All Inclusive Resorts in Bonaire: What Actually Exists (and What to Book Instead)
Here’s the honest truth before you spend an hour comparing packages: true all inclusive resorts in Bonaire are rare. Not scarce, not “limited selection” rare. I mean you can count them on one hand. Bonaire has never gone down the same road as Curaçao or Punta Cana, where resort rows line the beach and buffet bracelets are handed out at check-in. This island built its tourism economy around diving, and divers are a different kind of guest. They wake up at 6 a.m., want a good breakfast, a filled tank, and not much else.
That said, a few properties do offer full board or genuine all inclusive packages, and a couple of them are excellent. I’ve stayed on the island twice, once near Kralendijk and once up north by Washington-Slagbaai, so I’ll walk you through what’s real, what it costs, and when it makes sense to skip the package entirely.
Why Bonaire Has So Few All Inclusive Options
The economics here are unusual. Bonaire gets around 150,000 stay-over visitors a year, which is a fraction of what Aruba pulls in. Most of them are Dutch (we fly in directly from Amsterdam with KLM and TUI, roughly 9 to 10 hours) and most come to dive or snorkel the reef. The island’s marine park wraps around the entire coastline, with around 60 marked shore dive sites. When your headline attraction is free once you have a tank and a truck, you don’t need a swim-up bar to sell rooms.
There’s also a law that shaped everything: leash laws and coastal construction rules keep large-scale beachfront development tight. And honestly, the local restaurant scene in Kralendijk is good enough that travell
ers want to eat out. Just around the corner from the waterfront you’ll find places like At Sea, Capriccio, and the food trucks at Kite City. Locking yourself into a resort buffet feels like a waste.
The Resorts That Actually Offer All Inclusive
Let me be precise, because search results love to blur the lines. “Full board” and “all inclusive” are not the same thing, and some hotels market packages that only cover breakfast and dinner.
Plaza Resort Bonaire
This is the closest thing to a classic all inclusive on the island. It sits on a small private beach about five minutes north of Kralendijk, has three restaurants, a pool, and its own dive operation. Their all inclusive plan covers meals, local drinks, and most non-motorised water sports. Expect rates around $280 to $400 per night per person in high season (December through April), less if you book a package flight deal from the Netherlands through TUI or Corendon. It’s a solid choice if you’re travelling with non-divers, since there’s enough on site to keep everyone busy.
Buddy Dive Resort
The diver’s institution. Buddy’s “drive-in-dive” setup means you pick up tanks at the dock, drive five minutes, and roll into the water at sites like Oil Slick Leap or Bari Reef. Their packages are technically full board (three meals a day at the poolside restaurant) but drinks are usually extra. Ocean view apartments with a truck included run roughly $250 to $330 per night for two people in high season. If you’re logging 15 to 20 dives in a week, this is the value play. The breakfast before the first morning dive is legitimately good, which sounds like a small thing until you’ve had resort breakfast elsewhere on the island.
Divi Flamingo Beach Resort
Right at the edge of Kralendijk, walkable to town, with its own house reef for shore diving. Divi offers meal plans and occasional all inclusive rates, typically $230 to $350 per night depending on season and room category. The Calabasree restaurant is decent, though I’d still wander into town a couple of evenings. It’s also one of the few options with a casual, barefoot atmosphere rather than a polished resort feel. That suits Bonaire.
Captain Don’s Habitat
The old-school dive resort, founded by Captain Don Stewart, the man who basically started Bonaire’s conservation movement. Full board packages available, dive operation on site, house reef in front. Rates hover around $220 to $310 per night for two. Rooms are simple. You come here for the history and the diving, not luxury.
What an All Inclusive Week in Bonaire Actually Costs
Let me put realistic numbers on it, based on rates I’ve seen for the coming season from the Netherlands:
- Package holiday from Amsterdam (flight plus 7 nights at Buddy Dive or Divi, often full board and a rental truck): roughly €1,600 to €2,400 per person.
- Independent booking (flight around €600 to €850 return, apartment around €110 to €160 per night, truck around €45 per day, food): often 10 to 20% cheaper for a couple, more work to organise.
- Dive packages: about $45 to $55 per dive if bought individually, or 6-day unlimited shore diving packages around $150 to $180 plus equipment rental.
- Park fees: the STINAPA marine park tag costs $45 (printed as a nature fee on your boarding pass now) and the Washington-Slagbaai entry is around $25 per person. Budget for these, they’re not optional.
Notice that even the “packages” from Dutch operators usually leave drinks out. That’s a pattern worth knowing before you compare this island to Curaçao, where Sunscape or Zoetry will hand you a bracelet and be done with it.
Is an All Inclusive Package Worth It in Bonaire?
My honest answer: only sometimes. Here’s how I’d decide.
Book the package if you’re diving daily and want zero logistics. The dive resorts bundle tanks, truck, and meals into one price, and the maths genuinely works once you factor in how much shore diving you’ll do. If you’re a photographer lugging housings and strobes, having breakfast 40 metres from the dive dock changes your whole morning.
Skip the package if you’re a food person or staying more than a week. Kralendijk has maybe 25 worthwhile restaurants packed into a few streets, and the weekly Tuesday night market, plus beach bars like Hang Out Beach Bar at Te Amo, are half the fun. Eating out for two runs about $60 to $90 a night for a main and a drink each, which undercuts many resort dinner supplements.
Also skip it if you’re a snorkeller rather than a diver. You don’t need a dive resort’s infrastructure, and a simple apartment with a kitchen near Bachelor’s Beach or 1000 Steps will cost you $95 to $130 a night and give you more freedom.
When to Go (This Matters More Than Which Resort)
Bonaire sits outside the hurricane belt, which is why divers love it: the weather is boring in a good way. Air temperatures sit around 29 to 31°C year-round, water around 26 to 29°C. The differences are subtler than elsewhere in the Caribbean.
High season runs December to April, when North Americans and Dutch winter refugees push rates up 30 to 40%. September through November is the value window, hotel prices dip noticeably and visibility on the reef can hit 30 metres plus. Trade winds are strongest in June and July, great for windsurfers at Lac Bay, occasionally annoying if you wanted glassy water for snorkelling.
| Period | Nightly rate (resort, 2 people) | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Dec to Apr | $280 to $400 | Escaping winter, best weather, highest prices |
| May to Aug | $210 to $300 | Windsurfing, steady diving, shoulder prices |
| Sep to Nov | $180 to $260 | Best value, top visibility, quieter reefs |
Things People Forget When Booking
A few practical points that trip up first-timers:
- You need a rental truck, not a car. Dive sites are marked along the coastal road and most have rough entries. A truck costs about $45 to $60 a day, and many dive packages include one.
- Book rental cars months ahead in high season. The island regularly runs short, and airport pickup lines get long.
- Use reef-safe sunscreen. It’s not enforced heavily, but the marine park depends on the reef, and local shops sell proper brands.
- Cash matters less than it used to, but a few beach bars and food trucks are cash or card with a minimum. Keep $50 in small bills.
- Tap water is safe and desalinated, so skip buying plastic bottles. Fill up at the resort.
Quick FAQ
Are there any adults-only all inclusive resorts in Bonaire?
No true adults-only all inclusive exists. Divi Flamingo has an adults-only section, and some small boutique properties feel adult-oriented by nature, but don’t expect the Mexico-style adults-only product.
Can I get an all inclusive deal flying from the Netherlands?
Yes. TUI, Corendon, and Sunweb sell package deals from Amsterdam and sometimes Eindhoven with full board at Buddy Dive, Plaza, or Divi. Book 4 to 6 months out for the best fares.
The Short Version
If you want an all inclusive in Bonaire, your real options are Plaza Resort, Buddy Dive, Divi Flamingo, and Captain Don’s, in roughly that order of resort feel. Book the package if diving is the point of the trip, book a self-catering apartment if it isn’t, and either way reserve your truck before your room. That rental is the one thing the island genuinely runs out of.
