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Reviews of Sand Dollar Bonaire

4 out of 5
Sand Dollar Bonaire
Kaya Gob N Debrot 79, PO Box 262, Kralendijk, Bonaire

Reviews

8.4

Very Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 30 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 18 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 12 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 4 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 64 reviews" "

8.6/10

Cleanliness

8.2/10

Staff & service

8.8/10

Amenities

7.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Sand Dollar Condominiums offer the perfect base of operations for a diving vacation in Bonaire. Dive Friends has a branch on the property offering rental equipment, tanks, weights, snorkeling gear - everything you might need. They also offer PADI training courses with knowledgeable, highly skilled instructors. There is a fine restaurant on the property and others within walking distance. The condos are beautifully designed with excellent kitchen appliances and dinnerware provided. The unit I rented was decorated with photos and objects reflecting the natural environment of Bonaire. There are pegs on the patio wall to hang wet diving gear. The patio was screened and had perfect furnishings allowing relaxing interludes. There was a large-screen TV and the owner even provided some of the standard reference books on Caribbean marine life. I cannot imagine a better rental unit for the traveling diver -- everything was perfect!
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2024
Response from Ilsa on Apr 12, 2024
Thank you for choosing Sand Dollar for your vacation! We're so pleased to hear that you enjoyed all the amenities of the property. Each rental apartment is also the second home for the owner, and they are decorated with love and care. We hope B12 felt like your home during your stay. We hope to see you again soon!

10/10 Excellent

Richard

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Haven't stayed at the Sand Dollar for about 5 years but was pleasantly surprised that the whole resort seemed to be tidier and better kept. The unit we stayed in was clean, towels were fresh and generally the service was friendly and helpful. It would appear that they must have new management since I last visited and they are most definitely on top of things. We'll be back.
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2024
Response from Ilsa on Jan 18, 2024
Thank you for choosing to return to Sand Dollar! With everywhere becoming increasingly busy, we aim to keep the spaciousness and serenity the same as years ago, while ensuring the apartments and amenities are renovated to today's standard! We're so glad you enjoyed it and hope to see you again before another 5 years pass!

10/10 Excellent

Ryan

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Fantastic week in Bonaire and at Sand Dollar!
Stayed 5 nights in Jan 2024
Response from Front Office Sand Dollar on Jan 9, 2024
Hi Ryan! Thanks so much for your review, we are so glad you had a fantastic stay with us. We hope to see you in soon in the near future!

4/10 Poor

Lori

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Room comfort
Stayed 16 nights in Sep 2023
Response from Ilsa on Oct 13, 2023
We're sorry you gave Sand Dollar a poor rating. We know you are a repeat guest and part of your experience is using the swimming pool next door, owned and operated by Eddy's Restaurant. It's unfortunate they were having issues with the pool during your stay. Despite the pool not being something managed by Sand Dollar, we understood the importance of the pool to your experience and refunded the full amount for the remainder of your stay so you could move elsewhere and get the vacation of your expectations. We felt we parted on good terms and are disappointed to see a poor rating based on something not managed by the Sand Dollar team.

10/10 Excellent

Katrina

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The Sand Dollar Condos (E9) provided us with a very pleasant stay for our first time in Bonaire. The staff were all friendly and attentive, the view from our back porch was incredible, and the dining options nearby were all delicious (Eddy's, Panino's and Doner Station, to name a few). We will definitely return to Sand Dollar when we vacation again on Bonaire.
Response from Front Office Sand Dollar on Jun 10, 2023
Hi Katrina!Thank you so much for your review, we are so happy you enjoyed your stay with us and we hope to see you in the near future again!

10/10 Excellent

Terri

Liked: Cleanliness
Good location and plenty of room
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2022
Response from Front Office Sand Dollar on Jun 10, 2023
Thank you for your review, we are glad you enjoyed our beautiful apartment!

10/10 Excellent

hang

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Our unit was clean and very well stocked daily essentials. The screened porch was a blessing and we were right next to the dive shop and diving pier. It was a great stay!
Response from Ilsa on Dec 6, 2022
Thank you for choosing Sand Dollar for your vacation! We're so glad that you had a great stay and hope we'll be seeing you again soon!

10/10 Excellent

eileen

Liked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Wonderful, quiet, had everything I needed for a perfect stay. Updated kitchen, large bathroom with vanity/drawers, screened in balcony with views of the ocean and palms. Able to snorkel right out in front of condo complex with easy ocean access. Can't wait to return!
Stayed 10 nights in Oct 2022
Response from ILSA on Nov 2, 2022
We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed all the special amenities that make up Sand Dollar. Our first-time guests are always amazed by how good the snorkeling is, right in front of their apartment! We hope to see you again soon!

10/10 Excellent

Mary

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2022
Response from ILSA on Nov 2, 2022
Happy you had a great trip, Mary! We hope to see you again.

10/10 Excellent

Eric

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed one week March 2022 in unit D14. Fantastic experience! The condo had everything one could possibly want; from kitchen appliances/odds & ends, to a scuba related library. The large, airy, screened balcony also had a sturdy rod for hanging lots of dive gear to dry (and included numerous specialty hangers). It is a short walk to the "Dive Friends" facility and dock for boat trips or Bari Reef. Rinse tanks, showers, etc. are provided on the dock & closer to the parking lot for shore divers. The onsite pool & restaurant are also very nice.
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2022
Response from ILSA on Apr 6, 2022
Thanks for the detailed review. Each of our apartments are individually owned, most of them by scuba divers. The owners really try to put a lot of thought into providing every convenience that they think is needed. So glad you enjoyed D14 and hope you'll be back again (you are always welcome to request specific apartments too!)

10/10 Excellent

Jacqueline

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Location, location, location!!! Just a few steps to Bari Reef and a short swim to 2 to 3 more dive sites. It's a shorediver's paradise!
Stayed 9 nights in Mar 2022
Response from ILSA on Apr 6, 2022
It truely is. Our guests are always amazed at how good and how much marine life they see just a few steps from their apartment. Happy you had a great time!

10/10 Excellent

Evgeny

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Ideal for my purposes – the house reef is perfect for easy diving
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2022
Response from Ilsa on Apr 6, 2022
24/7 easy diving on an amazing reef! So glad you enjoyed it!

8/10 Good

Kari Jill

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
We had a great time. The swimming area in the ocean is phenomenal for snorkeling. They do not have a swimming pool. The restaurant has very odd hours and was never open when we wanted lunch. The primary purpose for us staying there was to get our kids PADI certified and that was great they just had to walk to the dive shop. We will be back. Very few amenities but we did not miss it.
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2021

6/10 Okay

Patrick

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
The view of the ocean was very nice.
Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2021

10/10 Excellent

David

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff were very helpful, kind and accommodating.
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2021
Response from Ilsa on Jan 1, 2022
We're so glad you enjoyed the Sand Dollar community. We would love to welcome you back again.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with group, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Location is perfect and the fact that it had a kitchen was a plus. The screened in porch is wonderful and quite spacious. Easily another living area!. Staff at this property is very friendly. It is an older property, and some of the units have not been update, some have. My biggest issue was the furniture was very dated and uncomfortable and the mattress was like a board. Everything was clean and that was nice.
Stayed 7 nights in Jan 2020
Response from Ilsa on Jan 25, 2020
Thank you for taking the time to review your condo. We feel our location and spaciousness (both inside and outside) is what sets us apart from any other accommodation on Bonaire. We're sorry the decor was not to your liking. Since each condo is uniquely decorated, we will be more than happy to help you choose one more to your liking for the next visit! Hope to see you again soon.

10/10 Excellent

Rick Z.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great place
Second time back. Will be again.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Even though fully booked, you barley see people. It is so quiet, no kids around. Beautiful.
Stayed 7 nights in Nov 2019
Response from Ilsa on Dec 10, 2019
While the Sand Dollar complex consists of 85 condos, less than half are rented. The others are occupied by their owners for a brief time only through out the year. This low occupancy, combined with our large gardens and ocean frontage, creates an atmosphere of space and tranquility. It's part of what makes Sand Dollar such a special place and we are so pleased you appreciated and enjoyed it. Thanks for the review and we hope we'll be seeing you again soon!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I would like to give it a bad review just for the reason that it remains available for us. Seriously we enjoyed the stay so much. The property is not this high class 5 star resort but a privately held apartment. Not the newest, not the best, but absolutely cozy, not too loud (you barely see people even though it was fully booked). Reception is so lala. You have 3 dive sites in reach from the property. Dive shop is good too.
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2019
Response from Ilsa on Aug 30, 2019
Sand Dollar puts you right where you want to be! We're so pleased you enjoyed yourself and hope to see you back again soon!

10/10 Excellent

lauryn, Colorado

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Sand Dollar Condo
Great condo and a great location. Everything we needed was available and close by. Thanks for a great stay.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Marlys P., Midwest

Great place.
We have come to Bonaire many times over the years. Sand Dollar is always our first choice of places to stay if it is available. Dive Friends Bonaire provides the the best service with I believe 6-7 locations to pick up tanks. They have a shop at the Sand Dollar so we can pick up a tank off the dock and jump in the water. It’s a great dive site too. The condos are well stocked and have maid service a couple times per week.
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent for Divers
This is a perfect place for divers! Right next door, is Dive Friends Bonaire, which is a great dive shop. You can use the dock right there to dive Bari Reef, which is absolutely phenomenal. There's even snorkeling right outside the door that is unreal. The studio has a fold up bed which is not the most comfortable, but the square footage was good for a studio. We had some issues with the hot water and internet but when you are on vacation in the tropics, those are not a big deal. The kitchen had all the accessories we needed and we were happy to prepare some lunches and dinners in the room. All in all, you can't beat the value of this hotel. If you are looking for a dive vacation, this is an ideal hotel!
Stayed 7 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Condo Mgr on Feb 13, 2019
Thank you for the review. We are extremely proud of our house reef out front of the resort and are very happy that you enjoyed your time out there. We try to make sure our guests have a good stay and we will make sure to be in touch with our internet provider to rectify the issue. Hopefully the hot water issue was solved while you were here. We hope to see you return in the near future so you can again enjoy our little piece of paradise.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Spacious condo near the beach. Very quiet with an amazing view. Away from the hustle.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2018

8/10 Good

judy, RI

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Easy access to water down stairs into the water
This was our third year at Sand Dollar. It was an unusually windy year but the sea wall provided protection from the East wind so snorkeling was always possible. We saw turtles, eagle spotted rays and many , many fish.
Stayed 20 nights in Feb 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great amenities and location. Unbelievable views of nightly sunsets. Condo had everything we needed.
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2018

10/10 Excellent

Lydia T.

Beautiful location, nice condo
Our unit was on the end, spacious, nice view and porch. The location is lovely and quiet.
Stayed 5 nights in Jan 2018

8/10 Good

Colette, Arkansas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Great place to dive or snorkel
We had a pleasant surprise of an upgrade when we got there. Had issues with the refrigerator and had to deal with messy repair process. The ocean view and ocean access were amazing!
Stayed 14 nights in Jan 2018

6/10 Okay

Sharon, Trinidad

Disliked: Cleanliness
I saw another room a friend of mine stayed in so hence the reason for me saying that I would recommend it. Their room was updated and cleaner and bright and nice.
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2017
Response from Debby Rauwers on Nov 24, 2017
Thank you for your feedback on your room and thank you for mentioning our perfect location! Indeed we still have a few units that are not completely updated yet, but we are working hard on updating all the units. Starting 2018 all the bathrooms will be updated and we continue with updates in 2018. If you make a new reservation with us we advice you to ask for an updated unit, that way you will not be disappointed! Thank you for staying with us!

8/10 Good

Bruce, Trinidad and Tobago

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel with all the comforts of home
A true home away from home! Our room contained all the amenities that made our stay so comfortable and enjoyable. We will definitely be back!
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
great location, needs updating
View and access to water and Bari Reef really good. Unit we stayed in was in need of updating. Staff pleasant and helpful.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Great location, wonderful place to snorkel!
We were able to walk right out the door, walk down steps into the water and snorkel in a wonderful area called "the aquarium". Lots of good restaurants within walking distance. Only complaint was closet doors, slider and screen were not working well and were hard to open and close.

4/10 Poor

Jeff, Boones Mill, VA

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disappointed
This condo complex is about 40-50 years old and it looks it. When we arrived (late November), the timing was not considered "High season". The weeds around the building and all over the property were 12" to 18" tall, concrete is broken, parking lots was mud and pot holes. The whole property needs a face lift.

10/10 Excellent

Larry, US

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Spacious rooms
The snorkeling next to the beach is excellent. Maid service is infrequent as expected in a condo resort.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location, quiet area, close to shops and restaurants

6/10 Okay

Lois, Santa Fe

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
OK, nothing special
Condo was OK; clean, adequate kitchen wares, AC in bedrooms kept us cool. We requested a first floor unit and they obliged, however we weren't told of the complete remodel job directly overhead. You'd think with over 100 units, and I only counted eighteen cars in the lots, they could find another unit for us, or at least give us warning.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The beach was ok. I kept saying to myself "I bet this used to be beautiful". Compared to other places that we snorkeled this was very nice. The pool was awful but not really necessary here. We had a not so good room. It was just adaquate. Would have been nicer to be able to pick our room. We had a good time but the room was not the greatest F17.

10/10 Excellent

Yvonne, ALABAMA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
WONDERFUL TRIP
FIRST TIME USING HOTEL.COM , WONDERFUL SERVICE. HOTEL WAS GREAT. I WOULD USE SERVICE AGAIN.

6/10 Okay

Gail, Dingmans Ferry, PA

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness
Convenient location on the water
Convenient location on the water just north of town. We rented three units for seven people and the decor and quality of the air conditioning varied greatly. The front desk was friendly and helpful but the pool was murky and housekeeping (2 times/week) was basic. If you are looking for a luxury stay go elsewhere, but if you go to Bonaire to snorkel or dive (as we did) the Sand Dollar is a good choice.

10/10 Excellent

Ken and Julia, Manitoba

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The complex is by Bari reef
Sand Dollar is composed of seven 2story apartment buildings having one, two or three bedroom units. It is difficult to assess all the units because each is privately owned and is subject to individual tastes in furnishing etc. We had was a one bedroom unit. It was spacious, clean and well maintaned. There is a restaurant on site which serves lunch and dinner. A dive site offers everything a diver needs. All in all we would definitely return.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Beautiful setting
Loved location, quietness, fantastic diving reef. Was outdated, no blow dryer or outlets in bathroom, refrigerator not working correctly. Had free internet service about 5 out of 7 days.Loved cooking breakfast and kitchen facilities. Loved private patio. Beautiful birds, iguanas wandering around. Sea turtles behind hotel. Would return but would check out appliances right away.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Some upside but too much down!
Staff was very nice but they have to be since they are dealing with so many complaints. While I was there, the shower area stopped draining, the wireless did not work at all and we ended up locked up in the room for almost an hour as there was no way out when the doorknob refused to work. The beds were very uncomfortable as well and sitting outside for wireless meant getting eaten alive by mosquitos! I have stayed in Bonaire many times and this was my worst trip ever in terms of having to deal with a resort. Pre communications were slow and repetitive as they never seemed able to answer all questions in one e-mail and we ended up getting horribly over charged for the truck rental they arranged for us. We also overpaid for the room

6/10 Okay

Hal, Bucks county, PA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Not a bad place but there's better choices
Basically a nice place, but the common areas are a bit run-down and the pool and restaurant area are dated. We used the pool once, it was a bit dirty. The common areas do NOT have a "resort" feel as does Eden or Plaza Resort but to be fair, the Sand Dollar units are condos, not a hotel. The unit itself was clean, the AC worked (although a bit loud since the fan setting worked on med and high only). The patio screen door was off its track, which I notified office of and it was not fixed while we were there (a week). I didn't care enough to go back to the office to complain, just didn't want to be responsible for whatever caused it. Shower drain was very slow, didn't bother telling office. I liked it BUT I can't recommend it since I've seen Plaza Resort and Eden, which have a resort look and feel. I'm sure there is a cost difference, but I will consider that when we return.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Nice place – does the job!
Each unit is very different since they are privately owned. Ours was very tastefully furnished and clean. Bathrooms were dated, but functional. Staff very friendly and helpful.

8/10 Good

Paul, Albuquerque, NM

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Quiet condo on a great dive site
Our unit was very spacious and comfortably furnished. We loved the large screened in patio. If you opened the front door you had a breeze through the unit and we did not need the A/C. Because it is a condo and some unit we owner occupied it was very quiet. The downside was that there was little social activity but you can walk to clubs like Spice or Rum Runner. We loved the onsite dive shop run by Dive Friends. Highly recommend.

8/10 Good

Keith, oklahoma

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Refreshing Stay in Paradise.
We were a little put off at first with our Room which was a Studio with a very hard bed. The staff offered us 3 other options and we found that all 3 were better than the 1st. I would stay here again because the staff went out of their way to make sure our stay was special. The snorkeling was some of the best we had ever done, its easy to get to. Some of the best is right in front of the condos and the rest you can drive to or catch a boat to Kline Bonaire. I would recommend Eddy's to eat at it is part of the property and they have great food to choose from and a pool to relax around. We will return to Bonaire and would not hesitate to stay at the Sand Dollar on future Visits.

10/10 Excellent

mijanou, aruba

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good location
It was super very good.

8/10 Good

Phillip, Mississippi

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice condo and dive staff!
booked the studio room at first we thought it was small. The staff moved us to a nice 1 bedroom with no problems, just a little more money. nice pool area with a bar/ resturant and another bar/resturant next to on site dive shop. we only made shore dives but they have 2 boats a 6 pack boat and maybe a 12 pack boat both with twin outboards. The condo will give each person a clean beach towel each day. Both on site resturants have good breakfast, lunch and dinner. When diving the south part of the island Lac Bay has a cool place for lunch between dives. My wife and I loved the southend of the island, remote beach areas!

10/10 Excellent

Pat, Shakopee, MN

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Sand Dollar Condminiums
First time staying in a condominium and found it rather nice. We stayed in to eat rather than always searching for food. Saved considerably. Lovely screened balcony was perfect for outside eating. Bathroom shower - hot water fabulous. The walk to the pool seemed rather long some days but there was hardly ever anyone there so we had that to ourselves. Sunset Restaurant was so nice sitting right on the water and having a meal. Everything worked for us.

6/10 Okay

Lani, St. Paul, MN

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Sand Dollar -- decent value, not posh
We actually spent a week with friends in a two-bedroom unit that was privately rented and frankly in need of a lot of updating and a deep clean. After their departure, we moved to this studio unit managed by the complex. Very nice and clean, well maintained and updated. Overall the complex could stand a bit of sprucing, but still a good value.

8/10 Good

Judy, Brooklyn, NY

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
"User Friendly" Diving in a Relaxing Atmosphere
My husband and I had a lovely studio apartment (I guess you would call it that) overlooking the water and over to Klein Bonaire. We appreciated having a full kitchen and being able to have a simple breakfast or lunch without always having to go out to eat. The dive operation is well organized and very "user friendly", making it simple to grab a tank and your gear and go out for a dive at any time of the day or night. The grounds are well kept and spacious. Not a place to stay if you're looking for "action" and lots of night activity - but great for a relaxing vacation.