The Bellafonte - Luxury Oceanfront Hotel

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AMAZING staff & unit !
Beautiful snorkeling!
Friendly guests.
Relaxing quiet & beautiful
Going back for my 5th tme next year !

A completely wonderful experience, and my second time visiting. I cannot wait to return again! Very peaceful - truly a quiet oasis!

We had the most wonderful experience at the Bellafonte in Bonaire. The amenities are fantastic and the dock is incredible. The reef directly from the dock is great for snorkeling or diving and the location of the Bellafonte in relation to stores, restaurants, etc. is perfect! There is a weekly happy hour on Thursdays and they serve food, wine and/or beer. The front desk will help with restaurant reservations, getting taxis or even picking up your groceries. If you sit on the dock during the day, most likely you will be served appetizers. The condo we stayed in was immaculate. It included all kitchen gadgets if you decide to stay in an cook a meal. Highly, highly recommend this hotel.

Best Bonaire hotel experience so far! Outstanding and friendly staff with first class service. Hospitality of the highest standard, rarely surpassed. Exquisit Rooms and superb cleaning crew!!!
Only minus point, therefore 4 instead of straight 5 ⭐️:
The noise from the construction site next door could have been communicated more effectively to guests in the corporate communications. We were seeking quiet and relaxing days at the pier as well as in our accommodation, that, unfortunately, was not fulfilled…

We had a wonderful time. Staff were great and very attentive to our needs. We will definitely be back. Did a lot of snorkeling and loved it.

My husband and I stayed 2 weeks in Room 205, a 1 BR Senior Suite. It is on the south end of the seocnd floor, so the breeze refreshes the balcony as you enjoy your breakfast looking out over the turquoise water.
We especially liked:
- easy access to snorkel on the reef, where we saw sea turtles, eels (including a very large green moray), lots of fish and corals and sponges
- outdoor shower, locked room for snorkeling equpment, and drying rack for swiming clothes
- well-equiped kitchen
- very tasty food delivered to the room by Bellafonte staff from the restaurant next door (in case you do not want to cook that day)
- easy and close parking
- well-functioning AC and hot water systems
- daily housecleaning (everything was spotless)
- comfortable beds, black-out curtains, quiet area for sleeping
- very nice staff (who even found softer pillows for me)
-
It was difficult to leave. I already miss the sound of the waves breaking on the shore.

Resubmission so I could get the order of pictures right lol.

I can't express to you how great of an experience my partner and I had at the Bellafonte in early November 2025. Between the incredible hotel room and the truly awesome staff, they made our trip so enjoyable and experience with memories we will have for a life time. The staff: Pien, Pien, Lucas, Eva, Reuben, and Stephen were so helpful to the point that I was embarrassed by the level of service. Need to be picked up from the airport? No problem. Need a rental car? They will set it up for you, just stop by the front desk for a set of keys. Trying to dive? Here, we'll connect you with (the also excellent) VIP diving. They would do absolutely anything in their power to help us. I cannot speak more highly of them. We will do our best to remain in touch with them as friends/people because they were all so kind and I truly want their lives to have moments like ours at the hotel. A very special shout out to Pien for recommending a dive where we ended up swimming with turtles for about 30 minutes at the end of the dive! (Salt pier in the morning around 730/8. If you don't dive, you can still hang with them with a snorkel mask and fins.)

We stayed in a senior suite in room 301. Someone else recommended that room explicitly here on trip advisor so I requested it. It was a good tip. It's a corner room on the third floor with great views of all of the western side of Bonaire, Klein Bonaire, and the ocean/dock right out back. If you're reading this far past November 2025, one thing I'd note is that they have some beautiful trees outside of the room that have yet to obscure the view of the ocean, but if they continue to grow, the foliage may limit the views of the ocean directly outside of the room, so heed this warning and don't say I didn't warn you! Pic of view with said trees below) You will still be able to see the ocean and coast of Bonaire even if the front view was blocked.

Also - this was mildly annoying but not the fault of the hotel - there's construction going on next door with drilling/hammering starting between 7/730 everyday. It honestly wasn't THAT bad, but we were concerned at first that we would be hearing construction at the hotel all day everyday. However, given how much we were out of the hotel during the day, it ended up not being an issue. It was intermittent and all of it stopped before sunset and it wasn't specific to this room. I walked around the property it and you could hear the construction everywhere equally. Again, wasn't a deal breaker as it wasn't terrible. Also, being close to the airport meant you could hear the planes take off. That just sounded like someone was vacuuming in another room for a few minutes, so again, not that bad. There were not a ton of flights in/out of Bonaire, so it was saul good, man.

If you can afford it, spring for the Senior! The view of the ocean was incredible. The amenities/kitchen/room had everything we needed to cook all (well, most) of our meals during our stay. That gave us the freedom to spend that extra money on diving.

There is also a private "pier" at the hotel (pic below) with lounge chairs where you can lay down (some are covered with shade) and then jump into the crystal clear perfect water to cool off. Fish swim around it all day (look under the dock for schools of fish) and look out for the large tarpon at night! You can snorkel or dive up and down the coast as the reef is right by the shore as well (this is a feature of all of Bonaire , but it was still cool to have access from our hotel). I was told that one person who went in the morning around 6 AM that they saw a turtle and reef shark somewhere out there. I did not, but hey, passing this sighting along. They work with VIP diving and have air onsite - so no need to go anywhere to get it. There's a closet for hanging dive gear. And, there's a mini infiniti pool for dipping into when you don't feel like getting salty.

The Bellafonte is centrally located so that all dive sites on the west side (best for beginners) are accessible within 15-20 minutes of driving. You're far enough away from town that when a cruise ship comes in, you only have to deal with a handful of annoying tourists throughout the day.

If you're there on Friday to Sunday, MAKE SURE to go get the smoked ribs nearby at "Holy Smoke" Bonaire. (pic below) I think they are open from 4-7 PM only on those days. I THINK. Double check. But, it's just a dutch dude who sits outside his home smoking meats (ribs and turkey legs) all day drinking, then sells em with fries and some sauces. 25 bucks a plate. I recommend trying the peanut butter sauce for the fries because, well, WTF man, we don't get things like that in the states. But honestly, the ribs stand up to the best Kansas City BBQ. If you bring a cute woman with you (my wife is pretty hot) you'll probably get a bigger portion for her. I say this because I can't figure out why she got 1.5x the ribs in her meal than I did and it's the only thing I can think of that made the difference. (Excuse my male patriarchy thinking, please, I say this in jest, but it was true she got way more than me.) It's just a 10 minute walk down the road from the Bellafonte.

We also went to Restaraunt Flora, a two minute walk up the street. All I can say about that place is WOW. It's high end dining at a third of the cost of a Michelin starred restaurant in NYC. The meal blew me away and I was not expecting it at all. This was our last night splurge meal, but for two people, four drinks total, five course tasting menu for me, four course for the lady, plus a starter, it was $310 with tip. I sh*t you not, this would have been an $900 meal in NY. I don't know if that says more about Manhattan or Bonaire, but coming from one of the most expensive cities in the country made Bonaire seem relatively affordable. I would also check this out if you can. Dinner with the tasting menu took two-ish hours, so get an early booking at 6 PM because you'll be there for awhile. I'm sure it could have lasted longer if we wanted it to as they are the Dutch, you know?

Lastly, and you'll get this recommendation from everyone anyway, go have a drink or dinner at Karel's in town for sunset. Hopefully you see the green flash! (google it.) We didn't at Karel's but did the next night. Happened just once for us, but was cool anyway.

Another tip - rent a truck regardless as to whether or not you're diving! There's a lot of off roading to be had, so having a big car makes it great. Also: filling up the gas take as the last step before returning the car is usually a b*ll buster with US prices. But there? Diesel (most trucks) was 98 cents a gallon and unleaded was $1.22. So filling up 30 gallons cost 30 bucks. I was transported back to 1992, which was the last time I remember gas being under a buck 25 a gallon.

We had a wonderful trip. And it was the entire experience that made it so great. But at the center of it all was the wonderful staff at the Bellafonte and the accommodations. I admit, that we could likely have a great experience elsewhere, but given we had an out-of-this-world time there, why mess with the formula? We will be back and when we do, we will 100% be staying there again. Thank you so much for making our trip so special!

El muelle privado desde el que bajar directamente al agua cristalina a nadar y, a la noche , mirar los barracudas.
Las instalaciones, el personal sumamente atento, la posibilidad de alquilar el auto y las excursiones directamente en el hotel, el cocktail de bienvenida...en fin, todo perfecto!!

This was our 1st trip to The Bellafonte and we loved it so much we've already booked our return for next year!

The staff, from GM (Carljin), to front office (Stephan, Pien, Ruben, Lucas, and Pien), to Housekeeping (Nina) were attentive, responsive, friendly, and accommodating. The Weekly Happy Hour is a great way to meet fellow guests and staff members. We were treated to a swim-by by a pod of dolphins right off the dock that was just incredible.

The facilities are very well maintained. Our 1st floor room featured a private garden-like area adjacent to the pool.

We are counting the days until our return!

We are regular annual visitors to Bonaire. We could no longer stay at the house we normally rent so decided to stay at Bellafonte and have a look for another rental. We didn't bother to look further! The staff at Bellafonte are excellent and we really enjoyed the diving from the house dock. (Large green moray, large lobster, midnight blue parrot fish.) We even had a dolphin display during manager's hour; sparkling wine and dolphins in a beautiful resort! Thanks to all the staff and especially Delia our housekeeper. See you next year.

Our 16th time here. Always the best there is. We have stayed at other popular resorts but none compare. The pier is the BEST. Great to just jump in to dive or snorkel. The suites are like being at home. Full kitchen,upgraded bathrooms, and comfortable living space. Your own balcony spacious with dining capabilities and lounge chairs in some. The oceanfront cannot be beat. Cannot recommend any other resort and we wouldn’t stay anywhere else on our favorite Island.

Bellafonte is the ideal place to stay. I was staying with my 16 yr old daughter in a 2 person bedroom with salon. Ocean views were truly amazing. The pier into the water is definitely a unique selling point of the venue. From the pier you dive into an incredible snorkelling world. The rooms and staff have been amazing. Carlijn Vehoef, the general manager had made us feel extra at home with her forthcoming character and studio for late check out on our last day. I would highly recommend Bellafonte as a place to stay! Perfect location on island. Very responsive reception. The pier is unique. The rooms are just what you need. 10 out of a 10.

Everything about our week at the Bellafonte was exceptional! The rooms were spacious, well equipped, comfortable and immaculately cleaned every day. Plenty of air conditioning, hot water, kitchen amenities and towels. The front staff was always helpful, professional and friendly. Loved the easy dock access for snorkeling and comfortable, shaded outdoor lounges. We appreciated their prompt arrangements for a rental car and airport transfers.

This was our first visit to Bonaire and the accommodations at the Bellafonte made our visit perfect!! We will definitely be returning, and staying at the Bellafonte again. The views from the ocean side rooms is amazing, the room was spacious and very clean. Staff was incredibly friendly and attentive. They were happy to provide recommendations to their favorite activities, and answer all my questions. We were walking distance from one of my favorite beaches. The dive lockers were also very convenient.

This was our second stay at the Bellafonte (4th time to Bonaire) and it just keeps getting better! The location is ideal, the views stunning and the condo style room has everything you need!! The deck is huge and you can snorkel or dive from the resort. It’s honestly perfect, so clean, we couldn’t have asked for more. We love the staff, they really do want to make sure you are enjoying your stay. They truly go above and beyond! Especially Daan & Pien (the brunette, there are 2 of them lol). We’re already planning our trip for next year!

We stayed at the Bellafonte for four nights in September and holy goodness was it spectacular. The front desk was extremely friendly, great recommendations and so helpful. The rooms were well equipped, and in great shape with a spectacular view of the ocean. The pier was lovely and a great place to hang out. Snorkeling and diving straight from the hotel was amazing and easy. Overall, a wonderful experience and highly recommend.

everything was excellent, the staff was extremely friendly, the suite was superbly equipped, the view was unforgettable.
We will definitely be back