We just got back from a wonderful week in Bonaire – it was the first, but definitely not the last time there. Here are some notes for everybody else who considers Bonaire for vacation. Just go!

We used Ann Phelan for planning and reservations (villa, restaurants, car rental), and everything worked out smoothly. She gets good reviews from everyone she works with, and for good reason.

Flights: we took the direct flight (red-eye) from Newark. I don’t like night flights…plus, everything is closed at the airport when you get there. Killing the time before the flight was not easy. Luckily, when we landed, the villa was not occupied and we checked in at 6:30 am.

We stayed at Pelican Reef – perfectly located villa, next to Something Special, the best snorkeling place we found. We snorkeled mostly there, also at Bari’s Reef (found an octopus there) and at Plaza (which I think it is overrated as a snorkeling place). We tried other sites further north (Andrea II and Karpata), but the surf was pretty rough that day.
Mark, the villa’s caretaker was very nice, helpful, and always there when we needed him. He even got us some groceries and a bottle of wine for the first day. Thanks, Mark.

We had a so-so dinner at Capriccio (my fish was way overcooked, DH’s pasta was ok). Thankfully the dessert was delicious. Great dinners, not in any order, at Patagonia, Paris Bistro and At Sea; all recommended.

We did a day and a night snorkel with Renee, who is great at spotting things. Unfortunately, during the night snorkel, I had an unplanned encounter with a jellyfish, and had to rush to the ER with a pretty bad allergic reaction (shallow breathing, high pulse, chills and perspiration). I stayed there a few hours, but the event killed the Woodwind trip the next day (which was also our last on the island). Now we really need to go back…
Lesson learned: rash guards are not only for sun protection!!!

There is little to do on the island if you don’t dive or snorkel, so keep that in mind. After snorkeling there, we will get the diving certification and go back.

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