Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino

Last updated

Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino is a diving resort hotel and casino on the Caribbean island of Bonaire. The grounds include a scuba centre, bars, restaurants and casino [1] reported to be the world's first "barefoot casino". [2] The hotel has 141 rooms. The headquarters for Divi Resorts is located in Chapel Hill, NC.

Caribbean region to the center-east of America composed of many islands and of coastal regions of continental countries surrounding the Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean is a region of The Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands and the surrounding coasts. The region is southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and the North American mainland, east of Central America, and north of South America.

Bonaire Special municipality of the Netherlands

Bonaire is an island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is Kralendijk, located near the ocean on the lee side of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC islands located 80 km off the coast of Venezuela. Unlike much of the Caribbean region, the ABC islands lie outside Hurricane Alley. The islands have an arid climate that attracts visitors seeking warm, sunny weather year round. Bonaire is a popular snorkeling and scuba diving destination because of its multiple shore diving sites and easy access to the island's fringing reefs.

Contents

Location

The resort is located on the west coast of Bonaire and is very close to Kralendijk, its capital city. The pier and hotel are both situated in the town's southern section, walking distance to the center of town. [3] Further south, there is another diving resort, Plaza Resort Bonaire. It is south of the Cactus Blue restaurant off the Kaya Grandi road, the island road which connects the airport to the resort. [4] The beach front is about 20 yards (18 m) in front of the Divi Flamingo, to the Calabas Reef.

Kralendijk Town in Bonaire, Netherlands

Kralendijk is the capital city and main port of the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands. The language spoken in the town is Papiamentu, but Dutch and English are widely used. In Dutch, Koralendijk means "coral dike". In Papiamentu, the town is often called Playa or "beach". As of 2006, the town had a population of 3,061.

Plaza Resort Bonaire

Plaza Beach Resort Bonaire is the largest diving resort in the southern Caribbean Island of Bonaire, located at 80 Julio A. Abraham Boulevard, south of Kralendijk, just north of Flamingo International Airport. It is operated by the Van der Valk family of hoteliers and is also known as the Plaza Resort Van der Valk. American divers have reportedly voted it one of the top 10 dive resorts in the world. The resort, which claims to be five-star, although this is disputed by several independent publications, is situated on a peninsula, at the mouth of a man-made lagoon with turquoise blue waters. Plaza Beach Resort Bonaire Its beach measures 500 metres (1,600 ft) long and 50–100 metres (160–330 ft) deep and is a notable scuba diving location, known as Toucan Diving.

Flamingo International Airport airport on Bonaire Island in the Netherlands Antilles

Flamingo International Airport, also called Bonaire International Airport, is an international airport located near Kralendijk on the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands. It was the once the hub for BonaireExel and CuraçaoExel before being rebranded as Dutch Antilles Express and served as a secondary hub for Dutch Antilles Express and Insel Air. The airport is the third largest in the Dutch Caribbean, after Princess Juliana International Airport on Sint Maarten and Curaçao International Airport on Curaçao.

History

The building was used during World War II to house interned German prisoners. It was converted into Bonaire's first hotel, named the Zeebad. [5] In 1989, the resort had 110 rooms. A refurbishment in 2001 included rooms painted in bright colours and flooring laid with white tiles, with floral designs. In 2006, there were 145 rooms, a large swimming pool and landscaped gardens. [1] As of 2013, there are 141 rooms.

Architecture and fittings

Room balconies feature views of either the sea or the tropical garden. Facade walls are painted with bright colours of pink, ochre and cobalt-blue. Apart from the standard rooms, the resort has 40 suites with attached kitchens. [6]

Features

The small beach has a pier used by sunbathers, for diving and boating. The resort is cited as a notable location in the Caribbean islands for diving, and has facilities for PADI scuba diving. There is a fully equipped diving facility which can also be accessed by disabled people. Snorkeling and diving are done from the pier. [7] The diving activity is done under professional guidance at any time during the day or night. There is also a casino which can be approached barefoot and hence known as “barefoot” casino. Other activities include Wine-and-Dine cruises, [8] pedal-powered bikes, golf, and tennis. [9] [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

Aruba Island country in the Caribbean, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Aruba is an island and a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the southern Caribbean Sea, located about 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) west of the main part of the Lesser Antilles and 29 kilometres (18 mi) north of the coast of Venezuela. It measures 32 kilometres (20 mi) long from its northwestern to its southeastern end and 10 kilometres (6 mi) across at its widest point. Together with Bonaire and Curaçao, Aruba forms a group referred to as the ABC islands. Collectively, Aruba and the other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean.

ABC islands (Lesser Antilles) Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao

The ABC islands are the three western-most islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea that lie north of Falcón State, Venezuela. In order alphabetically they are Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. All three islands are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, although they remain outside the European Union. Aruba and Curaçao are autonomous, self-governing constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while Bonaire is a special municipality of the Netherlands proper.

Oranjestad, Aruba Capital city in Aruba, Kingdom of the Netherlands

Oranjestad is the capital and largest city of Aruba. Oranjestad is located on the southern coast near the western end of the island country. In the local language, Papiamento, Oranjestad is often referred to simply as "Playa". As of 2015, the population of the capital was around 35,000.

<i>Libidibia coriaria</i> species of plant

Libidibia coriaria is a leguminous tree or large shrub native to the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. Common names include Divi-divi, Cascalote, Guaracabuya, Guatapana, Nacascol, and Watapana (Aruba).

Caquetio, Caiquetio, or Caiquetia were natives of northwestern Venezuela, living along the shores of Lake Maracaibo at the time of the Spanish conquest. They moved inland to avoid enslavement by the Spaniards but were eventually destroyed as were their neighbours, the Quiriquire and the Jirajara. The Caquetíos were also present in Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire when these islands were first discovered by Alonso de Ojeda in 1499. The occupants of this region were known as Caquetíos by the Spaniards and their language (Caquetío) belongs to the Arawakan family of languages. The Caquetío and the Jirajara spoke the same language, and their cultures were quite similar. The Arawakan or Caquetío language is termed a "ghost" language because virtually no trace of it survives. Only the name remains, saved in 17th-century texts.

Ayo Rock Formations

Ayo Rock Formations are monolithic rock boulders located on the island of Aruba in the Caribbean. They are located near Ayo village, about 3.2 km from the natural bridge towards Casibari. Casibari Boulders are about 3.2 km inland between Natural Bridge and Oranjestad, the capital of Aruba, west of Boca Andicuri.

Divi Divi Air

Divi Divi Air N.V. is a small regional service airline in Curaçao. It was established in 2001 and is based in Curaçao. In the area its nickname is "Divi". The airline is named for the Divi-divi tree which grows in the region.

<i>Hilma Hooker</i> Shipwreck in Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands

The Hilma Hooker is a shipwreck in Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands. It is a popular wreck diving site.

Pos Chiquito or Pos Chikito is a small diving cove and reef on the southwestern coast of Aruba. Pos Chiquito is noted for its snorkelling, especially during September and October during the coral spawning season, and sea turtles and mantarays can be seen.

Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino

The Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino is a hotel and casino in Palm Beach, Aruba, run by Hyatt. It has 360 rooms and suites and is set in landscaped gardens with a lagoon. On the ninth floor of the hotel is the Governor's Suite. Considered one of the top hotels on the island along with the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, the hotel is furnished with "Deco-inspired furniture and modern carnival colours" and small "Parisian balconies".

Bonaire national football team national association football team

The Bonaire national football team is the national football team of the Caribbean island of Bonaire, a public body of the Netherlands. It is under the control of the Bonaire Football Federation. It became a member of the CFU and an associate member of CONCACAF on 19 April 2013. after which it became a full CONCACAF member on 10 June 2014 The team can participate in the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Caribbean Cup because of their membership in the confederation and sub-confederation. However, Bonaire is not a member of FIFA and therefore can not compete in the FIFA World Cup or other FIFA events.

Piscadera Bay

Piscadera Bay is a waterway in the Netherlands Antilles. It is situated at the western side of Otrobanda, in the southern part of Willemstad, the capital of the southern Caribbean island of Curaçao. It contains a fort of the same name, the Caribbean Marine Biological Institute, and several hotels. It has a small beach, as well as a vacation village and holiday resort, with tennis courts and casinos. Sint Anna Bay is nearby. In the 17th century, maps of Piscadera Bay showed it to be a popular locale for fishing, with over 400 different species noted.

St. Bernard Church, Kralendijk Church in Bonaire, Kingdom of the Netherlands

The St. Bernard Church is the name given to a religious building belonging to the Catholic Church and is located in the city of Kralendijk the capital of the Caribbean island of Bonaire, a territory in the Caribbean Dutch organized as a special municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Antilles.

Prostitution in the Dutch Caribbean is legal and regulated. At least 500 foreign women are reportedly working in prostitution throughout the islands. Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Curaçao are sex tourism destinations.

References

  1. 1 2 Sullivan, Lynne M. (2006). Adventure Guide to Aruba, Bonaire & Curaçao. Hunter Publishing, Inc. pp. 172, 191. ISBN   978-1-58843-572-9.
  2. ↑ Islands Magazine. November–December 1989. p. 163. ISSN   0745-7847.
  3. ↑ Showker, Kay (1 May 2008). Caribbean Ports of Call: Eastern and Southern Regions: A Guide for Today's Cruise Passengers. Globe Pequot Press. pp. 336–. ISBN   978-0-7627-4538-8.
  4. ↑ "Ideally Located Near The Capital City of Kralendijk and 20 Yards from Calabas Reef". Diviresorts.com. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  5. ↑ Birnbaum, Alexandra Mayes (1997). Birnbaum's Caribbean. HarperPerennial. p. 179.
  6. ↑ Ken Lindley; Christina Paulette Colin (22 November 2005). Frommer's Portable Aruba. John Wiley & Sons. p. 167–. ISBN   978-0-471-77076-3.
  7. ↑ Lynne Sullivan (2009). Bonaire Travel Adventures. Hunter Publishing, Inc. p. 43. GGKEY:ZD2FC0003UU.
  8. ↑ Birnbaum, Stephen (September 1989). Birnbaum's Caribbean, 1990: Bermuda and the Bahamas. Houghton Mifflin. p. 287. ISBN   978-0-395-51141-1.
  9. ↑ Brushaber, Susan; Greenberg, Arnold (1 October 2001). The Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao: Alive!. Hunter Publishing, Inc. pp. 186–. ISBN   978-1-58843-259-9.
  10. ↑ Islands Magazine. pp. 7–. ISSN   0745-7847 . Retrieved 11 July 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.