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Dining: Groceries In Bonaire
Bonaire Talk: Dining: Archives: Archives 2010: Archives 01-01-2010 to 03-31-2010: Groceries In Bonaire
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gord Campbell (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 2:36 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

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.

Our plan is to do most of our breakfasts and lunches ourselves, and eat out for most dinners.

We arrive on Continental very early on a Sunday morning and are concerned about getting groceries. As mentioned above we will need food for breakfasts and lunches and will also need to get things like garbage bags, toilet paper etc. as most of these things are not supplied where we are staying. I read one post on Bonaire Talk that said you would be wise to do your shopping on either Friday night or Saturday, as items in the supermarkets go fast and are only re-supplied once per week. As well, it does not look like much is open on Sunday.

We would prefer not to spend a lot of time on Monday shopping for two reasons. First of all a cruise ship is scheduled to be in port (there is no cruise ship on the Sunday we arrive) and I understand the town gets pretty busy when a ship is in and secondly, we want to be in the water snorkeling.

Is there anywhere we can go that is open on a Sunday to get the kind of items we are looking for? Is it likely they will still have items in stock given what I read in another post on Bonaire Talk about items going quickly off the supermarket shelves?

Also, I have heard mention of using Renee’s service to have groceries ready and waiting for you upon arrival. Has anyone tried this service? I’m sure Renee provides a great service, but I would also think it might be difficult to ask someone to buy things for you from a country you are not familiar with, as you don’t know what is and is not available. Any comments on this?

Thanks so much for your help.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Trevor Naylor (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #133) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 4:12 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

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.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Trevor Naylor (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #134) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 4:17 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

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.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2760) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 7:11 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Gord..Cultimara is opened I believe until 1:00 pm on Sunday. Also, More for Less is also opened for limited hours on Sunday.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan - www.bsdme.info (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #688) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 7:22 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Both Cultimara in town and More for Less in Nikiboko are open on Sundays until around 2.

We are currently getting very few deliveries and the stores are depleted. The cruise ships have created a blockade. I would think petitions will be out again and hopefully the government will listen. I know of one restaurant which was on the edge of having to close since they were unable find enough products to support their menu. I find it appalling that those who come and stay and spend are victimized by the ships who come for a day and spend little. Just another of the many "gifts" of the excessive cruise ship traffic in Bonaire.

The ships are not here on Sundays so you should not have traffic problems while finding your way around.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pietri Hausmann (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #351) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 10:00 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

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.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2761) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 12:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

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.
Rest assured I (and I suspect many others) will do almost anything to avoid town when they are in.

The tourists who really spend the money to support Bonaire (people who book accommodations; who patronize the local restaurants and shopping facilities and pay the hotel taxes and airport departure fees) are adversely affected by such a heavy schedule. TCB should be more cognizant of this.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pietri Hausmann (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #352) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 1:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

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 ..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gord Campbell (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #5) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 2:55 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thank you all for your responses, although I'm still not sure my original question has been answered.

First of all though, to Trevor, thanks for your suggestion. We have already reserved a trip on the Woodwind, and have also reserved both a day and night snorkel with Rene. As I said in my original post, we are very excited about visiting.

I also understand the discussion on cruise ships, and am concerned about it. Dealing with cruise ship traffic is not a part of the vacation we are looking forward to but that is not really what my original post was about.

If anyone could help me out and let me know if the markets that are open on Sunday (either Cultimara or More for Less) would have what we are looking for, that being food we can prepare for breakfasts and lunches (cereals, eggs, bread, sandwich meat, milk, juice, butter, etc., etc.) and also things like toilet paper, garbage bags, etc. And if they do stock these kind of items, would they be likely to still have stock on the shelves on Sunday?

Or alternatively, should we ask Renee if she will stock our fridge for us as part of the service she is offering, and at least then we know we will have what we need?

Thanks again for your help.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chet Wood (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #899) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 3:39 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Here are times I have in my notes:
CULTIMARA
Mon – Sat
7:30 – 7:00
Sun
9:00 – 2:00

Cultimara should (hopefully) have everything you need.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pietri Hausmann (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #353) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 3:53 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

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..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom & Bob Staying Another Week (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1756) on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 3:58 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

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/

Liz' report is at:
http://www.oldbonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/1022/414457.html?1264881308

My room mate and I had decent luck the past two weeks at Cash & Carry (good meats, fruits and veggies and fresh herbs) and right across the street at (I believe) Warehouse.

I was under the impression that the recent lack of certain items in the stores had to do with a crane in Curacao being broken. At least that is what I was told just after I arrived and again today, both times by locals.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Patrick Matthew White (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #107) on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 12:24 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Gord:
We have just returned from Bonaire. As on past trips I initially stocked our apartment at Cultimaria as we arrived on the weekend to late for Warehouse. They had everything that we needed initially. Shopping at Warehouse will no be greatly affected by a cruiseship due to it's location.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vincent Vethaak (BonaireTalker - Post #47) on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 6:53 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Gord,
When you are taking a break and go on holidays, you should enjoy every minute of it. So even if you can't supply the family with breakfast the next morning, there is an adventure to explore on Sunday.
Meet people and ask where the basic stuff is offered. If your holiday program is fully booked with everyday planned activities, I personally can not call it a holiday.
Enjoy your stay and you will experience that Bonaire has it all.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan Davis, InfoBonaire, Bon. Insider (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #373) on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 8:24 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

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.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John O'Connor (BonaireTalker - Post #11) on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 8:32 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

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.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Trevor Naylor (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #138) on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 8:37 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

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.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bonaireisgreat (BonaireTalker - Post #88) on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 12:30 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Gord,
We do the same thing, eat breakfast and lunch in our timeshare and then go out for dinner. We still bring stuff down with us as it's sometimes a hit or miss if something you want is in stock at the grocery store or if they carry a particular brand.

We just made arrangements with Renee after reading Liz's report, thank you Liz! It's great that she offers this service so you can just arrive and start enjoying Bonaire. Given the choice of shopping for groceries or diving....hmmn...I'm going diving!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eric M. (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #108) on Monday, February 1, 2010 - 3:02 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

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.

It seems to me that there is a very large number of people trying to rescue the island from itself because there are some people in power that are allowing entities to operate for selfish reasons.

If this is allowed to go on for very long, the negative impact on this little paradise could be drastic. If you two are part of the commercial industry there on Bonaire (shops, etc.) then you are in a position to fight back. But you are going to have to gain support from others and in the short term, it is going to cost you a lot of money.

In the long term though, saving the island from becoming the next Jamaica/Curacao/etc. will be well worth the fight.

I'm kind of on the outside looking in and I apologize in advance if I've misread your part in this. But I would just hate for Bonaire to self-destruct. It can happen so fast and it is nearly impossible to undo.

e.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gord Campbell (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #6) on Monday, February 1, 2010 - 3:59 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

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.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By YucatanPat (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #420) on Monday, February 1, 2010 - 5:30 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ya Vince what's your story....fess up....selling t-shirts to the cruise boaters again I bet....

Gord, have a great trip!

(Message edited by yucatanpat on February 1, 2010)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2768) on Monday, February 1, 2010 - 6:55 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Nah Pat..I think I'm going to open a White Castle on Bonaire :-)..I'll give Ruth some competition.

Eric: Anything you want to know about me just click on my website..It's all there!! I'm just a simple property owner who is working now in the US and who plans on spending about 4 months a year on Bonaire when I retire. Really a common scenario. There are many on this board with similar plans.(some are already retired).

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Thomas A. Kaelin (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #9) on Monday, February 1, 2010 - 7:39 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Cultimara should have your basics. We eat breakfast in and we bring with us in our luggage
coffee and our own granola (both available in the markets but we are partial to a particular brand) At Cultimara we picked up milk, juice, yogurt, fresh fruit, fresh bakery items (muffins and rolls) butter and jam. That covers our breakfast and no problem finding items. Milk will likely be the boxed shelf kind but it was fine with us. There were eggs and breakfast meat in the store as well.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Barbara "CB" Gibson* (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4303) on Monday, February 1, 2010 - 7:46 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Vince pretty much owns half of Bonaire and Pietri the the rest...the turf wars are ferocious...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ann Phelan - www.bonairecaribbean.com (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4109) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 7:29 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

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..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Corney Ann (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #396) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 10:19 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Where is Selectra?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pietri Hausmann (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #356) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 12:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

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.

eric ..... i have lived on bonaire for 29 years.. i am now a "pensioner" but keep busy here and there .. i worked in tourism for 25 years ...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Corney Ann (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #397) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 12:11 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thank you Pietri.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Lizard0924 (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #407) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 1:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

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.

Because of Renee, we were in the water earlier than on any other trip. Yay!

If you email her ahead of time, she will work with you via email or phone to get all the items you requested to the best of her ability. If substitutions are needed, she will let you know before you arrive. For example, I wanted greek yogurt but that was not available, so she let me know that and I figured out an alternative. Remember, this is a small island and what is available is dependent on what was delivered recently.

Overall, it was a great experience and hopefully she will continue this service, as we hope to call on her again for our trip next January. This was the first trip where I didn't ever venture into Cultimara, Warehouse or any other food store. (We did run out of Polars and Brights by mid-week, but my husband made the supplemental beer run.)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2772) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 2:32 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

CB...LMAO!! I wish :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Barbara "CB" Gibson* (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4309) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 2:56 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Me too, Vince.....me too.....

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tim Howery (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #8) on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 10:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

You might want to print off a metric conversion chart for weights and measures. That is unless you can easily convert.

Just a thought.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By BonnieC (BonaireTalker - Post #88) on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 4:28 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

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.
Another note - the sandwich shop in the back corner of the Cultimara is worth stopping at. Good sandwiches reasonably priced. That was a new discovery for us this year.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gord Campbell (BonaireTalker - Post #12) on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 4:43 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

No, it's not to late for me. Thanks for the information.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Arnita (BonaireTalker - Post #38) on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 4:52 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

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?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eric M. (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #201) on Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 12:02 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

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.

e.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Arnita (BonaireTalker - Post #39) on Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 12:21 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thank you Eric, we may have to look up Renee's personal shopping.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4051) on Friday, March 5, 2010 - 11:18 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Loads of places will be open Easter Sunday! Also, keep in minds that Monday is also a holiday..

 


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