10 Stars! Service? The Best! - Diving? The Best! - Food & Adult Beverages? The Best! Daily schedule: 6:30 am - Wake up. 7:00 am, enjoy massive breakfast buffet, so fricking good. 8:00 am, hop on a boat and begin diving. 12:30 pm, lunch, quick nap, back to diving. 4 pm, hop in a pick up truck and explore for a couple hours. 6 pm, drinks at Blennies!
As soon as you check in and put your luggage away, get sorted out on the Scuba board. You have to mark your name and room # down on the dive board to get on the boats. They can fill up fast. Bonus night missions and other things available. Unlimited shore diving, they have a nice safe staircase and the Buddy Reef is amazing. Or, grab a pickup and go try the Hooker or many other dive sites. Everything was amazing on this island. Most of all, all the beautiful people. Big difference here than other islands.
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Completed my first open water dive certification at the resort. The diving staff is awesome and so supportive. Have to give a shout out to Nathan Vogel. He was very patient and a great instructor.
Diving is fantastic. Buddy's tank service is convenient. Walk from your room to the dock, gear up and jump in! Shore diving is easy. Take your rental truck to Buddy's drive up, grab your tanks and drive to your spot. Boat dives from the docks. Oh, there's a pool and beautiful views, too. Enjoy!
Nice pier with gear rentals, training, guided dives, boats, air & nitrox, lockers, toilets, showers, photo/video rentals, dive shop, dunk tanks, Buddy Reef shore dive, restaurants, bar, vehicle rentals, parking, picturesque grounds, and lodging. We had a great time!
We stayed at Buddy Diver Resort for 7 days. All I can say is we will stay for 14 days next year. It was great! The staff was very accommodating with whatever we needed. The Dive staff equipped with anything you need. The guides where experienced, knew the way to all the dive sits. Showed us Sea Horses, Turtles etc. we would have not seen had they not been with us. The photo shop put on a show one night to teach and show all the sea has to offer in their area. It was spactaculer. The food and the sun sets where great to. Everyone would stop to watch the sun set everyday. OMG! Can't wait to get back
Manager Jeff hooked us up with a free computer after we had left ours at the hotel. Great customer service, and would highly recommend them for all of your dives while in Bonaire. We didn't stay there, but the place we did (carribean club) partnered with them
A divers haven. Loved it. We visited in February of 2013 and going again in october. The rooms were clean and nice. The staff was helpful. The dive shop was great. The only thing is the wifi. It is only in the restaurant or at the front desk.
Great resort for diving. Scuba, relax, eat, scuba, sleep if you have to. Next day repeat. Great staff and overall great experience. I come here once a year.
Its nice and has enjoyed world recognition, but it's needing renovations and updates, including vans, pick-ups and safes. An alternate food option for late night activities and an enclosed conference room are missing. Restaurant conferences are not supposed to compete with exterior noises. Insect spraying during early morning hours was a nightmare. Some of the staff needs to be more enthusiastic and empathetic and have more supervision. Something strange was experienced. During our vacations too many of our group went sick. Can it be related to food management ? It's better to be aware.
I make an effort to visit this wonderful resort every year. While it is not a plush venue, there are fewer in Bonaire that cater to every type of diver better! You can find room suites of all sizes, most with kitchens. Air conditioning is standard, and most packages include a rental truck to cart you to shore dive locations. Most packages also include unlimited air or nitrox, which is great because the Buddy Dive reef, just a short swim from the dock, is one of the best dives possible. I am dismayed by the poor reviews as my dive club travels here yearly!
Our group has been visiting since 2001 and have visited for 2 weeks each of the last 5 years. Before this year I would have rated them a 4. They were always a basic but well run, less expensive option for divers. I do not know if management or owners have changed but I do not consider it as well run. When we arrived at our room, the air conditioning in one bedroom did not work, the smoke alarm was going off (solved by taking it apart and removing the battery) and no lights working in one of the bathrooms. All three items were resolved the next day after notifying the front desk.
Housekeeping seems to have remained stable but this year I did not have a single bath or hand towel that was unstained. Most were old, hard and scratchy (some fraying) with the occasional soft one which I used for 5 days until they took it in a complete changeover.
The phones in the room can no longer call out of the resort so guests have to go through the front desk staff for reservations or to order a pizza for pickup. The staff, unfortunately did not act as if they wanted to do so and often got it wrong. For example, reservations were made for the wrong time or not made at all, confirming and asking in person did not improve the situation. The second week we found it easier to go by the actual restaurant during the day or the night before to make sure they could handle a larger group of 8 and a reservation made. Trying to have them order pizza ended up in us sending someone to order and wait for them as the front desk person was confused as other rooms had also ordered pizza so they thought it was just changes despite being different rooms and different orders.
Of particular annoyance to me was when the taxi was ordered for the wrong time. When the taxi did not show and I went to the front desk to check on it, the staff made it clear with their body language and tone that my asking them to check on the taxi as it was 15 minutes late was aggravating to her. Then when the taxi arrived, we were informed that was the time the front desk ordered it (1/2 hour later than requested). To add insult, the front desk added 2 other people going to an interim destination without asking if we minded the additional delay, though we were paying the taxi and not the resort.
Breakfast breads as always were great but again we could see issues. Of the 2 weeks there, the person that made eggs was only ready to make them 1 out of 13 days I was there when breakfast started. The second week the cook was there within 10 minutes so reasonable to still include with breakfast but the first week, we typically were on our way out of breakfast before they were ready to cook. Also for long time visitors, the waffle iron apparently broke and the resort considered it too expensive to replace. Several of our group were disappointed in this cost cutting move. Another change was not having staff going through and picking up plates as people finished. As tables left, the seagulls and pigeons moved in on mass. Not appetizing.
On the positive side, there were brand new sliding glass doors and the drive through staff and improvements were great. Especially the drive through staff have improved. The rinse bins were cleaned and usually full and the staff quick to assist with tank loading and unloading.
We also saw a huge increase in what appeared to me non-divers. Not a negative other than the number of baby s and children in and around the pools and taking up the chairs.
One of the dive shops told us it had become shabby. I would say, just not up to the previous standards. Still ok for the price. However, our group has decided to do a live aboard next year. More expensive but this visit was a tipping point for us.
If you watch your expenses, consider Buddy Dive. Be forewarned that the possibility for frustration exists.
I can say a few good things about Buddy Dive Bonaire:
1) The price was very good. The other terms were quite good, like included nitrox with no up charge. 2) I did like the setup for checking & loading tanks and rinsing gear. Expeditious and intelligent. 3) The room was overall good. Uncomfortable couch, but that's the only issue. 4) Housekeeping did a good job. 5) The food folks did a good job.
Recognizing that unpleasant stuff just happens sometimes and one should just roll with it, here are the negatives I experienced:
1) Consider bringing food with you if you arrive late. When we arrived about 10 p.m., all food establishments were closed and no provisions to eat anything. Staff told us the asian restauraunt to the north was open 'till 11, but it was not. So we went to bed hungry. Wish they'd have warned us.
2) Our included truck ran well, but the tailgate was thouroughly rusted. One hinge was completely rusted out. The tailgate sat on the bumper, making the un-level surface not good for getting gear on/off. I tried 2 days to get another truck, then gave up. On a positive note, it did appear that they're swapping out the older trucks with newer trucks.
3) The orientation was incomplete. No discussion on technique for doing shore dives or that sites are identified by yellow rocks, or tricky traffic stuff associated with getting around town.
4) 2 dive staff literally refused to give me 16 lbs of weights initially and gave me 14 & said it was enough. It wasn't. I came back, they gave me 16 lbs total and insulted me that my technique must be wrong. Look, I'm a very competent electrical engineer with about 200 dives, and I believe I've thought about this and tried various things enough to know that a brand new wetsuit is going to initially be more bouyant on my bouyant frame, which I did tell them up front. Common sense dictates that except for a bona fide safety issue, one should never needlessly insult the client even if they are in fact totally wrong.
5) One night a staffer (it appears... I could be wrong) moved my truck and parked in my spot. I was very upset for about 30 seconds thinking my truck was stolen. I thought that was inconsiderate as I didn't know why they'd move my truck or where it was. Should've let me know.
My girlfriend had a good experience there 15 years ago. This experience was good and not so good.
The resort needs updating. The rooms were clean and the ac was cold, which is why I did 2 starts instead of 1. The staff was not customer centric with a few exceptions. The food was ok, the pizza at Ingredients was good but very slow.. the dive staff was very poor. Friendly yes, but little effort put forward they just want to ride and guide. Little to no service on the boat. Had a group there and many had gear broken because of the way it was loaded. The first day was a total cluster. Crowded and little organization. We won't be back.
The staff was very friendly and helpful. Helped my wife with her equipment on all our boat dives. Access to there Buddy Reef was just a short swim. Do a night dive off there dock to see beautiful tarpon!
I warmly recommend staying here for a dive trip to Bonaire. Great accommodations, good breakfast (watch out for birds!) and a great dive instruction team.
Great place to stay for divers. There is a marked house reef right on location. Also you can drive to any location on the island. Very nice rooms, included car (I recommend buying the Insurance), included all air and nitrox. Dive all you want when you want. They also have boat dives, training and special diving events.
Very nice atmosphere and very polite and attentive servers, especially Dennis, who speaks Portuguese very well! The resort has two restaurants that are open to the public and are very good! Worth the visit when you are in Bonaire.
A fantastic hotel for those who came to Bonaire with the aim of diving. The structure revolves completely around the amenities a diver needs, both in the availability of equipment and in the logistics around the dive. The service was impeccable! Whenever I needed the staff was dedicated to helping me. Highly recommended
Grabbed a late dinner here and the food and service was great (and beer was COLD). Our server Merlin (pronounced more like "merengue") was exceptional even though he was new to the job. We did not dive with this company, but a special shout out to the dive team there for assisting us out on the water.
Very professional, friendly folks! They have everything a diver could ask for. The resort itself is kept clean, the rooms are more than adequate. Just a great place!
Reasonably priced, great diving, very friendly staff. The accommodations are clean with nice balconies. My wife and I stayed the week and we loved it. We will definitely be going back!
Good quality of rooms. Daily cleaning etc. In addition, fantastic breakfast. But in the end the diving facilities are excellent. Everything relaxed and thoughtfully arranged. Class.
They cater to bottomfeeders. Their idea of customer service is to just ignore it. They have proved over many years to be poor at everything other than advertising cheap rates and cattle car service. Nothing changes in the 19 years I have been visiting Bonaire.
We are having a great time here for the second time! It is NOT fancy! The trucks are ragged, rusted pieces of poo and they are way too picky in checking out scratches before giving them to you (especially since they are held together by the rust). Still, everything you could want is here... Great dining on resort or a short dive, fantastic staff (dive, front desk, tank fillers, cleaning, bar and food), beautiful views, comfortable room with all basic amenities, sandy beach to sit and watch the sundown. You just can't go wrong.
Had a wonderful and pleasant stay at Buddy Dive Resort the week of March 22nd through March 30th 2013 as we celebrated my fiance's 50th Birthday. We stayed in Condo 514, it was PERFECT! There was a great view of the ocean as well as overlooking the pool and beautiful court yard area! The condo was very clean and well kept up as well as comfortable and cozy! Spent a lot of evenings relaxing on the deck watching the sun sets. All staff members were very accomodating as well as warm and welcoming during our stay. Breakfast every morning was amazing, all other meals served were top of the line delicious! we enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of all staff involved in our stay! The boat dives were tremendous as well as the dive masters who were amazing in every way; warm, welcoming, informational, kind, patient and very friendly! Special thanks to Danny and Jimmy; you guys are AWESOME! Highly recommend Buddy Dive and hope to return again soon!
Thank you Buddy Dive for making our vacation time spent with you memories to cherish!
The staff at the Buddy Dive dive shop is friendly and helpful. I didn t meet a single team member who wasn t a pleasure to interact with. Jimmy in particular was very accommodating, scheduling a last minute dive so I could make the most of my vacation. Very knowledgeable and committed to taking care of the reef. Beautiful on-site reef built up from their coral nursery. I m very glad I chose to dive with Buddy Dive.
This was a good place to learn how to scuba dive! You can take a variety of classes, from just starting out to more advanced. Very flexible scheduling and good instructors. They have a dive gear store and full rental gear. They do air and nitrox (32ish percent) and have a convenient drive thru tank exchange. They have 3 dive boats daily to dive sites around Bonaire in addition to shore diving from the pier.
First time to Buddy s and they did not disappoint. Resort staff were friendly, accommodating and incredibly welcoming. Rooms were well appointed and clean. It was the perfect launching point for our dive vacation.
Speaking of diving, the staff did all they can do to make your dives as enjoyable as possible. Drive through tanks service, access to tanks right at the docks, everything was set up conveniently and logically. Lockers made movement of gear an ease between boat and shore dives.
I can t say enough about our experience, thanks go out to the dive staff. August, Lars, Tina, Nikki and everyone that made our first time at Buddy s memorable. Can t wait to come back.
Can't go wrong with Buddy Dive for a scuba vacation. Clean, air conditioned rooms, well maintained facilities, and all the air or nitrox you can breath. The house reef is worth the dive even if you are not staying here. Thier rental vehicle fleet is a bit hit or miss with some newer and some rusted out older trucks, and a hard pass if you can't drive a manual transmission. But they are all functional and air conditioned. Service in the bar and restaurant is a bit better than average for the island, but that is s pretty low bar. Expect lunch to take over an hour and don't be shy about flagging down a server to refill your drinks as they will likely not check on you often without prompting. But the food is good and the rum punch is strong. The staff are all courteous and congenial. Unless you are a freshly certified diver, skip the boat dives and just throw some tanks and gear in your truck and go dive the island from shore. You will not be dissapointed.
Rented snorkel gear for the day from here. Staff are super friendly and knowledgeable. I didn't stay at the resort as I was in the cruise ship, but I can tell you that the establishment was a constant flow of divers coming and going on boats, so I'm thinking it must be pretty good considering the amount of patrons. If I ever return, I will definitely stay at buddy dive.
While cruising with Royal Caribbean, Bonaire was one of the ports of call. I booked this excursion with the cruise line but it can also be located on TripAdvisor. The dive shop was a short walk from the port and then we were driven to the dive location after the instructional video. The gentleman that dove with us were amazingly patient, understanding, knowledgeable and highly recommended. I was fortunate enough to complete the dive with a small group of people (5 including myself) with 3 instructors. I always felt comfortable and safe. One woman had more of a hard time with diving and one of the gentlemen pulled her off to the side and completed the basics process with her. Everyone absolutely loved the dive, it was beautiful and we were able to see a lot of amazing sea life and coral. The instructors pointed out things as we moved a long and there was always one instructor in the front and one in the back. None of us were PADI certified but this dive was still amazing. I will be flying back to complete my scuba certification at the resort, since it is quicker and cheaper, eith such a great experience the first time. I would reccomend this place to anyone! Thank you all for an amazing dive! Also, the dive shop has a lot of equipment that can be purchased.
I can't say much about the resort, but the dive shop / boat diving is. Very neat and knowledgeable staff, who explains in a good and clear way what to expect and what the rules are. The boat dives are very well organized and the dive shop has enough items in stock.
Trip we booked to Bonaire with Buddy Dive in Nov of last year was canceled twice because Bonaire shut down and this resort, having preformed no services, since their country was closed, refuses to refund a single cent.
Beautiful place to dive all you want. You can embark, rent a van, or just dive at the point that the hotel has (for the night or perform in 2 lights is great!) Breakfast is great and the attention of all staff is wonderful. They strive to make you feel comfortable
Bonaire is an amazing dive destination and Buddy Dive let's you experience it in every way possible. Between their drive through air station and tank facilities on the dock, diving can't be easier, whether you want to shore dive to locations by pickup truck, their house reef or their many dive boats. Same price for air or nitrox. Nice 1, 2, or 3 bedroom apartments with kitchens and 2 restaurants. Very friendly staff as well
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