Bonaire, an Exciting Island Getaway You’ve Likely Never Heard Of

I’m not too big on the traditional, tropical getaways. Generally, you’ll find me hunting for weird places across the globe rather than sitting out by the beach. But there are most definitely times when going for a relaxing vacation just hits the spot! When I do get away on a more traditional vacation, you’ll likely find me on some of the less well-known islands. For instance, this past month, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Bonaire, a small island near Aruba and Curacao, just over Venezuela. And it was an incredible adventure. Bonaire is known as the “B” in the Carribbean “ABCs” (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao), and it is a small municipality of the Netherlands.

Right away, when we landed, I knew Bonaire was special. While 80% of the population of Bonaire are Dutch nationals, you will find most people on the island speak Dutch. However, while Dutch is the official language of Bonaire, most of the native population also speak Papiamentu, a language spoken solely on the 3 ‘ABC’ islands I mentioned above. What is Papiamentu? Since the island saw such a mixture of people and populations years ago, Papiamentu was created and became essential for all nationalities to be able to speak to one another. It’s a very simple, too-the-point language that mixes words from Spanish, Dutch, French, English, Portuguese, Caribbean Indian, Afrikaans, and other African languages. Papiamentu is now, in fact, recognized by 74.7% of the population and is officially recognized by the government. This would explain why, while staying on the island, I went to translate my coffee maker to figure out how it worked, and while many words were in Dutch, there were also one or two words in Afrikaans on there, which had me perplexed until I found out about Papiamentu.

Anyway, what brought us to Bonaire? While it is a heaven for scuba divers, wind surfers, and kite surfers (and you will see them all over the island), our trip was inspired by a visit to the beautiful properties of Bonaire Beach Villas. 

Bonaire Beach Villas consists of three gorgeously chic, modern rental properties on Bonaire, conveniently located 5 minutes from the airport, 5 minutes from some exciting water activities, and next door to the Ocean Oasis Club. The smallest property, Beach Villa 1, accommodates up to 8 guests and starts at $570 per night. The largest, Beach Villa 3, accommodates up to 16 guests and starts at $1430 per night. While the initial price may seem high to you, it’s actually a steal when you think about how you could divide the price up nightly amongst friends. Trust me, there is plenty of space for it. We stayed at Beach Villa 3, and we were blown away by how spacious and gorgeous it was. You can easily fit up to 16 people and not feel too crowded.

The property we stayed at had 7 bedrooms, each with their own bathroom (which is very important when you plan to stay with friends and all go swimming).

One of the upstairs bedrooms also had a steam shower, a place I found myself taking advantage of every night. It was the perfect environment to just lay back, enjoy the steam, and shower off immediately after. Let me tell you, meditating in steam is highly underrated.

Another bedroom had the strangest shower you could imagine, placed right smack in the middle of the room. It was just a clear tube surrounded by the dresser, bed, and desk.

There was plenty of office space, and a large, dominating kitchen table that would accommodate anyone and everyone. And, like with all the other properties, you could slide open the glass doors at the back of the property and walk right out to the ocean front.

Each villa had its own jacuzzi, pool, outdoor seating area, and beach, complete with sand and lounge chairs. If you’d like to go for the epitome of a real beach getaway and either participate in numerous water sports or just truly enjoy the sun and sand in the privacy of your own gorgeous space, this is the vacation rental for you. It truly makes you feel as if you are living the dream on a deserted tropical island. It was the perfect relaxing getaway.

And now I have a reason to go back. Since we were working, I didn’t have time to dive. Next time, I will be prepared to plan the ultimate diving experience.

Also, as I mentioned above, the property is directly next door (literally a 2-minute or less walk) to the Ocean Oasis Beach Club, which I highly recommend visiting. This gorgeous spot has ‘indoor’ seating under a covered tropical roof along with plenty of ‘outdoor’ seating at tables and chairs spread out across the sand. They have their own breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus, and while it is a little pricey (which you can expect from this type of vacation getaway), the food was all completely unique, delicious, and worth it 100%.

There was a moment in the middle of my stay where I just stopped, looked at the sun setting over the ocean, saw all the sand and tropical décor all around me, complete with hanging lights, felt the nice cool breeze, and just truly thanked the universe for this quick stint in paradise.

So, if you’re looking for a nice, more normal tropical getaway, I’d recommend Bonaire! Either set up your trip at the Bonaire Beach Villas or take a quick visit to the Ibagari Boutique Hotel in Honduras– either is a true gem that you need to experience at least once.