Katefromupstate

Totally understandable that you couldn’t remember the beach name on the island of Klein Bonaire, it’s called “No Name Beach.” 😁. Kate

The beach entry at Chogogo is shallow enough that they can stand up. They will probably love the zero entry pool and the lazy river there. Hotels don’t usually rent snorkel gear unless they have an onsite dive shop. Dive shops on Bonaire will rent snorkel equipment, usually about $8 for each piece per day. So mask, snorkel and fins would be around $24 per person. No lifejackets, since they are mostly renting dive equipment, which is a BC (buoyancy compensator) vest designed for divers to wear underwater and above. My suggestion is that you buy inexpensive snorkel sets (make sure snorkel is a dry snorkel that makes it hard for water to get in) and bring them with you. It will probably be less than the cost of rentals. I’ve never seen regular life jackets or rentals here, since a regular life jacket will make it difficult for snorkeling. It is designed to keep you erect with your head above water, when snorkeling, you need to lie flat with your face in the water. Salt water is very buoyant and if you’re with your grandchildren in shallow water and they can swim, you may not need it. If you want one, I’d go for blow ups on their arms or a sling type that has a net area they can lay across with two blow up compartments on either side. It looks like a little hammock and you can sit or lie in it. Folds to almost nothing. I would also have the kids practice in the shallow pool until they are quite comfortable breathing in and out through the snorkel and kicking, before bring them into the sea. Enjoy!

Hi Toni, Yes, you will need water shoes for almost every water entry in Bonaire. Feel free to randomly show up, you’re invited! We like meeting fellow cruisers and happy to help. Kate

hi (realized I don’t know your name) No worries, this is fun. I feel like we made a new friend. Yes, it’s easy to park at Andrea 1 and it’s rarely crowded on a weekday morning. You can also park on the street and walk down the path. We live at #20 on that street, yellow house on the left. What date are you arriving? Feel free to push the gate bell, we may even come snorkeling with you! You can also use our outdoor shower after your snorkel for you and your gear so you’re not driving around sticky. We always leave our towels and coverups on the beach with no problem. Locking your daypacks in the trunk is a good idea, don’t leave anything in view in the car, the same as you wouldn’t anywhere. Bonaire is one of the safest places we’ve ever been, there is no area to avoid. And, you’ll be glad to hear our official currency is the US dollar! Credit cards widely accepted. Since you want to keep your time flexible, I’d just go to lunch when you’re ready, especially on a weekday. I’ve never eaten at Kos Bon So so can’t comment on that. Yes, the dirt road that Sorobon Beach Club, Jibe City and Sebastian’s Beach restaurant and bar is on is driveable in a sedan. There are some bumps, but we just drive a little slower. There is plenty of parking. Lots of lovely gift shops downtown selling jewelry, clothes, souvenirs, art and glassworks by local artists, etc. Our downtown shopping area is basically two long streets parallel to each other (one on the sea) so you can just wander between them and see almost everything. All the best, Kate

Maybe the feature doesn’t work anymore but you can probably figure email out with my user name. Since you’re renting a car, you can easily do both loops now that you’re not doing the mangroves. Here’s an itinerary that covers everything you mentioned you want to see. Leave town and head north, there is one road, Kaya DeBrot, that runs parallel to the sea and continues all the way north. When we have guests, we start with a morning snorkel at Andrea 1 dive site, where we live. After you enter the water, swim to the left. Numerous fish are most active then and it’s a great site. Continue north (road is now called queens highway from this point on maps) and see the ocean on the left. Each dive site is marked by a yellow rock with the name of the site. A nice photo stop is at 1,000 Steps dive site, you can park across the road and take photos at the top of the stairs or go down and snorkel there too. ( It’s not really a thousand steps, it’s about 60, but when you’re climbing back up with a scuba tank on your back it feels like it) continue on the road until you come to a choice of the shortcut to Rincon on the right, or the road to the left. Follow the road to the left, it will eventually turn to the right and you’ll see Gotomeer lake, a brackish lake frequented by flamingoes. Keep going till you see a parking area and overlook on the right. Great photo stop, and has porta potties. The road will continue down to the shores of the lake where if you see flamingoes, you can park on the side of the road and take pics. No walking on the shore is permitted. Continuing on, you will continue upwards on the road and eventually arrive in Rincon. On the right after you enter town, you will see a sign for Posada Para Mira, a hilltop open air restaurant with magnificent views, serving traditional Bonairean food. They are closed Tuesday and Thursday, but are open the other days from 11 am to 6. You can see their website and photos online. After lunch, you can continue on and follow signs for the Cadushy distillery you want to see (they are closed only on Sundays). You can sample the products and buy what you like at the bar area, and if you ask them to show you how it’s made they will take you to another counter and explain the distilling process and how the cactus is gathered. Very interesting. Follow signs to get back to kralendijk (town) and you will be on the eastern side of the island with the sea on your left. You will pass the go kart land sailing place on your left, and sometimes you don’t need a reservation. You can just pull in and watch them, or ask them if you can join for a half hour. There are back roads out to Kaminda Sorobon, but at this point for expediency I would head back to the right side of the island where you pick up the southern loop. Use the Marriott as your destination on google and continue south from there with the ocean on your right. If you have time, you can snorkel at Salt Pier if a ship is not docked. Sometimes you see a turtle in the shallows. You can swim out to the pylons at the end, there are usually lots of fish swimming amid them. If it is crowded with cars and tour buses, continue on. Then you’ll see the things I mentioned in my other post. When you get to Sorobon/lac Bay on the other side, either turn left and head directly into town on Statius Van Eps to go back to the ship or if you still have time, drive down the dirt road past Sorobon beach club and park at the end. You can see beautiful shallow Lac Bay and windsurfers, and have a drink at one of the beach bars. Then turn around and go back to Statius to go back to the cruise.

Hi, Kaminda Sorobon is off Statius Van Epps so your directions are fine. You can look at google maps and see how the roads connect, and where your tour is. Regarding food, there is a convenience store called Good and More on the left as you do the southern loop. There is also a restaurant called Oasis on the water past that, but you may hit it too early for lunch. There are a number of grocery stores too, just not on the loop. If you do the loop early enough, you could eat lunch at Foodies, which is on Kaminda Sorobon. Great food, view of Lac Bay and kitesurfers. Not a quick lunch, but if you get there around noon you should be great to have a leisurely lunch, since you’re near your tour. Best to make a reservation. There are also restaurants on the water at Lac Bay but cruise ships sell excursions there so they will be crowded. When we have houseguests, we do the north and south loop in a day, including a leisurely lunch and time for snorkeling. But that’s not including the mangrove tour. I think you’ll enjoy the southern loop and mangroves, that is a great introduction to Bonaire. Then, if you fall in love with the island like most of us did (we came here on a one week scuba vacation in 2015 and decided to move here.) you’ll have much more to see when you come back. I tried to send you a direct email but you have that feature disabled. If you want to email me directly with more questions about your plans, feel free. Kate

Hi, I live on Bonaire. How are you getting to your rental car, or are they picking you up? If I know where the car rental drop off it will help to figure times. Stores downtown don’t usually open till 10 am, so if your partner likes to shop, you could do that for a bit before going to your mangrove excursion. The cruise ship market (an open air area with vendor stalls) will be setting up earlier in the morning so you can look at that while you’re waiting for stores to open. Some stores stay open later when a cruise ship is in town, most close at 5 pm. I think just walking around the beautiful downtown seafront street in the morning is scenic, even if shops aren’t open. I wouldn’t sacrifice exploring time in the car waiting for the stores to open. If your ship departs at 8 pm, it is likely your all aboard time will be 6 pm or 6:30 at the latest. Let the mangrove folks know what time you need to be back at the ship so your tour doesn’t run over. If you’ve chosen the one where you snorkel as well as paddle, you’ll want to clean off and change clothes afterwards. It doesn’t sound like you will have time to do anything afterwards but get back to the ship. After the mangrove tour, don’t take the long southern loop to get back to the ship, there are shorter routes. Kaya Statius van Epps cuts directly across the island and it is what we take when going to the Lac Bay Area. You can also use this route to get there if you are running short of time before the tour and skip going around the entire southern loop, just doing part of it. To do the southern loop you will head south towards the airport, and by 11 am, there are usually two food trucks parked at Te Amo Beach (across from airport) for the snacks or early lunch you mentioned. You can drive around the entire southern tip of the island, passing many small beaches on the right and the Salt mountains and flats on the left. There are also the original slave huts on the right. Depending on what day you are here, you will likely see lots of colorful kite surfers in the air at Atlantis beach, on your right as you approach the southernmost beaches. Not enough time? Just past the airport, look for signs for Statius Van Epps and go left for a direct route to the other coast. If you drive the full loop, when you round the bottom of the island and start up the other side, watch for the lighthouse, totems, art and cairns made on the ocean side. Residents and tourists make these art pieces from materials that wash up on shore such as driftwood, rope and dead coral pieces. There were a number of sculptures meant to look like Christmas trees last month. Hope you have a wonderful trip! Kate

It depends on what time of year you are traveling here. Bonaire is currently one hour ahead of Eastern standard time, since we don’t have daylight savings time. In spring when the US turns its clocks ahead, we will be the same time as US east coast time. If you book an excursion on Bonaire, it will be on Bonaire time. Most ships will notify you to set your watches ahead the night before, in the daily paper cruise guide, on ship tvs, etc. Scuba here is wonderful, enjoy!

Hi, This is a great question, and you’re right to make a plan since you’re going to a location that is not walkable from the ship. When your taxi drops you off at the beach, arrange for the driver to come back and pick you up at a specific time in the afternoon and get the driver’s name and phone number so you can make a reminder call 15 minutes before. Some of them have cards with this information. In the unlikely scenario that you have trouble, ask the reception desk for assistance. They may have someone eating in the restaurant who’s just leaving who can give you a ride back to the port. I know this because I’ve given tourists a ride back to the cruise port when they couldn’t get a cab (they thought they could just find one or call one whenever they were ready to leave the beach) and I’ve also picked up a couple trying to walk back to the ship in the pouring rain. Bonaire residents are incredibly kind and people will go out of their way to help you. And since we’re such a small island, it doesn’t take much time to get to the cruise port. Hope you enjoy your trip! Kate

Yes you’re correct. Chogogo is $25. The $100 day pass I was referring to is Harbor Village in my description of that resort.

no problem, I’m always happy to help with Bonaire questions. Chogogo has 2 restaurants (a beach bar/restaurant and an open air restaurant) a beach, pool and lazy river, but if you want the most upscale, quiet resort with a restaurant, bar, pool and the best beach on the island, look at Harbor Village Resort. They don’t let cruise ship excursions there, but sometimes have individual day passes if you call them. It’s $100 per person and doesn’t include anything but the use of the facilities. Plenty of shaded beach chairs under palm trees, and the beach is almost empty during the day since most of their hotel guests are diving.) Their excellent restaurant, La Balandra, is open for lunch and sits right on the beach, shaped like a boat that juts into the water. Even though I live here, we checked into this hotel for a mini vacation for 2 nights a couple of months ago to enjoy the gorgeous beach, restaurant and rooms. If you want a nice beach to relax at without paying a day pass, try Te Amo beach, which is also called Airport Beach since it’s across from the airport. Nice sand beach, and generally two food trucks are there with food or drinks. Generally lots of cruisers there, but it’s a big beach. No chairs there, though. There’s also Eden Beach resort next to Chogogo, Plaza Beach Resort, Divi Flamingo Resort, Delfins Resort, etc. Since everyone wants something a little different, probably the best thing is to google these places and look at their pictures and videos on their websites to see which one appeals to you the most. Enjoy your time on Bonaire, and I hope you have a wonderful Birthday! Kate

If you want a beach you don’t have to pay for, Te Amo beach (also called airport beach) is a nice sand beach with easy entry right across from the airport entrance. There is a bathroom and generally a food truck with food and drinks. If you want a resort with facilities, Chogogo Beach resort has ocean access, a pool, a lazy river, full bar and restaurant and shaded lounge chairs. They sell day passes for $25 with $10 of it being a food or beverage credit. However, they frequently sell out of their limited passes, so make sure to go before 10 am to get a pass. Next door is Eden Beach, which also sells day passes, has ocean access, pool, restaurant and bar. There are others on the other side of the island at Lac Bay but it would be a long cab ride.

Since we live here and have our own car, I’m not familiar with taxi prices. I would call the hotel the morning you get here and see if they will take your credit card over the phone. If not, I think you could grab a taxi as soon as you get off the ship and easily make it back for your 10 am excursion. It’s a short ride, and you could ask the taxi to wait in front of reception while you buy the day pass. Land sailing is lots of fun. We do it everytime we have guests come to visit us. Enjoy!

They often do sell out on cruise ship days. They put a sign by the entrance that says “no day passes” once they sell out. You could call them and ask when you’re back from your excursion, or if you really want to go there, go buy one before your tour. What excursion are you taking?

Hi, the cruise docks downtown so you are only a couple blocks from restaurants, shops, beautiful ocean promenades, etc. You will be at the center of it all. Enjoy! You will be safe anywhere on the island. Kate from Bonaire

A easy walk from the pier along the waterfront is Karel’s Beach Bar, which is a lovely restaurant that is on a large shaded pier jutting out into the water. The sea there is shallow and clear, and lots of fish swim around the pier hoping for bread to be thrown to them. It is within sight of the cruise ship, and on one of the two main shopping streets, so your folks will be able to easily shop downtown, see the cruise ship market, and walk back to the ship. My husband and I live on Bonaire, and we often go to Karel’s to remind ourselves why we live here. Gorgeous views and great food.

We live on Bonaire and there has never been a time when we have felt it too cold to snorkel. 80 degree water is lovely and especially since you will be floating, you will be additionally warmed by the sun on your back. Most people are surprised by how hot it is here even in winter and how warm the sea is year round. So that you don’t get burned, it’s a good idea to wear an SPF top in the water. All the best, Kate

Hi, we live on Bonaire. The Christmas season starts early here, with the arrival of Sanikolas in late November. He stays on the island for two weeks before leaving gifts in early December. There are also parades and shopping nights in the weeks prior to Christmas. Christmas Day itself is more of a private celebration with families visiting, attending services and gathering for holiday meals. Shops will be closed. The cruise ship will still run tours that day, and hotel restaurants will be open to provide meals for their guests, but that’s about it. The scenery is beautiful here, and our clear, warm water is always available, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy your visit. All the best, Kate