Advice on possible trip to Bonaire via Aruba

[drbill]

I have a free flight on Air Tran (thanks to mechanical problems that left me sleeping in the Atlanta airport) and one destination I'm thinking of is the ABC Islands. I've never been there. Air Tran flies into Aruba but not Bonaire, so I would have to get from Aruba to Bonaire for the majority of my stay and diving.

I've heard there are no commercial boats making that crossing and I believe only two regional airlines that do. I'm aware of the airlines, but are there other options?

I tend to travel solo on a backpacker's budget (heck, I'm a long-term dive bum) so I'd also welcome suggestions regarding low cost accommodations with diving options in both locations. Thanks.

 

[chauncy19]

drbill,
there is an active discussion going on on Bonairetalk about aruba to bonaire. been looking at it as an alternative way to bonaire too. have not used it yet so can't really help except to point out bonairetalk
BonaireTalk
you can also get ideas about cheaper accommodation on bonaire there too.
you will have to fly through Curacao to get to Bonaire. there is also good diving there but personally would recommend going on to Bonaire.

 

[mala]

i will recommend a car in bonaire.
stay where is cheap and dive where you want.
the sites to the north and south are less travelled and well worth it.

if you dont have a car you need to be on the coast near a resort with a day boat.

beware of the boats-they usually have a guide and are full of people that can take pictures but cant dive.

 

[Tjack]

I just got back from Curacao, we originally planned to go on to Bonaire. There are frequent cheap flights between Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. Approximately $60 each way for the 20 min flight.

I did come across hostel type lodgings in Williamstead, Curacao. Don't know about Bonaire ?

All West, Westpunt Curacao will run about $80 a night for a studio with great shore diving on site.

Tiara Air Aruba has a special running $40 one way Aruba Bonaire.

 

[drbill]

Thanks. I had forgotten about BonaireTalk... used to check it out the last time I considered Bonaire.

 

[diversteve]

I've priced Intel cheaper sometimes mid-week than on the weekends. I think Tiara will still be cheaper though.

From Infobonaire.com:

Many people ask but, unfortunately, there is NO ferry service of any kind between Bonaire and Aruba, Venezuela, or Curacao. Scheduled travel between these locations is limited to air travel.

The trick to doing Bonaire cheaply is obviously shore dive and stay in a place off the water. The DiveHut has a package, room/truck rental/unlimited shore diving for $550/studio - $620/1br. I think they include breakfast also. Diving is with WannaDive, they're highly regarded here. Dive Hut Bonaire

Other inexpensive places are Lagoen Hill (10 mins. from the water) or Coco Palm Garden/Casa Oleander south of town. You'd need a car for either - they probably have a bundled dive deal also. Most of your budget options: Info Bonaire - Budget Accommodations - Hotel, Resort, Condo, and Apartment Listings on Bonaire

Food can be pricey or reasonable for a small Caribbean island where everything is imported. There's a good bbq takeout (Bobbejans) downtown, Elle's Deli, a Subway in Los Galleries, Wattaburger (not the U.S. chain) and the KFC serves beer. Otoh It Rains Fishes is going to set you back $50 min. for a great meal and view. There's quite a few places where you can get a good meal under $20 - two pizza/pasta places, City Cafe, Zeezicht, others. This is some of the better ones: Bonaire Dining Guide

I've no desire to go to Aruba since there is much less shore diving there. Some of this is older but for comparison: Scuba Shore Diving Region: ABC Islands

 

[Heatheroe]

The Aruba airport was very confusing

 

[Kharon]

The Aruba airport was very confusing

You are way too kind. The Aruba airport is HELL. I had to go through security multiple times just to switch from one plane to another (security - customs - security). WTF.

I stayed here ( Bonaire diving, budget vacation accommodation, self contained vacation rentals ) and found it great. It was way less expensive than anything else I found. Full kitchen, behind a wall with a locked gate (security), very clean and comfortable, and they have a cheap buffet twice a week. I was getting in too late to get to the grocery store so I used Renee ( Shopping is Easy with the Bonaire Personal Shopper ). Put in an order and everything was there waiting when I arrived. Got unlimited tanks from ( Welcome to Dive Friends Bonaire ). They have many places to pick up and drop off tanks and you can use any. Be sure to pick up tanks before they close for the night. And I agree with Mala - definitely avoid the boats - I got kicked in the back & head as a "diver" swam up my back, was forcefully pushed aside while just swimming, witnessed a guy bouncing from 60 feet to 20 feet then back down at astounding ascent rates, and on and on.

A book you might want to get is "Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy". It describes all the marked (and some unmarked) shore diving sites on Bonaire and Klein Bonaire (take the water taxi). It not only describes the sites but the entry as well. You can pick it up there or order it (from Amazon I think). Depending on wind, there can be a lot of surge. A trick I found useful was to count the waves and note the interval between the highest (it will be followed by a number of much smaller waves). Once determined you can enter just after the highest wave and make it to chest deep water before the next one. Then I would just float and put on my fins. My favorite two dives were Tori's reef (easiest entry, interesting stuff on the swim out to the reef, great reef going either direction, and I almost always saw turtles) and Angel City (double reef).

One final thing. Deet destroys diving equipment so I got Sawyer's Permethrin to treat my clothes and Sawyer's Picaridin Insect Repellent for my skin (Amazon) - neither will harm gear in any way. It had poured daily (very unusual) for 4 months before I got there and the mosquito population was huge. I might have gotten one bite but I'm not sure. Others at Coco Palm looked like they had chicken pox.

Have a ball.

 

[DeputyDan]

beware of the boats-they usually have a guide and are full of people that can take pictures but cant dive.

Post of the year !!!!!

Love it.

 

[boulderjohn]

I did the ABC's in alphabetical order several years ago. I hope the inter-island flight situation has improved since then. If not, pay careful attention to it.

The day before we were to leave Aruba for Bonaire, the concierge at our hotel offered to confirm our flight. The airline web site was not working, and no one answered the phone all day. She finally got through to someone to confirm late in the evening.

When we were ready to leave Bonaire for Curacao, the same thing happened. The concierge called all day trying to confirm our 11:00 AM flight for the next morning, but could not get through. We were just about to leave for dinner and dropped in to see if she was making any progress. She finally got through while we were there. Our 11:00 AM flight was canceled, and we were moved to the 8:00 AM flight. If we had not gotten through and gone for the expected flight, we would have missed it and not been able to complete our trip. When we got to the airport, we asked when the flight had been canceled, and they said several days before. We asked how we were to know that, since they don't have a schedule on the web site and since they don't notify people of the changes. She told us that you should call the airline every day to see if there are any schedule changes. When we said that no one answers when you call, she said you just have to keep trying.

When we got to our place in Curacao, there were people on the phone trying to make new flight arrangements, since they had not been able to get through and had missed their flights when they were changed.

BTW, I was surprised by Curacao--I think it is a very underrated destination.