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

“Amazing Resort”

My family stayed here from December 27 - January 2nd. We had their all-inclusive package, which was 100% worth it. The staff was incredibly nice and helpful, and the resort itself was gorgeous, clean, and so relaxing. Some of the resort is still under construction, so it wasn't super busy at the po… more

My family stayed here from December 27 - January 2nd. We had their all-inclusive package, which was 100% worth it. The staff was incredibly nice and helpful, and the resort itself was gorgeous, clean, and so relaxing. Some of the resort is still under construction, so it wasn't super busy at the pool or beach, which was so nice. Also, even though the resort was still being built, we never heard any construction noise. The on-site dive shop was amazing and so convenient, and the shore diving was insanely cool. I would very much recommend staying here if you plan to visit Bonaire.

less

“Generally positive experience with some disappointing realities, given the cost”

Overall, a good experience, but a few things that fell short for the price point. First, the positives - the food is spectacular and the main areas of the resort (including the pool) are lovely. Staff are generally friendly and well-intentioned. Now some of the short-comings. Firstly, for the c… more

Overall, a good experience, but a few things that fell short for the price point. First, the positives - the food is spectacular and the main areas of the resort (including the pool) are lovely. Staff are generally friendly and well-intentioned. Now some of the short-comings. Firstly, for the cost of the resort, I would expect the physical plant to be far nicer. Our room was dark, dank and dated. That said, they are updating the whole resort and the parts that had been updated were lovely, so I'd guess this will get better. The other issue is the general availability and knowledge of the staff. The front desk people were friendly and amicable but SEVERELY lacking in knowledge about the even the basic functioning of the resort. I suspect this is a training problem, rather than a competency one, but the upshot is that getting information about things around the resort was exceedingly hard. Many of the facilities were also short-staffed. As an example, the rec office (where you can get kayaks, balls, etc). was essentially closed and unstaffed the whole time we were there. They need to rectify this, given the cost of the resort. Overall, though, a generally positive and relaxing experience.

less

“Improving but still needs work”

Things have progressed with the remodel since my last visit (Jan 2024). The new lobby is open and is very nice. The gift shops is complete but was never open the entire week I stayed (apparently they can't find workers). The restaurant and food are the same but the service has improved immensely… more

Things have progressed with the remodel since my last visit (Jan 2024). The new lobby is open and is very nice. The gift shops is complete but was never open the entire week I stayed (apparently they can't find workers). The restaurant and food are the same but the service has improved immensely. (they still leave the milk our all day and it spoils). The rooms still need renovating but are large with good AC and lots of hot water with good pressure. I was on the 2nd floor and the stairs are hazardous -- uneven steps and cracking tile. On our last day, an older gentleman fell and was bleeding quite a bit (luckily it doesn't appear he broke any bones). Lighting is missing which is also dangerous in the evenings on the way back to the room. The spa is still not open despite the website mentioning the availability of massages. The gym is open but only on a reservation only basis (to keep the crowds down). We were unable to rent any golf carts or scooters -- it appears they are reserved for cruise ship passengers (not sure if Plaza owns any of these or just if they share the lot with the rental company). The dive shop is still great -- very well run with really good staff! The reef is healthy (esp as compared to other Caribbean locations such as Belize/Roatan/Cozumel).

less

“Disorganized 3 star hotel”

It is a very beautiful hotel and parts of it ( not the rooms in front of the pool ) are brand new. The problem is lack of service for the money we paid . I have been around the world in 70 countries and can definitely compare hotels . For Christmas week (7 nights ) we paid $ 17000 for 6 people . … more

It is a very beautiful hotel and parts of it ( not the rooms in front of the pool ) are brand new. The problem is lack of service for the money we paid . I have been around the world in 70 countries and can definitely compare hotels . For Christmas week (7 nights ) we paid $ 17000 for 6 people . Here are the problems: 1) to change your beach towels you can only do so at front desk , not at the pool or beach like it is common in other hotels . One day there were our of towels , the next morning they were out, so we had dirty towels ( they won’t let you get extra towels ) till the afternoon of the next day . 2) line at the buffet : there is currently only one restaurant : breakfast and lunch - not a problem to get in . Dinner : you have to make a reservation in the morning and still when you show up at assigned time we had to wait for 45 minutes for our table to be ready , so after 2 nights , we decided to go out in spite of paying for all inclusive. The food is very medium , nothing special , the selection is quite poor for a 4 star resort . They also only have one bar as the line is huge . 3) it is all inclusive but there are 0 snacks or water bottles in the room . We were told to go to the bar or use water from the sink until we contacted housing keeping , Marina ( the manager ) , was very helpful and stocked our rooms with water bottles . 4) the beach has a lot of stones but we learned it’s not allowed to remove them in Bonaire . There are also no life guards but supposedly it’s required anywhere on Bonaire . 5) they have a gift shop but it’s only open by the appt . Not like it’s anything special there for private shoppers . I saw it open once during our stay for a week . 6) taxis are more expensive than in NY on Bonaire , I highly recommend to rent a car in advance , especially when you travel during busy seasons : we did not rent one in advance and there were no cars on Bonaire during our stay. 7) activity center : yoga once a week and aqua aerobics once a week, a few snorkeling and wind surfing activities , and wood activities for kids , for a hotel with over 100 rooms they could have offered a lot more activities . 8) TV: it lists many channels like Disney but it’s not working , contacted front desk but they did not know how to fix it . 9) many guests complained their AC was not working. I would never stay there again .

less