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Bonaire Beyond Diving
Tourism Corporation Bonaire
Article & Photography by Susan Campbell
A
ny serious scuba fan has heard of Bonaire, it’s a tiny outpost off the coast of Venezuela and the “B” of the Dutch Caribbean ABC Islands. But you need not be a diver to enjoy a visit there.
They are easily visible from land when you simply walk along the downtown boardwalk flanking the charming little capital.The fish are that plentiful and the waters that clear!
Long touted as having the best shore diving in the world, Bonaire’s waters are teeming with an abundance of marine life and healthy coral due to its long-standing protection of the entire reef system. But though it’s also one of the best places to learn to dive you need not be PADI certified to really enjoy a visit there. There is a lot to do for non-divers as well. In fact, you need not even get wet to spot colorful big parrotfish!
Cool & Quirly Kralendijk It’s been about six years since I have been to “Playa” as locals call the tiny downtown region, ( Kralendijk means “coral dike” in Dutch), and it’s not changed much since my last visit save for a brand new block sized building in the middle of town called Terremar. It hosts a a modern new museum, and a high end luxury apartment
rentals with some new shops and a fabulous modern café below. We opted to stay there the first half of our trip; the sea view 3rd floor penthouse was the ideal location to easily explore every end of downtown on foot. (But to be clear, you can explore every inch of downtown on foot in half a day it’s that small!) There is a huge grocery store nearby- quite a surprise for such a small population- where you can shop for all you need should you intend to have some meals in. The penthouse is fully equipped with state-of-the art appliances and everything you need to cook in house.