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Reviews of Van der Valk Plaza Beach & Dive Resort Bonaire - All Inclusive

4 out of 5
Van der Valk Plaza Beach & Dive Resort Bonaire - All Inclusive
J.A. Abraham Boulevard 80, Kralendijk, Bonaire

Reviews

8.0

Very Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 90 out of 253 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 96 out of 253 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 38 out of 253 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 18 out of 253 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 11 out of 253 reviews" "

8.0/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

7.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Debra, Telluride

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
One of the best vacation I've ever had. First off the pool area was gorgeous, I stayed here for 6 nights and enjoyed every sunset I could experience. My room was sea view, it was very very spacious and clean although it wasn't the newly renovated but I couldn't complain because I wake up every morning to an amazing view. The staff at the snack bar Carlos, Nigel and the other buffed dude was always nice, the restaurant staff has already recognized and address me my name after two days which shows the service here is excellent. After all it's an all inclusive restaurant and the food from breakfast, lunch and dinner did not disappoint. The property was sparkling clean, you can see how every employee works hard to keep this place beautiful. I rented a golf cart which is probably the best decision I made since the property is in the middle of everything, you go left it's the town center, you go right it's the airport and gorgeous beach. I'll be coming back soon and I'm definitely staying here again, hopefully the gym will be open by then. Kudos to all Van Der Valk employees, ya'll the best!
Stayed 6 nights in Apr 2024
Response from Caroline S on Apr 15, 2024
Thank you so much for your kind review.Wonderful to read that you have had a fantastic time with us.We are looking forward to welcome you again in the near future

10/10 Excellent

Mark Allen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
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Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2024

6/10 Okay

Brenda

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
First time to Bonaire and stayed at this resort for a week. Overall, it was a great trip. Only downfalls were the bed wasn’t great…wasn’t a mattress, more like a 4” pad. There was construction going on in the room next door which started most mornings by 7-7:30am. The food was ok at best…ended up having the majority of our meals in town which were all delicious. On the plus side, it’s a beautiful resort and very clean…always groundskeepers out and about, security and staff were super friendly, the resort is about a 20 min walk to town. Beaches were gorgeous, snorkeling was amazing, and had an incredible time exploring the entire island!

10/10 Excellent

Daniel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The Plaza Resort was beautiful. Great location right on the water for fabulous snorkeling/diving. The property was clean and everything (e.g. AC, TV, WIFI, plumbing, electric/outlets, etc...,) worked properly. The hotel staff are amazing, multilingual, friendly and helpful in every aspect(it's their job to make sure you have a great stay and they take their job seriously). The all inclusive food and drinks were also high quality/top notch/very tasty (although top shelf liquor is not included). The beach and pools were clean and beautiful. Lots of things to do, activities and tours offered onsite at hotel. Airport transportation arranged through hotel. Quite simply one of the best hotels I've ever stayed at while on vacation!
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Lorri Lynn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Quiet and didn’t have to fight for lounge chairs.
Stayed 15 nights in Feb 2024
Response from Caroline S on Mar 25, 2024
Thank you for your nice review.Looking forward to welcome you again

8/10 Good

James

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great property that is under renovation and changes. Just know that below booking. Toucan is excellent to have for onsite diving and just great all around. As for dining there is a general lab of allergen information, as almost evening just states the name of the dish, except for one small area labeled Gluten Free (3 dishes and one bread set out). For those with allergen issues you have to wait until one of the staff who cooks let's you know what is safe at each meal
Stayed 8 nights in Feb 2024
Response from Caroline S on Mar 25, 2024
Thank you for your kind reviewLooking forward to welcome you again

6/10 Okay

Fareed Shazad

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
A lot of flies at the eating area, Staff isn’t accommodating.
Stayed 7 nights in Jan 2024
Response from Caroline S on Feb 10, 2024
Sorry to read that you did not enjoy your stay.The entire island has this problem unfortunately.Plaza Beach & Dive resort Bonaire is constantly working on her service.We do hope that you will choose Plaza again in the near future so you can experience the positive steps we have made.

8/10 Good

Georgy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 10 nights in Jan 2024
Response from Caroline S on Feb 7, 2024
Thank you so much for your kind review.Hope to see you again in the near future

6/10 Okay

Luciana

Liked: Staff & service
The overall is not bad but the premises need some love.For exemple the rooms are bit up too much for the price,the beds at the beach are disgusting and the some areas inside the property just look abandoned. The new restaurant is beautiful but unfortunately they prepare the food so quick that everything you need to send back to be cooked more.
Stayed 9 nights in Jan 2024
Response from Caroline S on Feb 13, 2024
Thank you for your feedbackWe will discus this within the team.

4/10 Poor

Ronald, Mirannar

Stayed 12 nights in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Shannon

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Loved this resort! Clean and well manicured
Stayed 15 nights in Nov 2023
Response from Guest services on Jan 4, 2024
Thank you so much for your kind reviewPlaza Beach & Dive resort is continuously working to improve her service.Looking forwards to welcome you again in the near future

8/10 Good

brian

Liked: Staff & service, amenities
Great for diving. Hotel room need upgrade. Food was ok. But asked to check out at 11 am instead of 10 am due to flight at 3 and they said it’s $25 an hour extra. I won’t return there.
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ronald Joseph

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great scuba diving within 50 yards of property. Good food. Great Bar. Nice room. Great Value. Food & drinks included. Next to airport. etc. etc.
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Vahe

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Superb location and high standards in a quiet and peaceful environment. We very much appreciated our stay: Food and service are excellent, the dive shop (Toucan) on location is a great plus, and the House Reef is beautiful / a pretty unique advantage of this place. It's a quiet place (discrete background music at the bar/restaurant/pool) and I hope they preserve the quiet nature of this resort.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2023

4/10 Poor

Eric, Longview

Traveled with group
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
No help with luggage after check-in. The parking lot is a fair distance from the rooms and we had bulky dive bags that had to be lugged upstairs. Safe battery immediately died, but they were too busy to fix it. I had to go to the desk to get master key. The A/C isn't strong enough for the room. Can't close bathroom windows.Everything is a hike from the rooms. All in different directions. Only one restaurant, and it has no breeze. Breakfast was good. The bread is great. One bar, at the pool and the staff is horrible and slow. They made horrible drinks. The dive op, Toucan Diving, packs too many divers on boats that aren't really set up for diving. Oh, and we got diarrhea and COVID. We won't go back.
Stayed 8 nights in Aug 2023

4/10 Poor

Elyse Carole

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities
Air conditioning in the rooms is inhumane, hot, and unbearable. Smoking/vaping around the pool, little children go to the bathroom in the pool not wearing pampers, uncaring staff/language barrier, no gym and minimal/low level classes, no shuttle to town (taxis expensive), lack of activities, and construction noise. Positive: Restaurant staff and food, location, safe, snorkeling on site, drinks and pool. Bring a snorkel mask from home, as they charge $10 a day. We would NOT return.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Hennyson

Traveled with family and small children, Traveled with family
Liked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
We would for there to be more workers at the beach club for faster service. There were guests that were helping cleaning the area up because there was only 2 people working while all the rooms were totally filled up. There was not even places for us to book another room that we wanted. That was very disappointing and not great at all for the staff that are working in the heating sun.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

Timothy

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The staff is very friendly. Only food really available in a buffet unless you want pool food. No convinces located on the property or within walking distance. Old AC units that are not strong enough to cover the room.
Stayed 10 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Robert, Fair Play

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
We loved the new bar. The bar tenders were excellent.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Bruce

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
it was a great location right on the beach.... the water was crystal clear and snorkel and diving available with ease.... staff was helpful and pleasant.... would recommend this resort and would return to it if we return to Bonaire
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Yongho

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

8/10 Good

Tami, Waldorf

Traveled with family
Resort is renovating and building a new lobby, reception area which will be beautiful. No noise heard from renovations. Excellent snorkeling & diving from the shore. Bring go pro or underwater camera- amazing marine life One of our rooms had significant mold in the closet, beach towels only at reception, so walking back & forth was annoying, especially when they frequently ran out of towels. Front desk could care less Beach is small, rocky upon entry and coral close to shore; water shoes needed Staff in general are not overly friendly, especially as Americans & especially if not diving, drinking a lot or tipping. The managers of beach bar & the 1 restaurant are very nice & helpful, but beach bar very short staffed so long waits for drinks & food at beach bar was limited & regularly out of stock. Only 1 restaurant which was okay, but 1 night was a la carte with only 2 choices, neither of which were good. Guests should not only have been notified, but should not have to go out to eat at an all-inclusive! Simply have some pasta & marinara or pizza or sandwich/salad bar on those nights.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Gina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2023

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great trip to Bonaire
Our stay at the Plaza Beach and Dive Resort was overall really good. We have been to the resort before and there have been significant updates to the resort itself. The room we stayed in however, had not been updated. The room itself was extremely large, which made it difficult for the small AC unit to cool the room to our liking. After speaking to other guests, this seemed to be a common issue in their rooms as well. The diving and snorkeling off the beach at this resort is awesome, although it is in the "red" zone due to coral disease. However, we saw different varieties of fish, turtles, an eagle ray, and octopi. Service was really good and the food at the daily buffet was plentiful.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Abraham Gijsbert, Gainesville

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Reception staff less friendly, the pool bar staff and kitchen were great
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2023

8/10 Good

Clifford, Belton

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
The resort has great access to the water for snorkeling or diving. The pool is well laid out and clean. They spray for bugs which keeps the areas misquito free - yet thaere are no unpleasant smells. There are spots on the walkways that are chipped and covers that are missing. The layout of the restaurant is such that some of the tables do not get the through breeze and so are uncomfortably hot.
Stayed 9 nights in May 2023
Response from Alex on Jun 8, 2023
Dear Clifford,Thank you very much for your feedback and the review. We are very happy you had a great stay. And of course we are going to work on your feedback. We hope to see you soon in the future.Regatds,Alex

10/10 Excellent

John

Stayed 7 nights in May 2023

8/10 Good

Thomad

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We stayed a week in the beginning of May with my brother and wife and had fantastic time. My brother and wife dive and we snorkel,which was better than expected. Lots to see right off the beach. Food was great and plenty to choose from. Rooms need some work but are huge and clean. They are almost ready to open brand new rooms and lobby, so they keeping up with the times.Overall a great vacation.
Stayed 7 nights in May 2023
Response from Alex on May 15, 2023
Dear Thomad,Thank you very much for your nice feedback. We will work on our rooms to give you an even better experience next time!Regards,Alex

4/10 Poor

Cissie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 5 nights in Apr 2023
Response from Alex on May 22, 2023
Dear Cissie,Thank you for your review. Do you have time to give me some more information about your stay?Regards,Alex

10/10 Excellent

Lynn

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I like that this property is small, easy to navigate, all employees were friendly, helpful, courteous, kind and knowledgeable. The food was quite good, and the theme nights fun. Even though it was fully booked, it didn't feel overcrowded. Our room was very comfortable and we liked the location on the second floor with a pool/ocean view. The pool is beautiful and I like that there is not any chlorine in it. I appreciated the filtered tasty water and the water bottle. The only improvement for me would be fresh brewed coffee, not a fan of instant or the specialty coffee machine. We were able to walk to town and enjoy some local fare and support the local businesses. Plaza Beach could use a boutique for some shopping for me. I look forward to returning to this resort and bringing more friends with us. I saw that they really treated the divers well and was impressed by this. Having 18th Palm site here was also a plus for me as I am an avid snorkeler and I love being able to walk right in from the beach to snorkel when I feel like it. The outside Palm bar was fun and run well. The property is well taken care and was evident every morning. So keep moving forward with the plans for the future and we will gladly come back. Thank you again for the hospitality, We Love Bonaire.
Stayed 9 nights in Apr 2023
Response from Alex on May 16, 2023
Dear Lynn,Thank you very much for your review. I am really happy you had a great time. Your feedback will be discussed internally. And I can already tell you that a boutique will be there when the new entrance is finished. Regards,Alex

10/10 Excellent

betty anne

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I love the fact you can walk into the beach and snorkel right away for hours. Many interesting day trips. I suggest the compass evening cruise and snorkel trip. Its a quiet friendly smaller resort. Walk to town in ten minutes. All the staff are friendly, helpful, and work hard for tourists. The food at the restaurant I feel is top notch, always such a variety for anyone's tastes.
Stayed 6 nights in Mar 2023
Response from Alex on May 16, 2023
Dear Betty,Thank you very much for your lovely comments. We hope we can welcome you an other time again!Regards,Alex

8/10 Good

patricia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This was our second time staying at Vander Valk. Absolutely love the property, staff is so friendly and helpful. It’s a wonderful location, we go for diving, and whether going north or south from the city it’s centrally located. I hope to go back to Bonaire again in a couple years and this would be my first choice of where to stay.
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Terese

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This hotel is the definition of serenity. The view from the ocean side rooms looks like a postcard. The facility isn't glitzy and overly fancy but absolutely perfect for a charming, relaxing stay. The grounds are big enough to get exercise but small enough to easily find your way around. There is a beach large enough to accommodate all guests. We never had an issue finding a chair or sunbed. Swim shoes are a necessity!! The water is calm and beautiful but very rocky. The hotel and is quiet and safe. The staff is very helpful and friendly. Definitely not a party hotel. Most guests are 50 which was perfect for our demographic. The staff is multilingual. Many guests speak Dutch. Its a 20 minute walk into town. We felt absolutely safe making that trek. The food was very good. They had a variety of offerings at every meal. The restaurant staff was wonderful. I highly recommend spending your vacation at this charming, relaxing hotel.
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2023

8/10 Good

Ronald S

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
What we liked: The hotel rooms were large and comfortable. The food was average to good. the staff was great. The pool is beautiful and has terrific beds around it. What we didn't like. The hotel is undergoing construction in various areas, especially at the pool, which was of often noisy at the pool. Other than diving, there is not much to do. Snorkeling is problematic because of the windy weather.
Stayed 14 nights in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Darren Scott

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Everything was just great..We will go back for sure. The snorking by the hotel was great. Food was great and the staff was so nice.
Stayed 7 nights in Jan 2023

8/10 Good

Christopher Adam, Aldie

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Conveniently located. Was there primarily to dive. The buffet meals were a plus not having to worry about parking downtown and looking for a place to eat. Used the onsite dive center to rinse equipment and hang gear. Food option was limited, but again, only there for diving. The walls could have better insulation to minimize noise. Once all remodeling is done and repairs made, should be back on top of places to stay in Bonaire.
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2023

8/10 Good

Linda

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Black mold on the ceiling of our room. Snorkeling was great! Food was very good. I would goback.
Stayed 7 nights in Jan 2023

8/10 Good

Garrison, Plymouth

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Very happy with features of all-inclusive, which is breakfast and lunch and dinner with buffet and freshly prepared options. Also snorkeling gear is included in the all-inclusive. The pool area and beach area and poolside bar were great, with many beach chair and cabanas available. Highly recommend.

10/10 Excellent

therman

8/10 Good

Patrick

Stayed 7 nights in Nov 2022

8/10 Good

Jeffrey

Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Patrick

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2022

8/10 Good

Elizabeth

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The hotel is beautiful, with great access to the sea and a dive area right off your beach. I would say it's a bit of an age difference with travelers. Most of the people are from Holand and have been coming to this hotel for 25 years. If your looking for bit more lively place, maybe try a different resort. This one is geared to the 65 crowd.
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2022

10/10 Excellent

Robert Alan

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Wonderful resort, staff and amenities were amazing. The breakfast buffet was incredible every day. Location was ideal for getting around the island. We went for the driving and it’s centrally located to get to sites both north and south of Kralendijk. The only complaint was a room had obviously not been updated for a time, the doors to the bathroom and toilet would not close properly. But we were OK with that given everything else.
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Catherine Sigrid

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I was very impressed with the hotel. The snorkeling was fabulous right in front and 3 steps into the water. The staff were out of the way friendly. We had a good size room and comfortable beds. The food was ample and tasty with many choices. We enjoyed the beach bar service. My only fault with the place was the shower with no privacy. I will definitely return.
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2022

8/10 Good

Joan Annette, Eureka

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
This was our third stay at the Van der Valk Plaza. They seem to be putting more energy into expanding the resort than maintaining the existing resort. The appearance of the buildings are rather sad and in desperate need of paint and upkeep. We did have issues with our electricity going out due to a leaking air conditioner above us (as well as our own a/c leaking). We also got locked out of our room for about 45 minutes when the battery in our door lock needed replacing. Several of the palapas are in need of repair. There is not enough shaded beach areas close to the bar. In order to find shade if you do not reserve a palapa before 8:00, you have to to go the other end of the resort which is far away from the only bar. The centrally located bar has been removed. Food was great. Staff was great. I am concerned about the ability to accommodate a larger capacity the expansion will bring without impacting ability to enjoy the restaurant, bar, and shaded beach lounging. Not sure if we will be returning to this resort.
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2021

10/10 Excellent

Roland Christian

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We typically never stay poolside at an ocean front resort, however, this pool was too much fun to ignore! The beds available around the pool were so comfortable, we easily tanned and napped in the beautiful sun.
Stayed 14 nights in Sep 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
All was wonderful! Marco greeted us and checked us in! He was sensational! Staff was terrific! Quincy, in the restaurant, along with the waitresses were spectacular! We felt like family the whole time we were there and we stayed for 2 whole weeks. When it was time to leave, we didn't want to depart from our new friends and environment! God bless you all!
Stayed 14 nights in Jun 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with group, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff, location food and the spacious room. Everything was good.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2021
Response from Plaza Beach & Dive Resort - Representative on Apr 6, 2021
We are very happy to hear that you enjoyed your stay. We hope to welcome you as a guest again in the future.