Belmar Oceanfront Apartments

Bonaire is a desert island surrounded by beautiful turquoise waters famous for diving. However, the grounds at Belmar Oceanfront Apartments add a little lushness to the parched landscape, with blossoming flowers, coconut palms, and leafy-green hedges. Originally built in 1995, the three-story oceanfront hotel’s chlorine-free pool, two wooden docks (one with a sundeck), and surrounding wicker lounge chairs are mostly empty during the day as guests are off exploring. There’s an outdoor grill next to a picnic table that doesn’t look like it gets much use, but in the evenings guests usually watch the sunset from their apartment’s private balconies or patios. The vibe here is low key. The hotel’s lobby and connected dive shop are a surprisingly scrappy affair that reflect the island’s (and hotel’s) laid-back style. Not surprisingly, most guests here are wind-sport and dive enthusiasts from North American and Europe. 

Belmar Oceanfront Apartments is located along the dusty, paved road that traces Bonaire’s azure coast. Driving to central Kralendijk, the island’s capital and commercial hub -- with restaurants, bars, and grocery stores -- takes seven minutes. Popular Lac Bay, an international wind- and kite-surfing destination is a 10-minute drive from the hotel. Donkey Sanctuary Bonaire cares for the island’s sick, wounded, and orphaned donkeys and allows guests to drive through the reserve and feed the feral animals. It's a five-minute drive from the hotel (be sure to bring carrots). Most of the island’s higher-end restaurants are located in town, but the closest restaurant to Belmar is a quick two-minute walk away. There is no beach at the hotel, and the closest is a five-minute drive from the hotel, though it's right next to Flamingo International Airport (which is the best place to rent a car on the island).

The apartments at Belmar Oceanfront Apartments have modern interiors, but since they are individually owned, decor ranges from shabby-chic to sharp and polished. Details might include carved-fish wall hangings, brightly patterned pillows, and minimalist photo collages of shells in pastel hues. Everything is bright and pleasant, with mostly gray, white, and soft blue hues alongside white or light wood furniture. One-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments have king or twin beds plus flat-screen TVs with cable channels. All apartments include free Wi-Fi and air-conditioning, but only the bedrooms are cooled, which can be problematic in the sultry months. 

Kitchens have granite or Corian countertops and include electric ranges, ovens, dishwashers, electric tea kettles and Nespresso coffee makers (three coffee pods are free and additional pods can be purchased in the lobby). Bathrooms have glass-brick or glass-walled showers (some with rainfall showerheads), hairdryers, and lemongrass-scented shower gel, shampoo, lotion, and soap. Shower caps and disposable wash cloths are standard. The two penthouse apartments are the best units on offer here, with their open floor plans and sprawling balconies that have ocean views and pick up the tropical breeze. The effect is amplified inside the penthouses by louvered front doors. Repeat guests are common at Belmar and while specific apartments can be requested they are not guaranteed.

Belmar Oceanfront Apartment’s best feature is Belmar Diving, its full-service dive shop that offers everything from equipment rental to PADI open-water certification courses. Classes are usually small, and there are locker rooms for storing gear as well as a rinse tank for post-dive gear washing. There’s also a house reef a short swim from the hotel’s dock. However, we wish they offered free snorkeling equipment rentals -- like many other island hotels. The hotel’s oceanfront, chlorine-free pool is the perfect spot for a swim and to enjoy to sunsets from one of its many surrounding wicker lounge chairs. On certain weeknights, Belmar serves a poolside Surinamese dinner (for a fee) and gives out free rum and rum-free punches. Otherwise there is no food service. 

The hotel’s front desk doubles as its concierge and can arrange restaurant reservations, tours, car rentals, as well as airport transportation and grocery shopping -- fees may apply. Basic sundries like soda, beer, water, snacks are available for purchase in the lobby and there’s also a book exchange with English, Dutch, and German titles. Parking is free, as is Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. The hotel also has a fairly significant eco-friendly program, and offers recycling for things like batteries.