Please bear in mind that all travelers are not the same... That said, Bonaire rocks & the Caribbean Club is a killer deal for those of us who value being off the beaten path a bit. We only met the owner once, who was there for an in-house celebration featuring local dancers. Nice enough fellow, he was a Dutchman offering me some MacCallan 18yr. scotch for giving him some tips on courting the low-profile traveler. The real stars of the small hotel complex, however, were the management. As with most small hotels/ inns, respect is mutual. My dad & his girlfriend both are involved in their own B&Bs, so I know that high maintenance guests can take up a lot of one's time. What was great about the management [Sean (GB), Mar (Neth.), Sean's nephew, Danny & Mar's son, Jerome] was that they could always give good advice or point you to someone more knowledgeable. Good service, too. (A/C went out once-- fixed in 20 mins. Locked my keys in the bedroom-- solved in 5 mins.)
The layout is bewildering at first, as many small Caribbean complexes are, but beautiful trees & flowers lie around every corner. There's a nice bar next to a very clean & modern pool with deck chairs & cool breezes. The rooms are actually all apartments, almost like 1 story duplexes. We had a nice kitchen (forget about wasting time looking for a breakfast place & chewing up your precious daylight hours) where we stocked the fridge with beer & simple breakfast and picknicing foods. The water in Bonaire is desalinated & WAY better than any bottled water available on the island-- unexpected treat for water snobs. The apartment was decorated & furnished in a very simple yet clean manner, with a mixture of Ikea & local furniture and spotless, medium to large bathrooms. There was also a living room & large patio which we rarely used, because we were usually out. You get your own room safe (big plus) and we never heard rowdy hotel neighbors or kids or dogs. The hotel itself is about a 7 minute drive from town (Kralendijk) located on "Hilltop" but that never bothered me except once when I forgot to bring my $ to dinner...... (Girlfriend not happy.) It's just a short walk/ drive from some of the most scenic vistas on Bonaire. I have nothing but nice things to say about CCB (or Bonaire Caribbean Club) & staff. Soon their resident chef will be there, so you can eat & crash early if need be. As of 10/20/04, we paid $50/ night + tax, which we felt was definitely reasonable and will pay again next year when we take other members of the family there. Website: caribbeanclubbonaire Any other ?'s about CCB or Bonaire in general from the point of view of two 30-ish yr. olds who are travel geeks with culinary & adventure sports backgrounds are welcome. Salud.