Van der Valk Plaza Beach & Dive Resort Bonaire

One of the best vacation I've ever had. First off the pool area was gorgeous, I stayed here for 6 nights and enjoyed every sunset I could experience. My room was sea view, it was very very spacious and clean although it wasn't the newly renovated but I couldn't complain because I wake up every morning to an amazing view. The staff at the snack bar Carlos, Nigel and the other buffed dude was always nice, the restaurant staff has already recognized and address me my name after two days which shows the service here is excellent. After all it's an all inclusive restaurant and the food from breakfast, lunch and dinner did not disappoint. The property was sparkling clean, you can see how every employee works hard to keep this place beautiful. I rented a golf cart which is probably the best decision I made since the property is in the middle of everything, you go left it's the town center, you go right it's the airport and gorgeous beach. I'll be coming back soon and I'm definitely staying here again, hopefully the gym will be open by then. Kudos to all Van Der Valk employees, ya'll the best!

Great for diving. Hotel room need upgrade. Food was ok. But asked to check out at 11 am instead of 10 am due to flight at 3 and they said it’s $25 an hour extra. I won’t return there.

Great scuba diving within 50 yards of property. Good food. Great Bar. Nice room. Great Value. Food & drinks included. Next to airport. etc. etc.

No help with luggage after check-in. The parking lot is a fair distance from the rooms and we had bulky dive bags that had to be lugged upstairs. Safe battery immediately died, but they were too busy to fix it. I had to go to the desk to get master key. The A/C isn't strong enough for the room. Can't close bathroom windows.Everything is a hike from the rooms. All in different directions. Only one restaurant, and it has no breeze. Breakfast was good. The bread is great. One bar, at the pool and the staff is horrible and slow. They made horrible drinks. The dive op, Toucan Diving, packs too many divers on boats that aren't really set up for diving. Oh, and we got diarrhea and COVID. We won't go back.

Air conditioning in the rooms is inhumane, hot, and unbearable. Smoking/vaping around the pool, little children go to the bathroom in the pool not wearing pampers, uncaring staff/language barrier, no gym and minimal/low level classes, no shuttle to town (taxis expensive), lack of activities, and construction noise. Positive: Restaurant staff and food, location, safe, snorkeling on site, drinks and pool. Bring a snorkel mask from home, as they charge $10 a day. We would NOT return.

Conveniently located. Was there primarily to dive. The buffet meals were a plus not having to worry about parking downtown and looking for a place to eat. Used the onsite dive center to rinse equipment and hang gear. Food option was limited, but again, only there for diving. The walls could have better insulation to minimize noise. Once all remodeling is done and repairs made, should be back on top of places to stay in Bonaire.

The free shuttle took us to the resort! It was right next to the airport! We were greeted with fresh juice, a map, and two beach towels. The room was large, and when I locked our safe accidentally it was unlocked for us in five minutes. The snorkeling fee was 25 bucks but was so worth it for casual snorkelers! The on property reef was kinda grey but the fish were beautiful. Serious diving service is available. Tons of marine life. The room wast spotless or modern but was doable. 2 Separate comforters which was kind of odd but comfortable enough. Only disappointment was that the Wi-fi was spotty in our room. I recommend the all inclusive package to save money on food and drinks at the awesome beach bar. We made friends with the kind bar-tender! We had breakfast there and the food ranged from good to great, and we saw a crab, birds, and two iguanas right next to us as we ate by the beautiful sea! The staff was the nicest I have ever met and our waiter was the happiest and purest guy ever. We were driven in a golf cart to the front of the hotel and they even helped us print out our plane tickets when we realized we couldn't check in online! They called a taxi for us because the shuttle schedule didn't line up with out flight, but we had a wonderful time!!! The nicest people on earth willing to go out of their way for you!

The resort was literally 5 minutes from the airport, but you hardly heard airplanes coming or going. Plaza beach had lovely huge rooms with an awesome bathroom - huge bathtub and separate shower. The water was wonderful with amazing snorkeling just a few feet from the beach. Water shoes are a must though because there are a lot of coral lining the beach. This is not a smooth sandy beach, but very pleasant. It was really quiet, until the cruise ships came in, and the resort lets in a group. The food was okay. If you are an American, don't expect pizza, fries, or standard American cuisine. The meats were unfortunately overcooked, except on BBQ night when it was excellent. Know that you have to ask for ice cream for dessert (they don't tell you nor offer it, unless you ask!). It rained quite a bit, but it was rainy season. It rained mostly at night, but a few times it came down hard in the middle of the day. It only lasts a short period. Unfortunately, it did make the mosquitoes pretty bad - and the worst was around the reception/lobby. Downtown is a very quick 5 minute ($10) taxi ride. Unfortunately, it wasn't so easy to get a taxi and we waited sometimes 30 minutes for a taxi to arrive. The back gate or the front reception can call a taxi, which was really nice. We are planning on returning.