Buddy Dive & Blennies

My kids love to spend the day at Buddy Dive, and we join them for dinner at Blennies.  Buddy Dive is a fantastic resort, and super welcoming to non-resort guests visiting their facilities.  Our kids tend to visit early and make a day out of enjoying their pool, water access and beach beds. Set high up from the water, their sun beds are on soft sand beach just in front of the pool.  The pool has is very refreshing, with a swim up bar. As most of you know, we are not divers, but love snorkeling. Buddy Dive has a great dock, and the kids (& me, too!) will enter the lovely Caribbean sea and swim around enjoying all the amazing sea life. 

We always have at least one meal while using their facilities, sometimes two. Blennies is on site,

very low key and super convenient.  The food is good, but the sunset is what really makes this bar type restaurant spectacular.  I was pleasantly surprised with the service this year – they really stepped it up. We came back a second evening to meet a friend for drinks at the bar, and were entertained by a local musician.

Enjoy !

 

Capriccio – Delicious, Great Views, Romantic

Taking six 17 year old young ladies to Bonaire can have its perks, they suggested we take a romantic evening to ourselves, Capriccio was a logical choice for us.  Serving delicious Italian food, Capriccio is located in downtown Kralendijk, with great service and an amazing view.

We didn’t have a reservation (strongly suggest you make them!), but lucked out as they had an indoor table available. The indoor seating has a nice perk of air conditioning. We asked to be considered for outdoor if space became available, and they were happy to accommodate us when a table opened.  We enjoyed a cocktail inside followed by apps, dinner & wine outside – it was quite perfect.

I wish I took a picture of the menu. Unfortunately, I cannot find it on their website, but below are some pictures of our dinner choices. They taste as good as they look.

   

 

Personally, I find their salt and pepper shakers adorable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TAXI !!!

Taxi, Taxi … ever wonder how to hire car service on Bonaire? Taxis seem to be located at the airport, but when you are out and about, they are no where to be found.  Bonaire does not utilize Uber or Lyft services, either.

We have been visiting Bonaire for over 10 years, and never hired a taxi service. This last trip, our 17 year old daughter and several of her friends wanted to go out, and we wanted to stay in and enjoy a nice, fresh mojito.

What is the solution???

TAXI DRIVER #34, Hilario Bernabela to the rescue !!!!

bonaire Taxi Driver

 

A wonderful taxi driver on Bonaire named Hilario (nickname Layo). We hired him to arrive at our villa at 8:00 PM to pickup the young ladies, and asked that he bring them back at 11:00 PM. Layo provided an on time, reliable, safe mode of transportation for our young ladies.

Young ladies – Happy  : Parents – Happy

Highly recommend !!!

 

 

Rum Runners Bonaire

Always our choice for our first night’s dinner when visiting Bonaire, Rum Runners Bonaire did not disappoint.  Food is always fresh & delicious and the variety is great.

I ordered the “Main Bowl”. It was delicious and super fresh, as always. The variety of their menu is awesome. The kids all had pizza, with enough leftover for lunch the next day.

 Steve and I each enjoyed a Cucumber Mojito – definitely refreshing, and the perfect way to end a long day. 

Rum Runners had some great renovations since our list visit. The restaurant is looking more modern and welcoming, the pizza kitchen has some nice signage and the bar is super cool. 

 

The Ocean Oasis – A Magnificent Way to Spend the Day

The Ocean Oasis – A Magnificent Way to Spend the Day

A new beach resort opened on Bonaire, and it is fabulous! The Ocean Oasis in Bonaire is a great way to spend the day.  The Ocean Oasis has beach beds & chairs, great food and magnificent drinks.

When we visited in August, we rented a cabana – for the girls – and Steve and I stayed up in the chair section. The chairs are free to use and very comfortable.  The beach bed rentals are a bit pricey – $20 a pop at the time, but they come with towels, water, and snack. The cabana rental also comes with these amenities. For our family, the cabana rental was a more affordable option for the 4 girls to share. Depending on your preference and how you want to spend your vacation dollars, you have several of choices to lounge your day away.

 

We arrived early in the afternoon and enjoyed a delicious meal and great drinks. The service was truly fantastic, and the food superb.  Take a peak at their menu for some ideas. I had the Wahoo Risotto which was delicious, and Steve opted for the equally yummy Butter Paneer.

There are several relatively easy water entrances to enjoy swimming or snorkeling. We highly recommend water shoes, as you will be walking over the rocky shoreline.

The Lunt Family gives the Ocean Oasis a thumbs up all around. We do consider this to be a money well spent splurge day. We hope you feel them same!

Enjoy.

 

 

 

Catering In at Villa Lunt Bonaire

Catering In at Villa Lunt Bonaire

When we visit Bonaire, we always plan to spend a relaxing day enjoying the villa, playing games under the palapa and relaxing in the pool. This visit, we decided adding a catered meal to that day would be perfect.  We have found 2 perfect opportunities for delicious in home catering/cooking.

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Option 1 – For large groups, keep reading, for smaller groups, go right to option 2.

The Kite City Food truck at Te’Amo beach – a fan favorite of the Lunt family – can cater a meal or 2 or 3 at Villa Lunt.

They do “CookinGroove” caterings on location after “Kite City Hours”
We can forward you their basic price list. Paella has been highly requested and is fun for a bigger group.   They can do anything from 3 to 6 courses, recommending 4 as balanced.
CookinGroove loves to work with seafood as much as possible, especially tuna, wahoo, barracuda, mahimahi, & snapper. For meat, they do oven roasts  and/or live grill.
CookinGrooves makes custom menus depending on locally available options.

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Option 2 – Be right at home with food prepared by Lily.  Lily is a familiar face to all of our guests, as she welcomes you to Bonaire, and will assist you with any question or concern while on Bonaire.

We chose to have Lily prepare & serve a meal for us at the villa. She has many options to choose from – local menus to paella, skewers and BBQ. Her desserts are out of this world delicious. For our meal, we chose bruschetta,  skewered chicken, ribs and rice with beans.

Lily’s number is the cell phone we loan you while on Bonaire.  If you are interested in this service, give Lily a call.

Next time, we are going to try the Paella!

 

 

Grocery Shopping On Bonaire

Grocery Shopping On Bonaire

Grocery shopping on Bonaire has truly evolved since we’ve been visiting this lovely island.  Many of the stores offer a large variety of items with familiar brands. A part of the Dutch Caribbean, and welcoming a large international tourist community, many of the food brands/labels will be recognizable in Dutch, English and Spanish. Recognizing all grocery items must be shipped to Bonaire, we find the prices to be relatively reasonable.

Below are listed some of supermarkets we visit and what we like about them ….

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Van den Tweel Supermarket:

We find the Van Den Tweels to be large and clean, offering the most variety. Located on Kaya Industria, just on the circle, the Van Den Tweels is one of the newer markets on Bonaire.  The wagons need a quarter to unlock, and to avoid paying for bags, bring your own grocery bags.

Van Den Tweels has a great deli department and lots of fresh produce. They offer alcohol and baked goods, and you will find many household needs here as well. Their refrigerated and frozen sections are well stocked, too. On a personal note, my kids LOVE their frozen pizzas.

ADDRESS: 39 Kaya Industria

PRO: largest selection on the island; CON: more expensive; HOURS: 8am to 8pm 7 days a week.

 

Bondigrio:

We recently discovered the Bondigrio (Bonaire Discount Grocery) and instantly became a fan. This cooperative opened with the mission to force competition and prices down for grocery items on Bonaire. They have succeeded, and they offer the lowest prices on the island.  We will go to the Bondigrio several times when we go to Bonaire. If we don’t find what we are looking for, Van den Tweel is up the road, so we can finish our shopping there.

The Bondigrio has a nice produce section, and offers a decent selection of basic supermarket needs.  They do not accept credit cards, nor do they offer bags, so come prepared.

ADDRESS: 29 Kaya Industria

PRO: lowest prices; CON: no credit cards; HOURS: 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday

 

Zung Khong Supermarket:

Need something fast and close by? Zung Khong is the place for you. Located on Kaya Gobernador N. Debrot  just past Captain Don’s, it will be on your left as you head to Villa Lunt. Offering a small produce section, frozen section, alcohol and very basic grocery and household items, it is the place to go when you run out of something you need, or to stock up on last minute meal items. We have found the turnover of items on their shelves may be lacking. Check dates.

ADDRESS: 29 Kaya Industria

PRO: nearby; CON: high prices; HOURS: 8am to 8pm 7 days a week

 

Warehouse Bonaire:

The Warehouse Bonaire is on the same road as Van den Tweel & Bondigrio, and is actually owned by the Van den Tweel. The Warehouse, in my opinion, offers the next largest selection, with a lower price point – you should have no problem finding all your basic items. The store is older, and the shopping experience is not as lovely.  Since our preference is the Bondigrio & Van den Tweel, we tend not to make it to the Warehouse often. That said, my kids love the frozen pizza here as well.

ADDRESS: 24 Kaya Industria

PRO: less expensive; CON: less selection; HOURS: 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday

There are many other shops located throughout Bonaire, but we have found just hitting these 4 does the trick for us.

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And if your looking for wine, allow us to recommend ….

Antillean Wine Company

Located on Kaya Industria, with limited opening hours, this is one of my favorite places to get wine. Excellent prices very nice selection.

HOURS: 9am to 1pm Monday to Saturday

ADDRESS: 23 Kaya Industria

 

Bonaire Sea Turtles – It’s Nesting Season

Bonaire Sea Turtles – It’s Nesting Season

Many of our guests are surprised to hear our family does not SCUBA dive. I get it, Villa Lunt is located on Bonaire, one of the most pristine diving locations around the world. Clear water, abundant coral and magnificent sea life. How can we not dive !?! We do snorkel, and very much enjoy every moment with our faces plunged in the warm Caribbean Sea.  Sea Turtles are plentiful in the waters of Bonaire. Head over to Oil Slick, 1000 Steps, or one of the Andrea Dive Sites, and I challenge you NOT to find a magnificent sea turtle swimming around.

We recently learned it is Sea Turtle Nesting Season, and Bonaire is home to 3 of the world’s 7 Sea Turtle Species – Green, Hawksbill & Loggerheads.   As of the writing of this blog, 24 nests have been located between Bonaire and Klein Bonaire according to the Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB) .  However, it is expected there are over 70 nests in total. On Bonaire, these wonderful nests are monitored & protected by staff and trained volunteers of  STCB.  They patrol the known nesting areas on Bonaire recording signs of nesting and hatching.

These beautiful sea creatures live a very fascinating life. They travel for hundreds to thousands of kilometers each year to lay their eggs in the very beaches from where they were born.  The mothers lay their eggs and go back to sea, and about 60 days later, their hatchlings emerge – all at once – and scramble together to the sea.

We hope you enjoy watching these adorable hatchlings make their way into the sea.

After A Long Trip, A Special Welcome

After A Long Trip, A Special Welcome

When I plan my family’s vacation time, I always get a thrill thinking about all the wonderful places we will go and the amazing things we will see. I spend hours coming up with the perfect itinerary, and the perfect tours, and making sure all the travel details are perfectly coordinated.

Let’s face it, vacation time is precious, it allows us the opportunity to relax, chillout, explore or just be. It gives us the chance to reconnect as a family and enjoy each other.

I try to anticipate every detail – I’m a planner – and I want to make sure I plan just the right amount of everything – tours, activities, chilling out, eating in, eating out. My husband, Steve, is not a planner, he has the “laid back take it as it comes” gene; the ying to my yang. So, if a curve-ball gets the best of my plan, and there are always a curve-balls, he is the one to take the controls and save the day.

Today, Lily,  our on-site property manager, sent us this beautiful picture of the most recent guest welcome at Villa Lunt. It occured to me, for all the planning I do for my family’s vacations, I never consider the arrival welcome. Unfortunately, I tend to arrive tired, hungry and grumpy; and it’s always Steve to the rescue finding the closest cafe to fuel up.

We’ve been hosting guests at Villa Lunt for over 8 years.  And being the planner I am, I will work with you on any detail you would like prior to your arrival. Suggestions for things to do, places to go, restaurants to check out, best supermarkets – you name it – we will try to find it.

Planning YOUR arrival at the villa is always one of my top priorities. Are you celebrating something? Is it a family gathering? A group of friends? Do you want to get to the villa and chill, or drop your bags and go?  Your arrival is important to us because it is the start of what should be a perfect vacation. Our goal is to make your arrival the perfect beginning to a perfect vacation.

Now, if I can only remember this when I plan my next family vacation – one less curveball for Steve.

Enjoy.

 

Villa Lunt on Bonaire Specials

Villa Lunt on Bonaire Specials

Tired of the cold weather? Dreaming of sunshine & cool breezes? Villa Lunt in Bonaire is offering specials to our returning guests for “last minute” vacations during following dates :

  • June 15th to June 22nd
  • August 17th through October 5th

Additional carriers have added flights to Bonaire during this time. Let us know if you would like assistance finding a flight!

Bonaire is outside the Hurricane Belt, and September is a wonderful time to visit!!!  The island is quiet and the weather is beautiful.

Our special rate for these dates is  $1325 per week which includes exclusive access to the property & tourist tax for 2 guests in one bedroom. Added bedroom and tourist tax will apply for additional guests.

Remember, always book direct …

http://www.villalunt.com/calendar-rates/

We look forward to hearing from you soon.