Advice needed for first time traveller with family

[Trailboss123]

I keep going back to this based on the OP's criteria but Hamlet Oasis is not waterfront right - set back across the street from those white villas?

I guess it depends on your defininition of waterfront...

AB Car Rental should be cheaper than Avis assuming no CDW surprise. But not as convenient since they arn't at the airport.

Agree that AB Car Rental could be a bit cheaper- I was trying to do some quick research for the OP and I have always used Avis when on Bonaire, so I defaulted to their website to look at rates. I take that back-- I used Budget last time since it was less expensive than Avis. Really pays to check everyone out based on your dates. You are correct that Hamlet Oasis is not "waterfront" in the truest sense, in so much as your unit is not going to be "on" the water. However, I would consider it waterfront in the sense that the "property as a whole" is waterfront and there is no street to cross. It is a complex- just like Buddy, Sand Dollar or Captain Don. I assumed that is what the OP was looking for.

In my humble opinion, when it comes to complete convenience of 24/7 diving and quality of accommodations at a very reasonable price and with a great house reef that you can easily walk or giant stride into ... my choice would be Den Laman-- but alas-- they have no pool for the OP.

 

[Lasenza]

Hi all,

you guys are great - even doing calculations for us!!

Regarding the comment about being on the water. The idea is to be close to the water/diving, so we do not have to drive there by car. If there is a street in between the resort and waterfront - no problem at all! A proper pool is much more important.

I did not add food costs in my calculation, because we will have them regardless if we do the organised trip or self-organised. And Food costs you would also have at home, so we do not really calculate them for a vacation;-)

I did not manage to get any prices on the Hamlet Webpage (no availabilities) - I will contact them by email to get an offer.

Den Leman sounds like the place to go - but what will we do with our 8-year old the entire day and with our 11-year old when we are not diving? Realistically we can get 2 (shallow) dives/day with the 11-year old and hopefully we will meet other divers to hook up with, but we still need to find an activity for the kids other than diving and pool always works. Is there any way to use the pool from neighbouring hotels when paying for it?

Best wishes from Zürich!
Silvie

 

[diversteve]

For the 8 year old - with parent:
50' south pf Den Laman

Coco Beach - Have dinner and drinks at Coco Beach Bar and Restaurant

It's also 200' from Sand Dollar condos

This is an older picture - the building in the foreground is Den Laman and the red roofs just beyond it is Sand Dollar Taken before Cooc Beach was there but it starts about 50' to the right.
https://d1lfgugfgc16po.cloudfront.net/uploads/listing/photo/image
/55f7c7662c67a189ee0003de/full_Den_Laman_Condominiums__Bonaire.jpg
This shot shows the entire Sand Dollar property and the two story building at the far left - the back of Buddy Dive. The Sad Dollar beach is the small area between the DL dock and the first iron shore outcropping - past there it;s all higher above the water.
https://www.sanddollarbonaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/aerial-view.jpg

I believe Den Laman has a better dock now also - and Dive Friends brings boats in there.

 

[drrich2]

but what will we do with our 8-year old the entire day and with our 11-year old when we are not diving? Realistically we can get 2 (shallow) dives/day with the 11-year old and hopefully we will meet other divers to hook up with, but we still need to find an activity for the kids other than diving and pool always works.

Been a few years, and I'm not athletic so this isn't by direct experience...Jibe City on the east coast had wind surfing, and on the west coast down around the Atlantis dive site (where I wouldn't dive because I don't want my hair parted with a kite board...) there was kite boarding. I don't know what the age minimums are for that stuff. Jibe City looked like it might be an interesting place to poke around.

One afternoon driving through Washington Slagbaii Park allows for scenic photography; big waves pounding the rocky shoreline cliff at Playa Chikitu (? spelling), the hilly, even mountainous landscape with cacti - bring the paper receipts from buying your marine park passes to avoid the entry fee (unless things have changed).

You'll see 3 species of lizards; little geckos by night, and whip-tail lizards and iguanas by day. A friend & I used to try to catch whip-tail lizards, but learned from fellow travelers in some places if you squat down with minced up apple on your hand, some may come get on your hand and eat.

A drive through the donkey sanctuary with a bag of apples is kinda fun.

Richard.

 

[NDL_Diver]

Den Lemanh has a pool? The last time i checked it did not and was a deal breaker for us.

 

[scubadada]

Den Leman sounds like the place to go - but what will we do with our 8-year old the entire day and with our 11-year old when we are not diving? Realistically we can get 2 (shallow) dives/day with the 11-year old and hopefully we will meet other divers to hook up with, but we still need to find an activity for the kids other than diving and pool always works. Is there any way to use the pool from neighbouring hotels when paying for it?...

Den Lemanh has a pool?...

It has been mentioned in several earlier posts that Den Laman does not have a pool, Sand Dollar does. It could not hurt if Silvie contacted Sand Dollar to inquire if it would be possible to arrange to use their pool for a modest payment. This would open up the possibility of using either Den Laman or Sand Dollar.

The pictures @diversteve posted links for are very useful. The 1st picture of Den Laman shows the small beach to the left of the pier. There is a roped swimming area off from the beach. The pier has indeed been improved and is very nice. Dive Friends boats leave from here every morning for a 2 tank dive and some afternoons for a 1 tank dive. They go to Klein Bonaire and northern sites, not available from shore. Egress is made very simple by the attached stairs. There are 3 sets of setup benches with associated tables with more than enough capacity. You can see the multiple rinse tanks, one for masks, regs, one for fins, BCs, wetsuits, and one for booties and socks. There is a separate rinse tank for cameras with an associated setup table. The tank area was improved after this photo also. There are separate covered bays for full AL80 nitrox tanks (no charge for certified divers), full air AL80 tanks, full nitrox or air AL63tanks, and empty tanks. There is a very efficient, easy to use analyzer/pressure checker for nitrox use. The gray topped building behind and to the left of Den Laman is Dive Friends Bonaire. The office, rentals, gear storage building and 24 hour drive up tank pick up are all located here. Pier and gear storage area are accessible 24 hours per day, but, are locked in off hours, with key available in a lock box. The pier is essentially available only to owners and guests at Den Laman and Sand Dollar. Visiting divers, even those using Dive Friends, use the parking lot and entrance to the right of Den Laman. Coco Beach is located further south of the parking lot. There is a restaurant, Breeze N' Bites, located on the ground floor of Den Laman.

Sand Dollar is obviously pretty large. The pool can be seen on the street side of the left V of buildings. The tennis courts are also there. The lime green building is a restaurant, Eddy's.

Edit: Sorry for the funny formatting, not sure how that happened, must have started inside the quote. Click on expand to see post. Click on the pictures to see larger view

 

[lmorin]

There is no pool at Den Laman. There is a pool at Sand Dollar. However, in my fairly extensive experience, the pool is seldom used by Sand Dollar owners or guests. The Sand Dollar beach is small, but sandy, and is the venue of choice for nearly all who do not elect to dive or snorkel. Kids love playing at the beach and can run in and out of the water without the worries that come with running around a pool. Besides, the beach is more or less at the center of things, right next to the diving dock. The pool is adjacent to Eddy's restaurant, away from the shore.

 

[Aviyes]

Jibe city would be a blast for your 11 yr old and 8 yr old. Saw many younger kids doing windsurfing lessons when we stopped by to grab some sangria post-dive. Water is thigh to waist deep on an adult and stays that depth for a long way out(200-300+ yds). Really cool place to hang out.

 

[boat sju]

Lasenza,

I'm not sure all your needs will be met at any one location. There's a new resort south of town that looks pretty nice. Beautiful pool. I imagine they're pricey but I don't know for sure. Luxury defined by nature - Delfins Beach Resort Bonaire

There was some discussion about car rentals. I'm a fan of AB (and full insurance). Very well run and good vehicles. And if you do have a problem with a truck they'll take care of it quickly. They've always had someone right there to pick us up at the airport.

 

[ijdod]

I missed the 17 day part in your post so some of those prices seem reasonable.
Most dive vehicles on Bonaire are 4-dr manual transmission small trucks. SUV's are available for more. Factor in gas prices also - it's really expensive there.

This made me laugh. For Europeans, Bonaire gas is cheap (around a euro per liter or thereabouts at the monent)

Hi all,
I did not add food costs in my calculation, because we will have them regardless if we do the organised trip or self-organised. And Food costs you would also have at home, so we do not really calculate them for a vacation;-)

While this is true, food is expensive on Bonaire, even if you make it yourself. Roughly, 150% of what I'd pay in a Dutch supermarket for common items. Most of it is literally shipped from the Netherlands.

-

We went with AB rental car during our holiday trips there, and when we needed a pickup when we lived there (we had a private Kia saloon for regular use; could dive with 2 out of that one ). Main reasons were price (with insurance), good reputation for no-nonsense. Our experience with their airport pickup is very good, quite possibly quicker than the queue at Avis (but your milage may vary )

Note that not all rental companies do 1 day rentals, and some have rather interesting small print if you want to do things like the national park... and diving.