"Just Right" Bonaire Dive Resorts

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DiveShopBarbie

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Location
Washington, DC
# of dives
50 - 99
Hi all,

My dive buddy & I are going to Bonaire this fall and are in the process of comparing dive resorts. I know there is a lot on this topic (feel free to throw in a link if you found something I didn't!) but I wanted to get some real opinions on Buddy Dive Resort versus others on the island.

We've stayed at Tranquilseas Eco-Lodge on Roatan and LOVED it - and that is the kind of atmosphere we are looking for. No cattleboating, personal service, small groups for boat dives, very "dive lodge" atmosphere, and just that kind of experience where you feel like you're staying in a couple of beach cabanas with good friends who are enthusiastic about diving. That being said - we're not opposed to some creature comforts :D

Some items we'd definitely like to have in a resort -
  • Dive packages (duh!)
  • Solid dive operation (wonderful staff, well maintained gear, nice boats, etc)
  • On the beach (preferably with easy access to on site shore diving)
  • Small, personalized service
  • Small dive group sizes for boat dives (i.e., no cattleboating)
  • On site bar / restaurant (surface interval!)
  • That special atmosphere that just makes you feel like you're on a dive vacation and nothing else matters

We've looked heavily into Buddy Dive and while I'm not at all opposed to it, it seems like there are a lot of people, over-crowded gear storage rooms, and maybe packed boat trips - so I'm just wondering if you can really get that 'personalized touch' here. In my mind, I kind of equate it to Anthony's Key on Roatan - went there but didn't stay - much preferred the personal service of Tranquilseas next door.

Am I totally off in my interpretation of Buddy Dive? Are there awesome, smaller resorts I'm overlooking that would show us a phenomenal dive trip?

Thanks so much in advance for the tips - can't wait to get there!

Cheers,
DSB
 
Edited for brevity...(I really have to start asking questions first)..some of the "beaches" on Bonaire:

There aren't really any "cabana" resorts on Bonaire if you mean separate bungalows like you find at AKR. IDK Tranquilseas to compare. I believe Bamboo Bali might have that feel but it's not waterfront. Certainly a smaller resort. Sorobon Resort might appeal to you also - it's on Lac Bay on the southeast side. Almost all the diving in on the west side but there are a couple sites there. Lac Bay is a world class Kitesurfing destination and too shallow to dive. I believe Wannadive does have a satellite shop there.
 

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Great tips - thanks, Diversteve!

I guess I should clarify by "on the beach" - what I really mean is on the water. (That is to say, I don't want to drive to the resorts docks and want to jump on the dive boat right at the resort). I won't be doing much relaxing on the beach - there aren't any fish up there! :)

Do you (and other posters) consider Buddy Dive a cattleboat op? Do you think it provides a great "personal touch" experience?

Appreciate your help!
 
We just stayed at Sand Dollar. There is a small beach there, to the right if the pier. Put your gear on & walk right in to dive Bari Reef.
 
what I really mean is on the water.
That being the case, they're all waterfront. Every dive resort in that area or south of town has it's own shore dive. - in order N->S: Habitat, Buddy, Sand Dollar, Den Laman, Eden Beach, the Divi and the Plaza - also on named official dive sites. All have their own operators and I believe Den Laman's restaurant just re-opened also so they all have one or more eating places also.

I have been to Buddy Dive to dive but not stayed there. So many other posters here have that can comment on it's "feel" better than I can. We stayed at Belmar Condos south of town - it's the other Buddy Dive facility. So you get use of the Buddy drive thru tank pickup also. Totally on ironshore and a smaller compressed property. 5min. drive to town for everything else.

My next trip Den Laman is on the short list. On Bari Reef, one of the best sites for fish species in the Caribbean. It's a smaller place and the 1br's and up have oceanfront decks. It's only about 30' from the water. Right next to Sand Dollar and the other side is an open field - a couple hundred yards south to Eden Beach from there. Small place also and very contemporary furnishings. I personally like that. http://www.denlaman.com/ The studios do look at the parking lot/island though. Bonaire Dive/Adventure on site does naturalist dives on Bari and REEF fishcounts. Their dock is private for their guests - I believe mostly it's only their guests on the boats also. They only have two and the one we saw had about 6 on it one morning.
 
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not a lot of beach, nor boat diving in Bonaire. well you will find boat diving but what's the point when you can access the dive sites on your own....its all about renting a truck doing shore diving and doing your own thing...pretty much every resort offers packages that have accommodation, diving and truck

FWIW this is where we stayed at Bamboo Bali in Heaven Can Wait top 5 pictures in the gallery...outdoor shower, and your own hot tub best thing ever :D
 
It's natural to look for the best of where you've been in a new place you'd like to go, but often you have to embrace the new place for what it is. This comes up at times when people switch dive destinations to try something new. A few thoughts -

1.) Was at Buddy Dive Resort 5-17 to 5-24-14. Only one boat trip I saw was 2 tank, and about 10 people, and the rest were 1 tank, and considerably more people. And they tended to go out with quite a few folks.

2.) The big draw with Bonaire is shore diving, so for a lot of people, boat diving is either an accessory, or avoided entirely. It was my 8'th Bonaire trip, 1st time boat diving there, and I did that 2-tank trip, enjoyed it fine, and went back to shore diving.

3.) Buddy Dive Resort has a an onsite restaurant and bar. While it's not 'all inclusive,' I turned it into one by eating supper there every night and having it put on my room, breakfast buffet was already included, and I ate PB&J sandwiches & canned fruit cocktail from Zhung Kong supermarket right up the road for lunch.

4.) Buddy Dive Resort is pretty big. I'm an introvert, not gregarious, don't spend much time on boats there, don't drink or hang at the bar, and dove solo all week except one guided dive with Bas Tol of BasDiving.com (great way to see Cai), so take my input on this with a grain of salt, but I'd say Buddy's is not one of those place where everybody automatically gets to know everybody else. Neither was Eden Beach Resort when I stayed there before. I'm not saying you can't find people to bond with, but you mentioned a 'dive lodge' atmosphere in a place on Roatan, so I'm not sure if that's what you were referring to. As for personalized service, well, I'd go diving, get home, and my room had magically become cleaned up. Personalized enough for me.

Now, as for 'you're there to dive and that's mostly what matters that week,' that is easy to swing on Bonaire. I spent a week there alone, and absent the other agendas of co-travelers, managed to get in 28 dives. A number were at Buddy's house reef, but I hit quite a few other places, too.

Summing it up, if you want a happy social experience, plan to bring your friends or make them. I observed some gregarious people interacting with each other, and imagine you can find some chums if you wish. DiverSteve already covered the 'beach' angle. I think you will find the emphasis on unguided 'do it yourself' shore diving up & down the west coast workflow to radically change how you size up a potential dive trip, at least where shore diving is concerned. The way I'd measure a dive op. in Bonaire is different than how I do it for the Florida Keys, where boat diving is about the only diving.

Richard.
 
I have done Buddy Dive twice... my thoughts.

1. Shore diving is AMAZING right from the resort and possible as good as any other spot on island with so many fish, wreck, deep, shallow, etc.
2. Boat dives could be good to crowded, depending where they are going and time of day. Not personalized service at all. DMs ranged from great to just okay.
3. Free nitrox and rental truck are BIG pluses for us, as is the drive through tank pickup/dropoff.
4. Free buffet breakfast is also a BIG plus for us, we eat a big one every day at home and on trips.
5. Location is near the upper area dive sites, but far from the southend dive sites. Both are worth doing, but keep that in mind.
6. YOu have to drive to town for dinner unless you eat at resort. We had good food at both, but food is not cheap anywhere on Bonaire and service is always s-l-o-w.
7. There is a gear storage room but don't bother with it. All gear stays wet because there is so much wet gear in it. Take your gear back to your room and dry on your balcony or patio. We always get a downstairs 1-bdrm condo and use the patio for gear. Works perfectly. Anytime I have left gear in that gear room someone moves it or takes my spot or the gear gets wetter sitting in there. Not worth the hassle.
 
Thank you all for the tips and advice - incredibly helpful! I'm leaning towards staying at Buddy and just optimizing for shore dives and room-balcony gear storage.

And as Richard said, every place is different so embrace it for what it is!

That being said, my dive buddy just had to bail so not even sure if the trip will happen when originally intended (though it definitely is happening at some point)... considering solo but not sure about general safety.
 
Buddy's and AKR are in no way alike that I can see. Apples and oranges. AKR takes care of you--your daily schedule is planned for you. In Bonaire, you're on your own schedule, with the exception of IF you decide to do a boat dive, which is entirely gilding the lily in my opinion. I dive with a group of people who have been going to Bonaire for many years (I myself having only visited three times), and they say they have rarely bothered with a boat dive. A boat dive or two may be interesting and help break up an otherwise routine week, but boat diving is the sideshow, not the main event.

The Bonaire way to dive--the main draw of the island--is that you load up your truck when you feel like going diving, and you drive your truck to the dive sites of your choosing. When you need to exchange empty tanks for full tanks, you go get them yourself--and Buddy's drive-through tank station is a hoot. Even at an all-inclusive with a package deal, except for your meals, you generally do everything yourself. People go to Bonaire precisely for the reason that they want to dive independently and be in charge of their own schedules. Buddy's has nice facilities--restaurant/bar, etc.--but in my opinion, neither at Buddy's nor anywhere else will "personal service" make a big difference, since you generally don't need assistance for Bonaire shore diving. Regardless of what resort or other accommodations you choose, you're not on the property most of the day; rather, you're out diving somewhere else. Incidentally, the shore dive (off a dock) at Buddy's is good, but it's similar to many others. I don't think there is any reason to choose a resort or other accommodations based on it having an outstanding dive on site, since the whole point in Bonaire is that you are mobile.

For the few times when I did require some help from the staff at Buddy's they were more than helpful. I can envision reasons why some people might prefer a smaller, more personal-feeling resort, but I don't think it will make the diving more enjoyable. The size and personality of a resort would really only come into play during the downtime when you are eating/drinking or otherwise not diving.
 
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