Bonaire / Accommodation

The majority of the accommodation in Bonaire is stretched along the south and west-facing shoreline, particularly around the capital Kralendijk, though it is not necessarily on the beach. The style and atmosphere of the places to stay tends to reflect the island’s independent clientele – who include many divers of course – and so there is a large number of relatively small, independent inns (there are barely any large hotels). Many of these have an easy-going atmosphere (though they can be quiet in the evenings as divers tend to retire early) and service is generally pretty low key. Other independent travellers and divers like to stay in self-catering apartments and condominiums, of which there are plenty. There is also a handful of guest houses, some very simple, others a little more stylish and sophisticated.

Please see below for our recommended Bonaire accommodation.

B&Bs & Guest Houses

There is quite a good selection of guest houses and bed and breakfast accommodation on Bonaire. Some are set on the waterfront while other simpler places to stay are located around Kralendijk. They can all help with scuba diving. Our recommendations below are owner operated and also offer a good service for divers.

Deep Blue View, Kaya Diamanta, 5 guestrooms, charming owner operated B&B for divers and couples, inland, honeymoon and PADI dive packages.

La Pura Vista, Santa Barbara, 5 rooms, intimate and stylish guest-house for adults with central s/c facilities, BBQ, chef available, swimming pool. Wellness treatments, wedding and dive packages.

Boutique/Small Hotels & Inns

The small hotels and inns are the strength of Bonaire’s accommodation. They are friendly and low key, in keeping with the informal style of their clientele, many of whom are divers of course. They are set in modern buildings, but some have more style than others. Most of the inns are on the waterfront (and so diving may be right offshore), but some are set in their own garden compounds inland. All of the inns are set up for scuba diving, either on site or nearby.

Bruce Bowker’s Carib Inn, Kralendijk, 10 rooms, owner-run, simple and cheap Aruba accommodations for dive holidays in Bonaire.

Harbour Village Beach Club, Playa Lechi, 29 rooms and suites, intimate and luxurious beach and marina front hotel in Aruba with diving and spa facilities

Hotel Rochaline, Kralendijk, 17 rooms, affordable town centre hotel for business visitors and travellers.

Sorobon Beach Resort, Sorobon, 30 units, simple but friendly, the only Bonaire accommodation with a naturist beach, eco conscious.

Cottages & Apartments

There is quite a bit of self-catering accommodation in Bonaire, mainly in apartment complexes that are on or near the shoreline and mainly to the north of Kralendijk. Nearly all of them are set up for scuba diving in Bonaire - several have their own on-site dive shops, others work in partnership with dive operators nearby.

Belmar Apartments, Belnem, 22 apartments, seafront location for divers, snorkellers and independent travellers, PADI 5 Star dive shop.

Bonaire Seaside Apartments, Kralendijk, 14 studios, apartments and villas, contemporary, good for business travellers and divers, PADI Gold Palm dive shop partner next door.

Coral Paradise Resort, Kralendijk, 6 apartments, attractive owner run ‘resort’ by the sea, PADI 5 Star outfit Captain Don’s Habitat next door.

Den Laman Condominiums, Kralendijk, 16 apartments, convenient oceanfront setting for divers, birding, nature and kayaking tours, PADI 5 Star Gold Palm dive shop.

Ocean View Villas, nr Bachelor Beach, 3 apartments, quiet retreat for nature lovers and privacy seekers, self-catering studios and 2-bedroom cottage, dive and windsurfing packages.

Port Bonaire Resort, Kralendijk, 26 apartments, stylish self-catering waterfront condos convenient for divers and business travellers, opposite airport, close to town, PADI dive shop.

Sand Dollar Condominium Resort, Playa Lechi, 85 units, two storey Bonaire apartments/ condo seafront complex, individual ownership with diving.

The Lizard Inn Bonaire, Kaya America, 12 rooms and studios, simple and inexpensive bed and breakfast hotel with pool and breakfast gazebo.

Hotels & Resorts

There are just a couple of large resort-style hotels in Bonaire and they fit international standards. However, a couple of the dive resorts are also large enough to fit into Definitive Caribbean’s Hotels and Resorts category. Situated on the waterfront around Kralendijk, all these resorts are modern in style, and they tend to have a higher level of service than the smaller and lower key accommodation on the island.

Buddy Dive Resort, Kralendijk, 100 rooms, studios and 1-3 bedroom apartments, seafront Aruba scuba resort.

Captain Don’s Habitat, Kralendijk, 68 rooms, apartments and bungalows, environtmentally aware Aruba dive resort on the beach.

Divi Flamingo Beach Resort and Casino, Kralendijk, 129 rooms, active Aruba beach resort with full service, 5 star Padi diving on site.

Plaza Resort Bonaire, Kralendijk, 200 rooms, well priced Bonaire island beach hotel with good facilities and activities, choice of rooms and villas.

Villas & Villa Living

Bonaire does offer some private houses and villa accommodation, which we are currently researching. La Pura (listed under Guest Houses) can be taken as a whole villa.