We are a group of 4 (3 divers and 1 non-diver) coming to Bonaire on 6th of April. We have two weeks and plan to dive in Bonaire and in Curacao.
We have never been to any of the ABC islands, so I guess since you only get one chance to make a first impression we want to have a great one. Also considering how far Poland and Caribbean is - well we are not going to be very frequent...
We pretty much need help with finding the right place to stay. Reading all the information on the bulletin board is quite difficult to decide where to go. Usually we go for smaller and peaceful places, comfortable, by the sea, with dive shop and friendly people. It is also important for us that the person who is not diving is going to be comfortable while staying at the "resort" - so I guess a piece of sandy beach would be nice

I noticed that hotel/diving packages offer car rental - is that really necessary? Isn't it better to get 12 boat dive package? Is the diving off shore that great?

I truly appreciate your help, alone here we do not have much information besides internet. No books, no dive guides...

shore diving is probably unlike anything you have seen - yes it is that great.

however, boat diving is as good and sometimes better and certainly less expensive than a rental car. problem without a car is that you need to centrally locate yourself and that really limits your lodging options...especially if you want access to the sand...

seems like those Sand Dollar Condos might be worth looking into for your group?

Hi Kinga,

Dzien Dobry and all that.

You will NOT go wrong staying at at Capt. Don's, Lion's, Buddy Dive, Sand $$, The Divi Flamingo or the Plaza. ALL have great dive operations, restaurants & bars, house reefs that are terrific, great grounds, sound boats and crews, friendly staff and clean comfortable rooms. They all can fix you up with a rental truck (worth the money in my opinion) and offer all kinds of gear and camera rentals either on-site or nearby.

And yes, the shore diving on Bonaire, even if you "only" dove the house reefs, is absolutely wonderful.

I would also quickly add that ANY resort on Bonaire is an excellent choice depending on your budget. The ones I named are simply the larger ones with more on-property amenities than some of the others.

Yak se mash

Take a look at Sand Dollar Condo resort. They have very complete studio, one, two and three bedroom units all with complete kitchens. On the grounds they have a swimming pool, tennis courts, internet cafe, ice cream shop, restaurant, and a grocery store. You might consider us partial because we own a unit there. The best thing though about Sand Dollar is Bari Reef right out in front. It has great fish life.

Let us know if you have any questions

Joan & Alan

Kinga,
We'll be at Capt. Don's April 7th to 22nd staying in a two bedroom, two bath cottage. Excellent Dive shop plus as a non-diver, I truly enjoy the pool area and snorkeling between Capt. Don's - Lion's - Buddy's - Sand Dollar while the rest of the family dives. This is a return trip for us. Last April I went on several dive boat trips and snorkeled while the rest of the family dived. Have fun deciding.....you'll love Bonaire!

We've stayed at Lions Dive 3 times, and love it. All units have full kitchens; there are only 31, so it's small and cozy. Bon Bini Divers is a class act as well. Feel free to e-mail me if you want detailed information.

Let's all hope and pray for peace and an end to this madness.

Hi Kinga and welcome to the board.
I can only agree with all of the above. You will want some form of transportation while on the island. We always DROP the boat dives from the package (most places this will save you $100USD pp off the listed package price). We prefer to freedom to dive when and where we want, no "having" to be at the boat at a given time or cut a dive short due to DM (dive master)imposed limits. With the exception of Klien Bonaire and a few sites up north, you can shore dive most of the sites the boats go to anyway. If there are 3 divers, the saving will cover the cost of the vehicle, which you will want anyway. I do have some concern that it's getting a little late to find a place to stay, I would suggest you decide quickly.

Hej! Czescz!

We too are living in Poland and are BIG fans of Bonaire! Believe us, after diving in the Baltic you will LOVE Bonaire! We like it so well we're wanting to go back this summer.

Don't know when exactly in April you are headed there, but if you have time to e mail us we can give you some inside tips, having been on the island ourselves. Or maybe we could talk by phone.

Depending on what kind of budget you have for your trip, we can advise you of accommodations, food, etc.

You will have a great time!