Van der Valk Plaza Beach & Dive Resort Bonaire All Inclusive

This is our 4th stay at the Plaza in the last 6 years. We were upgraded to a Grand Suite upon or arrival. Nice! Well we thought so until we used the shower. There is a definite lack of a glass enclosure. Only glass on the front side and nothing on either sides of the shower. As a consequence, our shower flooded the floor with each shower. This resulted in the water flowing downhill into our bathroom and flooding it. After mopping up using several towels to soak up the floor we opted to be moved to the new apartment area for an upgrade of $100 a night. We were very excited about the area and the new room. When we got to the room, we discovered that it was all European outlets of 240 V with no US outlets of 110 V. Although the Plaza is all inclusive, our room had a kitchen… WHY???Clearly it was not well thought out, one large stock pot. No other pots and pans, knives and forks. Our belief was that the sofa must make into a bed. It has a slight downward angle and when sitting on it and you tend to slide off of it. We didn’t find the furniture in the apartment to be comfortable at all. There is a an island that appears to have an area where it would be possible to sit to eat a snack or perhaps that dinner you cooked in the one big stockpot. However, unfortunately, there are no barstools in order to do that. There is also a large window in the kitchen area that has no blind on it. So in order to not get caught running down the hall naked, you have to open the door to the shower /sink area to block anyone from seeing you from going to the bathroom from that window at night. The one bedroom was extremely small with very little storage area and one drawer. Every time you get up to go to the bathroom at night, a very annoying light flipped on in the hallway and shines into the bedroom. Then the bathroom light comes on, only for a little bit, so be quick or be prepared to wiggle around a lot to make it come back on. The television works when it wants to, there is spotty WiFi, we didn’t have any hot water, and there was no way to call the front desk, because there’s no phones. There are no “Do Not Disturb” signs so the room cleaning staff starts knocking around 8:00 AM to go into your room. Sorry, I’m on vacation. Was hoping to sleep in to at least 9:00 AM. The first day that I did let them in, I stood in the shower/sink area as the floor was mopped and out the door they went. I had to use the shower mat to make my way across the floor to keep from my shoes leaving dirty prints were they cleaned. As far as the food goes, it wasn’t bad, although there were repeats of many of the same foods and a lack of lettuce. We only had lettuce the first two days of our stay. They were lacking wait staff and plates stayed on our table for long periods as well as having a difficult time getting drinks or water refills. The uncleared plates were attracting the birds who routinely fly in and snatch items off your plate. There are two gentlemen who patrol back-and-forth with water guns to shoot them and scare them away. The birds don’t seem to care. Seemed to us, the birds gathered together, had a conference, made a plan and mapped out the best way to break into the restaurant. It was really kind of comical. If we return to the Plaza again we would probably keep with a Junior Suite. Although those rooms are dated, I could plug in my American hairdryer and curling iron as well as our phone chargers. Oh, and not flood our room. Oops and there actually are knifes and forks in the kitchen. They hide them in a cleverly concealed area above the coffee, cups and saucers!

We recently stayed here with a group of over 30 people and unfortunately, the experience did not live up to expectations—especially for the price of $3,475 per week per room. The rooms themselves were poorly maintained: holes in the walls where the ac unit was connected , no screens on the windows, windows will not open or close, doors that didn’t close properly with crack around the door frame, and underperforming air conditioning made it uncomfortable, especially in the summer heat. The holes and crack allow bugs to come in and bite you while you sleep, but fortunately they have a can of insecticide for each room. For the price, we expected much better upkeep and attention to basic guest comfort. The pool area was also a concern. Despite posted rules, staff did not enforce them, leading to an environment that felt like aesthetics were more important than guest comfort. It’s clear that ownership is more focused on appearances than actual guest experience or comfort. It’s also hard not to wonder about how the staff is treated. Staff may not be paid a livable wage—while ownership continues to profit off guests staying in substandard conditions. This was a big trip for our group, and we had high hopes. Unfortunately, we’ll likely be looking elsewhere next time.

I had an absolutely terrible experience at the Plaza Beach and Dive Resort. During my stay, someone broke into my room and stole over $1500 worth of my dive equipment, including my dive computer. When I reported the theft, the staff was shockingly unhelpful. After reporting this to the front desk, I did not hear from management, security, or anyone, until 2 days later when I went back to the front desk and ask for an update. After finally speaking to management, instead of taking the situation seriously, they dismissed my concerns and suggested that I must have left the door open or even blamed me for possibly forgetting my equipment at home, questioning my integrity and honesty. Not only did they show a lack of care or concern for my stolen items, but their rude attitude made the situation even worse. I expected at least some empathy or support during such a distressing experience, but I received none. The hotel clearly prioritizes profits over guest safety and satisfaction. I would not recommend staying here at all. Save your money and find a place that values its guests!