Frequently Asked Questions

Sunwise Bonaire is the property and rental manager of Seaside Apartments. The hostesses and hosts of Sunwise take care of the check-ins personally and they can easily be reached via WhatsApp, telephone or e-mail, with very short response times. They also provide an emergency phone number to their guests for emergencies during the night.

Bonaire Seaside Apartments is located 4.5km / 2.8mi north of the airport in the heart of the capital town Kralendijk. Right at your doorstep is the beautiful boulevard full of restaurants and our guests can find themselves on a small bench on the Caribbean Sea, to watch the stunning sunsets. Everything is possible on Bonaire!

The standard check-out time is 10 o’clock in the morning, but if we don’t have immediately following guests, we are of course very flexible. In that case our guests can stay until they have to go to the airport. However, if we expect new guests, we have to ask our guests to actually check out the accommodation at 10am.

If they don’t want to take the risk, our guests can of course book an extra night (upon availability). And if they unexpectedly have to get out the apartment early, they could also consider buying a day pass at one of the ‘beach resorts’ on Bonaire, where they can spend the entire day, usually for around $ 15-20 per person, swimming, take a shower, change clothes, and they can also store their luggage there.

Bonaire Seaside Apartments is centrally located on the boulevard and offers elegance with all the charm and comfort you could ever want in a vacation getaway. Our apartments are located in the heart of Kralendijk, the charming capital of Bonaire. Seaside Apartments has an elevator and a swimming pool at the courtyard and is only steps away from the sea, scuba diving, snorkeling, the restaurants, shops and the warm welcome of the island’s inhabitants.

Bonaire’s delicate environment benefits greatly when linens and towels aren’t cleaned every day. As such, Sunwise Bonaire, our rental manager takes care of the beginning and end cleaning and if our guests desire more (service) cleaning, Sunwise will be happy to ask for quotes for that. More than enough towels and bed linen will be provided for the entire stay. 

All apartments have a safety deposit box, and an LCD TV. Also free wireless internet connections are available.

The kitchens are fully equipped with appliances, complete cooking supplies and utensils. The apartments are self-catering and the hostesses and hosts of Sunwise Bonaire can give our guests directions to the nearest and best grocery stores or restaurants.

Fee wireless internet access is available in all apartments.

The electric voltage in all units is both 220 volts with European round plugs and 127 volts 50 cycles with US Standard square plugs, slightly different from the US, though most appliances and battery chargers will operate fine. We do advise our guests to bring their own transformers or adapters to make sure they can use their favorite appliances though. We ask our guests to please check their appliance manufacturers recommendations if in doubt.

Please click here to check the reservation, payment and cancellation policies of Sunwise Bonaire, our rental manager.

In short:

At the time of the reservation we ask for a 25% down payment to confirm the booking. The rest is due 6 weeks prior to your arrival. Cancelation before that last 42 days will cost that 25%. Within the 6 weeks prior to your arrival, cancelation will cost 100%.

Most travel insurances cover these costs in case of force majeure, health issues or family matters. Therefore, our advice is to always get a good travel insurance!

All guests of Bonaire who will go into the sea, are required to purchase a Bonaire Marine Park Tag. The Bonaire Marine Park requires all visiting divers to participate in a short orientation session on their first morning of diving. At our scuba dive partners, this orientation is held at any time during our opening hours. After the orientation, divers must do a self-guided familiarization dive on the house reef before leaving for off property shore diving or boat diving. The purpose of the dive is to recheck buoyancy and to check your dive equipment while still within safe distance of the dive staff and facilities.

All non-divers who use the waters of the Bonaire Marine Park including snorkelers, wind surfers, kayakers, sport fishermen, kite boarders, etc., will be charged a Nature Fee of $25.00 per year. All persons who pay the Nature Fee (both divers and other users) and show their tag along with their printed receipt will receive complimentary admission to Washington-Slagbaai National Park throughout the year their tag is valid.

Whether your preference is boat or shore diving, kayaking, mountain biking, bird watching, cave exploration or snorkeling, our programs offer visitors the opportunity and mean to explore the highlights of our island’s multifaceted natural treasures.

Bonaire is located just off the coast of Venezuela in the southern Caribbean, part of the Dutch Antilles island chain that includes the more developed Aruba and Curacao. We are please to be well outside the hurricane belt. Latitude/longitude (GPS): 12°10′ N 68°17′ W.

Bonaire is a small (111 square mile) island, only 3 to 7 miles wide and approximately 24 miles long. With the exception of Mount Branderis and the north western areas near Washington Slagbaai National Park, the island is primarily flat. It is also quite arid, averaging only slightly more than 20 inches of rainfall annually, most of which falls autumn through January. Easterly trade winds wash over the island year round, helping to dissipate the heat, with average land/air temperatures ranging in the low 80’s Fahrenheit.

There are several different options for getting to Bonaire on international carriers from North and South America as well as Europe, however flights change regularly.  For the most up to date information please visit http://www.tourismbonaire.com. Ferry service is not available between Bonaire and Aruba, Curacao or Venezuela.

All visitors to Bonaire are required to have a valid passport. No Visas are required for U.S. and Canadian citizens. It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure his or her own visa requirements, and no refunds will be awarded for customers denied access for lack of proper Visa. Airline tickets generally include the airport departure tax of $35.00. If not, the departure fee will be payable in cash or debit/credit card at the airport prior to check-in. Children under 2 are exempt from the tax. MasterCard, Visa, Discover, Maestro, are all accepted, but American Express is not. Departure tax to Curacao and Aruba is lower.

Children 12 and under are exempt from paying government tourist tax.

If our guests have reserved a rental vehicle, the majority of the rental agencies on Bonaire will pick them up at Flamingo Airport. Sunwise Bonaire asks her guests to first come to Seaside Apartments for the check-in, before going to dive shops or grocery stores. If our guests are having trouble finding the way to Seaside Apartments, the Sunwise hosts will be happy to meet their guests somewhere else, for instance at the airport.

We encourage all visitors to Bonaire to rent a truck to explore the island, and for that reason have included one, at very competitive rates, in all of our packages. They are great for touring, getting you to your shore dive sites and taking you around town to sample the local cuisine. You do not need to obtain a local drivers license or permit to be able to drive on Bonaire, though you do need to be at least 23 years of age to rent a vehicle.

Bonaire operates on Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4), but not daylight savings (no summer time change).

Bonaire’s official currency is the US dollar. Credit cards are widely accepted but be sure to have your passport or photo ID available. There are several banks with a 24-hour ATM available.

There is a decent convenience store close by Seaside Apartments (less than 1mi), and excellent wine and liquor store, and larger grocery stores are within a 5-minute drive. The Sunwise Bonaire hosts and hostesses can give you directions to the nearest and best stores!

There is a decent convenience store close by Seaside Apartments (less than 1mi), and excellent wine and liquor store. Larger grocery stores are within a 5-minute drive. The Sunwise Bonaire hosts and hostesses can give you directions to the nearest and best stores!

Bonaire has a hospital no more than 5 minutes away from the Resort and an adjacent hyperbaric recompression chamber that is run by highly trained staff, admittance via the emergency room at the hospital.

In Sunwise’s information booklets our guests will find in their apartment, all emergency phone numbers are easy to find.