Thank you for all the information I have gleaned from Bonairetalk. We will be travelling to Bonaire in August for two weeks with our four small children (ages 8,5,3,3), two mothers and a brother. This will be my fourth trip to Bonaire, but the first time with the kids. The first two times, we stayed at Sunset Beach. The second time at the Divi. This time, we are booked to stay at Eden. We liked the Divi ok but did not ooze with the same enthusiasm I have read here. The view from our room was awesome but the room itself was a little dingy and one of the beds had an ant problem. We needed a kitchen this time. I emailed the Divi a few times inquiring about the timeshare units but never heard back from them. Were they afraid of my four kids?!?! BTW, we never even used the beach or did any snorkeling at the Divi while we were there because we were off diving elsewhere or exploring the island. After reading Bonairetalk, I think, "what a shame!". Will they allow non-guests to snorkel around that area? In contrast to the Divi, Eden Beach (and Wanna Dive) were very responsive and seemed eager to please us. Anytime we had a question or request, they were there to answer us. We also liked the baby pool and access to a sandy beach which is good for little knees and sand castles. My question is this: I have read comments here and everyone seems to think Eden is a fine place, but nobody seems to be brimming with enthusiasm about it. Why? Is this because it is still relatively new and doesn't have a loyal customer base like the Divi? Is it because Sunset is next door? Any comments would be welcome.

Elizabeth: FYI...the Sunset has been gone for quite a few years. First closed and then gutted by a fire. Unfortunately, I don't know too much about Eden. A few people I know enjoyed it there, but we've never stayed there so this is second-hand info. Carol

For Elizabeth's Eyes Only - Everyone Else Disregard

Elizabeth,

I have stayed at Eden twice so far and am planning on returning there next November and February-ish.

The Domingo family take very good care of their guest. The units are well maintained, if you have a problem the family is there to correct it.

The on site dive shop is one of the best I have every had the pleasure of playing with. That is right "playing". The folks at WannaDive (which I followed from another fine resort) have almost as much fun as their guest all the while keeping your safety in mind.

The Beach Bar (Bongo's) is run by a great bunch of people. Henk the owner and his staff of lovely Bartenders are very nice. You can get real decent bar meals there as well.

I have referred other friends to Eden/WannaDive/Bongos since my first visit and they have all returned with great trip reports.

Now Elizabeth, book it and enjoy. However, please do not tell anyone else what I have just told you, otherwise the rates will go up and the availability will become limited -shhhhhhhhhhh!

Thanks for the info. Tom, thank you for confirming what I felt intuitively but didn't see in clear print. And it's our secret...