By Gord Campbell (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 2:36 am: |
My wife and I and another couple will be coming to Bonaire for the first time in March. We are very, very excited as this is a trip we have wanted to do for a long time.
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By Trevor Naylor (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #133) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 4:12 am: |
Despite the post you refer to there is always loads of food in the shops. It is just that sometimes you may not be able to get exactly what you want. Nobody starves in Bonaire. I hope you enjoy your stay.
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By Trevor Naylor (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #134) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 4:17 am: |
Hi Gord. I forgot to mention that as you appear to be keen snorkelers and this will be your first trip to Bonaire I can highly recommend a snorkeling trip on the Woodwind to Klein Bonaire. Even though I am a diver no visit to Bonaire would be complete without a trip on the Woodwind.
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By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2760) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 7:11 am: |
Gord..Cultimara is opened I believe until 1:00 pm on Sunday. Also, More for Less is also opened for limited hours on Sunday.
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By Susan - www.bsdme.info (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #688) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 7:22 am: |
Both Cultimara in town and More for Less in Nikiboko are open on Sundays until around 2.
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By Pietri Hausmann (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #351) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 10:00 am: |
please .. enough about the cruise ship blockades .. the holdup is in Curacao.. bonaire is at their mercy .. we have only one company serving the container transfers between Curacao and here .. neither Curacao or Bonaire work on weekends, overtime nor the government clearance personnel just for a starter .. also these last couple of week have been filled with holidays .. elections on both islands for one and now i wouldn't expect much to happen in the next couple weeks of carnaval. the cruise ships have been docking at the old pier as unless we have 2 in a day which has occurred 6 times in January .. most of the ships at the container dock are in port for a few hours .. lets not just point at the cruise ships when the greatest problems really are elsewhere.. Curacao... and the import company.
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By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2761) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 12:05 pm: |
Pietri..You may very well be correct, but I for one believe the cruise ship traffic/schedules on Bonaire are WAY too excessive and it should really be curtailed.
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By Pietri Hausmann (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #352) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 1:23 pm: |
i totally agree that the cruise ship schedule is excessive..... 2 ships in a day severely taxes the limited resources available to handle the passengers and their activities .. at this time one ship must receive attention in the morning, the other in the afternoon... and the sheer numbers overwhelms little bonaire.. and lowers the quality of service we are able to provide ..the cruise ship situation is totally in the hands and control of the TCB...many many of the people involved in providing the services to the cruise ships have brought this "mess" to the TCB with no real response, reaction or willingness to work with those of us that are on the "front line." apparently the marketing approach by the TCB is numbers .. the higher the better rather than quality and marketing of Bonaire for what it is ..TCB is the sole one to blame ..
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By Gord Campbell (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #5) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 2:55 pm: |
Thank you all for your responses, although I'm still not sure my original question has been answered.
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By Chet Wood (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #899) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 3:39 pm: |
Here are times I have in my notes:
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By Pietri Hausmann (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #353) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 3:53 pm: |
cultimara and more for less are complete grocery stores including fresh meat and produce departments and bakeries... there are also many many smaller markets open all day Sunday well into the evening.... usually shopping here is not a one stop deal .. but not impossible ...just give yourself time, patience ( you will probably need to read labels as products are from all over the world and not familiar to you) and flexibility . there is absolutely no reason to think the stores are in anyway empty. there is always enough, sometimes not plentiful. in the nearly 30 years i have lived here .. i have not ever encountered the situation you are imagining....relax .. it all will be just fine..
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By Tom & Bob Staying Another Week (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1756) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 3:58 pm: |
Gord, Liz aka lizard just posted that she had a wonderful experience with Renee in her trip report. The personal shoppers webpage is: http://www.infobonaire.com/bonairepersonalshopper/
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By Patrick Matthew White (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #107) on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 12:24 am: |
Gord:
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By Vincent Vethaak (BonaireTalker - Post #47) on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 6:53 am: |
Hi Gord,
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By Susan Davis, InfoBonaire, Bon. Insider (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #373) on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 8:24 am: |
Gord, since you've already made contact with Renee, I would recommend you give her your list (there's a sample grocery list on her web site) and let her do her best for you. That way things are right there when you arrive, you don't have to waste time shopping until you get settled, and it will be very easy. Renee is extremely trustworthy, and if the items you want on Bonaire are here, she will find them for you. Her shopping web site is: www.bonairepersonalshopper.com.
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By John O'Connor (BonaireTalker - Post #11) on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 8:32 am: |
Also, the market (Asian name??) a little past Captain Don's on the east side of the street is open on Sunday. It has all the stapples: pasta, beer, wine, beer, etc... It seems a little pricier than Cultamara. We were there a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon. Also, I never ran into much of a cruiseship crowd in the grocery store, and they don't really "clog up" town all that much.
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By Trevor Naylor (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #138) on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 8:37 am: |
Hi Gord When in March are you in Bonaire as I am there from 14 March to 20 April and would love to meet up.
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By Bonaireisgreat (BonaireTalker - Post #88) on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 12:30 pm: |
Gord,
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By Eric M. (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #108) on Monday, February 1, 2010 - 3:02 pm: |
Vince and Pietri, could you two explain what your particular business or other connections are on Bonaire? I'm trying to figure out the push and pull here between the authorities that control different aspects of commerce and tourism and yourselves.
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By Gord Campbell (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #6) on Monday, February 1, 2010 - 3:59 pm: |
Thank you again for all your posts. We now have a pretty good idea and will probably look to get our groceries on Sunday, although I still need to speak with the others we are traveling with. I'd also like to once again thank Ann Phelan, who has helped us with our trip from the start and also helped us with the questions we had around groceries. Thanks again to all of you.
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By YucatanPat (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #420) on Monday, February 1, 2010 - 5:30 pm: |
Ya Vince what's your story....fess up....selling t-shirts to the cruise boaters again I bet....
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By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2768) on Monday, February 1, 2010 - 6:55 pm: |
Nah Pat..I think I'm going to open a White Castle on Bonaire ..I'll give Ruth some competition.
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By Thomas A. Kaelin (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #9) on Monday, February 1, 2010 - 7:39 pm: |
Cultimara should have your basics. We eat breakfast in and we bring with us in our luggage
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By Barbara "CB" Gibson* (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4303) on Monday, February 1, 2010 - 7:46 pm: |
Vince pretty much owns half of Bonaire and Pietri the the rest...the turf wars are ferocious...
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By Ann Phelan - www.bonairecaribbean.com (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4109) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 7:29 am: |
Your most welcome Gord. We have lots of small shops called Tokos that are open all the time. My new fav is across from WEB (electric plant.) They a great selection of wines. The Rene Barbier (white wine with a pretty label) is under 12,00 ANG. The local bakeries are great too: Exito for break and Latin desserts, Selecta on the way to the Animal Shelter for breads and a few more...have fun..
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By Corney Ann (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #396) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 10:19 am: |
Where is Selectra?
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By Pietri Hausmann (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #356) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 12:07 pm: |
selecta is on the lagoon road (kaya papa cornes) on the right side as you head east to animal shelter .. there is also a new grocery before you reach the bakery on the left side.
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By Corney Ann (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #397) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 12:11 pm: |
Thank you Pietri.
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By Lizard0924 (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #407) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 1:44 pm: |
Gord, as Tink mentioned, we used Renee's personal shopping service for our trip a few weeks ago. We arrived on the Continental red-eye and Renee arrived at our accommodations shortly after we checked in. (She would have pre-stocked everything before we even got there, but our hotel would not permit her access before we arrived. Bummer.) She even stocked our fridge and pantry for us. It was lovely, especially since we were exhausted from the flight and lack of quality sleep.
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By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2772) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 2:32 pm: |
CB...LMAO!! I wish
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By Barbara "CB" Gibson* (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4309) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 2:56 pm: |
Me too, Vince.....me too.....
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By Tim Howery (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #8) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 10:05 pm: |
You might want to print off a metric conversion chart for weights and measures. That is unless you can easily convert.
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By BonnieC (BonaireTalker - Post #88) on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 4:28 pm: |
Perhaps this is too late for Gord, but we just got back and I would point out that the cruise boat people don't crowd the grocery stores, so you can shop any day. The snorkel sites will be more crowded than the Cultimara.
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By Gord Campbell (BonaireTalker - Post #12) on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 4:43 pm: |
No, it's not to late for me. Thanks for the information.
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By Arnita (BonaireTalker - Post #38) on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 4:52 pm: |
ok speaking of groceries. we arrive sunday april 4 on the continental redeye. That will be Easter Sunday, does anyone know if the grocery stores will be open Easter?
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By Eric M. (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #201) on Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 12:02 pm: |
Based on the fact that they were closed over Christmas, I'd say no for Easter as well. But that's just an educated guess.
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By Arnita (BonaireTalker - Post #39) on Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 12:21 pm: |
Thank you Eric, we may have to look up Renee's personal shopping.
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By michael gaynor (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4051) on Friday, March 5, 2010 - 11:18 am: |
Loads of places will be open Easter Sunday! Also, keep in minds that Monday is also a holiday..
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