About Den Laman Condominiums
The property is less than 8 km/5M north of the airport and about 3 km/2M north of the capital town of Kralendijk. Walking to town is enjoyable along the paved waterfront walk that begins just south of us, and takes less than 15 minutes.
In addition to the 16 apartments there is a dive shop, Dive Friends Bonaire, and private dock on property as well as Breeze N’ Bites restaurant. The restaurant is closed for lunch and dinner on Wednesdays with lunch served Thursday – Sunday from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and dinner Thursday – Tuesday from 6:00 – 9:00 pm (the bar remains open between lunch and dinner).
Bonaire’s delicate environment benefits greatly when linens and towels aren’t cleaned every day. As such, please check with your rental manager regarding their cleaning policy
FREE wireless internet access is available.
The electric voltage in your unit will be both 220 volts with European round plugs and 127 volts 50 cycles with US Standard square plugs, slightly different from the US, though most appliances and battery chargers will operate fine. We do advise to bring your own transformer or adapter to make sure you can use your favorite appliances. (Check your appliance manufacturers recommendations if in doubt.)
Bonaire Diving & Activities
Dive Registration, Orientation & Marine Park Fee: Dive Friends Bonaire, which is located on property, opens at 8:00 am. Divers must register at the dive center, and bring their (1) dive certification card, (2) diving vouchers, (3) credit card for a security deposit, and (4) proof of payment for the Bonaire Marine Park Fee or a card to pay for it on location (no cash). The Bonaire Marine Park requires all visiting divers to participate in a short orientation session on their first morning of diving. At Dive Friends Bonaire, this orientation is held at any time during our opening hours. After the orientation, divers must do a self-guided familiarization dive on Bari Reef in front of the Resort before leaving for off property shore diving or boat diving. The purpose of the dive is to recheck buoyancy and to check your dive equipment while still within safe distance of the dive staff and facilities.
When you can begin utilizing your dive package depends on when you arrive on island and have had time to complete your dive orientation. Once you have completed the orientation session it is up to you to decide if you would like your diving day to begin that day, or if you would like to rest up and begin with your orientation dive on Bari Reef another day. In all cases, the use of your dive package begins the day you take that first tank for the orientation dive. In the vast majority of cases, divers arriving on afternoon flights attend orientation at 9:00 a.m. the following morning.
The boats leave the dive dock at 8:15 am for two-tank dives, returning at approximately 1:00 pm. Boats then leave at 2:15 pm for a one-tank afternoon boat dive assuming we have a minimum of 4 divers. All divers are asked to please be ready and, on the dock, at least 15 minutes prior to departure.
Gear storage is available free of charge in the dive shop. Booties and open heel fins are necessary for off property shore diving along the coast. Full foot fins are adequate for boat diving and diving on property.
Dive Friends Bonaire offers Den Laman guests Nitrox upgrades for only $20 per week with any prepaid dive package, provided of course you are a certified Nitrox Diver. Nitrox tanks are available on our dock, and at the drive-up air/Nitrox fill station, which is located adjacent to our parking lot. Dive Friends Bonaire also offers the Nitrox course if you are interested in becoming a certified Enriched Air Diver.
Whether you choose or need to wear a wetsuit is a personal decision that needs to be based on your personal preference. You can expect the water to reach the high 70’s in the winter and the mid to low 80’s in the summer. Most people will find that they are comfortable in a 3mm full wetsuit to a 2mm shorty wetsuit, depending on your own “internal thermometer”. Others might be perfectly happy in skins! Dive Friends rents 2 mm shorty wetsuits.
All non-divers who use the waters of the Bonaire Marine Park, including snorkelers, wind surfers, kayakers, sport fishermen, kite boarders, etc., will be charged a Nature Fee of $25.00 per calendar year. All persons who pay the Nature Fee (both divers and other users) and show their printed receipt of the current year, will receive complimentary admission to Washington Slagbaai National Park.
Whether your preference is boat or shore diving, kayaking, mountain biking, bird watching, cave exploration or snorkeling, our programs offer visitors the opportunity and mean to explore the highlights of our island’s multifaceted natural treasures.
Bonaire Vacation Information
Bonaire is located just off the coast of Venezuela in the southern Caribbean, part of the Dutch Antilles island chain that includes the more developed Aruba and Curacao. We are please to be well outside the hurricane belt. Latitude/longitude (GPS): 12°10′ N 68°17′ W.
Bonaire is a small (111 square mile) island, only 3 to 7 miles wide and approximately 24 miles long. With the exception of Mount Branderis and the north western areas near Washington Slagbaai National Park, the island is primarily flat. It is also quite arid, averaging only slightly more than 20 inches of rainfall annually, most of which falls autumn through January. Easterly trade winds wash over the island year round, helping to dissipate the heat, with average land/air temperatures ranging in the low 80’s Fahrenheit.
There are several different options for getting to Den Laman on international carriers from North and South America as well as Europe, however flights change regularly. For the most up to date information please visit http://www.tourismbonaire.com. Ferry service is not available between Bonaire and Aruba, Curacao or Venezuela.
All visitors to Bonaire are required to have a valid passport. No Visas are required for U.S. and Canadian citizens. It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure his or her own visa requirements, and no refunds will be awarded for customers denied access for lack of proper Visa. Please note: The “Visitor Entry Tax” is replacing what was formerly known as the island’s ‘room tax’ and rental ‘car tax’ and was previously collected directly through accommodations and providers. The Visitor Entry Tax ordinance has been in effect since July 1st, 2022 and is applicable to all visitors to Bonaire. You can get more information as well as prepay the Visitor Entry Tax here: https://tourismtax.bonairegov.com/form/tax-form/step/1
Children 12 and under are exempt from paying government room tax. Please be sure you have notified your rental agency if you will be traveling with an infant and need a crib.
If you have reserved a rental vehicle with your package, the majority of the rental agencies are located in a building just outside the airport terminal. You will need to present them with your Rental Car voucher upon arrival. Vehicle Insurance, which ranges from $11.00 – $25.00 per day depending on the rental agency, is highly recommended for all drivers. Most credit card companies, auto and home owner insurance policies exclude coverage on truck rentals. (See reference above to drivers ages 23 – 25.) Insurance deductibles range from no deductible to $1750.00 depending on the rental agency, the type of insurance coverage selected, the type of vehicle rented and if the driver is under 25. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the fine print of your contract and insurance program. Vehicle insurance is purchased directly with the rental agency when you pick up your vehicle. You should also be aware that most rental agencies will post a security deposit/authorization charge to your credit card to cover any vehicle insurance deductible at the time of rental.
We encourage all visitors to Bonaire to rent a truck to explore the island, and for that reason have included one, at very competitive rates, in all of our packages. They are great for touring, getting you to your shore dive sites and taking you around town to sample the local cuisine. You do not need to obtain a local drivers license or permit to be able to drive on Bonaire, though you do need to be at least 23 years of age to rent a vehicle.
Bonaire operates on Atlantic Standard Time, but not daylight savings (no summer time change).
Bonaire’s official currency is the US dollar. Traveler’s checks and credit cards are widely accepted but be sure to have your passport or photo ID available. There is a bank with a 24-hour ATM within walking distance.
There is a small convenience store within walking distance, excellent wine and liquor store across the street, and larger grocery stores are within a 5-minute drive. Your rental manager can to point you in the right direction!
Click here for the various supermarkets: Supermarkets
Bonaire has a fringing reef and iron shore leaving few areas for natural beaches. We do have a small “beachette” in front of the property with lounge chairs. You can also can enter the water for swimming or snorkeling via the ladder on the dive dock, where you enter into no more than 3 feet of water. There is also two lovely combination coral/sand beaches (Pink Beach and Windsock Beach) heading south, as well as a smooth sand area great for small children out at the protected lagoon of Lac Bay.
Bonaire has a hospital no more than 10 minutes away from the Resort and an adjacent hyperbaric recompression chamber that is run by highly trained staff, admittance via the emergency room at the hospital. Their phone number is +599 715 8900 in case of emergency.