The Bellefonte is a perfect place for those that do not want to be in a gigantic resort, but want privacy, amazing views from every room, and a pier which is steps from your door loaded with marine life. My wife and I travel extensively and visited many other resorts and hotels on the island while we were there - almost all pale in comparison to the Bellefonte. During our 2 week stay, couples from Buddy Dive, Hamlet and other hotels checked in having had horrible experiences at those places and transferred even though it meant losing money... the rooms are perfectly furnished with tile floors, brand new kitchens (granite counters) and baths... the whole place is fairly new which is wonderful. We went for 32 dives during our stay and though the east coast produced the largest creatures, the dive off the hotel pier was amazing for squid, barracuda, puffer fish, eels and even a hawksbill turtle..... The staff at Bellefonte are also a delight and were helpful for anything we needed (we really did not need much, since the rooms are so well maintained)....

We used Yellow Submarine both for shore diving and boat trips to klein bonaire (amazing octopus, moray, lobster and sitings of so many species of fish as to boggle the mind). Their drive up for tanks was fantastic, and their staff tremendous - particular kudos to divemaster Albert who found magic for us in every boat dive we did (as well as showed us a world on the east coast that we could not have found without his help - and we are very independent, but he knows the sea and the creatures so well in Bonaire (he has done about 8000 dives)....!!!!!

Also, of the restaurants on Bonaire, go to Cactus Blue - the most amazing tuna and other perfect dishes you will ever find... with everything soooo fresh!!! The family that owns this, Corrina and Hagen, add kindness and joy that we did not find anywhere else (we also became addicted to their apple struedel desert and are now suffering withdrawls....)

Wow! We stayed in the third floor junior suite and had a sweeping view of the sea, Klein and north part of the island. Can’t say enough great things about the staff at Bellafonte and the great accommodations. It was wonderful and really suited our casual and quiet style. The grounds are beautiful and the hardscapes throughout give it a very upscale feel. Diving / snorkeling right off the pier is great, just a little ways out. The airport noise never bothered us and I only heard the KLM red-eyes once when I happened to already be awake. Would definitely stay at Bellafonte again.

We stayed at the Bellefonte from May 5 to May 12 in one of the Grand Suites. The place is excellent and I highly recommend it.

Before I get to all of the good things, I must mention one thing that wasn’t good – but that management responded to quickly and fairly, and was a temporary situation unforeseen by them. The day we arrived, we looked out on the dock – the view is wonderful – and found it was torn up. I expected that workmen would simply be putting in new boards on the dock. But the following day, on Sunday, the “bang, bang, bang” of hammers on metal started, followed by power sander. And this went on, all day long. We were unable to use the dock during the day, and while I would have been content to have been in the water the entire day, my wife needed to relax and really couldn’t, despite the beautiful property and setting. Management, however, made a significant and appropriate adjustment to our rate, to our satisfaction. They were very good about the entire thing, and most apologetic, since apparently the owner scheduled the work without them knowing it being able to warn anyone coming there.

Now, the place itself is magnificent. The exterior of the place is immaculate, super clean, really beautiful and Mediterranean in feel. Loved the exterior. And the dock, by now, will be great as well. .

As for the interior, our grand suite was spacious, with a well-equipped kitchen, nice size bathroom, clean, beautiful, Mediterranean décor on the inside. The balcony was really wonderful – with a view right out over the water. The place is quiet, and peaceful, with one exception – but one you have to accept when you go to Bonaire. The final approach to Flamingo airport is no more than ¼ mile away. Now, being an aviation person and an airplane buff, I really enjoyed the approaches, which are actually quite quiet – both at night and during the day. Fortunately, you do not hear the roar as planes take off away from the leeward side of the island and over the windward side. But if you keep your bedroom closed with a very modern air conditioning unit, frankly, you don’t hear them anyway at night. Do note that there are mosquitoes on the island but that can be dealt with fairly easily by keeping doors and windows closed at certain times of the evening. It may be a desert island but it is not without bugs.

As for the service, it is really excellent – A wonderful and typical blend of Dutch friendliness and efficiency – on the part of the all of the staff.

It is also very close to the airport – the aircraft noise being one consideration but on the other hand, my God, you land and you’re there.

For those going for diving and snorkeling, this place is a short driving distance and even walking distance from some of the best dive and snorkeling spots on the Island, and nothing is far from the restaurants of the town (its probably about 2 miles away). The snorkeling off the dock is pretty interesting – a nice resident barracuda lives under the dock with lots of fish, etc. Its not the premiere snorkeling free diving spot around, but it is only about 200 meters from Windsock, one of the better ones; frankly, you can drift over if you want. But for someone who just wants to climb down some stairs and watch the fish live under the dock, this is your place. There’s a nice Jacuzzi outside along with generous showers and tubs for cleaning diving and snorkeling gear. Good elevators to reach the top floors as well

In summary, here’s my take. We were unlucky enough to have experienced a real problem unexpected by the hotel, but that at least was addressed professionally and quickly. The dock by now is fixed, and I saw nothing else that was going to be repaired.

Would I recommend this place to anyone else? Absolutely. I give it a solid 5.

We stayed at the Bellafonte May 16th-May 31st. This is our seventh trip to Bonaire and our seventh stay at the Bellafonte. My husband and I have traveled throughout the Caribbean on business and pleasure and have stayed at many hotel properties, but the Bellafonte is at the top of our "favorites" list. The hotel has 18 oceanfront single and double suites and two studio island view rooms. We stay in a beautiful senior (one bedroom) suite on the third floor (the property has an elevator). There is a large terrace/balcony with absolutely breathtaking views of the turquoise blue caribbean sea. The floors are marble with fully equipped kitchens. There is a large living room/ dining room with comfortable furniture, cable TV and CD players. The bedroom is spacious with a king sized bed and generous closet space. A safe is provided for your valuables. The bedroom is air conditioned with a well functioning wall unit; ceiling fans and the ocean breezes keep the other living spaces comfortable. The bathroom is modern with a marble floor and shower. Water pressure has always been great.
The Bellafonte property is located in the quiet residential neighborhood of Belnem just south of the airport. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with native plants- many in flower. We wake up each morning to the birds singing and that amazing ocean view. There is a large jacuzzi on the terraced deck. The hotel has a private pier/dock that has just been completely renovated and is a favorite "hangout" for sunning during the day, magnificent sunsets in the evening and star gazing at night. Snorkeling and diving can be done 24/7 off the pier. There is a locked gear room and rinse tank for your scuba equipment.
The dedicated general manager of the Bellafonte, Robert, is a wonderful host and along with his attentive and professional staff have given us first class personal service. They have done everything from shopping and stocking our refrigerator prior to our arrival to arranging for last minute New Year's Eve reservations at a popular restaurant. There has been no question we have asked or request we have made of Robert that he didn't follow up immediately, fully and to our great satisfaction. Finally, the housekeeping staff is as good as you will find anywhere. They work hard to keep our suite absolutely spotless.
We highly recommend the Bellafonte without hesitation. We'll be back in October and hopefully for many years to come.