I've been to Bonaire many times, and can't believe I haven't thought of doing this before...

Can I bring food from the U.S. into Bonaire?

We're staying at Buddy Dive, as usual, and they have a full kitchen in the apartments. I'd sure like to bring some dried goods and canned goods with me, especially a few bottles of cooking spices.

I can buy the rest of my groceries at the supermarket.

So, anyone know the answer?

FYI, I'll be connecting through Montego Bay (going from BWI by Air Jamaica), so I don't know if this complicates anything.

Canned good and spices will present no problems whatsoever. I usually bring sausage and M&M's and I have never been asked if I am carrying foodstuffs. I certainly don't volunteer the information. Only problem I have is it reduces the amount of dive and camera gear I can pack (grin).

Hmmmmm...Do I pack 6 lbs. of M&Ms or my regulator...LOL...Today's messages are making me

Scot,

The answer to your question has two parts: is
it legal, and is it practical.

As far as I know, there are no restrictions on
importing from the US, unlike the reverse.

I have brought in a hard-sided suitcase or
cooler full, including meat and vegetables not
available on the island. The European-style
cuts of meat (a couple of years ago) didn't
include leg of lamb and rib roasts that my
family there like. I freeze the meat, then pack
the bag or cooler the morning of the trip. All
came through with the meat still frozen and
veggies cool; most of the jets do not heat the
baggage compartments. I seem to remember
that the suitcase was a day late once with no
spoilage. I was never asked about food at
customs.

I have even brought down live New England
lobster; I hand carried them!!! My
granddaughter would not have let me in the
house if they had gone missing, or frozen or
oxygen-starved dead. My daughter either, for
that matter. And I was staying with them.

Great answers, all!

Thanks. Wow, I was just planning to bring over some bottled spices and canned tomatos! Here you guys are bringing in slabs of cow! What next? A stuffed sheep's haggis?

OK, I guess I won't feel bad for bringing just a bottle of oregano and garlic salt.

Scott

Bring on the haggis. I know someone who has bagpipes!

Hey, Michael, I'll join you on that haggis...just add a bit of neeps and tatties, and a few good drams and it becomes a party.

Scott, we always like to bring cold cuts for sandwiches,as we are not too fond of what is generally available. I have found that the large sealed packages from someplace like Costco, or similar warehouse distributor, travel very well just packed in a little softside cooler with a couple of coldpacks. The latter then comes in handy keeping beer cold as you hang out by the pool. We also do spices, maybe some tunafish (there was none in Cultimara this trip)---canned tomatoes is a lot of bulk, and we had no trouble finding that sort of thing on the island. It is hit or miss on the groceries, sometimes, as you know. For all I know, Cultimara may have tunafish spilling out the door right now.

Wow - you guys do travel with a lot of stuff - we figure if we can find corners in our dive luggage for things like coffee, tea, creamer, and sugar we're lucky. We travel with another couple who do not cook when they are on vacation so we end up eating out all the time. However we do find room for special treats like sweets. Last time we were in Bonaire we were able to find salted licorace - anyone know if they still carry this?

We always bring a cooler with things frozen, like ny steaks and "sauce" we stay for 3 wks and like to stay in sometimes and I like to have certain familiar things to cook with. Cultimare has mostly everything and there are a few other groceries around with a decent selection of things.There's the veg market on the water with fresh veg and fruits from SA and you can can get fresh fish at the fish market next to Richard's. When we first started coming to Bonaire over 10 yrs ago it was practical to do this, now its a habit and a pleasure to treat my friends with things from ny The food stays frozen at least 24 hr if not opened, we tape it shut with duck tape but a tag on it and send it thru with the rest our things.

Lorraine, when are coming to Bonaire next? I would like to place an order for a couple dozen bagels and a whole cheesecake !!! Compare to you guys the folks I travel with pack light. Last trip we got nailed for a overweight charge, Okay so maybe the microwave and outboard motor head were a bit much (grin).

In june we will be returning for 3 wks, just verified those wks with my boss!!The bagels are a definate(right up the road on the way to airport)smells up the airplane deliciously! The cheesecake, I thought I had a pretty good cheesecake(frozen) from that new market next to Liso gas and cultimar's bakery is pretty good too.
I travel with 3 hardside suitcases and the cooler, only was charged once when Jim brought along a case of Coor's. !! What else can I bring? I have gotten some strange request, but I will try my best!!

Congrats on the return. I will miss you by a couple of weeks, but I will be in New York in May, hopefully I can survive.

Lorraine,
Have you see the new (Maybe they are not new but I have just seen them recently!) insulated huge grocery bags? I just bought one in South Carolina at a Publix. They are like a huge shopping bag and has a reclosable top sort of like Ziploc. They say they will keep ice cream frozen for 3 hours!!! You could always put steaks in that and then put it in your cooler if you are worried about anything thawing!

How nice of you to think of me Denise, no I haven't found that type of cooler on LI yet, sounds great but what about the durability, I check my hard cooler with my suitcases at the airport so it gets bounced around quit alot before we arrive, afraid something like your talking about too fragil to substain the trip with all the frozen things. Thanks for the info.