Belmar Oceanfront Apartments Bonaire
I have been to Bonaire several times, but recently stayed at the Belmar Oceanfront Apartments for the first time. I chose it because their on-site valet boat diving service was just what I was looking for. Shore diving was not an option for me this trip. This is a small resort with a mix of 21 one, two, and three bedroom apartments. The on-site dive shop and dive boat are operated by Buddy Dive Bonaire. Everything in the resort guide is described perfectly.
We had a 1 bedroom that was extremely spacious, with a full, well equipped kitchen and bathroom. Our balcony overlooked the gorgeous saltwater pool and had a 180 degree ocean view (see photo). The living room is large and comfortable with a flat screen TV.
The dive boat picks up at the dock right in front of the resort. It is configured for a maximum of 8 divers. Some days we were diving with only 6. Dive gear is stored in a locker room just behind the dive shop. Even though “valet service" is provided, it is still each diver's responsibility to bring gear to the boat and back, and rinse and hang to dry. The crew will load gear onto the boat, set up on your tank, assist in analyzing your tank if using nitrox, switch tanks after first dive, and unload gear from the boat on arrival back at the dock. The dive guides were very knowledgeable and did a great job at finding frogfish for us. Five out of six days, we dove Klein Bonaire, only accessible by boat. This is great for people wanting to make afternoon shore dives on Bonaire. No need to worry about repeating dive sites. One day, we dove sites on Bonaire due to winds at Klein causing chop, but these sites are just as good.
The resort doesn't have a restaurant. Our package included a rental car, so it was very easy to drive to one of the many great restaurants available on the island. The car also came in handy to drive around the island for sightseeing.
We will definitely return to the Belmar Oceanfront Apartments for the laid back, easy atmosphere and the great boat diving. We visited a couple of other resorts to eat, and realized how busy they were with dive groups and other visitors. So glad we chose Belmar! Highly recommended.
