Bonaire...Coral Paradise vs. Buddy dive resort

[wgw04024]

Greetings,

A group of us are looking to dive Bonaire at the end of February. Does anyone have any experiences with both Dive resorts? Also, we could always rent a house and do our dive business at a dive shop separately right? Just looking to find the best option. Maybe there isn't a ton of difference between the three options...

Thanks,
Bill

 

[diversteve]

I know a little about all three options so here's my take on it.

Coral Paradise is as they say not oceanfront but pool front. It's set back in about a block from the water and there are some other condos that front the ocean there. The dive site out front is Cliff - about the only vertical wall on Bonaire. Good dive, we actually did it from Habitat's dive dock with a short swim north. There are two dive operators close by. Habitat is about a block walk to the south - the restaurant they suggest on their website - RumRunners is actually Habitat's. The other option which I'm kind of surprised they don't mention is Dive Friends since I'm reasonably sure it's physically closer. Dive Friends Bonaire, our location at Hamlet Oasis

Some of the 3/4 bedroom condos in front of Coral Paradise also are rentals if they fit your needs. They're on VRBO.com - here's one: Santa Barbara Vacation Rental - VRBO 3716046ha - 4 BR Bonaire Villa, Oceanfront Villa Ocean Blue, Walking Distance of Dive Shops, Restaurants The dive dock/dive boats seen in the 4th picture are Habitat's. The pool is shared with Hamlet Oasis resort - the smaller condos that are behind/adjacent to the property. The 7th picture shows both dive shops. Right about where the "Hamlet Villa 2" arrow is is the start of the Cliff dive site which runs north from there.

Buddy Dive is a very popular option also. It's the next resort south of Habitat. And very popular with divers since they have a drive-thru tank pickup at the back (street) side of the property for shore diving elsewhere. Buddy's also provides their own truck rentals on-site and Buddy has a free shuttle from the airport. I've personally never found Buddy's prices to be all that great when compared to other options.

Almost every house that I know of on Bonaire that's anywhere near the water has a dive pkg. available with somebody. Besides vrbo.com - for larger private rentals there's Sunbelt Realty - Bonaire - Netherlands Antilles. vacation rentals

I moved your thread to the Bonaire sub-forum for a better response...

 

[tursiops]

One difference is how much you want to be your own contractor (as in building a house) versus having someone else do it for you. Buddy Dive is like the latter....all the pieces (airport transfers, accomodations, dive shop, trucks, food, payments, etc) all comes together so you can just chill and dive. That's worth a little more extra cost to me. Other folks like to put it all together themselves, hoping for the optimal experience at the least cost and the pleasure of having made it happen....but they have to work for it, and stay on top of it before and during the trip.

 

[darook]

I have done Buddy twice and their sister resort CCB once and would not have a problem doing either again. That said, this last trip we did more of our own thing and really enjoyed it. Dive Friends is the op at Hamlet and the Cliff. Even though we weren't customers they were very nice folks. The entrance at Cliff is not a dock and ladder set up and is much like any of the non-beach, non-resort entrances meaning you need watch your footing and deal with some surge. Still a great option. I would like to use Dive Friends some time as they have the most locations for tank swaps.

I am drawn to looking at the Belnem area next time as I enjoy the Southern sites quite a lot and would like to get more breeze too. That helps with cooling and mosquitoes. As Steve says there are a ton of VRBO options. Now there are also more options on the island to get food too. That saves a bunch of money vs. eating at resorts.

 

[diversteve]

A group of us are looking to dive Bonaire at the end of February.

How big a group - and equally important how many will be sharing a room in a house/villa situation?

Any budget limitations?

There's - www.bonairepros.com - if you're looking for other resort options.

 

[djtimmy77]

We have stayed at Coral Paradise twice, and our dive buddies were there again a few months ago...used Buddy Dive for tanks. We wouldn't hesitate to go back again.

 

[wwguy]

Greetings,

A group of us are looking to dive Bonaire at the end of February. Does anyone have any experiences with both Dive resorts? Also, we could always rent a house and do our dive business at a dive shop separately right? Just looking to find the best option. Maybe there isn't a ton of difference between the three options...

Thanks,
Bill

Here's my two cents: I know that Coral Paradise property and owners are popular with returning guests and consistently get great reviews on Trip Advisor etc. That said, it takes a pretty good imagination to call this property a "resort" or compare amenities to Buddy Dive or similar. CP has 8 rooms and a pool and is separated from the sea by Habitat and other nearby oceanfront properties. (CP guests can access the sea via public path.) They don't have on-site restaurant, bar, or dive operation, although Habitat offers all of these nearby within easy walking distance. As others have said, Dive Friends Hamlet location is also in the same property complex and offers tank exchange and access to The Cliff (but no boat dive operation at this location.) If this type of "resort" is your thing, then great, but comparison against oceanfront full-service dive resorts like Buddy Dive or Habitat isn't realistic.

Here's an aerial photo of the area:


The first few years we visited Bonaire we opted for resorts, including several stays at Buddy Dive. We didn't have to worry about logistics such as which dive operation or rental car company etc. We just showed up with dive gear and credit card and had a great dive vacation. But eventually we found more enjoyment and customization to our tastes by staying at smaller more intimate properties. Our current favorite for the past 4 years... Beachcomber Villas, is located oceanfront just down the road a few houses from Coral Paradise.

There are pros and cons both ways between going with a dive resort or putting together your own combination of accommodations, rental truck, and diving. Your original post doesn't mention preference or aversion to either approach, so I'm assuming at this point that your open and flexible. Flexibility is good, because you may have a tough time finding February openings for a group at the most popular smaller properties. The high season is in full swing here right now.

 

[Matt Clancy]

We have gone twice, both times rented condos through vrbo. The condo owner both tones arranged the truck and tanks. Once was with dive friends and the other through wanna dive. No issues with either. While. we haven't stayed at the resort places, the condos. we rented were first class and large enough for 6-8 people at a fraction of the cost.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wgw04024]

People. I really appreciate all the honest feedback. As wwguy eluded to, yes we are very flexible at this point. Planning on deciding and pulling the trigger on airline tix and accommodations at the beginning of next week. I don't have any fear of planning the trip. I have planned numerous vacation, none diving however, but always have been very smooth. Sounds like for a resort Buddy Dive would be the best choice. If the resort doesn't have boats, tanks, etc, I might as well get a condo.

Keep it coming...

Bill

 

[darook]

I think you would have a wonderful time at Buddy. It is very easy and the convenience of their shore dive is excellent. It is a bit bigger and busier but still a nice place and a great house reef. I don't care for boat diving on Bonaire any longer unless they are for sure going somewhere I can't shore dive such as Klein or Rappel so I opt for the no boat dive package. They recently upgraded many of their trucks so that is a plus. Regardless, the island is at full speed at the end of Feb so you will want to get your accommodations booked very soon.