Eden Beach Resort

Designed by Piet Boon, a famous Dutch architect, Eden Beach Resort’s squat, gray cement buildings incorporate stone and wood elements that allow most rooms to have beach and oceanfront views. Slatted wooden pergolas cover guest-room balconies and porches and also surround the restaurant and lobby entrance. The hotel’s lobby is small and bright with baby-blue walls, a modern white couch, and clocks set to international destinations attest to its international clientele. A dollop of island-styling warm’s the hotel’s slightly cold Euro-vibe, with a beach-shack activity desk and sea-life decorated restaurant. The hotel’s sandy beach is full of lounge chairs with orange pillows and cabanas with billowing orange beach-umbrellas. However, when cruise ships are in port, it often gets crowded with cruisers looking for a place to relax. In the evenings, the hotel’s beachfront bar, Spice Bar, picks up steam and the stools surrounding its wraparound bar are full of hotel guests and locals. The property sees a decent mix of all types of leisure travelers, but couples and small groups of friends make up the majority of the clientele.

Eden Beach Resort is located on the north side of Kralendijk. It's also the closest jumping off point to Bonaire’s paradise-within-paradise: Klein Bonaire, an undeveloped island with a sandy shoreline that’s a six-minute water taxi ride from the hotel. The water taxi jetty to the island is located at the resort. The island’s party spot is located next door at Coco Beach, a Latin-themed outdoor beach bar/club that flies in Dutch performers, singers, and comedians (a two-minute walk). Downtown Kralendijk, Bonaire’s historic capital that's full of colorful restored buildings, restaurants, and shops is a four-minute drive from the property. There's also an oceanside boardwalk that makes for a nice evening stroll. Many other restaurants are within a two-minute drive of the resort and include Argentinian, Italian, Japanese, Surinamese, and Indonesian cuisines. A convenience store selling basic supplies is a two-minute drive from the hotel as well, and a grocery store takes about five minutes to reach by car. There’s also an outdoor movie theater (think: Caribbean drive-in) within a couple minutes by car. Bonaire International Airport is a 10-minute drive from the resort -- it's the best place to rent a car for those looking to explore the island.

The rooms at Eden Beach Resort are simple and modern, looking a bit like they were lifted from an IKEA catalogue. It's a straightforward look that's just a bit chintzy, though it's still more pleasant than some of the dated resorts in the area. The rooms come in a range of configurations, many with ocean views and terraces or balconies. They're large, but sparsely furnished (and dark), with beige walls, dark furniture, floral photos in earthy tones, and -- upon arrival to the hotel -- a sprinkling of flower petals throughout. Flat-screen TVs, safes, air-conditioning, and free Wi-Fi are standard in all rooms as are both 220v and 110v plugs.

The hotel’s best rooms are the 860-square-foot (80-square-meter) Two-Bedroom Apartments located on the hotel’s first and second floors. These two-and-a-half-bath apartments have a king bed in the master bedroom, two twins (combinable into a king) in the second bedroom, and large black wardrobes and dressers with smoked glass doors. Full kitchens with refrigerators, gas stoves and ranges, coffeemakers, and cookware are standard as are kitchen tables, and living rooms with gray-cushioned couches. They also have private patios and second-floor balcony overlooking the beach, ocean, and pool. Similar to the two-bedroom apartment, the hotel’s studio rooms include kitchens as well. The balconies in King Studios have hammocks but despite spraying for mosquitos every two days, the mosquitos at Eden Beach -- even inside rooms -- can be fierce, so bug spray is a must.

Bathrooms look the same throughout the hotel, with beige walls, glass-brick showers, rainfall showerheads, and stone or wood counters with vessel sinks. There's a bit of wear -- like water stains and peeling mirrors -- and shower gel, bar soap, shampoo, and lotion are provided.  Hairdryers are available from the front desk as are irons (although all rooms have ironing boards).  

Eden Beach has one of the best sandy beaches on the island (most of Bonaire’s beaches are rocky or coral), despite being not much more than an elevated area above a concrete sea wall. The water off-shore isn't the best for swimming, but there are dozens of plush lounge chairs with umbrellas and cabanas (free for guests, but available for public rental as well). When cruise ships port here, the whole beach area can feel swarmed and crowded. The hotel’s two pools -- one large and one small wading pool for children -- are surrounded by a wooden deck and lounge chairs, and has sea views. Some of the pool surrounds are chipped and the whole area could use a little TLC. 

The hotel’s beachside bar, Spice Bar, serves drinks all day long and has a bar-food lunch menu. It provides service on the beach as well. Live music and DJs happen on certain nights, and happy hour specials are available. Spice Restaurant serves contemporary international cuisine from its oceanfront perch and also grows its own herbs in an on-site garden. Room service is unavailable at Eden Beach. 

Wannadive Bonaire, the hotel’s dive shop, offers diving excursions and rents out snorkeling gear. They also have free lockers for storing diving equipment. Shore diving and snorkeling are possible at Eden Beach, but be careful as the water taxi dock is on-site and boats frequently pass by on their way to Klein Bonaire. The Eden Beach activity center arranges tours, sailing lessons, boat rentals, scooters, mountain bikes, electric bikes, and can assist in car rentals, but your best bet is to rent at the airport.  

There’s no on-site gym, but guests have free access to a local gym a five-minute drive from the hotel. Eden Beach’s spa offers massages, reflexology, manicures, and pedicures. The set-up is a bit odd, with massages (and yoga classes) happening on a balcony above the restaurant that’s also available for party rentals. There’s a small conference room available for rent and the Eden Shop sells items like bathing suits, beach attire, and toiletries. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel. Kids are welcome at Eden Beach and for parents looking for a night out, the hotel can help arrange babysitters.