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We recently put up a blog post about one of the Caribbean’s best kept secrets, Curaçao, but now we want to tell you about another island that seems to fall through the cracks. Hidden in the southern Caribbean is another very small island that really only seems to encounter tourism from the Netherlands. Well, as should be no surprise, the small, charming island of Bonaire is part of the Dutch Caribbean and also part of the the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Let's dive deep into this little paradise and give you a reason to change your typical Caribbean plans for an island that is much lesser known.
Normally when we write these blogs we just talk a little bit about the location and our experiences while we were on site. This time, however, we want to get a little bit more specific with you because the itinerary that we had was absolutely perfect. We were in Bonaire to lead a social media marketing project and found ourselves quite pleased with the agenda they had set for us. The touring of the island was incredible, the restaurants were impressive and resorts were spectacular. Bonaire is well known among divers, but we chose not to spend much time beneath the waves well we were here. As for our resort recommendation... we only stayed at one, but we belive it is probably the best: Delfins. We LOVED it!
Arrival in Bonaire is simple enough and plenty of flights can be found from the USA and especially from places like MIami - for quite cheap I might add. If you are already feeling intrigued then check out this epic itinerary that we had during our time there:
Day One:
As you will likely be arriving some time in the afternoon we recommend taking the day to relax. Have dinner in at your resort or head out to a local bar or restaurant via taxi in the downtown area. There are a ton of places to choose from and you truly cannot go wrong.
Day Two:
Make this an early day to get you adventure started. There are gorgeous mangroves that can be found here on the island and they are inhabited by loads of gorgeous, pink flamingos. Through the nature preserve you are able to actually take a kayaking tour through the mangroves, paddling through incredible overhangs and out over expanses of perfect, clear-blue water. Sea turtles can be seen here often and you will spot wind surfers off in the distance riding the breeze.
Nearby is a cute little restaurant with a stunning view of the waters that you were just kayaking over. Foodies has local fare, fresh seafood and some killer drinks. It is the perfect spot to hang out at after a morning spent kayaking in paradise.
For the afternoon you should stop by Sorobon beach for just little while. This is where a lot of lessons for wind surfing take place and if you are up for the challenge you could arrange to learn as well. We saw tons of people here learning and also many people that were very good.
During the Kayaking trip you will likely see a beautiful sandy beach nearby and possibly even horses in the water with people. This is a very small beach and one of the only pure sand beaches on Bonaire. The horses can be booked in advance for photo shoots or you can just head there on your own and enjoy the white sand and blue waters.
End the day with a meal at your resort as you will probably be quite tired from a full day in the sun… not to mention the hours spent kayaking in the morning. If you are still energized we recommend going to La Cantina to enjoy their impressive European beer menu and sample the catch of the day.
Day Three:
This will be a great day for you to head south on the island and check out the salt pans. Yes… there are salt pans here in Bonaire - not unlike those in Utah, for example. Some of them even have pink water due to the algae that ends up growing there. There are towering mounds of salt here also… quite a site to see!
Head over the The Beach for lunch and enjoy some tasty courses with a light beer or maybe some champagne instead.
For the afternoon you can head back to the south to hit Atlantis Beach and either learn to kite surf or just watch the pros in action. It is quite an impressive site and the beach is a beautiful place to get some sun and take a few photos.
Hit up Karels Beach Bar for dinner. It is charming little place built out on a pier into the ocean and they have some killer food options.
Day Four:
Head up to the north and check out 1000 Steps Beach. It is a bit of a hike down and back up but the views and the seclusion make every step entirely worth it. Stop by Gotomeer to see more flamingos if you didn’t get your fill from kayaking.
Check out Posada Para Mira for some truly authentic dishes. They serve things like iguana soup and conch here.
Take a short break in the afternoon from all the adventurous activities and visit the Cadushy Distillery on the island to sample some local liquors like one made from cactus and the Caribbean’s only whiskey.
Once you have a nice buzz head on out to try landsailing. Never heard of this? We hadn’t either… look it up though. You won’t regret this hilariously fun experience.
Top off the day with some incredible seafood dishes at It Rains Fishes.
Well… there you go! This should definitely get you started on the right foot and of course, if this is too tight of a schedule for you, you can stretch the experiences out over many more days. This is an absolutely beautiful island with waters to die for and food that will have you wishing you had a larger stomach. Enjoy!
Til next time…
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