Buddy Dive Resort

The dive shop and the diving convenience of a vehicle and air tanks excellent. Accommodations are awful when it comes to bedroom, evidently they do not really know what beds are and what it means to be comfortable in a bed. The sleeping Comfort was awful awful awful awful! If you order a queen size bed you will end up with two twin beds pushed together with a little thin something laying over top. you still end up with a split in the middle and a valley. If you're going as a couple I suggest going to another place to stay, if you're interested in room and sleep comfort.

Dove at Buddy Dive for the Reef Renewal. I forgot my dive computer in the rinse tank, and the staff was so sweet to put it inside so it will not be taken. I was able to get it later that evening because one of the managers opened the door for me. Thanks to all staff!

I have heard about Buddy Dive Resort forever, the one other time I was in Bonaire, we had stayed at another resort. If you're looking for a nice, clean, basic place to stay while diving, then this is for you. We had booked a package including breakfast. Checking in the day we arrived was an ordeal. We couldn't get into our rooms so had to wait, and leave our luggage at the desk. When I asked if they could bring our bags to the rooms, I was told they don't normally do that. Checkins tend to be mobbed as they have everyone arrive at the same time. The restaurant and bar are fine, food is decent and servers friendly. Breakfast was WEIRD. There was a buffet, which was fine, but if you didn't get there at 7-8, everything was gone and they don't refill. One day I picked up a doughnut to take to my friend who was sharing my room, as she doesn't usually eat breakfast but said she'd like a doughnut. We had PAID FOR BREAKFAST. One of the workers came over and said I couldn't take the doughnut out of the restaurant. Um. what. This happened to me TWICE. I told the front desk and they said that shouldn't have happened but watch out for the doughnut nazi in the breakfast dining area. We ate one night at the high end restuarant and our meal took almost 3 hrs. Not kidding. And no one was there. Only one other table. Food was not that great either. Stick to the regular restaurant (Blennies). The dive crew as professional and helpful. We only did boat diving one day however as we mostly did shore diving. The swim up bar and pool were nice when the little kids weren't sitting on the pool bar seats. I would not stay here again, so many other choices in Bonaire.

I booked this place as an RCI exchange thinking I would be able to dive and stay in the resort. But there was a kids diving camp that week and the dive center was fully booked, so we had to find another dive shop instead. The resort is old, but the staff is really nice. Ingredients restaurant had good food. Blennie's restaurant and bar had so so food, but the drinks were decent. Wish there was screens in on my door and window to keep the mosquitoes out. But the thing that completely ruined the stay for me was the cockroaches in the kitchen we saw twice. We washed our dishes, didn't leave them dirty, cleaned the counters and didn't leave open food out.

Could have been much better. What left such a sour taste in my mouth was that I booked a room based on the beautiful photos and descriptions on the Buddy Dive Resort website. What I got, to my stunned dismay, was something else entirely. Instead of the modern, well furnished and appointed apartment as shown, my party and I were placed in what appears to be old staff dormitory/housing. Instead of a balcony, we were on the ground. Instead of a "garden or ocean view", we got a view of the parking lot. Instead of lovely new furniture, we had worn-out sofas and a hodgepodge of ugly, junky stuff. There were no drawers in my bedroom- just a rod in a cabinet hung too low to keep clothing off the ground and a couple of shelves. The bathroom had no storage at all, and toiletries had to be stored on a towel we laid on the floor. Our accommodation was not even marked on the property map! Since we had booked well in advance, I cannot imagine why we were put in such rough accommodations. Technically it had 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and a kitchen, but of utterly lower quality. It is not attached to any other accommodations on the property- it seemed to be part of the housekeeping complex, and the workers stood outside our room and smoked- GROSS. When we compared the rooms on the website to what we were in, and realized we were the only people to be placed in such poor quarters, we made a complaint to the resort staff. We paid just as much as everyone else in the nice rooms did! They offered to give us a studio in addition to the room we already had. Of course, the three of us didn't want to be split up- and we would not all fit in a studio together- so we didn't take it. We were not offered any other sort of compensation. Had Buddy Dive Resort explained to us in advance they could not supply us with the accommodations we paid for, and gave us the option of cancellation with full refund or a reduced rate, we might have been okay with it. But we were not given that opportunity. We feel we were totally cheated. If you do decide to stay at BDR, require at the time of your booking that they don't stuff you in room 509!! Another warning: make certain to thoroughly examine and photograph your rental vehicle! At check out, they go over it with a fine-toothed comb and any tiny scratch they find will be charged against you unless you documented it beforehand. Levying vehicle damage fines appears to be an additional revenue stream for the resort. In terms of the rest of our experience, the dive shop & crew were always helpful and friendly. I liked the house reef and access was super easy. Lockers were located very close to the dock and air/nitrox tanks were always in good supply. Every day of diving with them was a fun time. Many of the resort employees (especially the more "seasoned" ones) were terrific- they treated guests well and seemed happy to converse with us. Unfortunately, young people employed there tended to be unfriendly and dismissive. Food was pretty good, but I didn't eat there much other than breakfast. The coffee was deplorable, however- way too strong, and liquid creamer packets often came out chunky- it was awful. I went to the VDT market, purchased my own coffee and brewed it in my room. But you could get made-to-order eggs, and they had a pretty good spread of fruit, cheese, potatoes, pastries/breads, and meats. It is tempting to rate this resort lower, but really, it was not entirely bad. Not counting the disappointing accommodations, I'd give Buddy Dive a 4 or 4.5. Sadly, the whole room "bait and switch" trick they pulled on us cast a big black cloud over what could- and should- have been a great dive vacation.