Bonaire - Resort vs private rental?
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drrich2
Contributor
Glad to help. Keep in mind the useful info. in the Curacao threads came from other people; I keep thinking about diving Curacao, but either Bonaire, or some place with a different kind of diving than either offers, keeps drawing me away. Thought about Curacao for a family trip, but by the time I added up airfare & other costs, then considered how others (mainly wife) would react to me being gone all day most of the trip, nixed the idea.
Richard.
Richard.
You are always welcome back here in So Cal for Channel Island diving with me.
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The nice thing about Curacao as an alternative is that in addition to the resorts, you can find some nice shore dive sites that are also excellent beaches with facilities on-site - often some sort of restaurant/snackbar as well as a dive operation so it's easily possible to spend a day shore diving and returning to the family between dives.
So here's a list of some of those - there's others.
Varsenbaai/Kokomo - Kokomo Beach Curacao maybe 15mins. west of Willemstad - evem tje non-divers can find turtles in 6' of water off the beach to the south of the dock. Sometimes squid under the dock. Trunk Divers on-site.
Playa Lagun - Playa Lagun about 30mins. west. Two dive operations,, Discover Diving or Bahia Dive/Apts. up the cliff on the west side of the lagoon - there's stairs. It's a real good spot for turtles since the locals clean their catch just outside the lagoon edges. Also Bahia has a grille perched cliffside and there's a water toy/beach operator on-site. The chairs are his the concrete benches public.
Maybe 20mins. west is arguably one of the better sites, Porto Mari. It's a family beach with a snack shop and Porto Mari Sports on-site for tanks, water toys etc. Excellent shaded beach and a very nice double reef dive. Homepage - Portomari
Still further west in Westpunt is Playa Kalki - it's not the best beach though, a little rocky. About 45mjins. from town. Go West Diving is on-site there - one of the better operators and they keep two boats there. Also there's a long dock to get you closer to the reef for shore diving. Small grill on the rocky beach and all of Lodge Kura Hulanda and Beach Club is above it - they used to offer a day pass for the pool etc. Nice oceanview restaurant also.
There must be another 1/2 dozen similar beaches with diving also along the coast. Cas Abao or Blue Bay are two but I've not been to either. East of town, Caracasbaai or Jan Thiel are also fully improved - not sure of the shop situation at Caracasbaai though. In town on the south side Pierbaai Beach is an option, the Dive Bus has their facility across the street and that's one of the Carpile Wreck sites.
Some places to stay with all the amenities you seem to want - I've not stayed at most since we rent condos.
The Veneto in Piscadera - I know it because we eat breakfast at their Denny's - it's just like ours.
Blue Bay Resort - there's both a beach and a golf course property - only seen it from the water.
Curacao Hilton - is an older property with a weird beach arrangement - there's a walking dock in front of some of it, the other side is an active boat channel. Carib Sea Sports is on-site for diving but their shore dive would be a healthy surface swim out.
In town, Sunscape is the family AI resort. The Curacao Invasions we sponsor are held there. They have Ocean Encounters on-site and it's an ex-Breezes family resort so there's things for the kids. I've only briefly driven in there once.
There's a few other resorts I'm not naming since they're behind the breakwater so diving is limited. Avila Hotel is one, I've not been there.Also I didn't mention anything not directly on the beach. I wouldn't stay downtown either - it's an active cruise port since the Megapier is just off the north side of the harbor - and currently being expanded. Shame because it temporarily blocks access to the Superior Producer - arguably the best wreck. Also there's really no diving downtown to speak of - or much if any beach. The Renaissance has sand scattered around their pool since due to their location they're a dozen feet or more above the harbor entrance.
Still farther east of town is Lions Dive Resort - a larger property with a smallish beach. Nice pool plus a beach bar and a couple other restaurants. It's about 100 yds. from Mambo Blvd. - a newer shopping/dining complex. 50 yds. away on the boardwalk is the main Ocean Encounters shop. Additionally the Sea Aquarium (think small Seaworld) is there also across the channel - they hold the Dolphins for the Dolphin dive OE does weekly. That area is probably the most resort-like part of Willemstad - I did walk the grounds one morning waiting for a boat dive.
hth,
So here's a list of some of those - there's others.
Varsenbaai/Kokomo - Kokomo Beach Curacao maybe 15mins. west of Willemstad - evem tje non-divers can find turtles in 6' of water off the beach to the south of the dock. Sometimes squid under the dock. Trunk Divers on-site.
Playa Lagun - Playa Lagun about 30mins. west. Two dive operations,, Discover Diving or Bahia Dive/Apts. up the cliff on the west side of the lagoon - there's stairs. It's a real good spot for turtles since the locals clean their catch just outside the lagoon edges. Also Bahia has a grille perched cliffside and there's a water toy/beach operator on-site. The chairs are his the concrete benches public.
Maybe 20mins. west is arguably one of the better sites, Porto Mari. It's a family beach with a snack shop and Porto Mari Sports on-site for tanks, water toys etc. Excellent shaded beach and a very nice double reef dive. Homepage - Portomari
Still further west in Westpunt is Playa Kalki - it's not the best beach though, a little rocky. About 45mjins. from town. Go West Diving is on-site there - one of the better operators and they keep two boats there. Also there's a long dock to get you closer to the reef for shore diving. Small grill on the rocky beach and all of Lodge Kura Hulanda and Beach Club is above it - they used to offer a day pass for the pool etc. Nice oceanview restaurant also.
There must be another 1/2 dozen similar beaches with diving also along the coast. Cas Abao or Blue Bay are two but I've not been to either. East of town, Caracasbaai or Jan Thiel are also fully improved - not sure of the shop situation at Caracasbaai though. In town on the south side Pierbaai Beach is an option, the Dive Bus has their facility across the street and that's one of the Carpile Wreck sites.
Some places to stay with all the amenities you seem to want - I've not stayed at most since we rent condos.
The Veneto in Piscadera - I know it because we eat breakfast at their Denny's - it's just like ours.
Blue Bay Resort - there's both a beach and a golf course property - only seen it from the water.
Curacao Hilton - is an older property with a weird beach arrangement - there's a walking dock in front of some of it, the other side is an active boat channel. Carib Sea Sports is on-site for diving but their shore dive would be a healthy surface swim out.
In town, Sunscape is the family AI resort. The Curacao Invasions we sponsor are held there. They have Ocean Encounters on-site and it's an ex-Breezes family resort so there's things for the kids. I've only briefly driven in there once.
There's a few other resorts I'm not naming since they're behind the breakwater so diving is limited. Avila Hotel is one, I've not been there.Also I didn't mention anything not directly on the beach. I wouldn't stay downtown either - it's an active cruise port since the Megapier is just off the north side of the harbor - and currently being expanded. Shame because it temporarily blocks access to the Superior Producer - arguably the best wreck. Also there's really no diving downtown to speak of - or much if any beach. The Renaissance has sand scattered around their pool since due to their location they're a dozen feet or more above the harbor entrance.
Still farther east of town is Lions Dive Resort - a larger property with a smallish beach. Nice pool plus a beach bar and a couple other restaurants. It's about 100 yds. from Mambo Blvd. - a newer shopping/dining complex. 50 yds. away on the boardwalk is the main Ocean Encounters shop. Additionally the Sea Aquarium (think small Seaworld) is there also across the channel - they hold the Dolphins for the Dolphin dive OE does weekly. That area is probably the most resort-like part of Willemstad - I did walk the grounds one morning waiting for a boat dive.
hth,
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USC8791
Contributor
Check out Villa Pela or Villa Titus. Both are 3 bed, 2 bath with a pool located on the inland waterways next to Plaza resort. Tropical Divers is located about 200 yards away.
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