I just got around to looking at the last couple issues of the Bonaire Reporter, and it seems Sandals has been negotiating with Harbor Village. It also appears that Harbor Village has just reopened. I'm sure opinions will vary, but I think the last thing that Bonaire needs is a Sandals resort.

what is wrong with Sandels ? as long as they bring some live bodies to Bonaire to spend some $$$ and help the economy....NO GOLF COURSE PLEASE that would really hurt the diving don't you think ? I thought Sandels catered to honeymoon couples ? they " dive " don't they ? smile

In many places Sandals resorts provide all inclusive accomodation and activities. This means that many people do not bother to leave the resort. In this way the local economy does not benefit. In some places I have heard that much of the produce they use is shipped in so it also does not benefit the local economy. It has been reported that some large companies also bring in labour if the cost of employing local people is more than they want to pay but I do not know if this applies to Sandals. They are great resorts to stay in but I'm not sure if Bonaire is the right place for one.

Julia,

I believe virtually all produce and food products (except the local fish) in Bonaire is shipped in. Bonair laws would not allow importing of labor unless that service could not be provided by Bonair people. The only disadvantage I see with Sandals is that it may further congest the airline situation if they bring in large number of people.

I don't see any difference with Sandals vs the charters that go to Plaza

What kind of charters go to Plaza?

Greg,
I'm not sure about that labor issue either. While I was consulting at the old SunsetBeach, Harbour Village's staff was almost exclusively Dominican's in Bonaire on 18 mo work permits. SB was not allowed to do this but obviously HV was...I really don't see how housekeepers, landscapers & maintenance staff could be considered as something not available on Bonaire...

As to Sandels, they are nice but totally out of character with Bonaire (much more so than HV was). It's all inclusive so it would be non-dive oriented type guests which would be a clash with the existing and while there is nothing legally wrong with this (and I know I'm being selfish)it could undoubtedly put diving in a lesser light & possibly a less important postition - Something none of us would hope for, I'm sure.

Any local insight Jake, Michael, Steve?

Thomas,

Your points are interesting. Like a few others, I've been poking around investigating how I could move to Bonaire and work. It isn't easy; especially if one is competing for a job that a Bonairian could accept. My statements above presumed that gardeners, housekeepers etc would be drawn from local work forces. I was not aware that the HV brought in people from DomRep..wonder how they pulled (paid) that off.

I'd rather see Bonaire get rid of cruise ships rather than block Sandals.

I believe the charters to Plaza were running from Toronto...used to arrive in a 767 once or twice a week...

Jake...any insight on the Dom Rep work force at HV?

I thought the work force at HV (when it was still open) was mostly Venezuelan (made sense considering the Venezuelan ownership of HV).

I'm not sure what Sandals would do for Bonaire one way or another. I suspect a Sandals at HV would offer guests there more local options than one in Jamaica or other Sandals locations, based both on local safety and proximity. But I would also agree that an all-inclusive is not very "Bonaire".

Jake

In Antigua Sandals did fly in many Jamaicans but also some Antiguans went to other resorts. Yes, the tourist does not venture out of the property to visit dining spots but it will give revenue for diving, adventure sports, taxis, airport,govt. and MORE. The Sandals name is BIG and many folks like the concept of an all inclusive. I for one do NOT but it might have some value here. Butch Stewart will certainly profit from a resort here which I assume would specialize in watersports.

My nephew worked at Sandals Antigua so I dined there several times as well as visiting on a travel agent fam. Again, I do not enjoy the all inclusive concept but let's see what evolves.

Annie

Diver Debbie's right about keeping those stinkin golf courses away! No offense to those of you who love the sport, it's just that the "typical" course is SOOOOO environmentally horrific. I recently read that such a course can use 15-30 times the agrichemicals (pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers)and a HECK more water than a similarly sized corn field uses (sorry folks, can't remeber the citation)! Not to mention the typical course is built either on the water or with waterways incorporated in the design (it looks pretty). Here in Maryland it seems the developers are not constrained by the same laws as homeowners or commercial properties when it comes to maintaining riparian buffers (the golf courses are zoned agricultural land, I believe, which allows for significant non-point-source pollution). Hope there is no such loop-hole in Bonaire.

Good news is--there are environmentally friendly design alternatives for golf courses.

If Sandals, or for that matter, anyone wants to build a golf course on Bonaire I sure hope alot of people look at the proposal very very closely!

Coral reefs so close to shore are very fragile and finite natural resources... and I bet there isn't one person who reads this site that doesn't appreciate this fully.

BTW All-inclusives are not ALWAYS all that bad...

Jamie

Jake, all of the workers I was in contact with incuding their supervisors at HV were Dominican. Perhaps that changed after my time ended...

As for Sandals, no they're not bad and neither are all inclusives. But imo they are not right for Bonaire (sticking my head in the sand again) as the prime target of what they offer isn't in line with wht Bonaire does so well now (diving). If Bonaire business interests get an inkling that golf courses & jet ski rentals may make more money than the diving industry, it could be steep hill to climb to get back to paradise...

May be a moot point - looks like Harbour Village is open for business again, as a villa rental company (not a Hotel). See http://www.harbourvillage.com

Jake

Yes, I mentioned that it had reopened in my original post. According to the Bonaire Reporter, even with the reopening, talks with Sandals had not been abandoned.

No Sandals resort for Bonaire please!

I saw the change-over of two regular hotels into two Sandals all-inclusive "tourist factories" on St. Lucia when I lived there in 1992. The economical damage they inflicted on local restaurants and services was horrific. The only ones who benefit from Sandals resorts are maids, waiters and taxi drivers, and anyone else who works for minimum wage.

And, yes, Sandals means golf courses, jet skis, fast boats, and helicopters, anything that makes lots of noise and damages the environment because those are the thrills their clientele demands.

And locals are generally NOT welcome on Sandals properties and kept out with gates and security guards. That is the main reason why these all-inclusive resorts exist in the first place: to keep the tourists "safe" from real or imagined local crime.

Perhaps Butch Stewart would create a very different Sandals..one that is eco minded w/o the glitz and glimmer of his others..it is up to BON to make their voice heard. Annie

All inclusives do have their places--- They represent a vacation to those who are looking not to leave the complex. Atmosphere, Food, drink, games, entertainment, etc. They are not always a bad thing. Not everyone who vacations enjoys staying at an all- inclusive-- I have stayed at an all- inclusive in the past-- but only for short stays 3-4 days-- Made it alot easier not to have to decide where we would eat our meals-- Some all - inclusives also have made arangements with local restaurants to include them with the package as it would give the guests the ability to sample the local fare.
I'm not a fan of jet ski's and motor boats speeding by--- And this is not what Bonaire is about-- I would think that the local government & environmentalists would put a stop to that before it started. Too many divers and snorklers and swimmers in the waters.
As far as a golf course-- I am in favor of seeing that happening some day. And yes there are environmental friendly ones that can be built.
And how many locals or even tourists were welcome at Harbor Village-- and isn't there already a security gate there.

to be cont

Prior to discovering Bonaire, we always went all-inclusive and the part that we enjoyed most was not having to worry about money while vacationing. When you travel on a tight budget. some all-inclusives can be woth while although Sandal's prices were always quite high. My husband and I golf and I am not opposed to an inviornmentally friendly golf course but I would like to add that we did a Caribbean golf vacation once and the heat is a bit much and my preference is by far to be in the water and not out in the hot sun golfing!
If Sandals does come to Bonaire, I hope their would be a lot of restrictions to preserve the beautiful Marine Park that we all know and love.

Ouch!
God protect us!
Mickey

Jamie Barber~

As a person in the agricultural employment and ownership where do you get the basis of stating that "agricultural land which allows for significant non-point-pollution"? It seems like all people think farmers just pour the chemicals to the land without any regards to the enviroment or their own family welfare. Boy! Are you guys wrong...

JIM KENNEDY

Jim,

I am sorry if I offended you with my "blanket" remark. I in NO WAY whatsoever wanted to suggest that the farmer was an environmental badguy. In fact, the many farmers I have had the honor of knowing do care A GREAT DEAL about the environment and strive to protect it!

My point that I didn't really do a great job at making was that it's often a legislative "loophole" which allows golf course facilities to apply huge amounts of chemicals to the land that is not always (usually not) buffered from the surrounding waterways. That is certainly not the farmers fault. And it's not even the fault of the petrochemical industry for manufacturing these chemicals.

Maybe this loophole doesn't exist everywhere, and if it doesn't where you farm, I applaud you!

I do know that here in Maryland the health of the world's largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay, has severly declined (to the point of being non-recoverable?) over the past few decades. This has been largely caused but a massive increase in turbidity from algae--from excess nutrients in the water. It is this light-blocking cloudiness that is killing our bay and can likewise choke and smother a reef. Whether from development (where most of our nutrient-pollution comes from), from wastewater, or from agricultural runoff, it all adds up to a big problem for us (and especially the watermen who rely on a healthy fishery).

Good news as far as agricultural runnoff goes: The smaller (relative), traditional "Mom and Pop" farm probably adds little effect to this pollution problem. Having far more effect, however, is the HUGE factory farm. Like SOME factory farms, SOME golf courses generate nutrient runnoff in far far greater amounts than these traditional farms--yet they (in Maryland, at least) are constrained by the same laws. Should a facility that generates industrial amounts of nutrient-laden runoff be under the same laws as the traditional farm?

So my point is that golf courses, given the agri-chemical application, CAN have an impact on the health of a nearby marine habitat. But they don't necessarily have to. I was just using a local issue to illustrate how important it is to look at things closely before giving the AOK for development.

Again, Jim, please accept my apology if I in any way made you feel that I was attacking the value or integrety of farmers. I hold the deepest respect for the people who feed us (and good parts of the world)! And if anyone hasn't said it to you lately: Thanks.

Numerous valid concerns have been raised in the preceding messages. Allow me to add one more: hundreds of “resort-certified divers” loose on the reefs. While I have no first-hand knowledge of Sandals’ dive operation and how it does resort divers, I have seen first-hand what happened in the early days of Club Med’s Columbus Isle resort on San Salvador, Bahamas. I got certified in Feb 1993 at Columbus Isle when it first opened and went back later that year. I watched with horror as the Club Med catamarans (two at the time) dumped upwards of 50 resort divers onto the reef with only a few divemasters in the water. Most of the resorts divers had little if any regard for the then-pristine reefs, and the damage these people did was quickly seen. Can you imagine the effect of this on Bonaire’s reefs?

I recognize that many operations in Bonaire have resort diver programs, and if properly supervised, these programs can introduce many people to the joys of diving. In fact, my wife took such a course on Bonaire in 1999 before getting certified in 2000, and she was carefully instructed on the importance of avoiding contact with the reef and watched equally as carefully on all of her subsequent “resort” dives.

Anyway, think of this as just one more concern re a big all-inclusive operation.

PS – With only about 50 rooms (since HV’s renovation), I suspect the current property would be too-small to support an operation like Sandals, unless Sandals demolished everything there and started from bare earth.

Jamie,
Could the pollution of the waters which you speak about also be caused by private homes with their out of date septic systems leaching into the bay ?

Jan,

That probably could be part of the problem. It's a multifaceted problem for sure. Development (this area has just gone crazy with it) leads to siltation due to poor erosion control, increased storm-water flow, more people leads to more sewage, the sewage plants are constantly having accidental spills into the tributaries, forest buffers are getting smaller, lots of nutrient runoff from some huge (industrial-sized) livestock/poultry complexes ... the list goes on and on, but it all adds up. To compound this our Bay's watershed is shared by 5 states (that may or may not have the same interests).

I like clean water. That's why I love Bonaire!

OK...unless you own a place on Bonaire you don't have knowlege of gov't regs and Bonaire's fierce political support in protecting the environment. It's NOT like in the states and more so, Jaime, it's nothing like Maryland (When not in Bonaire I reside in Md.). First to address the golf course issue - HV went through years of development and research to be able to get the gov't to agree to build an "environmentally friendly" golf course.(water recycling, no chemicals, etc) Only then would the Bonaire gov't grant a permit. They are very much aware of the devistating effects. Secondly, the Sandals issue... All of you need to know that Butch Stewart owns Air Jamaica - He turned that airline around from a reputation of stolen carry on luggage to the BEST airline in the caribbean within 5 years. They are looking to have a hotel in Bonaire to do vacation packages. Also, they are probably interested in the property as more of a "boutique" hotel due to the small amount of rooms. Even if expansion of HV is in the future, Bonaire NEEDS a big name hotel - which need NOT be synonymous with destroying the environment. The people who built HV are developers , not hoteliers. They do not know how to run a hotel efficiently and therefore it is time they turned over the management to a company who does. Just because they sent out a press release saying they are re-opening - ha..there is NO operational dive shop - they will hook you up with someone elses and get you picked up at the dive dock. Also, the Spa isn't open, nor is the main restaurant. If Sandals or any big resort comes in, they will have to obey the rules of the island, and believe me, the gov't will not approve, issue permits, or allow such things as jet ski rentals or boat loads of resort divers anchoring boats into the coral. The gov't is very aware of how this has ruined other islands.

Very interesting. I have been to Sandals St. Lucia, Sandals Royal Bahamian, and Sandals Antigua more then once. Being in the travel industry for %$#*& years, I know the reputation Butch Stewart has. It would make sense that since he is bringing people here, he would want them to stay at his resort.
So many good points were brought up in each direction. All inclusives include drinks and food, so this wouldn't help Bonaire much. The clients would probably shop in town, but Bonaire isn't relly about shopping. It would bring in tons of "resort divers". And yes, let's face it 'new' resort divers don't have the love (yet) for the reef that we do. However, Being a " Dive travel Specialist" as my training at DEMA has made me, I have been taught we want to grow the dive travel business and we want to open it to more people to 'help' bring attention to the future of our reefs and bring sales to dive operators. People coming to Bonaire for the first time, doing a resort class, would probably be prone to coming back, and hopefully trying other resorts, telling friends and family of their new experiences, and therefore growing the dive industry.
So for this reason I'm sure I would be one of the first to send people to Sandals Paradise Bonaire ..or whatever he would name it.