After 15 years of traveling to Aruba I am thinking of going to Bonaire for 5 days, as I have always wanted to visit the Island.

I have several questions that I hope some of you may answer.

I would want lodging on the beach with shore access for snorkeling, as I do not plan on renting a car.

Is downtown within walking distance?

Is there an inexpensive place to make daily telephone calls to the US, as I must be in contact with my family. On Aruba they have a booth near the casino in the low rise for cheap telephone calls and internet.

I know there are probably going to be many suggestions, but no frills places to eat...no fancy restaurant, just good seafood or local fare.

I am planning on taking an Island tour as well.

I know Aruba so well and feel comfortable there, that traveling to a new place will be different.

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

LuAnn- I too had traveled to Aruba many times with my mom we love to snorkel. We were told several times that we should visit Bonaire. We were nervous to make the switch because we felt so comfortable on Aruba. One year we decided to go for it. I haven't been back to Aruba. My mom and dad still go to Aruba together but I fell in love with Bonaire and haven't even thought about going back to Aruba since. You will find Bonaire a very comfortable friendly place as well. We stay at the Divi Flamingo. It is within walking distance to town and we walk to town often. There are many restaurants to choose from. We do rent a car as there are many places not within walking distance that we enjoy going too. Bonaire doesn't have a "phone hut" in the way that Aruba does but we found renting a cell phone from Michael at Chat and Browse very affordable and a great way to keep in touch with family at home. We snorkel often with Renee. She knows all of the best places to go and can show you anything you want to see. ENJOY!!

Hi LuAnn.

I am sure that you will enjoy your time on Bonaire. It really is a different world from Aruba & although bigger, has only about a 10th of the population.

Aruba is very Westernised & heavily caters for the Americans & Cruise Ship market, at the moment (with a few exceptions), Bonaire does not subscribe to such globalisation.

I hope that you will enjoy the stark contrast that Bonaire currently offers. I fear that it will not be long before the two islands are more or less identical.

Hi LuAnn, and welcome to Bonaire Talk.

We used to go to Aruba, but chose to visit Bonaire because of the snorkeling. We've been going there for 15 years now, and absolutely love the place -- see no reason to go to another island.

However, there are, I think, two HUGE caveats.

The first is "beach," especially as you think of the gorgeous expanses of beach in Aruba. The best beach on the island is (IMHO) at Harbour Village (the resort we use), a wonderful but pricey resort which is too far from the center of things to walk.

We stayed at the Divi years ago, before we found Harbour Village. The location is nearly perfect for walking into town, but their "beach" is a micro-dot of sand. Their real "beach" is a t-shaped concrete pier with lounge chairs and umbrellas, but then whoever insisted that a beach be made of sand? The snorkeling around the pier is supposed to be excellent.

The second is accessability. If you check the "Getting to Bonaire" thread, you will see the issue. Most of us in the US seem to use either Continental's red-eye out of Newark or Houston, or Delta's once-a-week flight out of Atlanta.

Having said that, my wife and I find Bonaire to be a spectacular place to visit, for a whole host of reasons -- a starkly beautiful island, wonderful people, a plethora of fine restaurants, an international feeling (on our beach last month we heard French, Italian, German, Dutch, Spanish, and both English and American accents), a sense of "togetherness" or "closeness" (I don't know the right word) that just always feels good to us.

Sadly, I must agree with Antony's post. Enjoy the island now... Every trip we make there, we wonder whether it will still be Bonaire!

Thanks everyone for your replies/suggestion.

Anyone stayed or have thoughts about Plaza Resort Bonaire?

Question for Jennifer...contact number/email for Michael at Chat and Browse and Renee. Is Renee a tour operator?

I will have to see about airfare. Seems to be going thru the roof and does seem to be somewhat of a challenge getting to Bonaire. Not easy flights/time as Aruba.

Wish me luck !

Hello LuAnn-
My wife and I have stayed at the Plaza seven times and are going back there in late June.

We selected the Plaza because originally my wife wasn't certified for scuba, so we wanted a place that had a nice sandy beach and easy snorkeling. Even though now that she does dive we still go back to the Plaza to enjoy the beach.

The resort is within a 15 minute walk to town and they do have a few computers on site that you can purchase Internet time on.

The Plaza staff can also arrange an island tour for you if you desire.

To get in touch with Michael try this email, info@chatnbrowse.com he is very knowledgeable and helpful.

For a listing of dining options go here: http://www.infobonaire.com/restaurant.html

There are plenty of great places to eat and I'm sure many will chip in with their opinions. Some we enjoy are, It Rains Fishes, Cactus Blue, Capriccio and Pasa Bon Pizza.

Note, I concur with the above posters, Bonaire is much more laid back and has a slower pace than Aruba (been to twice). It doesn't have the nightlife, shows or anything like that. As such it doesn't have the infrastructure to get tourists to and from the island comparatively. But perhaps since it's not over-run with tourists and making it tough to get to is part of its charm.

When my wife and I first went to Bonaire in the later '90's, before we left I apologized to her thinking that she wouldn't like the vacation, especially since she didn't dive. That wasn't the case. The island seemed to have a vibe and a pace the fit our lifestyle which is the reason we're going back for our 9th visit.

I hope this helps!

I found Michael by chance last week when my wife fell and broke her leg at 1000 Steps. He is located just outside the Sand Dollar complex. His email is info@chatnbrowse.com. Tell him that Jim & Diana sent you and thank him again for his help.

LuAnn -- you will save $$ and have much more internet time if you rent a WiFi card from Michael at Chat 'n Browse. You will find him in the group of stores just north of the roundabout at the north end of town.

Lu-Anne, think of the areas in the interior of Aruba, the areas on the way to the caves and the natural pool and behind the lighthouse and make them greener, add more hills, parakeets, throw in more goats and donkeys, add the beautiful flamingos and wonderful warm people and you have Bonaire. Aruba was many of the above mentioned things before it was "discovered". Forgive the sentence structure! Anyway, in addition, the under water beauty is breathtaking. I prefer snorkeling and it is so easy on Bonaire. A day or two of a car rental to tour, and a day to Klein Bonaire for some extra special snorkeling and you'll be surprised that your 5 days will be almost up. Dinner in town on the water just takes you away. You're on the water front. You can't loose. You will love it.

LuAnn- Here is Renee's website! http://www.infobonaire.com/reneesnorkeltrips/
She is great!!!

LuAnn

You’ll enjoy Bonaire and you’ll understand why people are returning to Bonaire so often.
You might also consider renting a condo: then, you’ll have the possibility to take some (not all!) of your meals there. Take a look at Sand Dollar. It is not far from downtown, it is right in front of Bari Reef, the view is splendid. You’ll have a good idea of the place if you read the recent BT post of Allan and Joan Zale
http://www.oldbonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/1022/468024.html?1300263693

If you plan to rent a vehicle, consider renting a truck or a jeep, otherwise it would be very challenging driving in the Washington Slagbaai National Park (an absolute must).

For snorkeling (as for scuba diving) have some open heel fins with robust booties if you plan to enter water from the shore.

With respect to phone, a good alternative, if you have a laptop, a i-Pod Touch (or similar device), is to find Wi-Fi access (some resorts offer Wi-Fi access) and then use tools like Skype to call US.

Best.