We had our first visit to Bonaire recently. We took a gamble on Bamboo Bali based on TripAdvisor reviews. I could not have been happier with our experience.
From the moment we arrived, we were treated like family. Instead of the cement cubes along the beach open to any and everyone–which with the rampant theft on the island is a risk–we were tucked away in a stone-walled, secluded little slice of heaven. We had the “Heaven Can Wait” cottage. There was as much outdoor living space as indoor. With our own grilling area, outdoor shower, hot tub, and meditation garden area, our little section of the property gave us the feeling of being on our own private island.
Scuba was the reason for our visit, and all our needs were anticipated. There are conveniently placed outdoor rinsing tanks, showers, and drying stalls for all equipment. The property is safe, and off the beach, so not a target; so we never had any concern about leaving gear unguarded. One day, we ended up with a nearly flat tire on our rental truck. We mentioned it casually as we were greeted coming back from diving. Before we knew it, Anno was outside with an air compressor re-filling the tire for us!
The property itself, especially at night, takes on a sort of magical feeling. The whole layout is full of verdant trees and water features with winding paths. When the wind blows through all the greenery, it sound like the ocean. Delicate wind chimes seem to hang everywhere and all have just the right mellow sound. The lighting even contributes to the atmosphere as the property is never totally dark, but gently lit with little firefly lights strategically placed all around. Parrots are frequent morning visitors to the fruiting trees.
I have never been to a resort that made me feel as though I were just vacationing at my own personal home. I will never be able to go back to a standard cement cube hotel set up.
Bamboo Bali also has a deal worked out with Wannadive that you can roll into the price of your stay. We found Wannadive to be a wonderful diving outfit to work with and were so pleased not to have to guess at a good shop. They took excellent care of us.
I had the rare feeling at the end of our week there of feeling genuinely rested. One week felt like two. As much as I liked the Scuba diving, I have to say, any trip back to Bonaire would be at least 50% motivated by getting to stay at this resort again. What a treasure. I would not consider staying anywhere else. Thank you!
Reviewed on May 27th – By Michelle W