Excursions in Aruba, bonaire and curacao.

[ScotchBoy]

In Aruba, we did the Trike tour, booked direct. It was great fun. We toured the island and stopped off for a beer towards the end. Turned heads when we paraded through Oranjestad, I can tell you. The traffic around the town is very respectful of the fact that you are tourists and always gave way to allow you to stay together in a group. There were 5 couples on our tour.

 

In Bonaire, we did a bicycle tour which was also fab. Cycled 24 miles in all. Went to Lake Goto which was gorgeous, so natural. The pinks of the flamingoes on the lake was amazing.

 

In Curacao, we just jumped into a 'jalopy' at the port, waited for it to fill and did a great island tour, ending at the Aquarium which was great. We arranged for the 'jalopy' to collect us at Mambo Beach after lunch.

 

Enjoyed all three experiences!

[Xtrmflyer]

We were in the ABC islands in March. We did the woodwind tour in Bonaire. It was an afternoon trip. I will not go with them again. In Aruba we took a private tour that we booked through shore excursioneer. The guides name is Urmy. She was fabulous. Took us everywhere explained things then dropped us off at a beach great fir snorkeling (can't remember the name). Highly recommend her.

 

In curacao we did the beginner dive with curious2dive. Hansen was fantastic. Had the best time. Hope this helps.

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[ezemoney]

xtrmflyer what was wrong with woodwind? was going with them in august.

 

later,

ezemoney

[NordicPrince]

Was there at the end of March on the Eclipse. You can go to a site Resort for a Day and get day passes to resorts on the islands. On Curacao we went to the Curacao Hilton which is a lovely property. Small but nice beach front, pools and nice restaurant. You get a voucher for lunch and a drink with your ticket. The first day on Curacao we took a ship excursion that took us to the Papagayo Resort. They have a very large salt water infinity pool. After that we took a ship excursion sunset tour which took us around the inner harbor of Curacao port (interesting, not scenic) and then back outside the harbor for a view of the sunset (lovely) plus all the punch and beer you want. On Aruba we got a day pass for the Amsterdam Manor which is right on Eagle Beach. They have installed sun "huts" for the taking. Again you get a voucher for lunch and a drink. Watch the birds they are willing to take your food if you let them.

 

Enjoy your cruising days.

[aquidneck1]

We have snorkelled from the shore in Bonaire Wear water shoes. The fish we saw were amazing. Just booked H2O Visions. Woodwind isca great experience as well.

[Xtrmflyer]

xtrmflyer what was wrong with woodwind? was going with them in august.

 

later,

ezemoney

Very disorganized. I thought it would be a small group. There were about 40 people. Took them a long to set everyone up. In the end they gave us half off the tour. Maybe it was the afternoon tour and they were tired. The day was windy and there were a lot of beginners. We waited about 45 mins to get on the catamaran and then another hour to get in the water. A lot of things could have been done in the 45 minutes we were waiting. Just very disorganized.

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[Noreen411]

We were just there in April.......we did trikes aruba (in Aruba) and bonaire cruisers (golf cart) in Bonaire. Both were great, you can google them to see if you’d be interested

 

 

 

I agree with these recommendations.

 

We were on Reflection in April and did Trikes Aruba and Bonaire Cruisers (golf carts).

 

Both were great ways to spend the day.

 

The golf carts you are on your own so can stop to swim or snorkel at any point.

 

Enjoy

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Keys2Heaven]

Very disorganized. I thought it would be a small group. There were about 40 people. Took them a long to set everyone up. In the end they gave us half off the tour. Maybe it was the afternoon tour and they were tired. The day was windy and there were a lot of beginners. We waited about 45 mins to get on the catamaran and then another hour to get in the water. A lot of things could have been done in the 45 minutes we were waiting. Just very disorganized.

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

Our experience was the complete opposite, but we went in the morning. Very organized with minimal waiting. Yes, it was windy, but that is typical for Bonaire.

 

Sorry you had such a bad experience. At least they took 1/2 off...most excursions wouldn't do that you know.

[mickey89]

xtrmflyer what was wrong with woodwind? was going with them in august.

There is nothing wrong, don’t listen to him his memories obviously fails him. Woodwind is not geared towards experienced snorkelers/strong swimmers, they are very safety conscious and ideal for the less experienced and novice snorkelers. The only negative for me is their trip has normally 20 to 24 people so you need to have a little patience. If you are experienced you would be better to take the water taxi to Klein Bonaire. The taxi drops you off at No Name Beach and the reef is about 25feet off shore so you can enjoy for as long as your time allows and not tied to a schedule as with Woodwind.

Klein has no beach services so don’t expect sun loungers and has little shade so take a vest, hat and water as the sun is very strong. (You can buy water on the taxi)

[OCruisers]

Whatever you do elsewhere, make sure to snorkel in Bonaire! :p

[SECdawg]

We are very experienced snorkelers and absolutely loved Woodwind in Bonaire. They are very knowledgeable and have everything you could possibly need. Food and drink were great as well. They divide you into groups based on experience. We went in first since we were experienced and our guide Chantel was awesome. She could spot a certain fish long before I would have seen it. It was our friends second time with Woodwind and we all agree we will go back with them. Well worth the money. Dee and all of the staff were fabulous.

[jebbs]

Another vote for Twizzy Cars, by Hans, in Bonaire.

For Curacao, we had a very successful day with Around Curacao Tours. A great tour of the island, several stops for sea glass at the fort, viewing the pink flamingos, iguana soup, terrific lunch spot and of course, the blow hole. Andy’s private tour was a wonderful experience.

Aruba was so hot the end of October that we stayed on board!

[ClaudiaB]

By far the best snorkeling in the Caribbean that we've ever done is on Bonaire, and our favorite excursion there is Woodwind. You can certainly just make your own way there, but the guides know where exactly the best fish are on that particular day, and they can explain better what you see. And the food is great. A bonus is they have masks that are different prescriptions and full-face, so if you're like me and blind as a bat unless you have glasses on, it's a must.

[awhfy]

We did Woodwind in the afternoon & had a spectacular time, it was rough, but then it was windy. We had 21, 7 each in three levels of experience, we lucked out & had Dee (one of the owners). I spotted a barracuda at the edge of the reef & Dee immediately zipped down to check him out & commended me on a good eye, she said one in 10 trips see him (& I didn’t have my camera, DH had it [emoji22]). Excellent & unexpected meal as well.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[chaching]

In Aruba, we did a tour with Sonny Binns Tours. Absolutely excellent!!! We had been to Aruba before, and did the Trikes, which was so much fun. We also took the FREE trolley which takes you around the downtown area. It was a pleasure.

In Bonaire this year, we did the Bonaire Cruisers Golf Carts for the day and went all over the island. You can take your snorkeling gear and go in from the shore in many places. We had done the Woodwind Snorkeling the other time we were there. Absolutely fantastic.

 

Hope you have a fantastic time on your cruise!

Cha-CHING!