My fiance' and I are coming to Bonair in late May for our honeymoon. Out travel agent isn't too familiar with Bonair and has suggested Divi or perhaps Captain Don's. I was all set on going to Divi until I started reading this Newgroup. Now I am a little worried. I read another comment that Bel Mar was really nice, so I am going to check into it.

On our honeymoon we plan on mostly snorkling, and enjoying nature with perhaps a little nightlife. We are both students, so money is tight. Most importantly I want our honeymoon to be stress free, have easy snorkiling access, and fun. Out of the three hotels mentioned above what do you all suggest.

Thanks

Tamara:
We've stayed at Divi twice; this year (Jan) and last year. It is old and run down, and it's had its share of problems, but if you've been keeping up with the Bulletin Board you know that repairs/refurbishing are under way. When we were there, the hotel side was being repainted. You can snorkel directly off of the "beach," which isn't much. The stone jetty attracts tons of fish and you can spend a lot of time just puttering around right there. You can walk into town from Divi in about 10 minutes. No one will hassle you, it's a very safe place. There isn't a whole lot of night life, mind you, but there are a couple of bars and a several open-air restaurants. Try the Blue Moon and Amadeus. Splurge at Richard's (he's a little expensive). BRING THE BUG SPRAY. Driving around the island is worth the trip; driving in Washington/Slagbaii Park is extremely rugged, and a lot of the roads were washed out while we were there. VERY BUGGY, but scenic. There is a Donkey Sanctuary out by the airport where you can visit donkeys that have been rescued from around the island. There isn't much in the way of shopping, if that appeals to you. You can go out with the Woodwind (a catamaran) from Divi, they have a variety of snorkel trips around Klein Bonaire, including an all-day snorkel/barbecue on Wednesdays. There is a sign-up board near the Divi restaurant. There is a dive operation on premises. I don't know anything about BelMar, and Captain Don's did suffer some damage from Hurricane Lenny in November--the dive and photo shops were severely damaged. You might want to check on the status of repairs there if you decide to go there.
Hope this helps.

one correction if you will...it was Sand Dollar that had extensive damage to their dive and photo shop...

Tamara: I second Donna's message. BelMAr is very nice (we have friends who own there), but you will need a car for almost everything, as it is a bit far from the center of Kralendijk...this is also the case with Captain Don's. Both suffered some storm damage from Lenny, but so did every place on the island, for the most part. Divi's location would allow you to do without a car, if you want to skip that expense.
Although the renovations at Divi are continuing, I don't know if they will be complete in time for the date you have in mind. Divi management is projecting an early summer, 2000 completion date.If you can be guaranteed a renovated room, definitely go for it. However, if not, book for the timeshare side of the property. This will give you a small efficiency unit that I think you will find pleasant. The location cannot be beat, and the snorkling right in front of the property was not badly affected by the storm.
If you want to know more, drop me an e-mail, and I'll be glad to send you some info.

Tamara, My wife and I have been going to Bonaire for 6 years now. We have always stayed at Bonaire Beach Bungalows, which is now out of business. When we were there two years ago, we checked out Belmar. Now that we have need to find a new place to stay, we have chosen Belmar. We have also visited Divi, which I would not recommend, and Capt Dons, which is nice, but not the quality of Belmar. At either Belmar or Capt. Don's you will need a car. As students, I understand money is tight, but if it was my honeymoon, I would spend a little extra and go to Belmar. Remember, getteing there is half the cost. No matter where you stay, you will not be able to experience much of the islands diving or snorkeling without a car. The cost is around $250 per week and worth it. We have been communicating with the owners of Belmar for the past month or so and all of their repairs are made. They assure us all will be right when we get their in July. If you haven't already, check out Belmar's web page. Having visited there, I assure you it is accurate, and the cost of a little more luxury is worth the small price for a stress free honeymoon.

Congratulations on your upcomming marriage. Please post a note when you get back and let us know how your trip was

John Bressan

Thanks everyone for the information. I think we are going with Divi. Now the decision is to go with a timeshare or a room. They say the rooms should be done by then, but I don't know about that. The room is a lot cheaper, and if we rent a fridge ($6/day) we can get by without the stove and other things in the timeshare. However, if the rooms are a mess when we get there I would not be a happy camper. If there is anymore advice out there, let me know.
I am really excited.
Thanks

I stayed at the Divi in january. The buildings with the ocean view rooms have two floors. I stayed in one on the second floor. At the time they didn't use the first floor because of damage from Lenny. If you can get one of the ocean view rooms on the second floor I would certainly go for that. You have a great view and can see the fish in the water.

WE STAYED AT THE DIVI IN FEBRUARY. WE HAD A DELUXE OCEAN FRONT ROOM TOO. IT IS WELL WORTH THE DIFFERENCE IN PRICE. THE SUNSETS, THE FISH AND THE VIEW WERE TI DIE FOR! WE ALSO DEBATED GETTING A FRIDGE FOR $6 A DAY. WE DECIDED TO BRING A FOLDING COOLER FROM HOME AND SOME ZIPLOCK BAGS FOR THE ICE. IT WORKED OUT GREAT FOR ALL THE SODA. WE WENT TO THE SUPERMARKET THE FIRST DAY AND STOCKED UP ON SODA, APPLES, CRACKERS, PEANUTBUTTER AND BREAD TO EAT AND DRINK DURING THE DAY AND THEN WE FINE DINED IN THE EVENINGS. WE WENT TO RICHARD'S RESTAURANT 3 TIMES AND IT WAS OUR FAVORITE MEALS AND IT HAD VERY ROMANTIC SUNSETS.RESTAURANTS AND TOWN ARE JUST A SHORT WALK FROM THE DIVI AND WE FOUND THERE WAS NO NEED FOR A CAR. WE DID A ONE DAY TOUR WITH BONAIRE TOURS AND IT WAS GREAT. WE SAILED WITH RENEE AND THE WOODWIND 4 TIMES AND NEXT YEAR WE ALREADY KNOW WE WILL SAIL EVERY DAY. IT IS WELL WORTH IT AND RENEE SHOWS YOU MANY FISH THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED. IF JAN IS STILL DOING THE VIDEO, I HIGHLY RECCOMEND BUYING IT. WE WATCH IT ALL THE TIME. THE SHOTS OF THE FISH ARE PROFESSIONAL QUALITY AND YOU GET TO SEE YOURSELVES SNORKELING AND SAILING. IT IS REALLY COOL AND YOU CAN DRIFT BACK TO BONAIRE ANY TIME YOU WANT TO!!!

Tamara:
You may want to keep in mind that the oceanfront rooms are not the rooms that are currently being renovated. The rooms under renovation are those that surround the pool on the hotel side of the property, and which look out over the pool and over the oceanfront rooms to give you a view of the ocean and Klein Bonaire with the sunset...this is assuming that you are on the third (top) floor. These are classified as superior or deluxe on the DiviBonaire website. As noted in some of these posting, the bottom floor oceanfront rooms were washed out by Lenny, although the upper floors seem to have come through OK and were in use when we were at Divi in January, but renovation has not yet begun on those. As you know, we own on the timeshare side, so I am partial to that, but it would be slightly more expensive than the superior or deluxe. The standard rooms are ground floor, and pretty basic, so I don't think that they can be compared to the timeshares. Regardless, Bonaire itself is so great that you are sure to have a wonderful time.

Robert,what is so great about the timeshare rooms besides cooking facilities.We are staying there in May in the timeshare and are eager to hear how great our vacation will be.

Tamara, If you opt to stay at the Divi in a timeshare, it will cost you about the same as staying at Belmar. The only added expense would be for a car, that I believe is well worth the extra expense, as you will see so much more of the island. If you opt for a hotel room, even with a refridgerator, the ability to eat in for even a few nights, will offset the cost.

I have no personal interest in the Belmar, and in fact have never stayed there, but I have checked it out in person.

I can't argue with what they say about the Divi dive operation. It sounds like it is great. On the other hand, it may be possible to stay at a nicer place, i.e., Belmar and dive out of Divi. We have done that several years in the past, staying at BBB and diving from Sand Dollar.

Honeymoons are great, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It would be terrible if you got to Divi, in a bad room and were disappointed.

Irene:
I would not say that anything is "so great" about the timeshare rooms. I am the first person to admit that Divi has let the Club Flamingo property deteriorate, although as an owner I welcome the apparent turn-around. I would say that the issue right now is the comparison of timeshare rooms to hotel rooms before completion of the renovation effort on the latter.
Regardless, we have always had a marvelous time there, over many years. If it is a first time visit for you, I would be glad to share more information. Just drop me an e-mail with any questions.

Do not stay at Divi. The view is of the town dock where you can usually see an ugly black barge or a humongous cruise ship and it is not a very attractive hotel. You can see fish in the water from any of the hotels. Plaza Resort, Cap't Dons, Sand Dollar or Bel Mar are far superior.If you do not like Air Conditioning ask for a room with screens on the doors. Mosquitos are a fairly new problem in Bonaire because of all the recent rain and they ARE a problem at night. Staying on the second floor might help.

Ann Gross speaks of mosquitoes being 'a fairly new
problem on Bonaire because of all the recent
rain'. They have been there for the 16 years I
have been visiting the island and I suspect a bit
longer. They are a pest anytime the wind
drops-they can't fly safely (for them) in the full
trades- or in a place sheltered from the wind.
Part of the the tropics.

Dear Ms. Gross:
I've read all three messages posted I.e., Buddy's "offensive sign", "Don't stay at Divi", & "We'll not go back to Bonaire because of ALM".
I wonder...did you enjoy anything at all of the island? Did you do any nice snorkeling or diving, did you do any windsurfing, did you enjoy the crystal blue waters? How about the friendly locals or intimate beaches? Surely there was something that you enjoyed?

Unfortunately, some people are always miserable. No matter how great the surrounding. Destined to have a ROTTEN time! To not return to Bonaire because of ALM, is not going to change the way ALM does business. Perhaps stronger competition will make a differences, but selfmortification -- never!

I would like to stay at a place where you can do shore diving from the hotel property. I heard this is possible at the Divi, but am now concerned about the condition of the rooms. Has anybody stayed at Harbour village? Can you do shore diving there? Can you see the fish and coral from the rooms? Or do you end up paying extra money to get a nicer hotel room that is too far away from the coral reef, great diving, and the town?

I just had a great stay at the Coco Palm Garden, a short walk from Bachelor's Beach (yes, the coral suffered storm damage, but the fish are plentiful)and a short drive to just about anyplace. Incredibly reasonable prices, lovingly decorated, quiet with private patios. Check it out at http://www.cocopalmgarden.com

Dear Arlene Evans,

Let's talk about DIVING. Harbour Village is set on a tiny peninsula and has 1/4 mile strech of white sand private beach. What does this mean...plenty of off-shore diving where you have the beach almost all to yourself. I recommend you explore our house reef, "Something Specail" -a show case of spectacular marine life, with an eel garden right across the entance of the marina. Not to mention one of the best diving facilities with underwater photo/video equipment rental,personalized diving instruction. Two dive boats depart about twice a day to one of the many dive sites appx. 10 minutes away and night-dives can be arranged.

May I recommend you check out our dive package starting from $738pp (double occupancy)in a standard sized room includes 6 boat dives, daily breakfast, chilled juices on boat dives, and more.

The resort only about 5 minutes from the city. Transportation arrangements can be made at the front desk.

Check out:www.harbourvillage.com.

We at Harbour Village want you to have the most memorable vacation ever! If you have any questions please contact me, I'd be more than happy help you.