Harbour Village Beach Club

We spent a week at Harbor Village. There are some pros and cons to this property. Pros: nice little house reef. We saw a variety of fish, including a spotted eel. Very quiet beachfront- no need to save seats at the crack of dawn. Walking distance to some good restaurants and a 45 minute walk to town. Our beachfront villa was very large and the housekeeping staff was great. Cons: the restaurant was ok. Service extremely slow and a limited menu. Beach service is advertised but not really monitored so you really need to go up to the bar and order. Our room, 322 was on the 2nd floor & on the corner. At first it seemed like a nice spot but….the pool was on one side and very loud in the afternoons. People are enjoying themselves which is what vacations are about but if you enjoy sitting on the deck and enjoying some peace and quiet, this is not the room for you. Also the mattress is very soft & uncomfortable. We don’t like to complain but if a firm mattress is important to you, inquire about the mattresses.

Our family had a great overall experience at Harbour Village Resort. We dive certified on site (see my separate review of Great Adventures dive shop) and could not have had a better experience—so that really was a bonus. You could not find a more convenient resort to dive from. Each morning we walked less than 5 minutes to breakfast then less than 5 minutes to the dive shop. The resort also has its own harbour and dive boats. The beach has plenty of lounge chairs and hammocks (NEVER had to fight for a spot even on New Year’s week). The restaurant—La Balandra—has good food 4/5 stars, but 5/5 atmosphere. It is shaped like a wooden boat and all the seats are close to the water. You can watch the sunset, the boats come and go, and look at all the fish swimming in the turquoise waters right next to you. Our beach view suite was comfortable. Somewhat dated, but had everything we needed. I would give the room 4/5 stars overall. However, during our stay we had an issue with our room that required us to move. This is where the customer service of Harbour Village really stood out—special shout out to Sytze and Jorge! They were fully booked in their regular rooms since it was New Year’s week, but the management moved our family into two brand new apartments on the property that had not been used. They really went out of their way to make up for the issue in the room. Of course, we were no longer beachside so we were properly discounted for the inconvenience and location which I found to be satisfactory. Things happen and life isn’t perfect, but the way the staff took care of us in this situation is what really stood out to me. I would definitely recommend Harbour Village to anyone visiting Bonaire.

This was our second time in Bonaire and there was no doubt in my mind, we would stay Harbour Village. There are so many other places we will visit but when we want peace and quiet, this will be it. We came for a milestone birthday, the staff did everything for us, from arranging airport transportation and we say the friendliest face picking us up, Huntley. He was the same gentleman that greeted us last time and he remembered us. He said welcome home. We were greeted again by Sietze and Shainyn, who were and still are incredible host and genuine in their welcome. The rooms are very clean, the entire property for that matter is well kept. I spent a lot of time in the beach, you wouldn’t think there are birds around, the chairs, the hammocks, the beach, everything is always impecable. We wanted to explore so rented a car for the day, we never had to leave to get the car, it was brought to us and picked up at the hotel. Driving in Bonaire was not as bad as I thought it was going to be either. The hotel staff recommended Loc Bay, it’s a must see. The most beautiful place I’ve even seen, we passed the flamingo sanctuary and a few donkeys along the way. For my birthday, hubby arranged for flowers to be sent to our room, they were just gorgeous. We also booked massages, it was also amazing. First time we came to the island and Harbour Village, we just went for walks downtown which was easy and beautiful. We had all our meals at the Balandra on the property for every single meal, we tried this time only lunch outside of the property which was ok. We wound up doing all of our meals again at the Balandra and again it was amazing. Every single meal was made to perfection with fresh ingredients every single time. A special thanks to Claudia, she was here last year as just as sweet and attentive as she was then. Silas was such a gentleman very attentive, my favorite thing was each meal he would say “I have some delicious (insert meal) for you, enjoy and always stopped to say hello and check on us. Manuk at the Balandra was also very sweet and attentive. On our first night I didn’t quite want a full desert but wanted something sweet, she gave me a few green tea packets and lotus cookies (coffee cookies) and that become my daily treat, each night especially on my birthday she made sure I left with cookies when she heard we watched movies at night. If you’re like us and just keep to yourself on vacation, a great recommendation is to bring your own Roku or fire stick and hook it up in the room. Last but not least, my favorite thing was each day after being on the beach, I’d end the day in the pool, which was always clean. I would just float under the open clear skies for almost an hour each day, this became a ritual. The first time we came, I thought it was pricey but let me tell you, worth every single penny. This was and continues to be luxurious, relaxing, peaceful and just above and beyond.

This was my first visit, and let's just say it was the most relaxing vacation I have ever had. If all you want to do is rest in the sun or shade, read, swim, snorkel or dive, this is the place for you. Our "room" was a large suite with bedroom, living room, kitchenette, large bathroom and balcony. It was perfect. The staff was nice, gracious and very helpful. If you want causal this is the place for you. My only complaint is that I wish the restaurant's menu had changed a bit beyond the daily specials during our seven-day visit, but we did make it to some other off-site very good restaurants. Would highly reommend Bina next door. Can't wait to return.

What a gem! From initial reservations booked directly with resort staff thru checkout, this resort met and exceeded our every expectation. ALL staff are professional, welcoming, friendly and informative. This is our first stay at Harbour Village and we are saving up for our next stay later this year. Great Adventures Bonaire is a first-class dive center/water sports operation and also one of the very best. This is an amazing resort on Bonaire and one of the best in the Caribbean!

Beautiful site with lush gardens and excellent dive center. Nice restaurant over the beach where you could watch tarpon swim from your table. Great staff and clean comfortable rooms.