ALL INCLUSIVE / ALL MEALS / CONDO / FAMILY

The trip was great. The Resort was just right. Service at both was great

- Alan

We are back from Cozumel and what a GREAT dive trip that was! The crew at Casa del Mar was outstanding and our accommodations were to die for! We had the end, Pent House unit and it was just beautiful. I would run that whole vacation again in a heartbeat!

- C.

Our tip to Cozumel was fabulous! I meant to write sooner, but, to tell the truth, I have been a bit depressed ever since arriving home. This happens to me pretty much every time I return from a good dive vacation, but this time it was even more sad. So, the Casa del Mar was wonderful. A very professional front desk staff and a spacious, clean and nicely appointed room. The towel creatures (what I think of as Mexican Origami) which the maids left every day were truly delightful, but so frustratingly impossible to recreate! The restaurant staff were especially kind, gentle and professional. I am no food critic, but I found the meals at Casa del Mar to be quite good. The menu stayed the same throughout my visit, but I never tired of what they had to offer. Steamed vegetables was not something I had expected during lunch & dinner, but they were excellent. As were the quesadias, hamburguessas and club sandwiches. The grounds were meticulously taken care of - lovely flowers, grasses and palms - under constant scrutiny by the grounds keepers. And Dive Paradise! Every morning after breakfast, I walked across the street from Casa del Mar and out to the pier to await the dive boat at 8:30. Some mornings they were right on time, other times a little late, but that was to be expected, and, anyway, I was on vacation time, with several good books to keep me occupied. The boat crews and dive masters were great. I must have been aboard 7 or 8 different boats in the DP fleet, and liked each one for it's own unique brand of quirks. One of the dive masters was especially adept in finding good stuff: tiny popcorn shrimp nestled in the anemone's tentacles, Sea Horses, and several Splendid Toadfish, to name a few. The boat crews were efficient to distraction - practically grabbing my gear from me before I boarded, and then hauling me swingingly aboard with big, brawny arms - determined that I should not encounter any degree of unease as I was gently placed on the deck of the boat, then ushered to a seat and offered a cup of water. The dive briefings ranged from the (mostly) meticulous to the infrequent "Ho-kay, less go" But the Boat Captains never failed to find and pick us up out of the 83 degree water with speed and efficiency. I soon settled into a happy daily schedule of: breakfast overlooking the Caribbean, a short walk across the street to meet the dive boat of the day, then two dives on the various Palancar reefs -then getting back to the dock around 1:00 pm in time for a shower and a late lunch - again overlooking the sea (with or without a Big old cruise ship in town). Then time to down-load my UW pics of the dives and attempt to ID the fish and invertebrates I'd captured. And maybe a bit of reading by the pool. Later, a walk into town, just because I needed the exercise and the view of the Caribbean sea was so glorious. Most evenings I'd go snorkeling and see some rather amazing stuff just off shore of the hotel in 5 to 30 feet of water!) I really felt safer in Cozumel than I would have felt in my neighborhood

- Heidi

We had a great time in Curacao. Our stay at Sunscapes was good - the service and food was excellent. They have 4 restaurants along with one big café. Only the Japanese restaurant takes reservations, so you had to get in line for the steak, seafood & Italian ones usually by 6ish in order to be seated by 6:30. Otherwise the next seating may be around 8 - 8:30! The staff were very friendly & did excellent job. Our room was okay. We paid for the deluxe garden view room - we were in the towers on the main floor and had a view of a service road! The light around our bathroom mirror never worked & I reported in person at the front desk 4 times! The entertainment was good, they had musicians play around 7 - 9 that were excellent. Otherwise the entertainment staff & music was soooo loud. Many other close resorts & entertainment - some that played until 2 am on Sunday & Wednesday nights!! Our room was close to the dive shop so that made it convenient. Diving was excellent!! The coral and sea life were outstanding. The dive masters were friendly, helpful and entertaining. The main dive shop is located at the Lions dive resort, so we were picked up first & dropped off first. Very organized team. Jorge & Karen Maike at our resort were the best! We went on our first Lion fishing dive & the team of 8 divers scored 47 fish. Our dive master, Ruth did an excellent job in the classroom & on the dive. Saw a giant turtle that saw his reflection in the fish eye lens of the professional photographer & may have thought there was another turtle - attacked her even biting her arm (bruise only). Attacked another diver and bite her BCD! Then left with great speed.

- Janet

Everyone had a good time, Scuba Diving was Good

- Scott

The house reef at Sunscape Curacao All-Inclusive was amazing. We dove that reef at least once a day. Ocean Encounters is a first class dive operator. The staff on site at Sunscape were very helpful and gave good information about the shore diving. Their boats and procedures are very well set up for the high seas typical in Curacao and the staff are very friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. The reefs were very healthy with huge elkhorn and staghorn coral formations. We saw lots of juvenile french angels and even found a tiny post larval spotted trunk. The resort was well maintained and our room was very comfortable. The food at all the restaurants was good. The down time when not diving was very relaxing. We would definitely go back and recommend to anyone.

- Terry

Nice place but totally disorganized. Rooms are ok. Food good. Staff friendly but mgmt. horrible. Ask 3x for something, hopefully get it. Good diving, friendly dive staff. Make resv. before staying. All the resort staff need to get on the same page. Nice island. Hope to go back someday but probably stay elsewhere.

- W.

It was OK, Food needed help, Diving was OK, BUT Ruff waters where my group got beat up! Dive Masters did a Great job, helping people, But was a lot of work for all of them. the rest of the service was good.

- Scott J.

Everything went great. The rooms were updated and nice. Although they all had views of the parking lot. No big deal since I didn’t want to pay for ocean view. The restaurants were good. Note though, all the restaurants had the same menu every night, but with 3 different restaurants, 4 if you include teppanyaki, we ate at each 2 times with different meals each time. Never had a problem getting seated at night, sometimes had to wait a little, but with open bar, it didn’t matter. The dive shop was amazing! They gave us our own boat with our own dive master every day but 1 but that day worked out also. They even let me take all our snorkelers on the boat with us one day, no charge. The rental gear was in excellent condition and they even gave a couple of us a free day on our last day shore dive. The wait staff, hostesses, and bar-tenders were all very nice but I think that was because we all were very nice to them the entire trip. There were some very rude others, not in our group, so I can see how the bartenders / wait staff can become short. The entertainment was ok, good for a dive resort, since we were all going to bed at 10:00pm every night anyway. But I did hear from other people, again, not in our group, that they wish there was more elaborate nightly entertainment.

- Steve V.

Had a great time in St. Lucia. The island is so tropical and beautiful. May idea of a tropical island for sure. We did dive but not all 12. We did a volcano tour which was great and also hiked up the mountain behind Anse Mamin. It wasn’t too bad not having A/C. The only hard part was getting ready for dinner and sweating while getting ready but we decided to go up later and get ready and that worked out well. The stair were a lot but not bad. It was 201 steps to our room from the beach. We did fine with them liking getting the exercise. We were upgraded to a Deluxe Hillside and it was awesome. We had the view of the pitons right from our room. It was great waking up to this view every morning. And for every sweat that dripped every stair climbed, we’d definitely go back in a heartbeat!!

- Judy

It was even better than expected. Underwater was great and the above water was more lush than Hawaii. Also, they put my wife and I in the beach rooms.

- Robert

We had a wonderful trip to St. Lucia! The resort was wonderful. "No" was not in the staff's vocabulary. Love that! Fantastic food that was beautifully presented. The whole experience exceeded my expectations. Our room was fantastic. View of the ocean and the Piton's. Diving was great. We saw seahorses on 12 of our 14 dives. We were able to do a tour of Jade Mountain, the sister property. OMG the rooms were incredible. When we go back we want to stay at least 2 nights there and not leave our room.

- Linda

We had a great time! The resort was everything stated. Dive crew and diving was amazing. The food, entertainment and overall service was top notch.

- Bob

The trip was a great success! The resort, diving and staff all get high marks. The dive staff on our boat, in particular, were fantastic. We saw more frog fish in one spot by the pinnacles that I've seen in a week on other trips. We had afternoon dives included in our package, but by the time we got back from the morning dives and folks went back to their rooms and got cleaned up and had lunch it was too rushed. Next time I would ask for the afternoon dives be closer to 3:00 on the days there isn't night diving. Other resorts, where the food is buffet and the rooms are closer to the dive shop, it's not an issue for a 2:00 afternoon dive. The food was fabulous and everyone (including those with allergies) were happy. A few folks complained about it being a bit hot in the rooms but the staff provided stand-up fans as requested. The vans ran efficiently taking everyone to and from their rooms and the wait for one was never more than 10 minutes (well worth the wait than the walk).

- Joyce

We just got back from a week in St Lucia. Anse Chastanet resort was excellent. Meals were 5 Star! Great/Exceptional service, excellent resort facilities, good excursions and of course excellent dive operation. The staff was exceptional and made sure we were well taken care of. Recommend it to anyone wanting a worry free first class vacation of diving and land activities. No sand flies during our stay and bugs in general were minimal. Be prepared for a good bar tab at the end of the week! We will keep this resort in mind for our future travels and would love to spend more time there again.

- Ted

- Nancy

Our trip to Anse Chastanet in St Lucia was wonderful. We were not expecting much of the diving, but it was very good. The whole team at the dive shop were fantastic and I think Adam and Carmen (managers) are fabulous. They really took care of us. We were the only 2 divers on most days, occasionally there was a 3rd who joined us! The resort is beautiful, although most rooms are up the hill; however there was never a problem getting a shuttle ride up. All hillside rooms appear to be fantastic—ours was. Open air, but very few bugs, and a gorgeous view. The staff could not have been more attentive, from housekeeping to concierge to food service. The food was quite good, and a good choice of restaurants

- Liz R.

The resort is very service oriented. From greeting at airport to return, they are well organized. Check in simple. Luggage taken to room and picked up. Service at restaurants and bars was all good. Loved the different activities available - chocolate tasting, plantation tour, …. At airport transfer it was appreciated that they had water awaiting us outside of arrivals. Multiple vans/taxis used to expedite transfers for our group. Amazing food options. Ranks up there in the top 5 of places I have been. Different options made it nice. The group dinners on first night, Beach BBQ, and last night were all great. Bread and pastry chefs were the highlight and of course anything with their chocolate. Beautiful views from all the rooms and resort. Grounds were all well kept. At the beach loved Mr. Happiness and the daily cool towels, spritzing and popsicles. It was nice that there was live music options provided every day. Scuba St. Lucia is an awesome dive operation. Well managed team. First operations group that communicated well in advance. Really appreciate all the coordination with Callistus. Any requests or needs during the trip he responded to right away. The Miss Babsy boat is a good size boat and easily accommodated our large group. The 3 dive guides provided, Errol, Omo, and Curt were great. Omo is an awesome critter finder. Concierge gear service throughout the week was excellent. Loved the coves and places they took us to during surface intervals. Nice house reef with guide provided for afternoon shore and night dives. Opportunities for Improvement: There is a limited number of rooms that have AC. I would not book during hotter summer months without a Beach Room with AC. Anse Chastenet advertise that they have cool breezes in the rooms on the hills, but in reality they are still warm and stuffy even with open windows and ceiling fans. You have to shut the curtains at night to block the lights and that stifles the breezes. The resort needs to add AC to the rooms. It would be a a major investment but would be worth it. There should be more rooms with double beds. The resort is set up with a single king bed for couples. We requested a few rooms with 2 beds for singles sharing a room. It appeared that this was a room with a king bed and the second bed was an after thought. It was a day bed or smaller bed tucked into an alcove for a child. Better than a roll away, but not much. We asked if they had other options and they said they did not. The placement of the bed was such that there was no airflow and the breezes didn’t reach it. We had to request additional floor fans and an extension cord for the second bed. They need to have better bedding options for groups who have singles sharing a room who need 2 beds. For lunch they suggested and we requested the buffet to have enough time to make it to afternoon dives or activities. The food was plentiful but a bit bland and in some cases overcooked (e.g. fish/pork). Perhaps the buffet was intended to feed more than our group, but they had 5 times the amount of food needed. I would suggest less food options but better quality or have group order from menu in the future. The resort also gave us the option to order off menu (or at beach) for no additional charge. Multiple restaurants for dinner options. However, the food options were more formal. The group all said they would like to have some more simple options for lunch and dinner, like sandwiches or pizza. Or allow people to order appetizers or small bites at bar instead of at restaurant for dinner. Bar service was slow at the beach. Limited staff seemed to be available. While on Jazzy Sunset cruise the music played prior to the Jazz musician started was inappropriate for the group. The music contained language that was offensive to the guests (e.g. use of racial slurs.) This may have locally been acceptable but shocked the guests. They may want to consider music selection for guests.

- Janice S.

Anse Chastenet – very service oriented. From greeting at airport to return, they are well organized. Check in simple. Luggage taken to room and picked up. Service at restaurants and bars was all good. Loved the different activities available - chocolate tasting, plantation tour, etc. Airport transfer – appreciated that they had water awaiting us outside of arrivals. Multiple vans/taxis used to expedite transfers. Scuba St. Lucia is an awesome dive operation. Well managed team. First operations group that communicated well in advance. Really appreciate all the coordination with Callistus. Any requests or needs during the trip he responded to right away. The Miss Babsy boat is a good size boat and easily accommodated our large group. The 3 dive guides provided, Errol, Omo, and Curt were great.  Omo is an awesome critter finder. Concierge gear service throughout the week was excellent. Loved the coves and places they took us to during surface intervals. Nice house reef with guide provided for afternoon shore and night dives. Food – amazing food options. Ranks up there in the top 5 of places I have been. Different options made it nice. The group dinners on first night, Beach BBQ, and last night were all great. Bread and pastry chefs were the highlight and of course anything with their chocolate. Views – beautiful views from all the rooms and resort. Grounds were all well kept. Beach – loved Mr. Happiness and the daily cool towels, spritzing and popsicles. Music – nice that live music options provided every day

- Janice S.

We all had an AWESOME time!!! Thanks for everything :-)

- Carolyn K

This dive trip to Cozumel was excellent, even better than the Bonaire trip I booked last November!

- William G.

This was our 7th dive trip to Cozumel and 1st time at Iberostar. We really liked the dive operations by Dressel Divers. They were very organized and super chill. The location was nice too, as it's southern location made for very short boat rides. The resort itself is ok. It's not as posh as Secrets, but the room was adequate and comfortable and ours was just 100 feet from the dive shop. The food was excellent, even the buffets were good. Our only note is that they don't have non-alcoholic beer... a small note at that.

- Sean J.

Hotel - Iberostar staff made check in quick. Took bags to room - Grounds: Nice – flora, fauna, nice pool and beach. Wildlife around (flamingos, parrots, coati, wild pigs, raccoons). Pool crowded, lots of kids. Not a lot of chairs unless you went early. Beach nice. - Rooms: Clean, good ac, hot water, mini bar and coffee. Downside a little small. Nice little covered patios with chairs and hammocks. Patios shaded so hard to get dive gear dry. - Multiple restaurants and bars. 1 buffet, 3 more sit down. Something for all. Also, can walk next door to Alberto’s for music, drinks or dinner. Coffee was not good. 4 machines but 1 or 2 always out of service or ingredients. - Cleaning: Most days room cleaned by time we returned from dive/lunch. A few times we had to call for room service. - Check out easy, but multi step process. Could check out early, but had to get back in line in am to have them cut off bracelet and get voucher to give to bell man before you could leave. - Safety: There is no AED at the property. A diver was resting at pool and a individual was having a heart attack. They asked at restaurant or bar if they had one and they didn’t. Also went to dive shop and they didn’t have an AED I’m a little surprised Iberostar didn’t have 1 AED on the property. Dressel Divers: - Pre-trip communication was very quick and helpful. They emailed us their form in advance. - Orientation: They gave option of Sat or Sun. We chose Sat. Orientation was really poor. They didn’t review waivers or form then. Was a waste of time. If they don’t want to do on Saturday afternoon, tell people Sunday morning only. - Forms: I emailed all in advance. They didn’t have them printed off. They didn’t tell to bring medical. True form unclear. They should have told us to fill out completely and print and bring. Thank goodness I had everyone Medicals. There form was not clear. If they told in advance we could have brought paper. Wanted to physically see cert and Nitrox cards. Sunday am it took 2 hours for them to complete the paperwork. Totally avoidable with better communication. - Boat: We were told we would be on 2 boats. We were squeezed on 1 boat that had a max capacity of 29. With 23 divers and 3 dive guides and 2 boat crew it was full. Very crowded with little dry space. No boat orientation. Water, medical, o2, life preservers. Some was covered in first dive brief not all. No towels on boat. - Dive guides: Excellent. Kind, helpful, patient, hard working, and safety conscious. We had 3 guides (they do a max of 8 guests per guide). The guides were helpful troubleshooting with divers needing help with weights and buoyancy. They were always first in and last out. Very respectful of marine life. On night dive gave special attention to divers that had not dived at night before. Boat captains seemed safe. Only 1 time when I was near boat did I see prop still moving. Tag line out and helper on deck was always right there. - Operations: In morning when boats going out it was crowded. They had a few tables and shaded seating. Rinse and drying areas were limited. There was one small rinse tank for cameras and regs and 1 larger one for rest of gear. We were provided room upstairs just for our group that was locked after diving. It had hangers and baskets but little air flow. Water was always on the floor so things didn’t dry well. Last day we were told we could hang our stuff in room downstairs that had better airflow from the compressor. That helped. Need more rinse area and drying area. - What we saw – Vis was good and good variety of marine life. Few nurse sharks, 1 eagle ray, toadfish. Good night dives with octopus. Reefs not in great shape. Very little hard coral and lots of algae. - Check out after last day to pay marine park fees and extra dives easy. Overall, good. Group was split on whether on if they like Iberostar better than Scuba Club. Hard core divers preferred Scuba club. Others like Iberostar.

- Janice

Friendly and helpful crew of Aquanaut 2

- Andrew V. B.

The room was spectacular, the view and swim up option was great. The only bad thing was they gave us a room near the lobby and kitchen, pretty noisy. But overall, not to bad. Need to be aware of room location in terms of the resort facilities next time. The overall service, restaurant, food, etc. Excellent. The diving-Excellent

- Terry

We loved the resort. It was beautiful; the room, the grounds and the location. Getting preferred package was worth every penny; great room location, mini bar restocked every day plus room service was included. Customer service was fantastic and consistent. Meals were tasty and drinks well balanced. Dive House took excellent care of us. We were matched well on a boat with other experienced divers. Gear was dry and smelled good every day and was set up perfectly. Short boat rides to sites, great divemasters under and above surface. Easy pick up and drop off and they had no issue with me gearing down in water to accommodate me for bad knees and back. There was pretty decent snorkeling in front of the resort. We enjoyed the nightly entertainment and the friendliness of all the staff. We are so going back again!

- Anna

Secrets Aura was a nice place. Room and Food were high quality and availability was great. Dive House staff was efficient and safe. Some of the drift dives were quite quick in that the current was raging on a couple of sites. Would be better if more options were offered -- more night dives, a one tank afternoon dive. If you wanted to dive twice, no time for lunch as you had about 1 hour between morning boat and afternoon boat. A later one tank option would be a great addition. The other big negative is that there is no place to wash and dry equipment on the resort. A couple of the restaurants were exceptional and there are many activities for non-divers.

- Michael

Secrets is quite an upgrade from Sunscape! The rooms are HUGE! The bathroom's tub is the best scuba gear rinsing tub you'll ever have. The food is far superior to Sunscape and premium booze sure doesn't hurt either. It's also nice to have room service available for those nights when you're feeling lazy after a day of diving and napping by the pool. Would for sure book again.

- Sean

We enjoyed our week at Secrets Aura. The all-inclusive structure contributed to a relaxed experience, with only a room number required to enjoy (prepaid) food and drinks. Food and drinks were tasty, but about what you would expect for an all-inclusive resort. A trip (taxi ride) into town, or two, is recommended for variety. Some (adults only) guests seemed to be there just for the unlimited beer-by-the-pool experience, which sometimes got noisy. We enjoyed the rooftop, ocean view bar at sunset, but bring bug spray. Our pool-view room was nice, and the air-conditioning made the warm and muggy climate bearable.  We needed a rollaway bed, to accommodate sleeping needs, and this was provided within a reasonable amount of time. The patio allowed drying our dive gear (although I'm not sure whether this was endorsed by the resort). We were very satisfied with the staff, boats, and rental gear provided by Dive House, the chief SCUBA operation for the resort. Thanks especially to Victor (dive master) and Cruz (1st mate?). Divers meet their scheduled boat at the convenient pier right off the resort beach. Dive House also staffed an on-site kiosk (shack) to facilitate arrangements. Midway through the week the divemaster offered to increase my air tank from the standard 80 cu ft up to 100 ($8 per tank), which helped me keep up with the Nitrox divers, and the occasionally-strong currents. The reef health was great, and better than I expected. Lots of fish, sponges, and corals, and many lobsters, but only a few bigger fish. Water temp was ~82 F our week in July, and visibility was very good. Divers on our boats were mostly well-experienced, although a few needed extra guidance on decomp and other safety measures. We would strongly consider returning to Secrets Aura and Cozumel.

- Mark H.

Very nice resort with many restaurant choices. The room we were in was direct ocean front and great. Drinks were fine but not fancy, many activities and facilities were ok but looks like it may be in need of updating. The weather was terrible while we were there which was the major negative and only was able to dive one out of expected 5 days. Overall still a good trip except for weather.

- Ron B.

We had a fantastic time. The diving, as always was superb. We love everything about the dive operation. The hotel was fine. Check-in and check-out are very streamlined and efficient these days. I’m sure you know they have upgraded both pools as well as the ocean front and regular rooms. Housekeeping service is much better than it was for awhile. It is dependable and actually leaves you towels unlike a couple of years ago. Our only complaint is that they took out the wardrobe piece of furniture that held hanging clothes and had some shelves in it. Now the only clothes storage in the room now is one 3-drawer dresser and a small open rod over the room safe. They put in a desk instead of the wardrobe which, in my opinion, is a total waste although maybe they are trying to attract more business people??? Food was good. Waitstaff in both in Pure Ocean open air breakfast area and Chibi Chibi are a delight. I love them. Food service in the Chibi was fast at lunch except for one day when they were overwhelmed with lots of what appeared to be unexpected business people. We did not eat there at night except we did eat at the BBQ buffet on Saturday night before we left and it was excellent. We did learn that there is a new manager, as of last week I believe. The manager who had been there for the past couple of years who I believe was responsible for all the positive changes is gone. I hope the new one can maintain all the positive things that have happened.

- Suzanne

The trip was GREAT!!!! Everything went well, no issues.... Good flights, resort was good, food was good, diving was TERRIFIC!!!! A good time was had by all!

- Norma

I wanted to give you a trip report, especially after I said that the Divi resort in Bonaire was sliding again on service. The difference between our experience this past week and just this past January (3 months ago) was marked. As you remember, we had a reservation for 8 nights, the first night in standard room and next 7 nights in deluxe. When we arrived, Ottmar had jiggled things around so that we got into the deluxe room the first night and did not have to change rooms. So nice! Plus, they have a new Food & Beverage manager and he has that place hopping! Food was good and the service and efficiency of getting the food out, especially during the lunch rush was the best ever. We had a great experience with the resort this time so just wanted to make sure I let you know. The diving, as always, was outstanding— both in terms of the actual dives (great viz, LOTS of fish and other critters) and the always wonderful service by Serge and his team of dive masters.

- Suzanne

Bonaire was FANTASTIC! We had a GREAT TIME! Everything at the resort was good, check in was fast and efficient, they sure have improved that process. No complaints on the rooms other than they’re showing their age but according to the new manager they are starting to upgrade them all in March. Diving was good as always, Serge runs a very efficient operation. We had quite a bit of rain through the week which is unusual for Bonaire. I think we only had 2 or 3 sunny days the whole week. With clouds and scattered rain the other days. Oh well, we were still on vacation and the rain did’t negatively impact the diving. So all was good!

- Norma

We had a great week! Everything went off without a hitch, the flights, the diving, the resort, the weather, it was all Perfect! Several people even liked the Ocean-Front rooms better then the Time Share Units, the only drawback they are quite a bit further from the Dive Shop. The Manager, Celine was very attentive and reached out a couple of times during the week to make sure everything was going o.k. and if there were any issues. I was very surprised to hear that Serge from the Dive Operation is leaving Divi after 21 years, WOW! He is going to be a hard act to follow for anyone, they have HUGH shoes to fill to hire someone to take his place. He had that Dive Operation running like a well oiled machine, I hope things don’t change for the worse with his leaving.

- Norma

The dive operation was first class, period. The dive lockers were all replaced last Fall after a hurricane hit the resort and the reef was pretty wiped out at 30 feet and above. Below that, everything was fine. No complants here. If there was anything that could be improved, it's having rooms available when the early morning flights arrive. There is a KLM flight that left just as we arrived at 6:00AM, so between that and the passengers already at the airport to depart on the plane we arrived on, the resort had plenty of empty rooms. However, they do not start cleaning until the regular shift. So everyone had to struggle to live out of suitcases all day. There was no sense or urgency by anyone at the resort to help remedy the situation. We finally were able to get a room at 4:00PM. I did meet a Dutch manager later in the week that was a get-it-done person when we had very slow service in the restaurant at lunch. Unfortunately, not much has changed here in three years.

- Frank

the vacation was absolutely wonderful! 1. The room was very good- we were in an upper level ocv and this time the a.c. vent was not on the balcony, so we got some nice use of it! 2. The service was wonderful--the staff at Divi is always so helpful and good-spirited, and warm. 3. The diving--incredible; no other word for it. 4. We saw our first rainbow parrotfish and also midnight blue parrotfish; also an ocean triggerfish. We had good luck on turtle sightings (4!) and only a few lionfish, thank goodness. we love this island and hotel! If I have one minor negative in the entire vacation it's that loooooong wait for a room to be ready after the red eye. The Divi staff got us in as soon as they could, but 2pm is a long time to sit when the plane gets in at 5a.m.

- Nancy

We had a GREAT TIME! Everything was PERFECT! The weather, sunny & hot everyday! The Diving, a flat ocean and great visibility. (I made 22 dives!!!) I got some GREAT pictures. I got an Angel fish that could be a Skin Diver Magazine Cover shot! The resort was also perfect, they upgraded the entire group! A few of us to Ocean front and the majority in the TimeShare Units. Everyone was VERY PLEASED! They remodeled all the rooms, they are all very nice! They only issue we had all week and it was one we anticipated was the fact that it took quite awhile on Saturday for everyone to get their rooms. They all knew that would be the case but no matter how you try to prepare people when they're tired and cranky from an all night flight, their mood gets the best of them. The resort was full so they had to wait for many people to check out at 12:30, then the rooms had to be cleaned and prepared for us. Some people didn't get a room until around 3:00. I talked to the front desk several times throughout the week and smoothed everything over. A solution would be to have everyone book an extra night (Friday) and that way when they arrive their room would be waiting. For an extra amount you get a room as soon as you get there. Norma

- Norma

I had a great time. The staff at Divi continues to amaze me with their friendliness. I saw so many people there (Americans and Dutch alike) who don't even talk to their servers at meal time. I don't understand that. Housekeeping is cleaning every other day. I did see my next door neighbor had a "please clean this room" sign hanging from the doorknob on one of the off days and I did see the cleaning crew there later that day. I am somewhat famous among my friends for not realizing there is a refrigerator in my hotel rooms. Same story here - it was cleverly disguised as part of the writing desk and I didn't realize it until Thursday. I could have saved myself from drinking some really bad Divi prosecco by knowing that and going to the grocery store and buying the good stuff! The resort had its own testing facility. There was a poster in the lobby with a QR code you could scan that would take you to the website where you could make your reservation for testing. Very convenient. The only unsatisfactory part of the trip were the airport transfers. When I arrived, there were 2 people with Divi signs but they were for the dive groups. I was told that the individual picking up guests not part of dive groups had already been there and left. After a lot of confusion and some calls to Divi, I was told I could get on one of the dive group's buses. Not sure why the people at Divi wouldn't have asked me to catch a taxi and reimburse when I arrive. Had the opposite happen when I left. Nella (?) was the customer service manager at the resort. She heard of my issues with getting to the resort and promised me that the return would be taken care of and a taxi would be called. I saw her while I was in the lobby waiting for the taxi and she said the same thing - the taxi driver would pick me up at noon. The buses for the dive groups came, loaded up, and left. At 12:15, I asked Nella about my taxi. She went inside and was told that someone had arranged for me to go on the bus with the dive groups. Unfortunately, no one told me. So, no taxi. Luckily, she ran to the last bus that had just shut its doors and was starting to leave and was able to stop it. Other than that, diving was good and the resort staff and room were great.

- Becky

This was our 15th visit to Divi Flamingo, and our week did not disappoint! It started with a warm welcome by reception at the resort, the newly remodeled timeshare units are terrific, the resort was in pristine condition! The Divi dive operation is top- notch and our DiveMasters for the week Denise & Ruud were knowledgeable, helpful and a lot of FUN! It was a perfect week of diving, relaxation and fun in the sun! Can’t wait to return!

- Norma C.

We had a wonderful stay at Divi Flamingo. Hotel staff was friendly and accommodating.

- Teri C.

This was our 9th time we dove at the Divi and again we were not disappointed.  The diving was great:  easy diving and lots to see (turtles, eels, seahorses, tarpin, rays, etc.).  Divi Dive operation was very professional and helpful.  We did all boat dives with several dives including night dives right from the resort.  We met Orlando (dive master) whom we had met years before and it was good to see him again.  We ate at the Chibi Chibi restaurant most of the time and the food and service was excellent.  (Mahi mahi was fantastic.)  Our room was very nice and maid service always did a good job.  The biggest concern about the room was the shower.  The water temperature was usually cool and not very hot.  The weather was extremely hot and consequently after diving, we did very little other than to stay at the resort.  I am 77 years of age and have been diving for over 35 years.  Hopefully my age and arthritis won't keep me from continuing an activity I really love.

- Jim S.

We went to Divi Flamingo in Bonaire with a party of 8 for a week beginning March 6, 2024.  Divi met/exceeded our expectations very well in almost all respects.  The dive shop was professional and all of its people were very knowledgeable and helpful in and out of the water.  The dive masters took us to interesting and different places for each dive over five days and always seemed to find unique creatures including sea horses, turtles, squid, octopus, eels, etc.  Our room at the resort was very spacious and clean with a beautiful view of the water.  Breakfast buffet was very good with many choices to get the day started.  There was always cold flavored (citrus or cucumber) water at reception to fill up water bottles and stay hydrated.  My one suggestion would be for the resort to have some area where one can buy light snacks at any time of day.  This would be a revenue source for Divi and also helpful if one needs a little something between meals.  All in all a great vacation and would highly recommend.

- Oren C.

Another great trip

- Elizabeth W.

Everything‘s going well!  Diving’s been good. Everyone here is treating us exceptionally well.

- Norma C.

Our group just got back together after our dive trip to Dream’s Resort in Curacao. We had a group of 12,  had 10 scuba diving and 2 non divers. Dream’s Resort was very nice, everyone in the group was very happy with the service and food. The different restaurants made a nice change of food and menus. The rooms were very nice and clean. Room staff was very nice and accommodating. The dive shop we dealt in the resort,  was Caribbean Sea Sports. They were very Professional and accommodating in many ways. Joyce , Hugo and other staff met us all as we arrived for our meeting at the dive shop. The owner Orlando also made it very easy and convenient during our diving vacation. We had a couple of equipment issues and Orlando and Hugo jumped in and helped make it one of the best diving vacations ever!!!!! I and my group give it 10+ and will return soon.

- Jim R.

We had a wonderful time. The resort was nice and the price was right!

- Leslie and David B,

Staff excellent, room very nice with great view and grounds very nice. Food was fine. No a/c in rooms upon arrival. Was on 5^th floor and was moved to the 4^th floor and given a fan that I had to repair because it was not working. Room was cooler but not great. A/C came back on but not by much just a little better. Room never had great A/C entire stay. 1 elevator was out and not working GOBY DIVERS - Great people, great staff, diving good but not as good as Cozumel. Last dive day boat broke down, but Goby refunded us on island directly. All in all, a great trip except for the A/C    

- Dale