Sue Sue
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My hubby Michael and I once again made our visit to Bonaire from February 1 – February 16. We again, enjoyed the diving and island very much and look forward to a return trip. Below is a report of our trip.
Transportation: We were two of the lucky folks whose flight itinerary was changed from a Houston Friday Night Redeye flight to a reroute via a Sunday morning Newark flight after an overnight Saturday stopover. Prior to this flight I also was a tad bit miffed about the change, however, after the fact, it all turned out very well. For us, we were actually fortunate that our Saturday overnight stopover in Newark fell on the eve of Superbowl Sunday. Being that we are from the New York area, we took the opportunity to go into Manhattan once we got settled to enjoy the Times Square Superbowl festivities and also stop by Juniors for a fantastic, and much missed, Reuben Sandwich. Don't get me wrong, Texas is wonderful, especially for BBQ , but, a Great Reuben is just not in the cards. Another bonus with the fact that we were there for Superbowl weekend is that the Metro added additional trains from Newark to Penn Station. We were so pleased that our trip in and out of the city was only 20 minuets. So, we started our two week trip with a celebration on Times Square, got a good night sleep at the Newark Airport Ramada, (courtesy of United Airlines), some Meal coupons which we used for an early morning snack, and were on our way Sunday morning, prior to all of the Superbowl Sunday frenzy.
Upon arriving to Bonaire Flamingo Airport, we were met by the AB Rental van which shuttled us and our luggage to their office which is just a few minuets away. The check in process went very smoothly and we were on our way to the Goood Dive Resort in no time. We did make one stop to pick up some Amstel Brights and other refreshment necessities in order to make the start of Vacation official ! AB Rental was very efficient from the first contact to the return to the airport on our last day.
Lodging: We returned to the Goood Dive Resort, (Formerly Deep Blue View Resort) . This beautiful B & B is located in the hills north of town with a gorgeous view of Klein Bonaire. A vehicle rental is needed as it is about a 10 -15 minute drive from the airport and waterfront coastline. The location and resort is very quiet and relaxing which is a bonus for us. Check out the website www.dive-resort-bonaire.com or on Trip Advisor : Goood Resort. By the way, for those who are familiar with the former name of “Deep Blue View Resort” , the name has changed, but the Resort and service is basically the same. Menno and Esther continue to provide fantastic service to their guests as well as run a Top Notch Dive Op which is located on the property. The B & B has only 5 rooms, all with private baths. Each room has a Queen bed, AC, ceiling fan (s) and plenty of closet storage. There is no telephone or TV in the rooms. A house telephone is available for local calls. Other amenities include Wi-Fi, a Full Kitchen for anytime guest use as well as an outdoor Gas Grill. There are two large refrigerators for guests to use as well. Just pick an area of a fridge and call it yours for your stay. If you use the Kitchen all is asked is that you clean up after yourself. For Michael and I we used this option often and only went out to a sit down meal twice over the two week stay. We would pick up supplies at the Van de Tweel or other markets around town as needed after our last dive of the day and put together simple and quick meals. We enjoyed ourselves very much not having to dress or drive out for dinner. The property also has a very nice pool and sitting areas to relax and let the breeze and sun pamper you. As mentioned, the Goood Dive Resort is a B & B. Esther is there every morning with a smile and “ What shall I make for you”. What a wonderful way to start your day ! Housekeeping is provided daily.
Diving: The Goood Resort has a dedicated Dive Op. Services include: Full serve tank fills or a brand new “Fill Your Own” system. Michael and I chose the “Fill Your Own” system and we like it VERY much. Menno has organized a system that is very simple to use. Air and Nitrox is available and after a briefing on the how to's the rest is a breeze. In fact, while Michael took care of cleaning up after our last dive, I took on the task of filling our tanks for the next day. In no time at all our tanks were filled and almost ready to go. I say almost as the tanks do get slightly warm in the process of filling. I would fill each tank until the pre-determined auto-shutoff point then set the tanks aside until morning. At which point, while Michael loaded the truck with our gear, I would top off the tanks and analyze them. We consistently had full 3200 PSI and 32 -33 % Nitrox fills. Rental gear is available for those who need it. Another bonus to the on site Dive Op is that there is a dedicated beautiful Boat, Mi Jadato, which is docked in the marina across from It Rains Fishes. Michael and I enjoyed four boat dives over the course of this trip, two off of Klein Bonaire and two in the Washington Slagbaai National Park. All four dives were wonderful and relaxing. In addition to the four boat dives we were able to log 26 shore dives. Our dive times ranged from 60 min to 90 minuets. We covered sites South to North without a plan on which spot until the day we got there. Some days we did two tanks, or one tank, or 3 tanks or four. We also enjoyed a few topside days to sit out, drive around and just relax and out gas a bit.
Critter Highlights and Misc: Large orange seahorse, spawning fire worms on night dive, Tarpon schools, free swimming Green morays, spotted morays, Large Schools of fish and....last but not least...One Turtle. We decided that the reports of Turtles everywhere was a myth or they were all sleeping in their little turtle beds while we were out diving. Of course, you never know what you will discover or in our case with Turtles, NOT discover. The visibility was clear with water temps running 79 F for most of the trip. Michael used a Lavacore Hood, top and Neosport bottom plus a 3 mm Farmer John. I used only my Lavacore Top, Bottom and Hood. We both have SeaSoft Sunray boots which are perfect for the rocky shore entry and exits. With that said, I once again, also decided to only use 63 cubic foot Aluminum Tanks . Having the smaller tank is much easier to handle for shore dives. This is a good option for those who are light breathers and/or for those who would do better without the extra weight of an 80 cubic foot tank.
Topside and Dining: We finally made our visit to the Donkey Sanctuary. After listening to the informative talk from the Sanctuary Guide we made our way into the Sanctuary with our carrot bags in hand. The Donkey's were very interested in receiving their treats, some with a bit more enthusiasm than others ! Just drive away slowly and make your way through.
We also made one trip to Rincon to include a stop at the Rose Inn. Goat Stew and the coldest Amstel Bright beers were again on the menu. The other Restaurants stops were few in numbers. We visited Micheal’s Grill Truck down by the stadium two times, and BobbeJans for take out. We also made one stop for a delicious hamburger at the trailer located by the windsurfers. In addition we visited Pasa Bon Pizza twice, once for take out and once for sit down and also Gio's, a few times to enjoy the delicious Gelato ! Otherwise, as mentioned we stayed in and prepared our meals in the Goood Dive Resort Kitchen. Of course, this was our choice for this trip, however, in the past we have visited many of the wonderful restaurants on the island.
Overall, our Bonaire trip was a success and we look forward to returning !!!
Transportation: We were two of the lucky folks whose flight itinerary was changed from a Houston Friday Night Redeye flight to a reroute via a Sunday morning Newark flight after an overnight Saturday stopover. Prior to this flight I also was a tad bit miffed about the change, however, after the fact, it all turned out very well. For us, we were actually fortunate that our Saturday overnight stopover in Newark fell on the eve of Superbowl Sunday. Being that we are from the New York area, we took the opportunity to go into Manhattan once we got settled to enjoy the Times Square Superbowl festivities and also stop by Juniors for a fantastic, and much missed, Reuben Sandwich. Don't get me wrong, Texas is wonderful, especially for BBQ , but, a Great Reuben is just not in the cards. Another bonus with the fact that we were there for Superbowl weekend is that the Metro added additional trains from Newark to Penn Station. We were so pleased that our trip in and out of the city was only 20 minuets. So, we started our two week trip with a celebration on Times Square, got a good night sleep at the Newark Airport Ramada, (courtesy of United Airlines), some Meal coupons which we used for an early morning snack, and were on our way Sunday morning, prior to all of the Superbowl Sunday frenzy.
Upon arriving to Bonaire Flamingo Airport, we were met by the AB Rental van which shuttled us and our luggage to their office which is just a few minuets away. The check in process went very smoothly and we were on our way to the Goood Dive Resort in no time. We did make one stop to pick up some Amstel Brights and other refreshment necessities in order to make the start of Vacation official ! AB Rental was very efficient from the first contact to the return to the airport on our last day.
Lodging: We returned to the Goood Dive Resort, (Formerly Deep Blue View Resort) . This beautiful B & B is located in the hills north of town with a gorgeous view of Klein Bonaire. A vehicle rental is needed as it is about a 10 -15 minute drive from the airport and waterfront coastline. The location and resort is very quiet and relaxing which is a bonus for us. Check out the website www.dive-resort-bonaire.com or on Trip Advisor : Goood Resort. By the way, for those who are familiar with the former name of “Deep Blue View Resort” , the name has changed, but the Resort and service is basically the same. Menno and Esther continue to provide fantastic service to their guests as well as run a Top Notch Dive Op which is located on the property. The B & B has only 5 rooms, all with private baths. Each room has a Queen bed, AC, ceiling fan (s) and plenty of closet storage. There is no telephone or TV in the rooms. A house telephone is available for local calls. Other amenities include Wi-Fi, a Full Kitchen for anytime guest use as well as an outdoor Gas Grill. There are two large refrigerators for guests to use as well. Just pick an area of a fridge and call it yours for your stay. If you use the Kitchen all is asked is that you clean up after yourself. For Michael and I we used this option often and only went out to a sit down meal twice over the two week stay. We would pick up supplies at the Van de Tweel or other markets around town as needed after our last dive of the day and put together simple and quick meals. We enjoyed ourselves very much not having to dress or drive out for dinner. The property also has a very nice pool and sitting areas to relax and let the breeze and sun pamper you. As mentioned, the Goood Dive Resort is a B & B. Esther is there every morning with a smile and “ What shall I make for you”. What a wonderful way to start your day ! Housekeeping is provided daily.
Diving: The Goood Resort has a dedicated Dive Op. Services include: Full serve tank fills or a brand new “Fill Your Own” system. Michael and I chose the “Fill Your Own” system and we like it VERY much. Menno has organized a system that is very simple to use. Air and Nitrox is available and after a briefing on the how to's the rest is a breeze. In fact, while Michael took care of cleaning up after our last dive, I took on the task of filling our tanks for the next day. In no time at all our tanks were filled and almost ready to go. I say almost as the tanks do get slightly warm in the process of filling. I would fill each tank until the pre-determined auto-shutoff point then set the tanks aside until morning. At which point, while Michael loaded the truck with our gear, I would top off the tanks and analyze them. We consistently had full 3200 PSI and 32 -33 % Nitrox fills. Rental gear is available for those who need it. Another bonus to the on site Dive Op is that there is a dedicated beautiful Boat, Mi Jadato, which is docked in the marina across from It Rains Fishes. Michael and I enjoyed four boat dives over the course of this trip, two off of Klein Bonaire and two in the Washington Slagbaai National Park. All four dives were wonderful and relaxing. In addition to the four boat dives we were able to log 26 shore dives. Our dive times ranged from 60 min to 90 minuets. We covered sites South to North without a plan on which spot until the day we got there. Some days we did two tanks, or one tank, or 3 tanks or four. We also enjoyed a few topside days to sit out, drive around and just relax and out gas a bit.
Critter Highlights and Misc: Large orange seahorse, spawning fire worms on night dive, Tarpon schools, free swimming Green morays, spotted morays, Large Schools of fish and....last but not least...One Turtle. We decided that the reports of Turtles everywhere was a myth or they were all sleeping in their little turtle beds while we were out diving. Of course, you never know what you will discover or in our case with Turtles, NOT discover. The visibility was clear with water temps running 79 F for most of the trip. Michael used a Lavacore Hood, top and Neosport bottom plus a 3 mm Farmer John. I used only my Lavacore Top, Bottom and Hood. We both have SeaSoft Sunray boots which are perfect for the rocky shore entry and exits. With that said, I once again, also decided to only use 63 cubic foot Aluminum Tanks . Having the smaller tank is much easier to handle for shore dives. This is a good option for those who are light breathers and/or for those who would do better without the extra weight of an 80 cubic foot tank.
Topside and Dining: We finally made our visit to the Donkey Sanctuary. After listening to the informative talk from the Sanctuary Guide we made our way into the Sanctuary with our carrot bags in hand. The Donkey's were very interested in receiving their treats, some with a bit more enthusiasm than others ! Just drive away slowly and make your way through.
We also made one trip to Rincon to include a stop at the Rose Inn. Goat Stew and the coldest Amstel Bright beers were again on the menu. The other Restaurants stops were few in numbers. We visited Micheal’s Grill Truck down by the stadium two times, and BobbeJans for take out. We also made one stop for a delicious hamburger at the trailer located by the windsurfers. In addition we visited Pasa Bon Pizza twice, once for take out and once for sit down and also Gio's, a few times to enjoy the delicious Gelato ! Otherwise, as mentioned we stayed in and prepared our meals in the Goood Dive Resort Kitchen. Of course, this was our choice for this trip, however, in the past we have visited many of the wonderful restaurants on the island.
Overall, our Bonaire trip was a success and we look forward to returning !!!
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