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March 25, 2009 Hi Debbie, I just got back on Monday about 12:30 am. It took a long time to get home. I had a great time. I would like to thank you and Gregg for all of the upgrades. L and I really appreciate them and they make our stay at the condo better every time we visit.... Take care. J ____________________________________________________________________________________ March 22, 2009 Hey Debbie, We had a great time in Bonaire and really enjoyed your place. The remainder of the vacation was phenomenal, although we enjoyed the location and house at LBR much better. Wow – you are just returning now. Seems like ages since our trip ended! We hope to return to your house in coming years. Regards, A ____________________________________________________________________________________ Feb 15, 2009 Hi Debbie, We're so sorry for taking so long to write you. We got back on a Sunday afternoon and hit the road running on Monday. We had a wonderful time at your place!! The condo is set up perfectly for a carefree dive vacation. The rinse sink, hose, drying rack, benches, all just a few feet from the back of the truck. It saved us so much time. The proximity of the condo to the southern dive sites was also a real time saver. We could literally leave the condo, do an hour dive, and be back to the condo 1 1/2 later. The kitchen had everything we needed to cook up some great meals. Used the grill quite a bit and it got me thinking about breaking down and getting a gas grill. I am a die hard Weber charcoal grill guy but boy it sure is easy to just "turn it on". ... Thanks so much for letting us enjoy your little piece of paradise and we look forward to coming back, for two weeks next time. Best Regards, D and J ____________________________________________________________________________________ Jan 16, 2009 I have left an entry in your guest book that might have you blushing. What a great job you've done here--every little detail thought of. We couldn't have been happier with our stay and everything about your home. Brava! Best, B. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Jan 12, 2009 Hi Debbie, D arrived on Saturday and loves your wonderful home as much as I do! The wind is howling, there has been almost no rain the entire time, so things couldn't be much better for two windsurfers! We are running out the door now, but I will write more later, and also sign your guest book. But in short: you've done a great job here Debbie and I am grateful these two weeks were open for us. Best regards, B. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Jan 4, 2009 Hi Debbie, Thanks to you and Gregg for the lovely accomodations....Your place is just perfect. The set up for diving and cooking is marvelous. Everything made us feel so at home. Your caring touches are evident everywhere....Thank you again. All the best in the New Year and we hope we can book again in the future. M&L ____________________________________________________________________________________ Dec 15, 2008 Hi Debbie We are home now and as always Sad! Time to start focusing on Christmas to get our minds off of not being in Bonaire and diving whenever we want….We signed your guest book but being the last night the tone was probably a bit down. I just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed your home and all of the touches that you provide to make staying on Bonaire a pleasure. Everything was so convenient and well thought out! We really enjoyed the décor as well! Your decorators' eye is perfect. Everywhere my eye would fall to rest would be a wonderful reminder of the paradise we were in. We have stayed on the island a few times before and have always only made do in the kitchen but your kitchen is stocked as if we brought all of our comforts from home. We were able to prepare the kind of meals we wanted in the way we wanted without having to second guess… except the oven. I never did figure out how to preheat to 400degrees…<VBG> The oven thermometer helped and I am sure with just a bit more practice I would have had it right<LOL> R loved your grill! Thanks a lot… now we will probably have to have one… Grill envy is not a pretty thing<VBG> … We really enjoyed having internet access. We always lug the laptop for our pictures but it was nice to have email etc as well. …Thank you again for everything! I do hope that we have the opportunity to stay with you again! D & R ____________________________________________________________________________________ Oct 12, 2008 Hi Debbie, I just wanted to take a minute and say thank you sooooooo much for offering your place at Lighthouse Beach on the BT auction. My mom and I had such a great time, it was cozy, well equipped, and beautifully decorated…. We couldn't have been more at home in your home on Bonaire, and I felt less guilty about leaving her alone all day during my day with a dive guide. She enjoyed the pool and walked around taking pictures near LBR. I didn't dive like a maniac, but that wasn't what this trip was about. Stephanie is/was a real sweetheart and was super easy to deal with… Hugs, and big thanks!! B ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sept 22, 2008 Hi Debbie-- Just wanted to let you know that we are enjoying our stay and everything is fine -- OK better than fine! It was a nice surprise to have some food items waiting for us when we got in. Our flight ended up getting in at 4:15 am, we dumped our stuff and went out, got breakfast, etc and when we got back your house was clean and inviting. On our first dive yesterday, we saw a large spotted eagle ray on the way out to the reef and then again in the way in. Today at Fisherman's Hut we saw three turtles.'' The wind is picking up tonight so we may be limited in where we can dive tomorrow. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that things are fine here and we will take care of your house. B T PS It is super nice to have an internet connection!!! ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sept 21, 2008 Thanks again for all you and Stephanie did for T and I. It was the best trip I have had yet, even considering the camera flood on day 2. We didn't dive like the air criminals Bart calls us, but it was SO relaxing and easy fun the whole time we were there. T now knows why I like your place. We had a nice sitdown dinner with Susan Porter and the tenderloin fresh off the grill. Perfect company and food! … D and L G. stopped by our last night to see the place. Our desciption of the villa peaked their curiosity. You may have another new client. BTW, they are fun folks! Thanks again!!! S ___________________________________________________________________________________ July 26, 2008 Hi Debbie, We are at your beautiful home on Bonaire. … The Taxi gentleman at Flamingo was very patient, as we were the last two out of baggage claim... And we found your place so welcoming. And here's an exact quote from L last night, "Wow, everything's so clean and well-appointed and spacious!" And the welcoming food basket was very classy and much appreciated… Last night we slept well. Between the fan and breeze, no AC needed. In LBR 6, we roasted without AC, so we're trying to figure out what's different. Thanks, G http://www.bonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/1022/379031.html_ __________________________________________________________________________________ July 22, 2008 Debbie, Other than G not being able to come along, the trip was great. …Our grand daughter is doing fine, but it was a good thing Gail stayed here. We did shore diving and it was some of the best I've seen. We used Dive Friends and it was very handy to have several locations to drop off and pick up tanks. The condo worked out fine. It was comfortable and well equiped for dealing with our dive gear. I'm sure we'll be in touch when we get a chance to go back. When I download my pictures, I'll send you a few. Thanks again, T ____________________________________________________________________________________ http://www.bonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/1022/370132.html?1216382661 ____________________________________________________________________________________ July 14, 2008 Hi Debbie, … It will take a few days before I organize my pictures and write a trip report. But I can say we had an awesome vacation, probably one of the very best we ever had. We did not see Stefanie to say good bye. I'd like to send her an email thanking her for her help and for her delicious dessert she made for our BT party. .. We enjoyed staying at your place immensely and will continue to be supportive through BT postings, and our trip report…. your place for so many many reasons far exceeds our needs and expectations. We love staying at your place. .. THANK YOU for your part in making our vacacation so wonderful, D ____________________________________________________________________________________ http://www.bonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/1022/368085.html?1214568482 ____________________________________________________________________________________ June 25, 2008 I plan on going online with a report, left a detailed report in guest book in living room, all good! I cannot imagine staying anywhere but your place in the future. We would probably check availability before setting any dates, airfare, etc. It was everything I could have asked for. Thanks for sharing your lovely home! JJ ____________________________________________________________________________________ May 28, 2008 Hi Debbie, Your place was excellent again, we were very comfortable in your house… The snorkeling was excellent again when we could get out and we saw octopi, turtles and a stingray along with lots of fish. We were able to get to Red Beryl/Margate as you suggested and I loved the site, the gorgonians and staghorn in the shallows were fantastic... Mike ____________________________________________________________________________________ May 5, 2008 We want to thank you for a wonderful week in Bonaire - your place was just perfect for us. Thanks again, Nancy & Rick ____________________________________________________________________________________ April 27, 2008 Hi Debbie, We´re back in Holland again. We had a great time and Mark and Michele enjoyed it very much as well… We enjoyed your place very much. It´s comfortable and great for four people. Due to the strong winds we never had to use the airco, and only M&M had a fan on in their bedroom at nights. We made a little bird feeder and bath in the back garden and it attracted lots of feathered friends, lizards and iguanas. Nice kitchen and tv, and your dvd player played our dvds without any problem. We had a good car from AB, had a few nice meals out, and M&M had a kind of second honeymoon. We saw lots of nice fish and critters, including rays, octopusses, and dolphins… We thank you for the use of your house, I hope you will be enjoying it for a long time to come. Best wishes, A ____________________________________________________________________________________ http://www.bonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/24/361352.html ____________________________________________________________________________________ April 18, 2008 You have done such a wonderful job. We feel like it's our second home. … I'm finally catching up on things here at home. We really enjoyed the condo. I trust everything was in order. The weather was great so we never turned on the a/c and did not use the barbeque this year. We hope all is well and look forward to next year. Regards, L & J ____________________________________________________________________________________ January 8, 2008 Debbie, I wanted to thank you for great vacation in Bonaire.We loved your villa and Stephanie was very nice.We did a lot of diving and windsurfing. We would like to return next year.Please let me know if the week of March 14-21,2009 is available .If so,I would like to reserve it. E ____________________________________________________________________________________ January 1, 2008 Debbie, We had a wonderful time in Bonaire. The place was all that we expected and more. I have attached 3 pictures of the place that we took that you are free to use on your website if you so wish. Thanks again for everything. Happy New Year! Regards, K ___________________________________________________________________________________ December 17, 2007 Hi Debbie! Yes we had a wonderful time, and your place felt so comfortable, we truly enjoyed staying there. And Stephanie was wonderful! I forgot my music and was so upset and when she came home from work she was playing Italian opera and singing and it was so enjoyable. When she came by to welcome us, we told her how much we enjoyed her singing and that we forgot our music and she came back over with 20 or so CD's for us to listen to for the week! What a savior! We brought a cooler of food with us and went to the store for meat, veggies, and seafood to grill on your wonderful grill! We only ate out twice. T and I love to cook so we took full advantage! We had planned to rent a boat and go out fishing one day and I wanted to invite Stephanie for grilled fish but the weather didn't cooperate and it was raining so hard we had to cancelled the boat and everyone only had Wahoo or no fish at all! So we will try again next time and maybe she can come over. We definitely plan on coming back and next time for 2 weeks! We left some things in the condo, like fresh coffee and safflower oil and peanut butter, ketchup and some other things to add to the cabinet. Oh and some Off in the back room, the "no see ums" are viscous! LOL It was nice having the spices to cook with and you have more pots and pans than we have! ... Thanks again for everything and we will let you know when we are planning our return trip! G ____________________________________________________________________________________ October 29, 2007 Hi Debbie, I wanted to send a note about how things are going. We are having a blast here, your house really is a comfortable place to have as our base of snorkeling operations. The water has been choppy so we have been a bit limited on our snorkeling. Your suggestions have been great though. We went back to Toris because of the easy entry and as you said it was much better than last year despite the strong waves. The "yellow hut" just north of windsock was also fantastic snorkeling. Going over the reef to get out to the dropoff reminded me of snorkeling in Australia as it was alot of very close snorkeling there as well. ... We will be having a night snorkel with Renee tomorrow (our first one) so that should be alot of fun as well. Thanks again for the use of your home, M ____________________________________________________________________________________ October 2007 Good morning Debbie and Gregg, We are having a ball here, everything is working out great and we are very much enjoying your place... ... Continuing our enjoyment of Bonaire and LBR#13. Feels very much like home. Resa especially enjoys your decorations and wall hangings and I especially enjoy the space.... so much so that we have begun talking about doing it again next fall, including staying at LBR#13. R & M http://www.bonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/24/343927.html ____________________________________________________________________________________ September 23, 2007 The Place to Stay Perfect Safe Place to Stay for Divers Owned by Divers!!! Thank you Debbie - your place is incredible... click on the link above to find out all about it. http://www.bonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/1022/331818.html ____________________________________________________________________________________ September 16, 2007 Debbie - I just wanted to thank you and say how wonderful LBR # 13 is. We had everything we needed for the mini BT meet we had at your lovely vacation home on Bonaire. we got rave reviews of you home from our party guests. The BB Que Grill was loaded down with meats and veggie's. It works great and even cooked a dozen mosquitos. Wish you and Greg could have been here for the Party.maybe next time we are down here we will let you stay with us too. P, T & A p.s. A says the kitchen is very well stocked!! Read more plus pictures here. ____________________________________________________________________________________ August 1, 2007 Debbie, Just a quick note that we had a wonderful time in Bonaire and loved staying at your place, everything was great, no problems, and the Dive Friends folks took very good care of us. Thanks for all of your help and suggestions, and I am looking forward to going back to Bonaire sometime soon, loved the island! C ____________________________________________________________________________________ May 31, 2007 Check out this thread on Bonaire Talk http://www.bonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/24/320357.html?1180621313 _____________________________________________________________________________________ May 27, 2007 Hi Debbie, We had a great time in Bonaire. The weather was perfect, the snorkeling fabulous....Your fish book at the apartment was very helpful, as well as all the other reference guides. We loved the south part of the island with the salt piles, the flamingoes and open expanse.... ...Stephanie was most gracious to pick us up at the airport, have the wonderful groceries ready for us...that was special....and check on us to see if all was going well. Your place is extremely well equipped and very comfortable and easy to feel at home. Thanks so much for all your attention and helpful information. We will tell our friends about your place and hope to come back to Bonaire soon. Thanks again for everything. Regards, J _____________________________________________________________________________________ May 1, 2007 Hi Debbie, It was fabulous! Your condo is very nice and we were happily surprised with all of the "things" that were provided, especially the BBQ which we made good use of. It was quiet, relaxing, and we didn't want to leave! I will definitely recommend the condo to our customers who are traveling to Bonaire. The diving was fantastic and our friends had a great time. Already planning a trip back, not sure when, perhaps this fall. Thanks again for everything, it was a pleasure staying at your condo! A. G. _____________________________________________________________________________________ April 27, 2007 Hi, Debbie- Sorry for the late reply...been a busy week catching up. We had a wonderful time in Bonaire!! thanks so much for all the intimate attention to detail which made staying at your apartment so nice. We really appreciated how the apartment was very clean, and the fact that you had left ice cubes, refreshments, and a few groceries to tide us over.... I have to say that we really appreciated several things in your apartment...all the fans for cool breezes, the TV and DVD player (we watched movies most nights), and the internet hookup. Last year we stayed at Port Bonaire, and I could not manage to get online. With the lack of English newspapers, I really liked being able to read the news with coffee in the morning. We also liked the nice big kitchen and the barbecue grill, which we used. Thanks again for your careful attention to all the little things which made our stay so enjoyable. This was my fourth trip to Bonaire, and probably the most enjoyable (hard to beat the very first one!). I really liked your location out a bit from the crowds...we are not big party people (although we did eat out 5 nights out of 7). D _____________________________________________________________________________________ April 22, 2007 Hi Debbie, ...We had a wonderful time in Bonaire, and really loved your place. That was by far the best diving experience we've ever had. We really enjoyed the freedom of shore diving, where we could just go whenever we felt like it. We just stayed in the South the whole time, because we had so much fun there that we didn't really see any need to try the North. Maybe next time we'll do that... It was great to have Stefanie waiting for us at the car rental office. She was of course very friendly and helpful. A very nice touch when we got to your place was the food and snacks that were waiting--they were very much appreciated. We loved the cheese so much that we later bought a whole wheel that we took home with us.... And your place couldn't have been nicer. It was exactly what we needed. ...Thanks for everything. We definitely hope to return again someday and most likely will contact you then to see if your place is available.... Thanks again. Hope to be in touch again soon. A.R. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Feb 26, 2007 Check out thisthread oin ScubaBoard. http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=180034 _____________________________________________________________________________________ Jan 16, 2007 Hi Debbie, Finally I have a moment to tell you about our trip in more detail. We really enjoyed our stay. I honestly can't think of anything to improve your place. Grocery delivery would be nice... just kidding. We were out and about from about 10 - 4 every day. We packed a lunch and hit the road. We only went snorkeling.... The next step is to get our diving certifications and go back to dive and look for larger creatures We'll be back, but probably not this year. That's about it Thanks for everything. Steve _____________________________________________________________________________________ Jan 1, 2007 Hi Debbie, This is a very long overdue thank you. Your place in Bonaire is great. It was awesome staying at a place a having enough cooking utensils and not running out of glasses!!! We felt at home in your place and I felt very safe. It was nice coming back from dives and being able to rinse all of our gear (the outside wash basin is great) and get it ready to go for the next day. We love diving the south side of the island and could not have asked for a better place to stay. Thank you for the diving recommendations. Hidden Beach and Red Barrel (sp?) were the best dives that we did. I can’t believe everything we saw at Hidden Beach it was amazing. We dove Hidden Beach first thing in the morning and I felt like I was in a fish tank. Stefanie was great....She even gave me some cooking advice and let me borrow some spices. We had some good laughs at her parrot, it was funny waking up to it talking and listening to the bird bark…. D. and I are planning another trip over Thanksgiving, but this year I don’t think his brothers will be joining us. If we do end up needing accommodations for four people again….you will be hearing from me!!!!!! If anyone ever asks for recommendations from past guests please feel free to give them my email address. Jodi _____________________________________________________________________________________ Jan 1, 2007 Dear Debbie, Thanks for getting in touch... Your condo was awesome!! We so enjoyed the place. The provisions you have are plentiful (towels, dishes, appliances, etc), decor very cheery. We never needed to run the AC as the breeze and fans were quite sufficient. What a wonderful place. And thank you so much for the starter groceries. Stephanie did come by and introduce herself and check to see that we were OK. We got in 15 dives (3 night dives) and the diving gear rinse area is great outside. We even got over to dive with Wildside Diving even tho' Larry got a broken foot. The crew that filled in for him was great - Eddie and Heiss. We used Photo Tours nitrox package and love them all - Yenna, especially... You can believe we will be back!! AND SOON I hope!! Thanks for everything, F _____________________________________________________________________________________ Dec 10, 2006 Hi Deb! We were very impressed with your place! … It was perfect for diving and a wonderful set-up for our group. The diving was, of course, superb….We kicked around the idea of doing this every year. You'll be hearing back from me in a few months if everyone's serious about it….The house was delightful, even if the other divechix don't come back I'll be contacting you for a vacation of my own! Thanks for all your help! With much appreciation, C.F. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Nov 17, 2006 Hi Debbie, As you can tell we have arrived and the internet connection is working great!!! I did not have to change any settings, just plugged in and I was connected.... We did our check-out dive yesterday, so we are ready to start diving today. The weather is great, just a little humid. Thank goodness for the breeze through the townhouse. By the way, the townhouse is awesome. I can't believe all of the building that is taking place!!!! J.S. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Oct 22, 2006 Gregg; The condo is awesome. … We thoroughly love your place and intend to be back next year. As a landlord you take really good care of us - and we appreciate it. thanks again J.F. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Oct 14, 2006 Hi Debbie, We enjoyed staying at your place very much ! The first few days were very windy on the south end of the island, rough surf, so we did not dive at LBR for a few days. When we did, we really enjoyed the easy entry and nice dive. We did it a few times. Your place is really nice and perfectly set up for divers. It truly felt like a home, unlike resort studios and rooms. . . . We bought a colorful small metal lizard similar to your fish etc on your walls to hang in our computer den. .. We never did use the pool. It was inviting but we were always on the go. The ideal vacation would be for a minimum of two weeks at your place to have time to enjoy all the hominess there. We talked about making virgin pina coladas in the blender, and grilling supper. But time just flew by… We had such a wonderful vacation… It was very special for us. Thank you for the discounts (your home, the air tanks, and the truck) and a big thank you for the flowers, wine and card. The goodies that were there when we arrived - cheese, beverages, fruit, peanut butter, etc. was greatly appreciated, especially after a very long day to get there. Stephanie was nice and helpful. W enjoyed her barking parrot J And, we enjoyed the neighborly dogs hanging out all around us. Teddy made friends with a few. He rally missed our two boxers. We will certainly recommend your home to anybody who listens…. Once again Debbie, thank you very much J … Special Bonaire Hugs, D. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Nov 5, 2006 Check out this trip report posted on Bonaire Talk http://www.bonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/1022/302333.html?1162914303 _____________________________________________________________________________________ Aug 31, 2006 Hi Debbie: We had a great time. I've been meaning to send you an email, so thanks for the ping. The condo was perfectly located and very well equipped, and Stephanie was very helpful. We really liked the security (even though from everything I've read on Bonairetalk, those issues seem to be associated more with northern end off the island) and the internal dive storage room was great. The fans were a welcome relief during a couple of days when the wind didn't blow so hard. My daughter really enjoyed being near the beach -- gathering shells and sea glass received nearly as much focus from her as diving. Reading a book on the front porch with the east wind in the evening was a favorite for all of us. I would agree with you that the coral seems to be in better shape on the south end of the island. Red Slave, Soft Coral Garden, Yellow Hut were our favorites this trip, whereas Oil Slick, La Dania, and Karpata had been our favorites on past trips. We saw turtles, a large spotted ray, and, with a hint from … (with whom we dove in 2001), a red seahorse, north of Oil Slick, almost to the Kalli's Reef mooring, in 32 feet of water near a car tire. Apparently it has been there, along with a black one that we couldn't find, for the past four months. … We spent a very enjoyable afternoon hanging out at Boka Kokolichi in the park, and were overwhelmed by donkey's in the sanctuary. My wife was initially disappointed when she didn't see all the donkeys walking free as we had seen before, but we're glad to hear they're not getting run over anymore. Good flights, accommodations, food and diving. Cannot ask for more. Feel free to use us as references, we'll give a great report. Thanks. B, J, and H _____________________________________________________________________________________ Sept 25, 2006 Check out this trip report posted on Bonaire Talk. http://www.bonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/1022/297249.html#POST347962 _____________________________________________________________________________________ August 13, 2006 Hi Debbie, We've been back for a few days now and are gradually getting rid of our jetlag. We had a great time in Bonaire and enjoyed the appartment very much. We felt very welcome and the appartment was very equipped.... Thanks again and kind regards, we'll certainly recommend you! Joost & Rieneke P. _____________________________________________________________________________________ July 12, 2006 Hi Debbie, We had an excellent time, thanks. We really liked the villa, and the diving was excellent, I would definitely want to come back to Bonaire. S _____________________________________________________________________________________ May 22, 2006 Debbie, We had a fantastic trip and your place is the best. We shall return. We made a total of 28 dives, about 20 of these on the south side but missed the big grouper, loved the south side, we also did 7 to 8 which is a wonderful dive. If I can give you a recommendation please call on me. Thank you very much. Jim H. _____________________________________________________________________________________ May 6, 2006 Debbie It was great. You have done a lot of great work on the place. Thanks for the wine it was a nice gesture. We really enjoyed Bonaire as always. L _____________________________________________________________________________________ April 21, 2006 I meant to e-mail you sooner but have been swamped at work! We really liked the place and met some really nice people who stay there for winters and they were very helpful with information. Stephanie provided us with some bread and cheese and guava jelly which was greatly appreciated as we didn't get in til 8 pm and D and A had already eaten. H, A & D had a great time snorkeling several times a day. We saw the flamingoes, the donkeys and humming birds, parrots and of course huge iguanas and blue tailed lizards. Loved Kralendijk, ate at the City Cafe several times. Also found a cute place near Lac Bay called Kontiki which was very good. Also ate at Richard's twice. Really enjoyed our stay but it was definitely too short! … Thanks for all your info, I'm sure we'll be back! Howard & Sylvia _____________________________________________________________________________________ March 24, 2006 Hi Gregg & Debbie: It was nice meeting you face to face after doing business via email all this time. We were very impressed with the great job you are doing to the condo. We look forward to staying there next year. Have a great year. Warm regards, L & J _____________________________________________________________________________________ Feb 18, 2006 Hi Debbie. I am sure you are in Bonaire as I write this. Sorry that it took so long, but the post vacation rush took all last week. Thoroughly enjoyed our stay at LBR #13. It was everything you said and more. That "care package" on our arrival was so much appreciated. We ate at: Lions Den, Richards, Rib Factory, Bobby Jans, Bambu, Casablanca, Vespucio, Pizza Temple, Salsa, and above all got chicken from the chicken lady. The chicken was without a doubt simply outstanding!!! They must marinate it for days to get the flavor through the meat like that. … Anyway, thanks again Debbie. We had a ball. D & J _____________________________________________________________________________________ Jan 29, 2006 Hi Deb, ...We had an excellent time in Bonaire. Excellent. I think the fact that we were familiar with the island and with the condo added to the enjoyment factor....and made it even more relaxing. I am looking at my journal to find notes I have for you. The Carniceria Latino was some of the best chicken we've ever had. Better than Op Op which was also very very good. Thanks for the mention of Carniceria Latino in your "Guest Information" book/binder. The binder is a very nice touch with lots of island information. And maps. Well done. The kitchen was stocked so much better than before. Your cooking pots/pans are great. And to have the various 'tupperware' containers was a plus. We pretty much cooked or did take-out. And we had everything we needed. I left a few extras of things (plastic bags, spices) we didn't use. … The utility room is now such an excellent place to hang damp things to dry. And the hangars and clothespins were very helpful. I especially like the basin moved out into the front yard. It was so convenient to rinse our snorkel gear and then leave out there to dry. Very nice. And thanks so much for having coolers there for us to use. We used the smaller one regularly. We took our own beach chairs after all, so we used them. But thanks for having yours available. You have done a great job in the bath and closet upstairs too. The extra shelves were very handy. The shelf in the shower was great. Even to have a blow dryer was nice for me. I usually don't pack one, but enjoy one if it's around. The bed is in a much nicer position now. And the linens were very nice. … Speaking of Stefanie, she arranged for a nice taxi guy to pick us up from the airport and take us by Lisa store on the way to the villa. He told us she had even called him that day to remind him to pick us up that night! That's good follow-up :) The screened in patio is nice. And the new paint on all the walls is very nice. We also liked the bookshelf. We contributed a few! S* balances rocks when he comes across them. Many nights, we'd head over to the beach at LBR and watch the sun go down, feed the eels and S* would balance some rocks. By the end of our stay, his four rather tall 'sculptures' were still standing. (see attached photo) A nice couple from Austria happened to visit with us. They stay at a friend's condo right there on the beach side. In our chit chat, we mentioned Stefanie and they knew her and her famous talking bird! small world, or should I say small island . Ok , I"ve rambled long enough. Thanks so much for all your prompt and thorough communication during our reservation process last year, and also your answers to all my questions before we left the states. You are doing an excellent job and we hope to get back to your villa in a couple of years. k. s. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Jan 26, 2006 Debbie, Thanks for the email. We have been in what we call “Re-entry Trauma”. We had a most wonderful time in Bonaire and especially at LBR #13. Thank you for sharing your home with us. We were very comfortable there. It seemed that whatever we needed was available. We had some great bird watching and were fortunate enough to see the yellow winged (yellow shouldered) parrot. We identified 36 different species while on the island. We also had some good times snorkeling … the favorites you mentioned were some of the spots we went to … saw many fishes and corals. We went to Andrea II, Ole Blue, Tori’s Reef, and the spot by the airport. The drive through the park was a grand adventure…had a great picnic at Boka Slagbaai. We used the red cooler from the house a lot. We really appreciated having all of the things at the house that we needed. ... The food that Stephanie had for us when we arrived really set us off well. We got our fruit and vegetables at a spot called La Portugesa - really inexpensive and good quality. Stephanie told us of the place. Stephanie’s parrot entertained us well. It barks like the dog and calls out a “hello” that sends you to the door to see who is there. We met your neighbors ... and had a good time socializing around the pool. (Nice pool, too) We had some awesome meals out and cooked some great ones at the house. We shopped for groceries all over. We got most of our supplies at Cultimera and Bonaire Warehouse … but had fun at some of the smaller supermarkets. Those “Brights” are sure good. They are so small though … you need several. I don’t have any suggestions for improvements. We were very happy and had everything we needed. The bed was comfy, the water good, plenty of towels, the temperature was perfect … didn’t think of air conditioning. The ceiling fan in the living room was all we needed. Our snorkel gear and jackets were easily rinsed outside…all was handy. We found a very hungry looking gecko in the laundry room and set him free in the front yard. We thought he had a chance at a good meal by the outside lights. It is very important to have the atmosphere of a house as home base for our vacation … and have it affordable for two people … we appreciated that. If we return to Bonaire - we would not consider staying anywhere else but LBR #13. Thanks Again, With Best Wishes, S & D _____________________________________________________________________________________ Jan 10, 2006 Sorry I have not been able to catch up on all my correspondence since we returned. We had a great time. Although one piece of luggage was lost in San Juan, it only had breakfast and snack items. So we were excited to see that you arranged to have a few groceries available for us. The diving was great. Most of us were able to dive 20 times the week we were there. A few highlights were dolphins swimming past us while diving at Bachelor's Beach. A turtle that demonstrated it's ascent to get fresh air. We saw a spotted eagle ray at Punt Vierkent on our last day of diving. Thank you for having everything set up for us. From the rental truck to the dive packages. The condo was perfect for our family with plenty of space, enough bathrooms and ample room to store, clean and dry our dive equipment. Our only dissapointment was that it was overcast and rained our last three days. Again, thank you. We had an enjoyable time! M , P , S , D and N _____________________________________________________________________________________ Dec 9, 2005 Hi Debbie, Just thought we would let you know we have found everything perfect. It is truly amazing to see the things you have done to the place. It's beautiful!! Thanks again, S & K ____________________________________________________________________________________ Nov 9, 2005 Hi Debbie, Our holiday was great on Bonaire, we liked your house very much :-) Thank you again for your all kind help :-) Best rgds, Brigi _____________________________________________________________________________________ Oct 31, 2005 Gregg, All was PERFECT! We couldn't have asked for more. You did some amazing improvements on the unit although it was quite nice last year as well. I really liked that larger bedroom and the security bars over the patio doors and windows! …We all agree, if we come back to Bonaire for our 7th visit, we'll definitely stay with you. Thanks again for making our stay a very enjoyable one. Joanne _____________________________________________________________________________________ Sept 19, 2005 Hi Debbie. Actually we just got back from vacation on Saturday afternoon. Bonaire was part 1 of a two week vacation. Back to work today. Ugh. Loved your place. Very spacious. It was very hot while we were there. We had a very quiet and restful time on Bonaire. Most of the really good restaurants were closed so that was kind of a bummer. Snorkeling was awesome. Also, we went sailing with Bob and Inga of Mushi Mushi. We were the only two people on the boat (besides Bob and Inga of course). They were the only people on the island willing to take us sailing without filling up their boat first. They were terrific and provided a very individual trip. We would highly recommend them to others who come to Bonaire. If we ever come back to Bonaire, we will definitely see if your condo is available. Thanks for letting us stay there. Bruce & Cathy S. _____________________________________________________________________________________ July 9, 2005 Hi Debbie and Greg! Yes, the vacation was excellent. Your condo worked out very well. The kitchen was the best equipped kitchen we have ever had. It made it very easy to cook in. The food provided when we arrived was extremely helpful until we got groceries the following morning. We really appreciated that. The games provided were great entertaiment for the kids. We loved the pool. … The weather was great and the wind blew most of the time so windsurfing couldn't have been better. We loved Lac Bay and driving around the natural preserve (pretty rugged territory). We left the keys in the mail box and the pool key hanging in the kitchen. We barbequed on 4 separate occasions. We found the meat to be better at the Market Warehouse near Lisa's gas station than at Cultimara. The food at Casa Blanca and the Ribs Factory was excellent as well as at the Rum Runner. We also ate Breakfast at the Divi Flamingo and Buddy Divers. The Divi Flamingo was better. We had a remote breakfast at Kon Tiki near Lac Bay which was very good. … Stephanie was very nice and helpful. We will be back and refer your condo to others. Thanks again. T and C _____________________________________________________________________________________ June 23, 2005 Debbie - it was great - would definitely stay with you guys on our next visit. I particularly enjoyed the kitchen since I cooked most every meal. Having a "real" oven and all of the pots and pans that I might need was a welcome sight after having an oven that had 2 temperatures - on and off. Stephanie was great, too and it was good to have the notebooks. I didn't check the phone before I bought the phone card and it actually had something like 50 or 60 minutes on it already. I went ahead and put the extra ten minutes on it that I bought so it should be pretty good. Yellow Submarine was also awesome. I left you a note in the guestbook. Thanks again. Michele L. Stumpe, Esq. _____________________________________________________________________________________ April 22, 2005 Hi. Yes, we had a good visit to the ABCs. It was a lot hotter and windier than we had anticipated, but the diving helped to cool us down. Your villa was very nice and we enjoyed staying there. It was evident that you both take alot of pride in your Caribbean home, as it was decorated very nicely and "the little things" you did, such as the cords to keep the doors from slamming, etc. made it very easy and convenient to stay there. You have a very nice vacation home. We took a couple of business cards and have already recommended your villa to people that are planning a trip to Bonaire. It will probably be a while until we get back to BON. There are so many places on our list, I don't know if we will ever get through them all. If we do go back to Bon, we would definitely return to your rental if it was available. Thanks for your help with the car and things, it was a nice experience. Jerry and Heather _____________________________________________________________________________________ Mar 10, 2005 Hi Gregg and Debbie, Thanks for your note. We hope you had a GREAT time on Bonaire when you were there just before us, and that you got to scuba dive. We had a wonderful vacation in Aruba and Bonaire, and are sorry it only lasted for 8 days. We loved seeing two new Caribbean Islands, and enjoyed the warm/hot sunny days, Aruba's glitz, the sandy beaches, the 1000's of fish seen snorkeling, walking along Kralendijk's waterfront street and the outdoor fine dining daily along it, the shopping, etc. We liked the quiet on Bonaire, and found it restful. We toured most of the island, including along the coasts and the National Park. We snorkeled with Renee 1 day at three sites, and 1 night....it was very nice and she introduced us to the area and what to be looking for in the sea, so we continued to do it on our own. We appreciated the opportunity to rent your condo. Thanks for the beer and snacks. It added a welcoming touch! We found your condo to be luxiourus and very comfortable, and it gave us ample space to live in for 5 days. It is well designed for that area and the water sports. Stephanie was helpful, too. … Thanks again for sharing of your condo. Perhaps we will meet another day. Take care. Mary and Don _____________________________________________________________________________________ Jan 23, 2005 Here is a full trip report posted on Bonaire Talk http://www.bonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/1022/201666.html#POST236152 _____________________________________________________________________________________ Jan 16, 2005 Hi Gregg, Wow....we had a great time. Would have been even better if the first three days weren't cloud covered and rainy, but the rest of the time was just perfect. The townhouse was great...perfect for our needs! We were impressed with how clean it was...very happy with the location... especially since we dove a lot of the south dives. We checked out the pool a few times...again, were amazed at how clean the pool was! We also forgot or didn't realize that there was a private bathroom for each bedroom....it was so convenient. It really was just perfect. The tub outside was great...and the room off of the kitchen was great for our gear. The kitchen had absolutely everything we needed and then some. … We would definitely stay there again if ever in Bonaire. Thanks again, R & J _____________________________________________________________________________________ Jan 8, 2005 Hi Debbie, Today (Saturday) is the first day I've checked my email, but we just wanted to let you know we LOVED your place!! That was SUCH A NICE TOUCH for you to have a welcome of essential grocery items! We felt like we were in a home away from home, not a rental! I will post a trip report and pictures on bonairetalk in a week or so...just as soon as I catch back up here! I will definitely put in some great comments about your place! I felt SO SAFE...did you add the bars, or were they already there? It was great to be able to open everything up during the day without worries. We will definitely rent with you again, and I would feel totally safe there with just me and my son. …. Many, many thanks for a wonderful vacation experience, E _____________________________________________________________________________________ Dec. 16, 2004 Gregg- We had a wonderful vacation and enjoyed renting your place. Stephanie was great, it was very clean when we arrived, and we could tell you had put a lot of thought into making it convenient and comfortable for renters. …. Thanks again! David & Debbie L. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Oct. 23, 2004 Gregg, Our stay was absolutely delightful! …You and your wife are making great strides with the condo and we would definitely consider staying with you again on future trips to the island…. Thanks again for your wonderful hospitality. J. F. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Sept 22, 2004 Hi Gregg, Yes, we certainly did have a great time in spite of Mother Nature's best efforts to disrupt our diving. We loved your place! I think the location is wonderful, very quiet. We also enjoyed how roomy it is. It's great to not be tripping all over equipment and suitcases. Having the hose in the yard was so convenient for rinsing gear. It was nice, too, to have the coolers. We used those everyday. I thought the kitchen was well equipped. The supply of towels was fabulous! And I really enjoyed meeting Stefanie. I'm sorry we didn't get to know her better. She seems like a very nice person, and she runs a great operation. …. Again, * and I really enjoyed your place and your island. Sincerely, C.M. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Sept 22, 2004 Gregg, Back in Kuwait awaiting transport to Iraq. Had a great time. We got our birding in day before and day after Ivan. Stefanie was a gem, and showed great concern. The house was great…Will definitely do Bonaire again in the future. Hopefully the villa is still for rent when we plan to go back. Thanks again for everything--S __________________________________________________________________________________ Aug 29, 2004 Hi Gregg and Debbie - just a note to let you know that we were very pleased with our stay at your condo. … I also want to let you know that Stefanie could not have performed any better - She was on time, courteous, full of information, and very friendly. She even made some Venezuelan flan - wish I had some now. We also had fun with your new neighbors in # 12 - Gary and June - They are A ok! AB carrental was also excellent. If you have any questions, I would be glad to answer if I can. Look out for the donkeys Thanks again A and M _____________________________________________________________________________________ Aug. 2, 2004 Dear Gregg and Debbie, We had an absolute wonderful time at your lovely home. … We had neighborhood dogs to make us feel at home, and the weather and sunsets could not have been any better. … How could it have been any better?....Only if we could have stayed longer! Thanks for the opportunity, it was a great vacation. G. M. _____________________________________________________________________________________ |
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