Van Der Valk Plaza Beach & Dive Resort Bonaire - All Inclusive

“Exclusive resort with a luxurious ambiance”

Exceeded our high expectations. Restaurant at the edge of the beach with spectacular sun sets. Friendly and very professional staff, taking care of our needs and requests. Most of the resort has been totally renovated over the last two years and presents it self as very exclusive.

“Great Diving and Great Food and Service”

Overall, the experience was great. The dive professionals at Toucan Diving were fantastic and very helpful. The food in the restaurant was very good with a wide variety of offerings. The shower in my room was somewhat funky. The controls were on the back wall, a glass wall in the front and the sid… more

Overall, the experience was great. The dive professionals at Toucan Diving were fantastic and very helpful. The food in the restaurant was very good with a wide variety of offerings. The shower in my room was somewhat funky. The controls were on the back wall, a glass wall in the front and the sides were open. When showering the floor on each side became quite wet. I simply asked for a couple of extra towels each day to lay on the floor on the sides. There's also construction going on which detracts from the beauty of the facility and adds some noise. It didn't interfere with access to the facilities. This is what progress is like and will enhance the experience in the future. I'll definitely be making a return visit.

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“A great all-inclusive!”

Generally speaking, we had an excellent stay. We were at this same resort 19 years ago (also a great stay) and so much has changed. In terms of food, this was probably one of the best buffet setups we've seen at a larger resort, both in terms of quality and variety. The incredibly fresh pieces o… more

Generally speaking, we had an excellent stay. We were at this same resort 19 years ago (also a great stay) and so much has changed. In terms of food, this was probably one of the best buffet setups we've seen at a larger resort, both in terms of quality and variety. The incredibly fresh pieces of daily tuna, marlin, and barracuda on ice for you to choose, then have cooked to your liking on the spot, was delicious. Sushi, lumpia, empanadas, curries, pasta, various other meats, and fresh bread were several of the many, many other options. And that was just dinner. Toucan Diving is one of the most professionally run, yet friendly, resort dive operations we've ever encountered. My son completed his Junior OW certification on this trip and can't stop talking about how wonderful Steve was. My wife and I agree. Toucan, don't ever let him go. While we really enjoyed the dive guides (Spider and others) on our two-tank boat days, their house reef, "18 Palms", is excellent and literally just steps in front of the resort. The staff was generally very friendly and helpful. Fyi, the resort is VERY close to the airport, so you will hear some jet engine noise occasionally during the day. It's not a super busy airport, so we didn't find this off-putting at all. The only very minor suggestions I would add for improvement are: Our "Royal Residence" 2 bedroom apartment had a kitchenette with glasses and plates but no utensils. It's not super necessary given the all-inclusive food available, but we could have used something when your team very kindly provided a cute little cake in our room upon arrival for my wife's birthday. This didn't stop the kids from devouring it, though. :) Our fridge was stocked (and restocked daily) with Coronas. Nice, but the bottles were not twist-off caps and there was no bottle opener. We improvised. If you're North American, you'll likely need to pick up adapters for European Type F Schuko (I think) sockets for your electronics. They're very inexpensive. Our apartment also had two USB A in one bedroom, then all others sockets were these Type F. The front desk has some to loan but had a waitlist. I very much like that this is a Dutch-forward resort that doesn't specifically cater to Americans, but to the resort itself, please consider: Why not make a few bucks and sell them at a hefty mark-up in the gift shop? We ended up walking five minutes down the road to Sunshine Market to grab a few, so no biggie. Sunshine is closed on Sundays. Similar comment for the in-room clothes washer/dryer: No biggie that rooms don't come supplied with laundry detergent, but why not make a buck and sell something eco-friendly in the gift shop? Again, Sunshine is just down the road. Tips for those who haven't been: Get your towels for the day first-thing (from the front desk). They can run out by the afternoon. Also, don't lose your towels, or they will charge you. Make your dinner reservations for the night at the hostess counter when you walk into the restaurant for breakfast. You can't reserve times for the entire week (if you're staying that long), so just make it your morning ritual. The infinity pool over by the Royal Residences (two foot bridges away from the main resort pool) is a very nice and relatively quiet spot that has its own bar and quick bite menu. The sunsets are breathtaking. We love this place!

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