Bonaire today

I last visited Bonaire 10 years ago. Went several times, in fact,
staying at the Divi and Capt Dons (CD several times.) Loved the shore
diving at Capt Dons.

Hated the travel to and from Bonaire. Uncertain and late connections,
long lines and waits in Bonaire airport, etc. One trip was even
cancelled due to strike while we were enroute.

Could be tempted to try again. Has anything changed with travel? (We
would fly from Atlanta.)


-HW "Skip" Weldon
Columbia, SC

It's interesting that you say "Neither Divi or Habitat are what they
used to be, but both are still serviceable." Why is that? It seemed to me
while I was there that other people said the same thing about the resorts
near Buddy, and Buddy itself. The diving is very good. There's only 15000
or so people living on the island. This was the first time I'd been there
and was impressed with the diving and the way the reefs are protected. It's
almost as if it's undescovered compared to it's brother islands. Maybe it's
because there's so many dive ops that competition has caused prices to be so
low that service suffers. But the places were, as far as I know, full. I
must be missing something.


"Ramone Cila" <dontw@nt.spam> wrote in message
news:3Bivd.3$oE4.1178@news.uswest.net...
>
> "HW "Skip" Weldon" <skip5700removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:oi6rr0916pev0t67hms24eipdmsstn3s13@4ax.com...
> > I last visited Bonaire 10 years ago. Went several times, in fact,
> > staying at the Divi and Capt Dons (CD several times.) Loved the shore
> > diving at Capt Dons.
> >
> > Hated the travel to and from Bonaire. Uncertain and late connections,
> > long lines and waits in Bonaire airport, etc. One trip was even
> > cancelled due to strike while we were enroute.
> >
> > Could be tempted to try again. Has anything changed with travel? (We
> > would fly from Atlanta.)
>
> Skip, it's better. But it still isn't the greatest set of flight options.
> Lately we have been taking AJ thru MB and landing directly in Bonaire.
That,
> to me, remains the best option. I don't like American Eagle thru San Juan
> plus some of their flight stop in Cuacao or Miami in addition to SJ. And
if
> you ticket on Delta that will be an AJ flight..
>
> AJ's equipment is ok, the service is pretty good and while they do leave
> their US departure cities on time there is almost always some delay in
> leaving Montego Bay (in my experience up to an hour and a half). I travel
> overweight big time because of photo gear and they have never charged me
or
> hassled me....pretty easy going in that regard. They have a 1st class
lounge
> in MB which isn't much in world terms, but it is a better place than the
> concourse to sit out the connection delay.
>
> In years past we always used the ALM direct flight from Atlanta which was
> nice (no stop in Cuacao, hence no problems with bags and schedule) and
> compared to that the AJ flights are next best.
>
> In the end Boniare is always a bit of work, certainly the Bahamas and
> Caymans are a somewhat easier and faster to get to, but because of the
quiet
> of Bonaire, the dining options, along with the reef system that seems
> healthier by the year and the superb dive ops on-island I think Bonaire is
> well worth the effort. I have never suffered any crime against me or known
> anyone who has in 24 years of traveling there but, (as I am sure you know)
> those stories are out and about and so I believe there is some substance
to
> them. How much? I don't think anyone really knows. But based on my own
> experience I would struggle to believe Bonaire is worse than other
similarly
> populated Caribbean islands.
>
> In the end I would recommend AJ for transport to Bonaire, as I would
> recommend Bonaire is a destination. Neither Divi or Habitat are what they
> used to be, but both are still serviceable. I like Harbour Village a lot,
> but I like more renting a condo, house or apartment...oceanfront...and
> diving with Toucan. I guess I've become so old I don't like being around
> dive shop groups from the US or listening to their bullshit :^)
>
>

"Brian" <brallen467NOSPAM@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:l8lvd.45734$Qv5.25519@newssvr33.news.prodigy. com...
> It's interesting that you say "Neither Divi or Habitat are what they
> used to be, but both are still serviceable."

> Why is that?

Divi used to be the very best resort on the island...it no longer is.

Habitat used to be an almost spartan resort, where the house reefs were
supurb....it no longer is. When Don was owner and ran the place hands on it
had a completely different feel.

> It seemed to me
> while I was there that other people said the same thing about the resorts
> near Buddy, and Buddy itself.

Compared to Divi and Habitat, Buddies is a newborn.

> The diving is very good.

The diving is excellent. No where else in the Caribbean has the diversity of
undersea life that Bonaire has....if one wants something other than
Caribbean diving then Bonaire would not be a good choice.

> There's only 15000
> or so people living on the island.

It wasn't that long ago there were 8,000 and cruise ships didn't dock in the
harbor.

> This was the first time I'd been there
> and was impressed with the diving and the way the reefs are protected.
It's
> almost as if it's undescovered compared to it's brother islands. Maybe
it's
> because there's so many dive ops that competition has caused prices to be
so
> low that service suffers. But the places were, as far as I know, full.
I
> must be missing something.

I think Bonaire has the best service of dives shops, across the board, of
any Caribbean island I have ever visited, but I don't see their prices as
particularly low. Bonaire isn't undiscovered at all. It's just that unlike
Curacao and Aruba, it really only has scuba diving and so does
n't attract landlubber tourists as readily as do the other two islands.

> "Ramone Cila" <dontw@nt.spam> wrote in message
> news:3Bivd.3$oE4.1178@news.uswest.net...
> >
> > "HW "Skip" Weldon" <skip5700removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:oi6rr0916pev0t67hms24eipdmsstn3s13@4ax.com...
> > > I last visited Bonaire 10 years ago. Went several times, in fact,
> > > staying at the Divi and Capt Dons (CD several times.) Loved the shore
> > > diving at Capt Dons.
> > >
> > > Hated the travel to and from Bonaire. Uncertain and late connections,
> > > long lines and waits in Bonaire airport, etc. One trip was even
> > > cancelled due to strike while we were enroute.
> > >
> > > Could be tempted to try again. Has anything changed with travel? (We
> > > would fly from Atlanta.)
> >
> > Skip, it's better. But it still isn't the greatest set of flight
options.
> > Lately we have been taking AJ thru MB and landing directly in Bonaire.
> That,
> > to me, remains the best option. I don't like American Eagle thru San
Juan
> > plus some of their flight stop in Cuacao or Miami in addition to SJ. And
> if
> > you ticket on Delta that will be an AJ flight..
> >
> > AJ's equipment is ok, the service is pretty good and while they do leave
> > their US departure cities on time there is almost always some delay in
> > leaving Montego Bay (in my experience up to an hour and a half). I
travel
> > overweight big time because of photo gear and they have never charged me
> or
> > hassled me....pretty easy going in that regard. They have a 1st class
> lounge
> > in MB which isn't much in world terms, but it is a better place than the
> > concourse to sit out the connection delay.
> >
> > In years past we always used the ALM direct flight from Atlanta which
was
> > nice (no stop in Cuacao, hence no problems with bags and schedule) and
> > compared to that the AJ flights are next best.
> >
> > In the end Boniare is always a bit of work, certainly the Bahamas and
> > Caymans are a somewhat easier and faster to get to, but because of the
> quiet
> > of Bonaire, the dining options, along with the reef system that seems
> > healthier by the year and the superb dive ops on-island I think Bonaire
is
> > well worth the effort. I have never suffered any crime against me or
known
> > anyone who has in 24 years of traveling there but, (as I am sure you
know)
> > those stories are out and about and so I believe there is some substance
> to
> > them. How much? I don't think anyone really knows. But based on my own
> > experience I would struggle to believe Bonaire is worse than other
> similarly
> > populated Caribbean islands.
> >
> > In the end I would recommend AJ for transport to Bonaire, as I would
> > recommend Bonaire is a destination. Neither Divi or Habitat are what
they
> > used to be, but both are still serviceable. I like Harbour Village a
lot,
> > but I like more renting a condo, house or apartment...oceanfront...and
> > diving with Toucan. I guess I've become so old I don't like being around
> > dive shop groups from the US or listening to their bullshit :^)
> >
> >
>
>
>

"HW "Skip" Weldon" <skip5700removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:oi6rr0916pev0t67hms24eipdmsstn3s13@4ax.com...
> Could be tempted to try again. Has anything changed with travel? (We
> would fly from Atlanta.)


I have been there several times in the past couple of years, most recently
Nov. 3 - 13 2004.

There is an interisland airline now:

www.bonairexel.com

that flys a circuit several times a day among the ABC islands. It is usually
on time, the fare is around $160 US roundtrip to Bonaire.

I have flown both from Curacao and from Aruba. Unless you like standing in
line for hours at the Aruba airport, I suggest connecting thru Curacao if
possible. Any airline that gets you to either place will do. None of the
travel searches, or even travel agents I have checked with, had facility to
book their flights, so I always booked directly with them.

I stayed at both Divi and Cap't Don's in November, had stayed at Buddy Dive
in January. The time share side dock and lockers are blown away at Divi, so
the shore diving and boats leave from the hotel side dock, and you have to
keep your stuff in the tunnel, which makes things less convenient than they
were previously.

I was given a deluxe room last time at the Divi (I usually prefer the time
share side, but this was the package) on the first level of the hotel. Great
room until the storms came in that week. Twice I had waves crash through the
sliding doors and drench me in my bed. The room was flooded several times,
and I had 1/4 " of sand on the floor most of the week. Bonaire gets about
12" of rain a year - 6" fell the week I was there. Motorcycle riding was
wiped out except for 2 days, and I got in about 20% fewer dives than I
normally do.

Capt Don's is nicer, but pricier. Buddy Dive shares the same general house
reef with Capt. Don's. The Divi house reef is less enticing since some big
container ships started docking just to the north. But Divi is more
convenient to town.

Short version: even when things go wrong, they are still good on Bonaire.


--
But then again, what do I know?

Lou Vallone

LouVallone@aol.com

http://members.aol.com/LouVallone