It’s been a long time since I’ve visited a destination where I had a hard time saying goodbye. While I loved Bologna and thought Panama City Beach was stunning, I’m always happy to come home. For once, I had mixed feelings about leaving. I had experienced one of the best weeks of my life and leaving on Saturday was hard, despite knowing I was coming home to Scott and summer in my beloved San Diego.
I’m obviously drawn to tropical islands, but the beauty of the island is usually the only thing I feel connected to during my stay. This time it felt like I was leaving more than just a beautiful island: I felt like I was leaving new friends and missing out on all the gorgeous landscapes that I had yet to discover.
During my stay in Bonaire, I wasn’t only enchanted by the underwater world, but the sights above the water as well. I never thought I would ride a horse bareback in my bikini, or laugh hysterically while my horse (Scarlet) swam around a lagoon, carrying me on her back.
After visiting some of Riviera Maya’s caves and cenotes, I’ve always wanted to explore more of these underground caverns in other parts of the world. Thanks to Leo at Flow Bonaire, I learned that Bonaire consists mainly of fossilized reefs and is home to over 300 caves. Most of these are dry caves, but Leo guided us through one of the wet caves, where we snorkeled with cave shrimp.
I don’t think I could have picked a better place to get my scuba certification and ease my way into the sport of diving. I love surfing too much to leave San Diego for good, but I wonder if I can convince Scott to spent a couple of months every year in Bonaire.
Plan Your Trip to Bonaire
After traveling consistently for over 10 years, we’ve come to trust and rely on a few websites to help us find the best deals on flights and accommodation.
Flights:
- Momondo is the first place we check when searching for cheap flights. It searches hundreds of sites for the best fare and includes both standard and budget airlines. The price calendar feature shows the cheapest days to fly in your preferred month of travel. If you are flying from the United States, I recommend booking your trip from Saturday to Saturday since this is currently the only direct route from the States.
Accommodation:
- Booking.com offers savings on hotels, apartments, and villas in 80,000 destinations worldwide. You can browse hotel reviews and find the guaranteed best price on hotels for all budgets.
I want to thank Tourism Bonaire, Travlin’ Girl, Amanda Castleman, Lisa and Victor from Explore Traveler, and the staff at Buddy Dive Resort for making this a trip I will never forget.
I’m going back to dive again in July. I abso-freakin-lutely cannot wait!!
What?! Can I come? I have barely been diving since I got certified!
These are so beautiful! Traveling is such a powerful and enriching experience. They need to figure out a way to build an RV that can withstand the Ocean so we can RV there!
This is so crazy! I have been searching for a not-so-typical vacation spot and just learned of Bonaire, literally last night! And now I found you through “Pinner Portraits” and this post about Bonaire. I would say it is meant to be!!! So excited!
That’s awesome, Shannan! You will absolutely love it!
One question… did you jump off Boka Slagbaai Cliff ?
I WISH! It was so windy the day we visited and nobody was jumping. Our local guide didn’t think it was a good idea because the wind could likely push someone back against the rocks. 🙁
I have never been to the Caribbean but I know I need to change that! I would like to find a place that wouldn’t be too touristy and where everyone in my little family would have something fun to do. The nature in Bonnaire is stunning! That water…so pretty!
I feel like I’ve been traveling to the Caribbean a lot lately. There’s so much to explore. I’m hoping to sneak in another trip to Bonaire soon.
Wow, this places looks amazing. I have never heard of Bonaire before, but I am entrance with the amazing photos.
I didn’t know much about it either!
Looks like you had a blast! I dream sooo much to go scuba diving! It’s been way too long 🙂
I was really surprised with how well I handled it! 🙂
Beautiful Photos – Bonaire looks great!
Thank you, Zoe!
Okay, ready to book my flight now. Kthanksbye! 🙂
LOL! Can I come with youuuu??