I haven't been to Bonaire yet but am going in Feb. or April. I realize beaches are few in number, but keep getting conflicting information. I also get that just because a place is by water, that doesn't mean it has a beach. Happy Holiday Homes says they're within walking distance of Bachelor's beach and the lighthouse beach, but somewhere on these posts someone said it's quite a hike and you have to drive. Then I got an email from someone at diver's paradise that said you have to have a car to get to any beach on Bonaire. My husband and I want to stay in a less expensive, small place rather than a big resort. Is it true the resorts are the only ones that actually have water/snorkling at their doorstep? We're looking at Divers Paradise and Happy Holiday Home, which on the map look like they're on the water, but may be that's deceiving. I guess if we have to drive anyway, we could stay someplace even cheaper in the middle of town. Is it a big ordeal to get from a hotel in town to the water, say for instance if we stayed at Amsterdam Apts, which are super cheap. We basically want to stay someplace that's $500-$600/week near a beach (short drive, I guess) w/ snorkling at our doorstep. Any ideas? Am I asking too much? Thanks for any advice...

Hallo Renee,

it shouldn't be a problem to find a place for $500/$600 that has access to the sea. I don't know where Happy Hollidays Homes is located, but I do know that you can't be in walking distance from both Bachelor's beach and Lighthouse beach. I guess that they are a good 30 minutes apart.

I would recommend to rent a car anyway. If you don't you'll miss out on many of the Bonaire attractions: shore diving/snorkling, Sunday party at Lac Cay, the marine park, driving along the east side, going to the nice restaurants, ...

One our first trip we stayed at Buddy Dive. They have packages including a rental car. The resort is rather small. It also has a small beach and a very nice reef. I'm not sure what there current prices are, but you can find those on the net.

Happy Holiday Homes is NOWHERE NEAR the water. You can hike over to lighthouse beach, but we drove over to dive there from HHH

Renee,
I agree that to go to the better snorkeling sites you will want to rent a car. My favorite is Andrea I, and Donkey Beach to the north near the little yellow building.

Divers' Paradise is a block off of the water, but in a residential area with no public access to the ocean. About 1/2 mile walk north to shore access.

Bachelor beach is really just a very small strip of sand located at the bottom of some stairs. You might not consider it a beach.

Plaza Resort, Harbour Village, and Eden Beach are the only hotels/resorts with "true" beaches. All have okay snorkeling. All the hotels on the ocean have areas where you can lay in the sun, and have easy access to the ocean.

Klien Bonaire (small island off of Bonaire) has a great beach...tons of privacy also. You can take the water taxi there and back. Some nice snorkeling spots from Klien. No restroom or any other types of facilities...so bring plenty to drink. You can also take sailng/snorkel cruises to Klien.

About your ears...if you decide to do another "resort course" you might want to consider telling the instructor about the problems you had previously. She/he will then be sure to focus on helping you equalize properly! Also, you may not be aware, but after your "resort course" you can dive with an instructor for 14 days, so your "resort course" investment can be stretched into a bigger payoff than one or two dives.

Hope you enjoy Bonaire,

Scott

Renee: Divi Flamingo Beach Resort has a nice, intimate, small beach with outrageous snorkeling and great dive operation. It is not a large resort by American Standards or other Caribbean standards. I believe the Plaza is the largest but the rest of the "resorts" are relatively small, comparitively speaking....prices? Well, that you will have to check out. A car for at least part of your stay would be such a great thing to do. There are so many things to experience and explore on Bonaire away from the waters, too. You will fall in love with Bonaire once you are there....the rest of us certainly did...instantaneously, too! How exciting for you to be anticipating your first trip to Bonaire....I do recall when we were planning ours. Now we look forward to returning every year...we work hard all year long to be able to return to Bonaire for two weeks. Remember, the sun in Bonaire is very, very strong, so if you are going to be doing a lot of walking, please do keep that in mind. It is not too far from the Equator. Why don't you see how much Divi will charge you for a timeshare unit...that way you will have kitchen equipment along with a beach, two pools, two restaurants, spa, etc. It is not a "glitzy" place...very much a comfortable place to be..."Barefoot elegance" is their theme. Good luck! Carole

We stay at Bonaire Town Homes, which is just outside of town in a quiet residential area. They have very reasonably-priced one-bedroom and two-bedroom units, with full kitchen, private outside seating/eating area, very complete, comfortable and clean (which is why I'll be there again this year for six weeks). If you'd like to be out of the mainstream, but have very nice, simple accommodations, check out www.bonairetownhomes.com.

Feel free to email me directly if you want further info -- I don't want to sound like a shill for them here, so I won't just go on and on...

As others have said, whereever you stay, I'd get transportation - there's a lot to see, and wonderful snorkeling sites you'd need a vehicle to reach.

BTW, like probably all of the small accommodations, the don't have hot water, although it's more than warm enough for showers come afternoon. We've got very used to cool water, and it's the perfect temperature after a good snorkel or dive. A nice shower, then off to the hammocks with a cool drink... paradise!

We stayed at Aqua Viva apt. just across the road from Eden Beach Apts. where there is a nice little beach with good snorkelling. My husband dived with WannaDive who have a base there as well as in town. (Very nice people). Its a nice easy 20 min. walk into the town centre. A car is very necessary unless you are happy to see only a very small part of the island.

The beach at Plaza is freely accesible to non-guests. If you want to use beds or towels though, you have to pay for it (guests don't). Just follow the Bulevar JA Abraham south from the centre of Kralendijk until the street makes a turn left. In that turn you'll see a (sort of) parking lot. There's a gate in the far righthand corner that leads directly to the beach.

Renee,

Divers Paradise Bonaire is right across the street from my house (we're on the water), and yes, you pretty much need a car to get to a sand beach from there (even our waterfront doesn't constitute a sand beach). As far as being able to find a water front place for $500-600/week - that would be difficult, however, as many above point out, Bonaire is a snorkeler's paradise, you can stop pretty much anywhere along the water (providing there's no private property between you and the water as is the case in our neighborhood), and go for a snorkel. That's why you would want a car.

Jake

Hi, Renee!! We stayed at Divers Paradise last trip, Plaza the time before. Divers Paradise is a short drive from beach access, but you can see the sea from the second floor apts. The good news is you can get a very affordable package that includes a vehicle!! Really, if you are going to invest in the airfare, you must have wheels to see all of the island and access all the beautiful areas you can snorkle. Nothing is horribly far from anything else, navigation is simple, there is no traffic. EEEEEZZZZ!! margarite

Oh, and I forgot to mention, we spent a great deal of time at Plaza. The beach there is more the conventional Carribean ideal and I have spent MANY happy hours there snorkling and diving. No one has ever asked us to pay to use facilities, even though we were not staying at the resort(last time) My understanding is that D. Paradise and Plaza are owned by the same group. I don't know for sure....maybe Kitti can set us straight on that. In any case we were spending $$ at the Coconut Crash bar and we spent$$$ at their dive shop (Toucan) so maybe they were more hospitable for that reason. Or maybe security was snoozing. Who knows?! The beach was not crowdedon either trip. Stay at D.Paradise, get the vehicle, have a great time. Margarite

Oh, and I forgot to mention, we spent a great deal of time at Plaza. The beach there is more the conventional Carribean ideal and I have spent MANY happy hours there snorkling and diving. No one has ever asked us to pay to use facilities, even though we were not staying at the resort(last time) My understanding is that D. Paradise and Plaza are owned by the same group. I don't know for sure....maybe Kitti can set us straight on that. In any case we were spending $$ at the Coconut Crash bar and we spent$$$ at their dive shop (Toucan) so maybe they were more hospitable for that reason. Or maybe security was snoozing. Who knows?! The beach was not crowdedon either trip. Stay at D.Paradise, get the vehicle, have a great time. Margarite

WHAT? WHY?

Renee,
I would definitely recommend the Divi Flamingo Resort. Ask for the timeshare units, which have kitchens and balconies. It is just a few steps (maybe 50-100 feet) from your room to the best diving and snorkelling on the island. And you won't need a car because you can walk to the 2 major grocery stores for food and can enjoy the 5 minute walk along the oceanfront promenade into the historic center of Kralendijk for shopping, internet access, restaurants, whatever. The rates are very reasonable and if you're a diver, ask for a dive package. You will save by not needing a car or gasoline and you will be able to fix your own meals which is a real money saver and you will be at the BEST LOCATED, most typically Bonairean hotel with the nicest people on the island. I've spent 2 months there in the past year and can't wait to go back ! You can't go wrong with Divi!

Renee, I agree with Nadine. We stayed at the Divi and will stay there for all return trips. Great walk into downtown, great diving, snorkeling, and the restaurant is great too! You will love it! Keep us posted as to what you decide....

My 2 cents on Bonaire Beaches (including where to stay):

1. Plaza Resort has the most traditional "resort beach" on the island; it is a stretch of fine grain sand of adequate width, breadth and depth, with umbrellas, chairs and drinks within reach. Municipal beaches (Donkey, Bachelors) will still be mostly covered in coral fragments (post-Lenny, the hurricane).

2. Pink Beach is the nicest place for a very private sunset-watch. Sandy patches can be found, and the proximity to the salt pier and the large white hills of waiting salt can make it somewhat surreal to a newcomer. Since it is on the far southern end of the island it can at times be had to oneself, or nearly so. No hotel is adjacent, though.

3. The beach at Boca Slaagbai in Washington park is the "best of both" - plenty of sand up and away from the water's edge makes it fine for the usual beach-based activities of tanning and lazing about, there is great snorkelling in the inlet for those willing to toddle past some shallow coral obstacles, and even shallow soft coral growth is on the mend here. Although officially off-limits, there are abandoned/storm ruined buildings here if getting some shade becomes critical. You are also likely to get one of the closest views of wild Flamingo here, as the road separates a shallow marsh area from the beach. Again, no hotel.

4. There are several other unique recreational waterfronts in Kralendijk and Belnam. Locals tend to cool off at Cha-Cha-Cha (across from Dive Inn, which has rooms to rent), Bachelor's beach and Donkey/Windsock. Each has its own unique appeal.

5. Don't forget Lac Cai on the windward side. The lagoon is a windsurfing paradise. The surf shops are nestled between the nudist resort of Sorobon and the lac's beach area, which has pavilions for cookouts and hosts weekend get-together and jam sessions. Mangroves are nearby, but reef snorkeling/diving is only rarely an option when the wind is low or reversed.

Unless you simply must hear the gentle lapping of wind upon wave during the night, save your money and pick a place centrally located but not necessarily waterside. Coco Palm Garden / Casa Oleander is my personal favorite - in Belnam, it is minutes from everywhere but at half the price of a resort room.

Good beachcombing!

-LS

Oh my, Renee'.....so many choices to chose from. Remember....in Bonaire you most likely will not need to use a boat to gain access to the areas you would like to go to, so a car can make up for the expenses you won't be spending on boat trips....make sense? Even if you only have a car for a day or two and stay at the Divi (my fav and close to town and everything) it will be great to explore the Park on the Northern end of the island, the Flamingo Sanctuaries and Gotomeer Lake, Lac Cai and Lac Bay and so on. We still "tool around" in the car when we return to Bonaire every trip....it is just a fun place to explore with a car as well as in the water. Please do keep us posted on your final decisions! CArole

Renee: Here is a not so great pic of the small beach at the Divi Flamingo Beach Resort. There is a tanning pier (lots of beach chairs and umbrellas) and beach chairs along the water and two restaurants right there overlooking the water, too. I will try to post a couple of pics for you now. Carole

Thanks for all the helpful info. I guess we're looking into Eden Beach since it has a beach, snorkling and is inexpensive. Divi looks good too, but their rates are confusing. (Their website doesn't seem to explain the difference between Standard, Superior and Deluxe -- have an email inquiry out to them.) I'm sure we will rent a car anyway, as we want to explore alot. I guess whereever we end up staying will be fine, as supposedly there's no place bad on Bonaire!

In February, there was a lot of nice sand at Donkey Beach (what I'd always previously called Windsock, but I understand that's just the dive site name). It's my favorite spot for sunset-watching. I take my chair down, sit in the water with the waves lapping at my feet, and just relax. Seldom anyone else there...

Sounds absolutely serene, Josie! My kind of place to be and my kind of activity, too. It is sooo nice to enjoy nature on Bonaire. Carole

My wife and I would recommend the Sorobon Beach Resort - see our trip report at:http://caribbean.wheretostay.com/property/053-reviews.html for information.