I'm thinking Sand Dollar, but.....

[Ron G.]

We liked staying ocean front in Cozumel (Blue Angel) and want something similar in Bonaire. My first thought was Buddy Dive, but I can't get a guaranteed ocean front room.

Now looking at Sand Dollar. Looks like we'd be booking a specific condo, so we'll be assured ocean front. Like the idea of being on a great house reef (Bari) and having an on-site dive op.

I like using VRBO.com to book directly with owners, but they offer surprisingly few units at Sand Dollar. And, the few that are there are primarily ground floor units (we'd like to be in an upstairs unit for a better view).

So, when I look at the Sand Dollar website, their pricing seems similar to what's on VRBO (when you take into account the whole package....truck rental and diving). However, the package they advertise includes a dive package with Dive Friends Bonaire (one mile away), not the on-site op (Bonaire Dive and Adventure).

We're flexible on travel dates (would like to go some time in February), Sand Dollar seems like a great choice for us (probably not four star luxury, but very nice), but we want to be confident we're getting a great unit and the on-site dive op.

Any advice?

Ron

 

[GOCACHN]

We rented unit a-15 at sand dollar in August through VRBO. The unit is ground floor but really nice. We just did the al a carte with the diving and truck rental. We dove with BDA on-site and rented a truck from Poppy at Telerin. We loved it.

 

[diversteve]

You might also consider BelMar. All their units are oceanfront - about 40' from it - at night you hear the waves crash into the shoreline. Your patio faces west as does the living room behind the arcadia door. It's in Belnem, south of town so quieter. Nicer, newer place but there's no food within walking distance it's a five min. drive to downtown or the markets. Full kitchens, the ground floor units have their own individual dive closets outside the back door. The upstairs units have lockers at the dive shop on the south end of the property. Pool is 20' from your patio and 20' down some stairs to the divedock past that. Watch the video if you're interested - it shows most of the amenities.

The other Buddy Dive shop is on-site so you get to use the Buddy resort drive-thru tank pickup also when diving north. They have a house reef - part of the Corporal Meiss site - but it's not as good as Bari for fishlife (not much is...) It's a couple of minutes south to the start of the really good south dive sites and they have 24/7 tank availability - plus stage tanks on their dive dock. Boat dives several days per week and you can sign up to boat dive at Buddy's also. There's no beach but there isn't at Buddy or Sand Dollar really either. Belmar Oceanfront Apartments - First Class Accommodations

Another option is Den Laman, the condos south of Sand Dollar. Bonaire Dive/Adventure is their shared operator. Not all the condos are oceanfront though, some are ocean view. And IIRC the studios don't have an ocean view at all. Den Laman - Bonaire Holiday Homes - Accommodations Bonaire Holiday Rentals, Vacation, Oceanfront, Villa, Studio

 

[DiveMaven]

We always stay at Den Laman in an ocean front 1-bedroom condo and absolutely love the view, the large veranda, the spaciousness of the condo, and the security of being on a 2nd or 3rd floor with keyed access to the stairwell. Now with the gear and tank rooms having 24 hour access, it's just that much better! Can't wait for our next 2-week stay there next summer!!

 

[Ron G.]

Another option is Den Laman, the condos south of Sand Dollar.

I'm not sure why I overlooked Den Laman. Somehow, I had the impression that it was a dump, but the reviews I just read are generally very favorable.

DiveMaven, I think a one BR condo would work well for us (my wife and me). And, I think we'd be happier on the top floor (it's a 3 story building), so that our view isn't blocked by a palm tree. Looking at a photo of the building, it looks like there are four ocean front condos on each floor....two corner units and two in the middle. Which are the one-bedrooms? I'm guessing that two of them are 2 BR and two are 1 BR.

Now, I have to see if they have something available for one of our possible weeks.

Ron

 

[AnnV]

HI: I booked at sand dollar for August. Here is the link Greg Gage . The condo looks great you might want to take a look.

-_Ann

 

[herman]

Del Lamen a dump,no way, it's a lot nicer that SD SD really does not have what I would consider ocean front condos, ocean view at best. DL on the other hand has several rooms that are almost over the ocean. As for SD, the package they offer openly is with BF but all you have to do is ask and they will also arrange diving the BD&A. I stayed at SD in July and go the package.

 

[DiveMaven]

Den Laman is actually very modern and only about 8 years old, definitely not a dump! Tile floors throughout, stainless steel appliances, full kitchens with full sized refrigerator, dining room that seats 4, with an outside table and chairs for dining if you want as we'll. Aother very nice feature is A/C in the living room AND bedroom.....oh yeah, and the maid service.

The 1-bedroom ocean front condos are the middle 4 units with the 2-bedroom units on the corners. They're laid out with the living and dining rooms facing a full wall of windows, opening to a large veranda, ocean front. The only thing that might obstruct your view is a palm tree! LOL

We always do the dive/stay/drive package since its super convenient. If you take underwater photos, I'd highly recommend spending some time with Tim at Fish Eye Photo. Not only is he an excellent photographer, but he's an excellent teacher and will help you advance your skills from where you're at. We've also done the 1/2 day Dive with the Naturalist with Jerry Ligon and learned an amazing amount about fish behavior.

On the other hand, if all you do is dive, dive, dive, that's always a good choice too!

 

[DeputyDan]

As far as nice rooms go - Den Laman is the nicest place I have stayed.

 

[GOCACHN]

Dive friends Bonaire has just opened up a new shop on the property at Sand Dollar