When planning a dive trip to the shore diving capital of the world, you’ve definitely got your fair share of options! There are dozens of different dive accommodations along the islands western shore, where some of the best shore diving can be found!
On my most recent visit to the island of Bonaire, I stayed at the Courtyard Marriott, with Dive Friends dive resort on-site as the diving provider for guests. This is a vibrant, well-kept property on the west side of the island, very close to the airport. Guests rooms are housed 4 per vibrant, colourful building that offer privacy and beautiful views of the island.
This is an obvious accommodation choice for any of you point-savvy travellers out there. The Courtyard Marriott Dive Resort is the only “chain” hotel property on the entire island. It’s a great option for those who are Marriott members because you can put your points towards your stay, whereas all the other accommodation options are local dive resorts and bread and breakfasts.
Another reason that this property is so convenient – it’s right next to the airport. When I say right next to the airport, I literally mean right next to the airport. The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service (that needs to be pre-booked) and it’s only about a 3-minute drive from the airport to the hotel. I will say that the complimentary shuttle seemed to be hit or miss from my own experiences and some conversations with other guests. The shuttle booking seems a little disorganized, but I mean, it’s free so I suppose it’s what you get. One our way home, the hotel receptionist realized that the shuttle we’d booked days in advance wasn’t actually booked and called us a cab instead, which the hotel did cover. If you do end up having to take a cab to the hotel, it will only set you back $10 USD.
In addition to the airport shuttles, the hotel offers complimentary shuttle service to a nearby beach and into town – these are a bit more reliable as they’re run by the hotel and operate on a set, daily schedule. This was really handy for me when I didn’t have a rental car as there’s no beach (or much else!) within walking distance to the hotel. I ended up taking the shuttle into town at 10 am and being picked up at 2 pm, which was perfect for doing some shopping and grabbing lunch.
The rooms themselves are incredibly spacious – perfect for unpacking all that dive gear! My room had a king sized bed, massive sofa, desk, and still tons of room to move around and get settled in. The rooms also feature massive bathrooms with large, glass door showers. The rooms were really exceptional between the crisp design and spaciousness.
The property itself also features an infinity pool and an on-site restaurant. While these were both great touches, I think that they didn’t quite meet expectations. The pool was nice enough and had plenty of chairs around it, so finding a spot to lay out and tan was never an issue. However, I found that the only people that are actually on the property during the day are families and small kids – most other people have gone out diving. This meant that the pool was usually very loud because of all the kids running around.
The on-site restaurant is decent, the food is good and appropriately overpriced but for a hotel restaurant, but admittedly, it gets old fast. They have a limited menu despite trying to change things up throughout the week. During my first few days in Bonaire, before I had a rental car, I found myself eating at the restaurant two or three times a day and got over it really quick. They did, however, offer a really nice Easter Brunch that I was very impressed with. Overall, I think their breakfast buffet was the highlight of their dining services.
The lobby also offers complimentary coffee throughout the day, which was perfect for grabbing a quick cup before a morning dive. The property also features a modest fitness centre with cardio equipment, free weights, and a cable machine that overlooks the canal.
The property also has it’s own dive centre on site: Dive Friends Bonaire. This dive centre has 11 locations throughout Bonaire. Being able to roll out of bed at 7:30 am and still make it on time for an 8am dive was AMAZING. The dive centre also offers lockers to all divers so that you don’t have to worry about lugging your gear back and forth between your room and the shop. There are also freshwater rinse bins available to rinse your gear after diving and plenty of space to lay out your stuff to air dry. Even if you don’t have a car, you’re still able to enjoy your fair share of boat and shore diving thanks to the on-site dive centre, which provided transportation to and from dive sites.
I think this property is beautiful and perfectly accommodating to divers visiting Bonaire. It has all the benefits of a big chain hotel, like the benefit of being able to pay for your stay in points, while still being able to capture to charm and style of a small island like Bonaire.
