Our trip to the Golden Reef Inn took place July 3rd - 11th. We were 4 adults (all non-divers) and 1 child (6yo.) We chose the GRI after looking at many different lodging choices on Bonaire. This was the second time I have stayed at the GRI, but the first time bringing family. The GRI was again a FANTASTIC place! As this was my 10th trip to Bonaire and I was bringing family along this time, I knew we would not be spending much time in the room. I believe this is the same for most who come to dive. We staying in the 2 bedroom villa. One bedroom had a queen bed, the other, 3 twins, as we had requested. We arrived at the airport and the Inn's rep was there to meet us and set us up with our rental truck which all went smoothly. We arrived at the Inn, which was very quiet due to it being the slow season. We were shown to our room and I can truly say that it was awesome! I was just like having our own house! It was very clean and inviting. Also, while like most of Bonaire, A/C is only in the bedrooms, the owners had turned it on and opened up the bedroom doors and the entire house was cool! There was even a welcome basket of bread, cheese, fruit, etc in the fridge waiting for us. Great touch! Overall, we had a great time on Bonaire and at the GRI. We all, especially the young one, enjoyed the pool they have on-site. It was great to come back to after a day of exploring, snorkeling, sweating, etc...Chilling out on the porch on the hammock they provide was great too. While this location is not on the beach, it was perfect for us. It is located in a neighborhood which meant it was always really, really quiet. I would recommend this place for divers (tanks, rinse, etc all on site,) non-divers, and families. Now, if you are expecting a stay at the Hilton or Hyatt, forget it. This is like staying at home, on vacation. The rooms are clean and cool. The property is super nice. The staff and owners are great! On my next trip to Bonaire I will be sure to stay at the GRI again!

An absolute great value. A whisker off the ocean but no problem. Great dive sites within 5 - 10 minute drive. Room was beyond our expectations, nice kitchen, eating and sitting areas. Personal "back porch" drying area much better than typical stuffy wooden lockers.
Courteous and professional staff and affliation with "Wannadive" another plus. I would make this my only choice on the island and I highly reccomend. Thanks Ed, Liz, and staff.

There were 7 of us who went to Bonaire in April 2009, three couples and a single person. My husband and I stayed in the two bedroom with another couple for two weeks and loved it.

The rooms were just like described on their website. We enjoyed the fact that we felt like we were part of the island - relaxed and taking time to enjoy life.

Gibby - what can I say - he is amazing. He cooks breakfast for you. My husband and I ordered a picnic lunch from Gibby for when we went to the National Park. It was delicious with tuna sandwiches, chips, juices, and fresh fruit.

One morning the 7 of us wanted to eat somewhere that serves local food. Off the Gibby's house we went. We had goat, conch, and igauna - not saying I enjoyed all the food, but it was not due to the cooking. The food was delicious and I would say it truly local flavor.

Several times during our stay, Liz and Ed made sure we were comfortable and asked if there was anythig we needed.

We arrived at an interesting time - several inns had been buglarized, but had been caught. The thieves got in through the sliding doors so that day Ed installed extra lock mechanism to make sure that it could not happen again. They were very up front about it and made the necessary updates.

We know that this can happen anywhere and the fact they were up front about it and made the changes immediately let us know that they truly care for the guests and their safety.

My husband and I did a couples massage from the spa that is associated with GRI - it was delightful. We choose to have it done at their location down the street.

We plan on going back to Bonaire and staying with GRI - we loved it. If you are looking for a fancy place, then this is not for you. If you are divers who want a clean place to relax, sleep, and eat then this is the place for you.

We booked this trip and decided to try something new. Lets spend as little as possible. What we got in return was a fantastic vacation. The motel style rooms were very adequate to our needs. Of course some things were outdated, mismatched, and basic, but we were expecting worse. We paid for the cooked to order breakfast, which was very good, but we would not do it again. It just ended up being too much food when we could have easily had cereal, granola, or something small and quick before we headed out for our day of diving. The rooms had everything you could really need. Fully equipped kitchenette, dinette, cable television, and AC in the bedroom. The beds were ok, but make sure you check for and protect yourself from bedbugs. My wife had some bites while we were there, but we assumed they were mosquitoes, as they easily entered our room nightly. We confirmed the bedbugs when we returned home and my wife had over 20 of the same bites on her. We must have brought some home in our clothes or our suitcases. We were lucky enough to have them confined to one room in our home before extermination. Now I cannot say for sure that we got them at the GRI, because we did not see them, but if you research bedbugs you will learn that it can be very difficult to spot an infestation and that they are a problem everywhere, from basic accommodations to luxury resorts, apartments and airlines, from the tropics to NYC. We now take precautions everywhere we travel. Close your suitcases, seal all clothes in plastic bags, and hang everything you can. When you get home do not take your clothes out of the bags until you can wash and dry them. We would definitely stay here again...I repeat definitely stay here again. The diving package is a great value and the owners are wonderful, caring people. We plan to return to Bonaire and the GRI again soon! P.S. make sure you get to eat some of Giby's delicious food whether it be at the BBQ or at his home...it was spectacular.