My twist on the usual "Where to stay?" thread...

[redacted]

Coral Paradise would not meet the walk to town criterion.
The time share units at the Divi have kitchenettes if my memory serves me.

Without some rational, "walk to town" seems like a silly requirement when you have a truck. I'd put that right below 2-ply TP.

Buddy dive might also work. Many of their "king" beds are two singles attached by hooks. They could probably fix you right up. Better yet, splurge for a 2 bedroom place and avoid some of the other unpleasantries of a roommate.

 

[Jersey]

Keeping the usual suspects off the list (Eden, Den Laman, Sand $$, Buddy, Capt Don) I come up with Black Durgon - Cliff is your house reef, but a bit of a walk to town. Bruce Bowkers immediately came to mind, or Divi next door. Port Bonaire across from airport, but a walk to town. Hamlet Oasis. Sea Side Apartments and Club Nautico meet town, walk, and across the street from reef. I think Sea Side is managed by Buddy meaning you could grab tanks at multiple locations. Check the realtors websites for rentals as well, I known Harbourtown and Bob Bartikoski's Remax also handle rentals.

From Exit 13 GSP ~ Jersey

 

[Doctorfish]

I personally feel that 2 ply TP is important. 3 ply even better.
As far as walk to town vs drive to town, there are benefits to walking i.e., no worries re a parking spot and you can drink at dinner.

 

[wwguy]

My buddy and I are thinking about a trip in December. We've been to Bonaire before and are pretty familiar with the island; hoping to get some specific recommendations beyond the typical "you can't go wrong anywhere" information available on other threads here.

In order to gain approval from the wives, we're trying to figure out the lowest-cost arrangements we can come up with, that include the following:

<snip...>

We visit for several weeks annually (usually the last 2 weeks of December and first week in January.) Based on my experience I think your inquiry is pretty short notice for booking the best Bonaire locations or deals, especially with the winter holiday high season kicking in in mid-December. You may find your options limited by this, despite any advice offered here.

It would probably also be helpful to know how you prioritize affordability against amenities like proximity to downtown, house reef, on-site dive operation etc. It's unlikely you'll find both, especially in high season, as the amenities are what justifies higher rates.

If I was planning a last minute "guy trip" with budget in mind I'd probably look for something like this:

• Accommodations: Take a look at Happy Holiday Homes in Belnem, a couple of blocks south of Belmar. They offer everything on your "accommodations mandatories" list, but nothing on your "accommodations niceties" list. We stayed there for 3 weeks in 2009 and found everything to be clean and functional as advertised. High season rates for a 2 bedroom apartment start at $100/night. If you want to save a few more bucks you can opt for a 1 bedroom apartment with 2 single beds. An in-town alternative to HHH might be Bonaire Exclusief bungalows.
• Rent a truck from Telerin or Budget. Or if you want to save a few more bucks and don't mind driving a Chinese-made truck take a look at Easy1Rent. If travelling the second half of December it's possible you might not have a lot of choices due to holiday bookings. I don't think you can rent your truck from a dive op (Like Buddy Dive etc.) if you aren't staying there too.
• Get your dive package from Buddy Dive (via Belmar near HHH) or Dive Friends Bonaire (via their Port Bonaire location in front of the airport.) For either you'll have to drive to a location with docks etc for boat dives, but both offer free nitrox and multiple locations for tank exchange. I used to prefer Buddy Dive, but have become a DFB fanboy in recent years. Good people, good fills, and good locations.

I agree with others that suggest walking distance to restaurants and bars can easily be mitigated with your rental truck.

I come up with Black Durgon - Cliff is your house reef, but a bit of a walk to town.

Cliff is the house reef for Hamlet Oasis, Beachcomber Villas, and the other private homes and rentals in the Hamlet complex. Black Durgon is further north, past the WEB water plant, and their house reef is Small Wall.

 

[RJP]

We visit for several weeks annually (usually the last 2 weeks of December and first week in January.) Based on my experience I think your inquiry is pretty short notice for booking the best Bonaire locations or deals, especially with the winter holiday high season kicking in in mid-December. You may find your options limited by this, despite any advice offered here.

I'm pleasantly surprised to be finding that anything and everything we're interested in has availability, with most even having some specials running during the week we want.

---------- Post added October 27th, 2014 at 03:42 PM ----------

I agree with others that suggest walking distance to restaurants and bars can easily be mitigated with your rental truck.

We're not so concerned about driving TO the bars... it's driving BACK from the bars that concerns us.

:d

 

[diversteve]

If you waive the on the water requirement you can't do much cheaper than the Dive Hut. Their in-house operator is Wannadive. It's probably almost as cheap for separate rooms there as it would be sharing other places. In town so "walking to" isn't an issue. The Apartments have a small kitchen also - doesn't look like much from the photo. Dive Hut Bonaire

 

[RJP]

If you waive the on the water requirement...

We have officially waived the "on the water" requirement.

:d

 

[redacted]

We're not so concerned about driving TO the bars... it's driving BACK from the bars that concerns us.

:d

Drive to market. Purchase beer, wine, and liquor; and anything else you might need. Drive home and drink. No worries for you (or your spouse) and much less expensive. You could even squeeze a night dive into the process.

 

[boat sju]

We have officially waived the "on the water" requirement.

:d

I'll second the Dive Hut then. They have a bar right there besides.

 

[RJP]

I'll second the Dive Hut then. They have a bar right there besides.

Dive Hut might be a bit down-market for us, and not any much cheaper than other places.