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» Cruise Talk   » Ports of Call and Destinations   » BONAIRE

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Author Topic: BONAIRE
sympatico
First Class Passenger
Member # 797

posted 07-23-2001 10:21 AM      Profile for sympatico     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Any suggestions what I should do on this island. One of the few that I have not been too.
Posts: 3305 | From: Toronto, Ont. Canada | Registered: Jul 99  |  IP: Logged
gizmo
First Class Passenger
Member # 972

posted 07-23-2001 05:38 PM      Profile for gizmo   Email gizmo   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Hi Sympatico,

We got a taxi and toured the south side to see the salt flats. Lots of salt, piled up in mountains. The salt along the ocean looked like ice. There were lots of cactus also, some houses even used the cactus as a fence. We did see a couple of flamingos. The north side has some mountains and a place where there are a lot of flamingos. My sister-in-law took that tour, and I will check with her and let you know if she would recommend it. (I can't seem to remember what she said about it, but I remember thinking we may have seen more if we had gone North.) The town is small and very clean. There is a very small inclosed shopping area. Many of the stores are closed at lunch. This may sound nuts but this shopping area had the cleanest public rest rooms I ever saw. They were also all marble. I do remember they were very hard to find. Hubby and I had a couple of beers on a dock. Bonaire is noted for diving and snorkeling and the people who took the snorkling tour said it was wonderful. I think a couple of people that I met on the ship went to a hotel to spend some time on the beach.


Posts: 686 | From: Kennesaw Ga. (origianlly from Philly) | Registered: Dec 1999  |  IP: Logged
Green
First Class Passenger
Member # 171

posted 07-24-2001 03:44 PM      Profile for Green     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by sympatico:
Any suggestions what I should do on this island. One of the few that I have not been too.

Sympatico - that's where I stayed in a lovely hotel (can't recall the name) several rooms were on stilts - my balcony/deck extended over the ocean - I opened the screen doors and stood entranced - tiny waves lapping over my bare feet. I had a Cocktail Party invitation, time was limited - hot and sticky, a shower was in order and I proceeded to the bathroom - reentering the bedroom, wrapped in a towel, I was confronted by three very large crabs, walking (or whatever crabs do) across the floor. Of course I removed my towel and flapped it at the intruders -crying 'shoo, shoo, shoo' The crabs retreated to the deck and I slammed the screen doors shut. Late for my appointment, I apologised to my host. His reply stunned me - "Oh yes, you had crabs in your room, ( I had visions of hidden cameras and him seeing me prancing around in 'the altogether' waving a towel at the intruders),, they are a problem, they're washed up and enter the rooms on stilts. You have to remember to close the screen doors."

Now they tell me!

It's a fantastic snorkeling destination. Hear it's very built up now with condos/timeshares.

Cheers


Posts: 2913 | From: Markham, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Jul 99  |  IP: Logged
gizmo
First Class Passenger
Member # 972

posted 07-24-2001 07:30 PM      Profile for gizmo   Email gizmo   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Sympatico,

I checked with my sister-in-law. She took the Island Tour. She said the tour was just ok, nothing great. They drove around the entire island in an air condioned bus. The north is hilly and has the flamingoes but she said they only saw a few and it was from a distance. The tour guide was obsessed with pointing out iguanas. They went through a couple of small towns and also to the salt flats. She said she was glad she took the tour since she got to see the different terrain on the entire island.
She brought up the tour she took on Margarita. It was the Lagoon tour and she loved it. They took a boat through a lagoon and there was pretty mountains in the distance. The tour guide was excellant pointing out different things. They then went to a enviromental place with animals, flowers and an interesting maze. They were served fresh fruit and juices. Thought I would mention this since Margarita seems to be the pits to most, including myself. I stayed on the ship.


Posts: 686 | From: Kennesaw Ga. (origianlly from Philly) | Registered: Dec 1999  |  IP: Logged
Dolphins
First Class Passenger
Member # 2043

posted 07-28-2001 09:12 AM      Profile for Dolphins   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Bonaire is not noted for its nice sandy beaches. We took an excursion to a nearby hotel in the hope it had a nice beach but it was littered with sharp coral. Good snorkling further out if you can get past the coral near the shoreline. We spent most of the time at the hotel pool.
Posts: 324 | From: Commack, New York | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
sympatico
First Class Passenger
Member # 797

posted 07-28-2001 09:52 AM      Profile for sympatico     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Thanks folks - from the sounds of it, if I don't get off the ship, I won't have missed anything. I may just walk around a bit and then spend the day at the ship's pool, which I will probably do in Margarita Island, although - Gizmo I may look into that Lagoon tour that your sister went on. We were there last Christmas and it didn't impress me.
On our very first cruise in '81 we by-passed Bonaire & Caracas and put into Curacao for 2 days - guess we really didn't miss anything

Posts: 3305 | From: Toronto, Ont. Canada | Registered: Jul 99  |  IP: Logged
Marcia
First Class Passenger
Member # 1198

posted 07-31-2001 06:56 PM      Profile for Marcia   Email Marcia   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Sounds like you are on the same cruise we took in January. Not a lot to see on Bonaire, and be warned.... On Isla de Marguerita, after we returned I went to the local blood bank as I do several times a year and was refused for the first time ever. They said that because I had gone ashore there, I was at risk of Malaria. Can not donate for 1 full year.
Posts: 101 | From: Hamilton, Oh. U.S.A. | Registered: Mar 2000  |  IP: Logged
lillian
First Class Passenger
Member # 669

posted 08-01-2001 07:25 PM      Profile for lillian   Email lillian   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Hi Marcia:

Was interested in your comment about not being able to donate blood after visiting Isla de Marguerita.

I have never been there, but will be going there in January on the European Vision - Margarita Island. Was there anything interesting there to see, or would it be better to stay on the ship.


Posts: 95 | From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Jul 99  |  IP: Logged
sympatico
First Class Passenger
Member # 797

posted 08-01-2001 07:29 PM      Profile for sympatico     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Lillian - when we at Margarita Island last Xmas, we stayed on the ship. Some people enjoyed their tours, others did not. It's up to you.
Posts: 3305 | From: Toronto, Ont. Canada | Registered: Jul 99  |  IP: Logged
Marcia
First Class Passenger
Member # 1198

posted 08-02-2001 08:54 AM      Profile for Marcia   Email Marcia   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Hi Lillian, I would just stay on the ship. There were some things to see, but it was a very "dirty" island. Broken glass and trash along every road, and I mean a lot of it. I think every driver on the island just tosses their bottles and everthing out the window as they drive. If I had known how it was, we would have stayed on board. Have a wonderful cruise.
Posts: 101 | From: Hamilton, Oh. U.S.A. | Registered: Mar 2000  |  IP: Logged
Dolphins
First Class Passenger
Member # 2043

posted 08-02-2001 11:14 AM      Profile for Dolphins   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
We visited the Isle de Margarita from MS Zaandam and enjoyed our visit very much. We took the excursion to an excellent beach I believe was called El Aqua. We had a wonderful guide on the bus who gave us an interesting tour of the island with scenic stops. Don't stay on the ship if the weather in nice.
Posts: 324 | From: Commack, New York | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
lillian
First Class Passenger
Member # 669

posted 08-02-2001 06:20 PM      Profile for lillian   Email lillian   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Thanks for all the info on Margarita Island.

I will decide when we get there, and play it by ear.


Posts: 95 | From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Jul 99  |  IP: Logged
gizmo
First Class Passenger
Member # 972

posted 08-03-2001 06:48 PM      Profile for gizmo   Email gizmo   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Sympatico,

On Bonaire you can walk into town from the ship. I don't know what the cabs charged but it could not have been much. We walked back to the ship from town, and it was not too far.

Lillian,

When you dock in Margarita, you will see a small beach. Do not think you can swim there. Some people did walk over there but they could not even wade in the water. Seems like LOTS of sea urchins or some creatures like that were all over.

[ 08-04-2001: Message edited by: gizmo ]


Posts: 686 | From: Kennesaw Ga. (origianlly from Philly) | Registered: Dec 1999  |  IP: Logged
sympatico
First Class Passenger
Member # 797

posted 08-03-2001 07:42 PM      Profile for sympatico     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Lillian,

When you dock in Margarita, you will see a small beach. Do not think you can swim there. Some people did walk over there but they could not even wade in the water. Seemws like LOTS of sea urchins or some creatures like that were all over.


Thanks for the info Gizmo. Lillian, they were sea urchins/man of war and a couple of people from our ship last Christmas who went over to this beach stepped on them - they had some nasty stings and had to be brought back to the ship for medical attention.


Posts: 3305 | From: Toronto, Ont. Canada | Registered: Jul 99  |  IP: Logged

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