Trip Report - Bonaire 03/2007

In article <1174941028.475828.232940@y80g2000hsf.googlegroups .com>,
mossman@qnet.com says...

> Overall, a very good trip. I really love Bonaire.

Great report Greg, glad you enjoyed your trip. I've been there several
times and don't like it as much as you do. You must have a better
attitude.

The last trip (in 05) we tried the Plaza resort. The room was pretty
nice (I particularly liked the propane tank under the kitchen sink), but
the beach diving wasn't as convenient as in other places, although the
shop did their best to make it as easy as possible. They cater mostly to
Dutch, and they don't speak English well, and we had a couple of miscues
because of it.

I caught two kids about to break into our truck in town, and they were
just too young to hurt. We had some tanks stolen from the back of the
pickup one night, but that was the dive shop's problem (they weren't
keeping track of who took what).

Did you try the Argentinean restaurant?

In article <1174941028.475828.232940@y80g2000hsf.googlegroups .com>,
mossman@qnet.com says...

> Overall, a very good trip. I really love Bonaire.

Great report Greg, glad you enjoyed your trip. I've been there several
times and don't like it as much as you do. You must have a better
attitude.

The last trip (in 05) we tried the Plaza resort. The room was pretty
nice (I particularly liked the propane tank under the kitchen sink), but
the beach diving wasn't as convenient as in other places, although the
shop did their best to make it as easy as possible. They cater mostly to
Dutch, and they don't speak English well, and we had a couple of miscues
because of it.

I caught two kids about to break into our truck in town, and they were
just too young to hurt. We had some tanks stolen from the back of the
pickup one night, but that was the dive shop's problem (they weren't
keeping track of who took what).

Did you try the Argentinean restaurant?

On Mar 26, 3:38 pm, "n...@hotmail.com" <n...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Mar 26, 6:27 pm, "ben bradlee" <N...@Way.Bite.Me> wrote:
>
> > "Greg Mossman" <moss...@qnet.com> wrote in message
>
> >news:1174941028.475828.232940@y80g2000hsf.googleg roups.com...
>
> > > Overall, a very good trip.
>
> > Excellent report.
>
> Did the staff respond to your concerns about the problems?? Did you
> dine around? Looking forward to your dive report.

The dining report is buried inside. The dive report is at the end.
Unlike my photographic memory of past meals, my dive memory is a bit
faulty and I simply posted what I got off my computer along with any
quick notes I might have jotted down, like site name and any really
interesting stuff. Janna keeps a complete log, so maybe I can flesh
out the dive part later.

I left out our adventure on the off-gassing day, a round trip on the
longer of the two National Park routes. It was a nice, albeit long,
drive and I couldn't help but worry about getting a flat most of the
time since our tires weren't in the greatest condition. But we made
the dirt road round trip in less than the prescribed 2.5 hours, got
some nice views of flamingos in the sanctuary on the way to Rincon,
and saw a few green & yellow birds (loras?) inside the park. Next
time we'll go during the week and make a dive or go early in the
morning on the offgas day with a better camera for some serious
birding.

As for the staff response, they delivered on the pillows. I didn't
expect them to replace our mattress and I'm not usually one to
complain enough to get a room switched as I'm afraid of retaliation
(the hotel equivalent of the restaurant kitchen spitting in returned
food - they can do nasty things to your toothbrush, for instance). As
for the fridge, they probably could have done something about it if we
had brought it to their attention early, but I really didn't want an
engineer tinkering away in our room for several hours. I'd rather
they fix their broken stuff on their time, not mine. I knew about the
lack of a/c, but not the lack of window screens. I didn't expect them
to install screens for us, nor did I expect them to kill all the
mosquitoes in Bonaire (though the latter would be a really nice touch
if they could pull it off).

What I do when I've stayed at a place that lets its room deteriorate
or lets appliances stay broken when the maid or an inspecting manager
could easily have discovered and remedied the problem without my
bitching about is to simply take my business elsewhere. If the hotel
can't figure out that a really badly sagging mattress is bad for their
guests' backs, especially when most of the guests are spending a lot
of time with heavy tanks on their backs and lifting all the gear and
tanks in between, then they don't care enough about their guests to
warrant my repeat business.

There are other places on the island that can probably do a better
job. If it were just about the a/c, I'd consider getting one of
Buddy's hotel rooms instead of an apartment since we didn't need the
full kitchen. But I can't trust them not to have an equally bad
mattress in the hotel room and if I gave them another chance and they
again failed to deliver, I'd want to kick myself. If I have to pay a
little more to guarantee a better sleep, that's what I'll do. I
mainly wanted to stay at Buddy's for the drive-through tank refills,
but we could get the same thing staying at one of their affiliates.
As far as I was concerned, the disadvantages outweighed the extra
convenience the fill station could provide.

But I certainly didn't hate the place. Far from it. Like I said, we
had a great time, and if the only hotel opening available in Bonaire
was Buddy's at a time when we really wanted to go, I wouldn't hesitate
too much to book them again. But since I know there are plenty of
alternatives, I'd prefer to try something else next time. And there
will be a next time. I'm hooked. After two trips to Grand Cayman
(three after June), four to Cozumel, two to Belize, and one each to
Turks & Caicos, Roatan, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Florida Keys,
Bonaire is first on my list for a repeat destination. The only reason
why I'd repeat some of the others is that they're simply easier to get
to from the west coast and I don't have to make an entire week of it.
I do plan to give Curacao a try as well in the near future, and get
out to St. Maarten and Saba someday too since I'm pretty certain it's
the Dutch influence that gives the place the character that I most
enjoy.

(And I really wish Continental would change their sadistic flight
schedule, but it still beats the alternatives IMO)

On Mar 26, 3:38 pm, "n...@hotmail.com" <n...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Mar 26, 6:27 pm, "ben bradlee" <N...@Way.Bite.Me> wrote:
>
> > "Greg Mossman" <moss...@qnet.com> wrote in message
>
> >news:1174941028.475828.232940@y80g2000hsf.googleg roups.com...
>
> > > Overall, a very good trip.
>
> > Excellent report.
>
> Did the staff respond to your concerns about the problems?? Did you
> dine around? Looking forward to your dive report.

The dining report is buried inside. The dive report is at the end.
Unlike my photographic memory of past meals, my dive memory is a bit
faulty and I simply posted what I got off my computer along with any
quick notes I might have jotted down, like site name and any really
interesting stuff. Janna keeps a complete log, so maybe I can flesh
out the dive part later.

I left out our adventure on the off-gassing day, a round trip on the
longer of the two National Park routes. It was a nice, albeit long,
drive and I couldn't help but worry about getting a flat most of the
time since our tires weren't in the greatest condition. But we made
the dirt road round trip in less than the prescribed 2.5 hours, got
some nice views of flamingos in the sanctuary on the way to Rincon,
and saw a few green & yellow birds (loras?) inside the park. Next
time we'll go during the week and make a dive or go early in the
morning on the offgas day with a better camera for some serious
birding.

As for the staff response, they delivered on the pillows. I didn't
expect them to replace our mattress and I'm not usually one to
complain enough to get a room switched as I'm afraid of retaliation
(the hotel equivalent of the restaurant kitchen spitting in returned
food - they can do nasty things to your toothbrush, for instance). As
for the fridge, they probably could have done something about it if we
had brought it to their attention early, but I really didn't want an
engineer tinkering away in our room for several hours. I'd rather
they fix their broken stuff on their time, not mine. I knew about the
lack of a/c, but not the lack of window screens. I didn't expect them
to install screens for us, nor did I expect them to kill all the
mosquitoes in Bonaire (though the latter would be a really nice touch
if they could pull it off).

What I do when I've stayed at a place that lets its room deteriorate
or lets appliances stay broken when the maid or an inspecting manager
could easily have discovered and remedied the problem without my
bitching about is to simply take my business elsewhere. If the hotel
can't figure out that a really badly sagging mattress is bad for their
guests' backs, especially when most of the guests are spending a lot
of time with heavy tanks on their backs and lifting all the gear and
tanks in between, then they don't care enough about their guests to
warrant my repeat business.

There are other places on the island that can probably do a better
job. If it were just about the a/c, I'd consider getting one of
Buddy's hotel rooms instead of an apartment since we didn't need the
full kitchen. But I can't trust them not to have an equally bad
mattress in the hotel room and if I gave them another chance and they
again failed to deliver, I'd want to kick myself. If I have to pay a
little more to guarantee a better sleep, that's what I'll do. I
mainly wanted to stay at Buddy's for the drive-through tank refills,
but we could get the same thing staying at one of their affiliates.
As far as I was concerned, the disadvantages outweighed the extra
convenience the fill station could provide.

But I certainly didn't hate the place. Far from it. Like I said, we
had a great time, and if the only hotel opening available in Bonaire
was Buddy's at a time when we really wanted to go, I wouldn't hesitate
too much to book them again. But since I know there are plenty of
alternatives, I'd prefer to try something else next time. And there
will be a next time. I'm hooked. After two trips to Grand Cayman
(three after June), four to Cozumel, two to Belize, and one each to
Turks & Caicos, Roatan, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Florida Keys,
Bonaire is first on my list for a repeat destination. The only reason
why I'd repeat some of the others is that they're simply easier to get
to from the west coast and I don't have to make an entire week of it.
I do plan to give Curacao a try as well in the near future, and get
out to St. Maarten and Saba someday too since I'm pretty certain it's
the Dutch influence that gives the place the character that I most
enjoy.

(And I really wish Continental would change their sadistic flight
schedule, but it still beats the alternatives IMO)

On Mar 26, 3:38 pm, "n...@hotmail.com" <n...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Mar 26, 6:27 pm, "ben bradlee" <N...@Way.Bite.Me> wrote:
>
> > "Greg Mossman" <moss...@qnet.com> wrote in message
>
> >news:1174941028.475828.232940@y80g2000hsf.googleg roups.com...
>
> > > Overall, a very good trip.
>
> > Excellent report.
>
> Did the staff respond to your concerns about the problems?? Did you
> dine around? Looking forward to your dive report.

The dining report is buried inside. The dive report is at the end.
Unlike my photographic memory of past meals, my dive memory is a bit
faulty and I simply posted what I got off my computer along with any
quick notes I might have jotted down, like site name and any really
interesting stuff. Janna keeps a complete log, so maybe I can flesh
out the dive part later.

I left out our adventure on the off-gassing day, a round trip on the
longer of the two National Park routes. It was a nice, albeit long,
drive and I couldn't help but worry about getting a flat most of the
time since our tires weren't in the greatest condition. But we made
the dirt road round trip in less than the prescribed 2.5 hours, got
some nice views of flamingos in the sanctuary on the way to Rincon,
and saw a few green & yellow birds (loras?) inside the park. Next
time we'll go during the week and make a dive or go early in the
morning on the offgas day with a better camera for some serious
birding.

As for the staff response, they delivered on the pillows. I didn't
expect them to replace our mattress and I'm not usually one to
complain enough to get a room switched as I'm afraid of retaliation
(the hotel equivalent of the restaurant kitchen spitting in returned
food - they can do nasty things to your toothbrush, for instance). As
for the fridge, they probably could have done something about it if we
had brought it to their attention early, but I really didn't want an
engineer tinkering away in our room for several hours. I'd rather
they fix their broken stuff on their time, not mine. I knew about the
lack of a/c, but not the lack of window screens. I didn't expect them
to install screens for us, nor did I expect them to kill all the
mosquitoes in Bonaire (though the latter would be a really nice touch
if they could pull it off).

What I do when I've stayed at a place that lets its room deteriorate
or lets appliances stay broken when the maid or an inspecting manager
could easily have discovered and remedied the problem without my
bitching about is to simply take my business elsewhere. If the hotel
can't figure out that a really badly sagging mattress is bad for their
guests' backs, especially when most of the guests are spending a lot
of time with heavy tanks on their backs and lifting all the gear and
tanks in between, then they don't care enough about their guests to
warrant my repeat business.

There are other places on the island that can probably do a better
job. If it were just about the a/c, I'd consider getting one of
Buddy's hotel rooms instead of an apartment since we didn't need the
full kitchen. But I can't trust them not to have an equally bad
mattress in the hotel room and if I gave them another chance and they
again failed to deliver, I'd want to kick myself. If I have to pay a
little more to guarantee a better sleep, that's what I'll do. I
mainly wanted to stay at Buddy's for the drive-through tank refills,
but we could get the same thing staying at one of their affiliates.
As far as I was concerned, the disadvantages outweighed the extra
convenience the fill station could provide.

But I certainly didn't hate the place. Far from it. Like I said, we
had a great time, and if the only hotel opening available in Bonaire
was Buddy's at a time when we really wanted to go, I wouldn't hesitate
too much to book them again. But since I know there are plenty of
alternatives, I'd prefer to try something else next time. And there
will be a next time. I'm hooked. After two trips to Grand Cayman
(three after June), four to Cozumel, two to Belize, and one each to
Turks & Caicos, Roatan, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Florida Keys,
Bonaire is first on my list for a repeat destination. The only reason
why I'd repeat some of the others is that they're simply easier to get
to from the west coast and I don't have to make an entire week of it.
I do plan to give Curacao a try as well in the near future, and get
out to St. Maarten and Saba someday too since I'm pretty certain it's
the Dutch influence that gives the place the character that I most
enjoy.

(And I really wish Continental would change their sadistic flight
schedule, but it still beats the alternatives IMO)

On Mar 26, 3:38 pm, "n...@hotmail.com" <n...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Mar 26, 6:27 pm, "ben bradlee" <N...@Way.Bite.Me> wrote:
>
> > "Greg Mossman" <moss...@qnet.com> wrote in message
>
> >news:1174941028.475828.232940@y80g2000hsf.googleg roups.com...
>
> > > Overall, a very good trip.
>
> > Excellent report.
>
> Did the staff respond to your concerns about the problems?? Did you
> dine around? Looking forward to your dive report.

The dining report is buried inside. The dive report is at the end.
Unlike my photographic memory of past meals, my dive memory is a bit
faulty and I simply posted what I got off my computer along with any
quick notes I might have jotted down, like site name and any really
interesting stuff. Janna keeps a complete log, so maybe I can flesh
out the dive part later.

I left out our adventure on the off-gassing day, a round trip on the
longer of the two National Park routes. It was a nice, albeit long,
drive and I couldn't help but worry about getting a flat most of the
time since our tires weren't in the greatest condition. But we made
the dirt road round trip in less than the prescribed 2.5 hours, got
some nice views of flamingos in the sanctuary on the way to Rincon,
and saw a few green & yellow birds (loras?) inside the park. Next
time we'll go during the week and make a dive or go early in the
morning on the offgas day with a better camera for some serious
birding.

As for the staff response, they delivered on the pillows. I didn't
expect them to replace our mattress and I'm not usually one to
complain enough to get a room switched as I'm afraid of retaliation
(the hotel equivalent of the restaurant kitchen spitting in returned
food - they can do nasty things to your toothbrush, for instance). As
for the fridge, they probably could have done something about it if we
had brought it to their attention early, but I really didn't want an
engineer tinkering away in our room for several hours. I'd rather
they fix their broken stuff on their time, not mine. I knew about the
lack of a/c, but not the lack of window screens. I didn't expect them
to install screens for us, nor did I expect them to kill all the
mosquitoes in Bonaire (though the latter would be a really nice touch
if they could pull it off).

What I do when I've stayed at a place that lets its room deteriorate
or lets appliances stay broken when the maid or an inspecting manager
could easily have discovered and remedied the problem without my
bitching about is to simply take my business elsewhere. If the hotel
can't figure out that a really badly sagging mattress is bad for their
guests' backs, especially when most of the guests are spending a lot
of time with heavy tanks on their backs and lifting all the gear and
tanks in between, then they don't care enough about their guests to
warrant my repeat business.

There are other places on the island that can probably do a better
job. If it were just about the a/c, I'd consider getting one of
Buddy's hotel rooms instead of an apartment since we didn't need the
full kitchen. But I can't trust them not to have an equally bad
mattress in the hotel room and if I gave them another chance and they
again failed to deliver, I'd want to kick myself. If I have to pay a
little more to guarantee a better sleep, that's what I'll do. I
mainly wanted to stay at Buddy's for the drive-through tank refills,
but we could get the same thing staying at one of their affiliates.
As far as I was concerned, the disadvantages outweighed the extra
convenience the fill station could provide.

But I certainly didn't hate the place. Far from it. Like I said, we
had a great time, and if the only hotel opening available in Bonaire
was Buddy's at a time when we really wanted to go, I wouldn't hesitate
too much to book them again. But since I know there are plenty of
alternatives, I'd prefer to try something else next time. And there
will be a next time. I'm hooked. After two trips to Grand Cayman
(three after June), four to Cozumel, two to Belize, and one each to
Turks & Caicos, Roatan, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Florida Keys,
Bonaire is first on my list for a repeat destination. The only reason
why I'd repeat some of the others is that they're simply easier to get
to from the west coast and I don't have to make an entire week of it.
I do plan to give Curacao a try as well in the near future, and get
out to St. Maarten and Saba someday too since I'm pretty certain it's
the Dutch influence that gives the place the character that I most
enjoy.

(And I really wish Continental would change their sadistic flight
schedule, but it still beats the alternatives IMO)

On Mar 26, 5:28 pm, Al Wells <al.we...@gmail.com> wrote:
> In article <1174941028.475828.232...@y80g2000hsf.googlegroups .com>,
> moss...@qnet.com says...
>
> > Overall, a very good trip. I really love Bonaire.
>
> Great report Greg, glad you enjoyed your trip. I've been there several
> times and don't like it as much as you do. You must have a better
> attitude.

That's probably because I drink more. A drunk Greg is a happy Greg.

> The last trip (in 05) we tried the Plaza resort. The room was pretty
> nice (I particularly liked the propane tank under the kitchen sink), but
> the beach diving wasn't as convenient as in other places, although the
> shop did their best to make it as easy as possible. They cater mostly to
> Dutch, and they don't speak English well, and we had a couple of miscues
> because of it.

I'm going to work on my Dutch for the next trip, just for the heck of
it. It's pretty obvious they treat the Dutch better, so if you can't
beat them, you might as well join them.

I nixed Plaza because I had heard of the inconvenient distances to the
dive op and didn't like its proximity to the airport. I've heard good
things about Den Laman and might give them a try. I'm also going to
look into BelMar since they apparently share Buddy's drive-thru
facilities and have their own on-premises dive op. Choices, choices.

> I caught two kids about to break into our truck in town, and they were
> just too young to hurt. We had some tanks stolen from the back of the
> pickup one night, but that was the dive shop's problem (they weren't
> keeping track of who took what).

We took the advice to heart and never left anything whatsoever in the
truck beyond a replaceable free map, leaving the window rolled down
halfway and the doors unlocked. It's a PITA, to be sure, but we never
had to worry about getting ripped off. And I have the same attitude
as you about getting tanks ripped off, though it would be annoying if
you were counting on them for a shore dive.

Basically we didn't experience a single problem with theft, and I
lucked out on my previous trip too. But I'm still not going to
consider bringing a laptop and u/w camera unless they have a safe big
enough for the laptop and camera and more secure doors to secure my
overpriced housing and strobes.

> Did you try the Argentinean restaurant?

Casablanca is definitely on my to-do list, as is their new place,
Patagonia. It's going to be hard to choose between repeating old
favorites and trying new ones, but I found all the food to be at least
good and some to be great. If I could dependably eat like that in
Cozumel or get the same restaurant value in Grand Cayman, I might like
those places better (when we head to DiveTech in June, I've booked the
all-inclusive option). Food is definitely my number two criteria
after the actual diving when I'm selecting where to go.

On Mar 26, 5:28 pm, Al Wells <al.we...@gmail.com> wrote:
> In article <1174941028.475828.232...@y80g2000hsf.googlegroups .com>,
> moss...@qnet.com says...
>
> > Overall, a very good trip. I really love Bonaire.
>
> Great report Greg, glad you enjoyed your trip. I've been there several
> times and don't like it as much as you do. You must have a better
> attitude.

That's probably because I drink more. A drunk Greg is a happy Greg.

> The last trip (in 05) we tried the Plaza resort. The room was pretty
> nice (I particularly liked the propane tank under the kitchen sink), but
> the beach diving wasn't as convenient as in other places, although the
> shop did their best to make it as easy as possible. They cater mostly to
> Dutch, and they don't speak English well, and we had a couple of miscues
> because of it.

I'm going to work on my Dutch for the next trip, just for the heck of
it. It's pretty obvious they treat the Dutch better, so if you can't
beat them, you might as well join them.

I nixed Plaza because I had heard of the inconvenient distances to the
dive op and didn't like its proximity to the airport. I've heard good
things about Den Laman and might give them a try. I'm also going to
look into BelMar since they apparently share Buddy's drive-thru
facilities and have their own on-premises dive op. Choices, choices.

> I caught two kids about to break into our truck in town, and they were
> just too young to hurt. We had some tanks stolen from the back of the
> pickup one night, but that was the dive shop's problem (they weren't
> keeping track of who took what).

We took the advice to heart and never left anything whatsoever in the
truck beyond a replaceable free map, leaving the window rolled down
halfway and the doors unlocked. It's a PITA, to be sure, but we never
had to worry about getting ripped off. And I have the same attitude
as you about getting tanks ripped off, though it would be annoying if
you were counting on them for a shore dive.

Basically we didn't experience a single problem with theft, and I
lucked out on my previous trip too. But I'm still not going to
consider bringing a laptop and u/w camera unless they have a safe big
enough for the laptop and camera and more secure doors to secure my
overpriced housing and strobes.

> Did you try the Argentinean restaurant?

Casablanca is definitely on my to-do list, as is their new place,
Patagonia. It's going to be hard to choose between repeating old
favorites and trying new ones, but I found all the food to be at least
good and some to be great. If I could dependably eat like that in
Cozumel or get the same restaurant value in Grand Cayman, I might like
those places better (when we head to DiveTech in June, I've booked the
all-inclusive option). Food is definitely my number two criteria
after the actual diving when I'm selecting where to go.

On Mar 26, 5:28 pm, Al Wells <al.we...@gmail.com> wrote:
> In article <1174941028.475828.232...@y80g2000hsf.googlegroups .com>,
> moss...@qnet.com says...
>
> > Overall, a very good trip. I really love Bonaire.
>
> Great report Greg, glad you enjoyed your trip. I've been there several
> times and don't like it as much as you do. You must have a better
> attitude.

That's probably because I drink more. A drunk Greg is a happy Greg.

> The last trip (in 05) we tried the Plaza resort. The room was pretty
> nice (I particularly liked the propane tank under the kitchen sink), but
> the beach diving wasn't as convenient as in other places, although the
> shop did their best to make it as easy as possible. They cater mostly to
> Dutch, and they don't speak English well, and we had a couple of miscues
> because of it.

I'm going to work on my Dutch for the next trip, just for the heck of
it. It's pretty obvious they treat the Dutch better, so if you can't
beat them, you might as well join them.

I nixed Plaza because I had heard of the inconvenient distances to the
dive op and didn't like its proximity to the airport. I've heard good
things about Den Laman and might give them a try. I'm also going to
look into BelMar since they apparently share Buddy's drive-thru
facilities and have their own on-premises dive op. Choices, choices.

> I caught two kids about to break into our truck in town, and they were
> just too young to hurt. We had some tanks stolen from the back of the
> pickup one night, but that was the dive shop's problem (they weren't
> keeping track of who took what).

We took the advice to heart and never left anything whatsoever in the
truck beyond a replaceable free map, leaving the window rolled down
halfway and the doors unlocked. It's a PITA, to be sure, but we never
had to worry about getting ripped off. And I have the same attitude
as you about getting tanks ripped off, though it would be annoying if
you were counting on them for a shore dive.

Basically we didn't experience a single problem with theft, and I
lucked out on my previous trip too. But I'm still not going to
consider bringing a laptop and u/w camera unless they have a safe big
enough for the laptop and camera and more secure doors to secure my
overpriced housing and strobes.

> Did you try the Argentinean restaurant?

Casablanca is definitely on my to-do list, as is their new place,
Patagonia. It's going to be hard to choose between repeating old
favorites and trying new ones, but I found all the food to be at least
good and some to be great. If I could dependably eat like that in
Cozumel or get the same restaurant value in Grand Cayman, I might like
those places better (when we head to DiveTech in June, I've booked the
all-inclusive option). Food is definitely my number two criteria
after the actual diving when I'm selecting where to go.

On Mar 26, 5:28 pm, Al Wells <al.we...@gmail.com> wrote:
> In article <1174941028.475828.232...@y80g2000hsf.googlegroups .com>,
> moss...@qnet.com says...
>
> > Overall, a very good trip. I really love Bonaire.
>
> Great report Greg, glad you enjoyed your trip. I've been there several
> times and don't like it as much as you do. You must have a better
> attitude.

That's probably because I drink more. A drunk Greg is a happy Greg.

> The last trip (in 05) we tried the Plaza resort. The room was pretty
> nice (I particularly liked the propane tank under the kitchen sink), but
> the beach diving wasn't as convenient as in other places, although the
> shop did their best to make it as easy as possible. They cater mostly to
> Dutch, and they don't speak English well, and we had a couple of miscues
> because of it.

I'm going to work on my Dutch for the next trip, just for the heck of
it. It's pretty obvious they treat the Dutch better, so if you can't
beat them, you might as well join them.

I nixed Plaza because I had heard of the inconvenient distances to the
dive op and didn't like its proximity to the airport. I've heard good
things about Den Laman and might give them a try. I'm also going to
look into BelMar since they apparently share Buddy's drive-thru
facilities and have their own on-premises dive op. Choices, choices.

> I caught two kids about to break into our truck in town, and they were
> just too young to hurt. We had some tanks stolen from the back of the
> pickup one night, but that was the dive shop's problem (they weren't
> keeping track of who took what).

We took the advice to heart and never left anything whatsoever in the
truck beyond a replaceable free map, leaving the window rolled down
halfway and the doors unlocked. It's a PITA, to be sure, but we never
had to worry about getting ripped off. And I have the same attitude
as you about getting tanks ripped off, though it would be annoying if
you were counting on them for a shore dive.

Basically we didn't experience a single problem with theft, and I
lucked out on my previous trip too. But I'm still not going to
consider bringing a laptop and u/w camera unless they have a safe big
enough for the laptop and camera and more secure doors to secure my
overpriced housing and strobes.

> Did you try the Argentinean restaurant?

Casablanca is definitely on my to-do list, as is their new place,
Patagonia. It's going to be hard to choose between repeating old
favorites and trying new ones, but I found all the food to be at least
good and some to be great. If I could dependably eat like that in
Cozumel or get the same restaurant value in Grand Cayman, I might like
those places better (when we head to DiveTech in June, I've booked the
all-inclusive option). Food is definitely my number two criteria
after the actual diving when I'm selecting where to go.