Enjoy your trip, wherever you end up staying!

Jennifer:

Bonaire Town Homes, can't go wrong. Benny and Esther are GEMS!!!
Coco Palm Gardens (couple blocks from the beach)
Black Durgon - community kitchen but fantastic house reef.
Blanchi Koko
Carib Inn
Yacht Club
Divers Paradise

Most dive ops have tanks 24/7. A few don't (like BDA).

Glad we can make it even more confusing!

You may want to contact Ann Phelan as someone suggested, she can put a package together for you.

Yes, must admit 24 hour access to tanks not an issue that I've run into but again I do sleep :-)
keep a couple in your truck if its an issue for you.

Den Laman uses Bonaire Dive and Adventures - Tanks are available between 8:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. but they also have lockers on the dock where you can store tanks for use outside of those hours. Or you can get extra tanks and keep them in your pickup. Also, BDA offers free Nitrox upgrades for those staying at Den Laman or Sand Dollar. If you are a Nitrox diver, those tanks are only available between 8:30 a.m. and 4 or 4:30 p.m. They have tanks (both Nitrox and regular) available on their dock and between the dive shop and the road. Since they do have a work-around for the 24 hour tank access, you might not want to rule them out.

Now I must say that 24hr tank access is nice. I will admit; however, that we have used Dive Friends Bonaire when they had 24hr access and after that point. We have simply adapted to checking out the number of tanks that we plan on using between 5/pm and 8/am each day. This is because we have enjoyed their staff and service so much that we just have not felt that moving a few tanks each evening has been enough of an issue to change dive operators. This certainly would be something to consider with physical limitations or if you just don't like to have to plan your dive freedom. It is your vacation. Bonaire is the best dive destination that we have found where you really have so many choices to customize your own experience.

Bottom line you can dive 24/7 with any operator, just stack a few tanks in your truck and be free!

I would highly recommend Bonaire Exclusief, a little gem that few people appear to know about. The bungalows are privately owned so standards do tend to vary a bit. A favour either 19a or twenty, especially as they are more diver friendly with swill tanks, outdoor showers and secure drying rooms for diving gear.

wow thanks everybody for all your suggestions, I will think about it and make a choice.
I have another question,
- When an hotel specify that they have a secure gear room, do we have to use it or we can bring all our dive gear in our room? I don't like the idea to leave my stuff in a room where a lot of people come and go...

Jennifer, you can take the gear to your room. If I'm staying where they have secure gear lockers on the premises, I usually leave my wetsuits, booties, fins, BCD and beanie in the gear room (locked up) and take my reg and script mask to the room. I've never had an issue with anything being tampered with, and I don't remember anyone ever posting as such. You will find that others are like you, they don't want their gear tampered with, so won't mess with yours. Lugging ALL of it back and forth is too much work, especially as it's HOT on Bonaire...lol!

that's what I thought, just wanted to make sure. thanks!

Jen, if you end up staying at Hamlet Oasis, diving with yellow sub is very convenient, as they have a tank exchange on premises there, as well as downtown, and Port Bonaire. You can drive up to within a few feet of the tanks. Can also do your checkout dive there as well.

Jen:

Since the dive op seems to be at the core of what you are looking for, I thought I would start by posting some thoughts about dive ops on Bonaire. On Bonaire, most hotels are affiliated with a dive op and it is often easiest to use that op. In some cases the op and the hotel are one and the same and in other cases they are not.

For gear purchase and/or repair I think the best choice for a shop is the Carib Inn. 8am to 5pm every day. For instruction, there are tons of very good choices (including the Carib Inn) on the island for instruction. The same is true for picking dive ops to provide diving services -- lots of great choices on Bonaire.

When picking a dive operation for gas/tank/weights, I think there are some things to consider.
a) Location to your hotel. Closer is better. Bonaire is not a big place but nobody would like going from Happy Holiday Homes to Buddys to get tanks. And then go to dive The Lake. And then back to buddy and back to HHH.
b) Nitrox or not. I tend not to use Nitrox on Bonaire. Many (but not all) shops pump Nitrox.
c) Type of tanks. The aluminum 80 is king on Bonaire. Some places do offer smaller tanks (I personally like the smaller ones -- an Al. 65 I think) and few places might offer steel.
d) When/how do they do the orientation. Some places do the orientation only once a day. Miss it and you are not diving until the next day. Others do it on-demand (as you show up). Some do the orientation in probably 15 to 30 minutes (plus the dive) while others might be an hour (or longer) plus the dive.
e) How available are tanks/gear? Is it a long walk from the tanks (or gear storage area) to your car? Is the gear area totally locked during certain hours (and you plan to dive during those times)? How do you get tanks after a certain time? (Sign up and they are left out, have to stash them in your truck, etc.) How about Nitrox after hours?
f) Most dive ops on Bonaire are solid with good (or great) customer service. Still, these are things to look for.
g) Do you get access to their house dive (the answer is typically -- always? -- yes) and is it one you want to make? I especially enjoy house reefs at night.
h) The other big consideration is boat, shore or both.

I do almost exclusively shore dives. That said, it means you will miss places like Klein, Rappel and perhaps some eastside or park destinations.

If you do boat dives only or a combo of the two:
i) What is the cost? How about if you also do shore diving? a la carte versus package pricing?
ii) Do they do one or two tank trips? (On Bonaire, I personally think ones are better as it gives you more choice about planning your day and the trips back to the dock are typically short) If you want two, you simply do the morning and the afternoon one-tank.
iii) How long are the dives? The dive op I tend to use prides itself on allowing longer dives (provided you stay within NDL and board with the min. PSI). When the gill breathers are on the boat that can mean 90 plus minute dives. 60 and 70 minutes dives are super common. If you are ready to go after a 40 minute dive, this will either be very boring for you or allow you an extra snorkel/nap. OTOH, a 90 minute dive is a very cool thing and a great bargain to boot!!!
iv) How big are the boats? Some are very large (Dons, Buddys, etc.) while some ops run smaller boats (<10 people)? Are the boats quiet or loud? Shade or not?
v) Where do they go? Only a few ops seem to be going fairly often to the park or over to the east side. Some ops set a location the night before, some let the DMs decide, some let the guest decide.
vi) When do they go? Boats that leave promptly, earlier in the day, often get the better moorings.

Not sure if any boats (other than at places like the park or eastside) require you to stay with the group. I know that many do not.

Two thoughts about budgets & lodging costs:

On Bonaire, lodging taxes are per person per night and not based on a percentage. I think the rate is $5.50 (or is it $6.50 now?) per person per night. Most rates are quoted w/o lodging tax although a few include the lodging tax. A few have an energy or service charge. Some include breakfast while some offer maid service every day. In any event, take some time in comparing rates to develop an apples to apples comparison.

Yes, I am a nerd, and you will soon see how. The way I tend to look at lodging (not just on Bonaire but anywhere) is to find the cheapest lodging that meets my most basic requirements (for me: location, safe, clean). That sets my baseline price. Then I start thinking about those things that I appreciate and that I would like to have in my lodging. And I research how much more those lodging options compare to my baseline price.

Then I multiply the per-night difference times the length of my stay and ask myself: is it worth it?

An example: I am going to Portland and I can stay at the Super 8 by the airport for $59. I can stay downtown at the Monaco for $109 (a discounted price) and I am staying one night. Can I afford the extra $50? Would I rather save $50 by staying at the airport and perhaps spend that at Powells? Would I rather have two nights at the airport versus one night in town (almost the same price)? Or would I rather feel pampered at the much nicer hotel in the much better location? (When the cost spreads are larger, the decisions are easier -- if the Monaco was $400/night that would be an easy call for me; likewise if the Monaco was only $65)

I apply this same sort of logic on Bonaire. I could do something like the Wannadive Hut for $60/night for a basic room. Is a kitchen needed? For me, yep -- I think that takes me to $70 or $80 a night. So, lets say it is $70 x 7 nights = $490.

Now assume that I find a place at a small resort, clean, ocean side, with a pool. I can get a second story one-bedroom with a full kitchen and two balconies (one overlooking the pool and one overlooking the ocean). Versus no pool, not on the water, no view, much smaller, etc. That is $150/night x 7 nights = $1,050 or $560 more than my baseline.

Can I afford that $560? Would I rather spend that money extending my trip? Or buying some new dive gear? Or going out to eat every night?

That same resort might offer a more basic room (microwave, fridge, kitchen type sink but no stove next to the pool but w/o much of a view) for $110/night. That is $280 more than the baseline. Can I afford that? Is that worth it?

Just an approach that works for me but, then again, I can be a bit of an analyst...

Vince had some truly great advice:

"Hi Jennifer..Everyone has their own favorites. I'd start by checking out the various accommodations on this website broken down by price. Take your time & remember which ever you chose to carve out some time to personally look at the various places when you're on island since no doubt you'll probably be returning.
http://www.infobonaire.com/hotels.html "

I did something similar on/before my first trip and have been staying there every since!

I would echo Vince and combine Tink's question: North or South of town? I am a south of towner -- I love the southern sites. Others are more north of town. They love the northern sites.

Then I'd start looking at Infobonaire to develop a list. Then I'd look at each hotel's website. Then I'd search here. Then I might start a new thread asking about specific properties in the thread title...

Any wonder why it took me a week to decide on where to stay in Vegas this spring?

wow thanks for all the information you gave me.
It gives me a lot to think about!

Check out Golden Reef Inn It is not on the water but nor far from it. It is an old style small resort. Has 1 bedroom apts with kitchen. Wannadive has a small dive facility on site. Breakfast can be included in the cost of the apt or not, it is your choice. they can also arrange a truck or small car for you. GRI is located just north of Cap'n Don's. We have stayed at GRI 2 times and will be back again. We don't need the fancy stuff just good quality and nice owners and staff.

Andy and Dave