Hotels in Bonaire

Bonaire: Salt Flats, Coral Reefs, and Flamingo Habitat

Bonaire sits 87 km north of Venezuela in the southern Caribbean and has been a special municipality of the Netherlands since 2010. Kralendijk, the capital, lines the waterfront with pastel-colored shops and open-air restaurants. The island's west coast hosts Bonaire National Marine Park, established in 1979 — one of the earliest protected reef systems in the Caribbean — with more than 86 shore dive sites accessible directly from the beach.

Where to Stay

Most hotels and dive resorts cluster along the western shoreline between Kralendijk and Lac Bay to the south. Sorobon on Lac Bay draws windsurfers for its shallow, steady-trade-wind waters. Budget guesthouses occupy Kralendijk's compact center; full-service dive resorts with private piers line the road south toward the salt pans of Pekelmeer, where flamingos nest from roughly March through August.

Practical Tips

• Driving: A rental car or scooter is the practical way to reach northern sites like Washington Slagbaai National Park.
• Currency: The US dollar has been the official currency since 2011.
• Diving: Shore diving is self-guided; purchase a Marine Park tag (~$45/year) on arrival.
• Best season: December through April brings the calmest seas and lowest humidity.