I've got a group of 14-20 divers going to Bonaire next fall. I'm thinking of steering them to Divi. About half of them will be content to do a couple of boat dives in the morning and maybe a dive from the dock in the afternoon...some of them will dive a ton from the dock...and a few would rent a truck and do more shore diving around the island. (These guys are not hard core shore divers.) They'd eat breakfast each day at the resort. Some would eat lunch/dinner at the resort...but many would want to wander into town on foot to find restaurant options. They don't need a fancy resort, but would want a good solid 3 star place that is clean and they definitely pay close attention to customer service at the resort and with the dive op. They all just got back from Fiji and are eager for us to all go out on another adventure together. Is Divi a good fit?
You sound like lazy divers! Can I come?
The divi will be a great fit. We have used it many times for the reasons you note above. The dive op is well polished and competent. Boats are in good shape and dock diving is extremely easy (gear lockers & tanks on the dock) with lots of stuff to keep you interested. The resort is not fancy, but has several different types of rooms available. We do ocean front room with a mini fridge. the timeshare units have a full kitchen.
The morning boat provides two 40 minutes dives. It leaves the dock right in the middle of my breakfast (8:30?) and comes back just after my morning dive. The afternoon boat is one 60 minute dive.
They have 4 boats and will use more than is required. They are never jammed (unless some group books one full). I think they max each boat at 16 people, but are normally less full than that. We do the afternoon boat and usually have around 10 divers max (more divers == more boats).
Boat dives provide a tour guide, but you can dive your own profile with your buddy. they do set depth and time limits on the boat dives.
The breakfast buffet is "just fine". We grab stuff from the local Sunshine market and slap a sandwich together for lunch. Supper is always a walk into town after our twilight dive off the dock. At Sea is closest (best and most expensive) at a 7 minute walk from the far south end of the resort.
The ability to walk into town and less crowded boats is why we choose Divi over Captains Don's.
---------- Post added November 13th, 2014 at 01:03 AM ----------
P.S. Cruise ships are not an issue. Just remember to turn left as you head out as you are not allowed to dive under the cruise ships.
When docked, I have never heard a cruise ship. But one left port during a night dive and I was convinced it was going to run me down. The noise was extremely loud and you could feel the water vibrations pounding on your chest. An eye opener.