Bonaire Dive Resorts- Buddies, Plaza Or Other

[caymaniac]

I have friends that dive a Bruce Bowkers every time they go to Bonaire, they've been going for quite a few years and they were there when Bruce cut off his fingers. They say they prefer his Inn on Bonaire and they use a certain favorite room on a consistant basis. Bruce Bowkers is more of an intimate environment, some people like the beach and the night life, this is not what Bruce is about.

Caymaniac

 

[lynnemari]

Hi Lynne:
Of course you will hear several different opinions on any web site.
I personally love the Plaza Resort and Toucan dive shop there.
I have always had a sleepable bed, and I do like the full breakfast/ with omelet bar, that you can buy there. It saves time from having to walk into town, and allows you to get geared up and not lose dive time.
I'll be heading back there in September.
Congrats on 25 years! (And Herman congrats to you and Kath too) You can't go wrong in Bonaire that is for sure!

Natasha,
Thank you for the information! I have gotten some mixed reviews on the plaza, I wonder if it has to do with what type of rooms they stayed in. We will be staying in the villa ( just because we want the kitchen). The one bedroom. Do you know anything about those rooms?
Thanks
Lynne :mermaid:

 

[TedJ]

Hi Lynne:
Of course you will hear several different opinions on any web site.
I personally love the Plaza Resort and Toucan dive shop there.
I have always had a sleepable bed, and I do like the full breakfast/ with omelet bar, that you can buy there. It saves time from having to walk into town, and allows you to get geared up and not lose dive time.
I'll be heading back there in September.
Congrats on 25 years! (And Herman congrats to you and Kath too) You can't go wrong in Bonaire that is for sure!

I concur with everything said above and I've stayed there three times over the last four years!

TedJ

 

[ahplee]

Hi Lynne,

I've been to Bonaire on 2 trips. The diving is easy and great. If you refer to advanced dive as limited vis, rough seas or strong currents you won't really find that in Bonaire unless you search out a specail trip to windy side of the island. If you are worried about getting bored with the dives in Bonaire that shouldn't be a problem. I only once met a person who said her experience in Bonaire was disapointing because her first dive vacations was 2 weeks in the Maldives before they had coral bleaching there. This person also considers diving in the colorado river fun. She describes it like diving in washing machine and the current pushes you down from 30 feet to 60 instantly and you have to swim around giant boulders.

Bonaire is nothing like that but you must go there. Where have you been to that you really enjoyed?

We stayed at Buddies in a house with three rooms. Each of the three rooms very very different. I had the large room with the high ceilings and the large comfortable bed the other room was smaller and the room on the ground floor was tiny. We really like the boats and the ease of shore diving at buddies. Walk 50ft to the locker where you can store and rinse your gear. Get on a boat or jump right in to an excelent house reef 50 ft from shore. I did not get boared with the house reef and it's also an excellent night dive. You dive your own schedule here 24 hours a day yet it's really easy to do.

We had always been interested in the Plaza and went over to explore. We noticed that it is a real hike to get to the diving spot and the boat if you are not located on the resort properly. The grounds looked really pretty though.

I 'm glad we chose Buddies because I wanted to do 4 or 5 dives aday yet still have it easy enough so I wouldn't be tired. On my last trip I did not shore dive around the island as much as I did on the first trip buddy makes it really easy with the drive up fill up station.

I hope my info helps

 

[Bob]

We had always been interested in the Plaza and went over to explore. We noticed that it is a real hike to get to the diving spot and the boat if you are not located on the resort properly. The grounds looked really pretty though.

Toucan diving provides you with a locker at the dive shop so you don't have to carry your gear around. A gear rinse station is right there at the shop so you can rinse your gear and store it. The lockers are also handy when shore diving, you just drive up get your stuff, load your tanks and away you go. almtree: Bob

 

[cstreu1026]

My wife and I spent the first week of our honeymoon at Buddy's last June. It was absolutely wonderful. It was by far the easiest diving I have ever done....and that really was a good thing. The dive staff was top notch and and very helpful. The staff was so great we ended up taking two classes with them. It seems to me that Buddy's is the cheapest place to stay but I wouldn't hesitate to go back.

 

[Bob]

The same people own Buddy Dive and the Plaza. Toucan diving operates the dive ops at both resorts. The Plaza is considered to be a bit more upscale than Buddy Dive. almtree: Bob