Bonaire: Harbour Village (February 2005)

My spouse and I stayed at Harbor Village Beach Club/Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club for 3 nights in late February 2005. The property is positioned on a four-acre peninsula on Bonaire with a secluded private beach and a five-star diving center. Enjoy lush gardens, a picturesque marina, and a private white-sand beach. The property features a sand beach lined with swaying palm trees surround charming rooms and suites. The beach offers a peaceful escape with hammocks for napping and lounging, complimentary lounge chairs and beach towels, and beach service from La Balandra Restaurant. The Kasa Coral pool, located beachside, is another peaceful retreat for sunbathing and swimming. The hotel has its own dive shop and dive boat, and the hotel has its own wreck sunk near a coral reef (called "Something Special") just across the harbor entrance.

The hotel is made up of a series of villas and apartments of 2 and 3 stories. The beach front rooms are excellent and have great views, but the Marina rooms are less expensive. Offering a blend of island charm and luxurious comforts, the rooms and beachfront suites reflect the casual elegance of the Dutch Caribbean. Decorated in European Colonial Plantation style with teakwood furniture and tiled floors, all accommodations are located just steps from Harbour Village’s private beach. Rooms feature sea, courtyard, or marina views.

One night we dined at “Chez Lucille”, which is a torch-lit dinner on the beach. In addition to whatever you choose to order from the a la carte menu, you pay $10 per person for the set-up fee to dine on the beach. La Balandra is another dining option at Harbor Village, where you seem to dine on the deck of a ship. Vespucci at the marina offers lunch only.

Nearby dining includes the Sunset Terrace and Beach Hut (at the Sunset Beach Hotel), Mango’s (formerly the Green Parrot), Lion’s Den (formerly Rumours), Den laman (at the Sand Dollar), Bongos (at Eden Beach Resort).

Our early-morning airport transportation never showed up, and repeated telephone calls were fruitless. We egan walking to the airport in the dark (although on a sidewalk), when a kind local spotted us and gave us a ride. We later complained to Harbor Village, who sent us roses when we arrived back home in the US as an pology.