Just a short walk from downtown Kralendijk is SunRentals Bonaire’s cozy, island-style apartment complex. As the last stop of our ABC island tour, our 3-day stay at SunRentals gave us the much-needed wind-down we needed before returning home. If you’re planning a trip to the island of Bonaire, continue reading below for an in-depth review of this tropical rental property!

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“Close to town…closer to paradise!”

If I were to describe SunRentals Oceanfront Apartments in one word, it would be #islandvibes (yes, no space, hashtag included).  The apartment complex features 13 newly renovated units, each with sea views and overlooking its community pool/terrace. The building itself is brightly painted in yellow, blue and turquoise to complement its tropical surroundings.

The property has both one- and two-bedroom apartments. It also has a penthouse! Most of the units have twin beds, but if you’re keen on more sleeping space, king beds are available upon request. SunRentals also offers rental phones, help with activity reservations, babysitting services and car rental coordination. The hotel works with Budget and actually arranged our car rental for us before our arrival. This was really helpful, as we were able to make sure a suitable car was held for us. It was also really convenient, as we were able to process the payment at SunRentals’ front desk. (Side note: With tax and full insurance included, we paid USD57 per day.)

Each unit has cable TV and an electronic safe. I know a lot of people are extra conscious about security. It’s important to note that the safes are pretty small, so only your passports, money and small items (e.g., jewelry) can fit. The complex is pretty safe, so leaving our valuables unlocked in our rooms was not a huge concern. But if you’re traveling with a lot of larger valuables (e.g., cameras, laptops, etc.) and would prefer to keep them locked, you could probably leave them with the front desk while you’re out for peace of mind. Speaking of security, the front, back and sides of the complex are gated. The front gate is locked after 7:00 p.m. and the back and side gates are almost always locked and accessible by key only. However, the side gates may be left unlocked during the day while people are sitting out or using the pool. I’ve listed some of the property’s other notable features below:

* On-site dive shop * Central location * Sea views! * Private sea-facing balconies in each unit * Large, fully equipped kitchen * Really good WiFi

* Air-conditioned bedrooms * Pool * Tropical terrace * Clean and comfortable furnishing * Daily housekeeping * Next-door gym

Walking into our two-floor apartment, I was happy to find a bright open layout and welcoming island-inspired décor. It was also very homey, with two bedrooms, one full-bathroom, a fully equipped kitchen, a spacious living room and a furnished balcony facing the water. Both of the bedrooms were quite roomy. I took the upstairs room, which had a work desk (for all the work I did, haha!), a lovely view of the water and even a small shower and sink off to the side. I have said this before (specifically, here), but I love having that comfortable at-home feeling when I travel. Staying at SunRentals really gave me that. I loved that we had lots of space, both in the sitting area and in our rooms. I also loved having a kitchen/fridge to fill with food and a full balcony where I could enjoy it in comfort (and while watching the sun set).

So, how much does home-away-from-home comfort cost in Bonaire? Well, staying at SunRentals Oceanfront Apartments is actually quite affordable in both high season and low season and offers great value, given its spacious units, central location, good service and various amenities.

Furthermore, SunRentals often offers special promotions. For example, for stays between July 1st and August 31st, 2018, you can save 20% on the one- and two-bedroom apartments OR pay just USD99 per night to stay in the penthouse suite. If you’re planning to visit Bonaire either before or after the summer special, you can save 10% on your booking by mentioning me (Pippa) or my Instagram account (la_wandereuse) when making your SunRentals reservation. I would suggest e-mailing Eef, who kindly took care of all of the details of our stay, to make the booking. Please note that this offer is valid until February 28th, 2019, and is subject to room availability and season. Furthermore, it only applies to SunRentals Bonaire Oceanfront Apartments (i.e., not to SunRentals’ other rental properties) and cannot be combined with other promotions. You can peruse the regular nightly rates (in USD) below.

	Low Season	High Season
One bedroom	100	115
Two bedrooms	145	175
Penthouse	150	165

For those who don’t know, Bonaire is a diver’s paradise. I’m not a diver. Hell, I don’t even swim, but according to the Bonaire Tourism website, diving is kind of the island’s thing. If you’re a diver, staying here may be a great option for you. Not only does it offer an on-site dive shop (open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), but tanks are available all day. Furthermore, if you choose to reserve a stay in a SunRentals villa and book dive packages through SunRentals, they will deliver as many tanks as you want to your door for free every day. SunRentals also offers various diving programs and packages in cooperation with Buddy Diving, which they can coordinate along with your accommodations, car rental and/or various other services. You can take a look at the dive offers below, but make sure to also review the conditions here.

Something that is really important to me when traveling is location. Usually, I may sacrifice this factor a little bit to save on cost, but this rental property offers a great location at a reasonable price. We primarily drove around the island. As it is quite small, the drives were short and many of the things we wanted to see were close by (particularly, the salt lakes, the flamingo sanctuary and the flamingo sighting area along Kaminda Sorobon). The property is also literally a 3-minute walk from the centre of town, which has a variety of shops and restaurants (both along the main road and the water). This was great when going out for dinner, quickly grabbing dessert (go to Gio’s Gelateria & Caffè!) or just taking a walk. There are also several grocery stores in the area (to help stock your fridges according to your food preferences). You can even get to the pick-up and drop-off site for the water taxi to Klein Bonaire, a tiny uninhabited island off of Bonaire that offers the island’s best diving and most beautiful beach, close by. Most convenient of all, the property is a short 5-minute drive away from Bonaire’s international airport.

I also strongly value hospitality. I truly believe that part of what makes any holiday special are the people you interact with along the way. The team at SunRentals Bonaire, particularly Eef, was incredible to work with. One thing the team does well is make sure that guests feel like part of the SunRentals “family.” I truly felt so welcomed and appreciated as a guest, and can bet it was a universal feeling among all of the others there. SunRentals offered exceptional and personal service and can be recommended on that basis alone. Great hospitality, a central location, high value, extensive diving amenities and everything in between make this property a solid choice for any trip to the island.

If you’d like to check out the website for more information about SunRentals or to make a booking, you can do so by clicking here. If these digs don’t suite your taste, SunRentals offers a variety of other rental properties, including other apartments and private villas. You can check out their extensive range of packages and deals, vacation rentals, long-term rentals, luxury accommodations and even real estate here.

Have you ever been to Bonaire or stayed with SunRentals? Tell me in the comments below!

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This piece was written in conjunction with SunRentals Oceanfront Apartments Bonaire. I am so grateful for the experience I had on the island, which is in large part thanks to Eef and her team at SunRentals. All opinions are my own.