Resort Report: Caribbean Club Bonaire

Clean, spacious and cost-effective, the Caribbean Club Bonaire is one of the island’s best resort values. It’s also an ideal base of operations for divers, water sports enthusiasts and active travelers wanting to discover and enjoy all the island has to offer.

Many of the rooms at the Caribbean Club Bonaire have spectacular water views. Just don’t expect a beach, because these views come from atop a low limestone cliff. Not really a problem, because Bonaire’s not the island most people would choose for a beach-centric vacation. If spending the day sprawled out on a long stretch of white sand is your thing, try Cancun or the Turks & Caicos. Bonaire is about doing things, whether it’s diving and snorkeling, windsurfing and kiteboarding, or hiking, biking and maybe even crawling into a cave. If you want some time on a beach, there are a couple of nice strips of sand near downtown Kralendijk, which is just a short drive away. And we did say drive because, on Bonaire, it’s good to have a set of wheels. We’ll get into the whys a bit later on. For now, let’s just say there’s a reason why we include rental vehicles in all the packages they offer with Caribbean Club Bonaire.

The Caribbean Club Bonaire doesn’t have hotel rooms. Instead, the property includes a mix of studio apartments, one and two-bedroom cottages and penthouses. Even the studios have a compact kitchen, sitting area and porch or balcony, and the larger units offer enough living space to feel more like a vacation home than just a place to sleep. The buildings spread across a well-landscaped setting of palm trees and flowering shrubs, with two on-site swimming pools, one with an ocean view and the other adjacent to the resort’s bar and restaurant. The kitchen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a menu that incorporates a range of fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. This gives you dining options that provide convenience, variety and possible savings on the food budget. If you don’t want to bother cooking, just head for the dining area. Or, make a trip to the local supermarket, which has everything you need, and then enjoy a few meals on your balcony. And of course, all of the great restaurants along the downtown waterfront are just minutes away.

Caribbean’s on-site dive center includes a retail facility, tank depot, rinse and drying area and ample secure gear storage, all located right next to a parking area. No lugging wet gear to the rooms, or schlepping tanks to across the resort to load up for a shore diving road trip. And because the shop is affiliated with Buddy Dive, guests enjoy full use of all of the facilities of the PADI five-star dive center at that resort, which is two minutes away to the south. Daily boat dives are launched from the Buddy Dive docks, while Caribbean Club Bonaire guests can take in one of the island’s best shore dives closer to home by just walking across the road to a waterfront platform above the site known as Oil Slick Leap. Caribbean Club Bonaire is located at the north end of the island’s “resort row,” where the Queen’s Highway joins the coast, a quiet location, and a convenient starting point for drives to some of the island’s premier shore dive sites such as Thousand Steps and Karpata.

As we said before, Bonaire is a destination where you’ll want your own transportation, because there’s a lot to see and do beyond your resort. The island is famous for its drive-up shore diving, and much of the west coast is lined with the yellow-painted rocks that mark the entry points to dive and snorkel sites. And that’s just the start. On the islands southwest corner, Atlantis Beach is known as one of the best kiteboarding sites in the Caribbean, with conditions that will please experts but also provide ideal learning conditions for beginners. To the east, the windswept waters of Lac Bay have long been a mecca for windsurfers, and the nearby mangrove forests are a paddler’s playground. A drive north leads to Washington Slagbaai  National Park, where entire days can be devoted to hiking the hills, biking dirt roads or seeking out remote coves with small, secluded beaches. At the end of each day’s adventures, the Caribbean Club Bonaire is there to deliver the comforts of home. After a shower you might want to stop by the poolside bar for a happy hour libation, the best show in town are the sunsets across the Caribbean as seen from your private balcony or the pool deck.

We represent a number of dive resorts in Bonaire including Caribbean Club Bonaire and can offer special rates, incentives and packages such as the Drive, Dive & Stay package, which includes 7-nights’ accommodations, 6 days of 1-tank boat dives plus unlimited shore diving, free nitrox, 7 days vehicle rental and more.

To learn more drop us an email at sales@caradonna.com or you can even call us at 800-328-2288.