2022 greetings from Bonaire

New year, same pandemic. As I write, Bonaire is in the midst of its largest Covid surge (most likely due to all the holiday togetherness) since the beginnings of our worldwide sickness. The good news is that hospitalizations here on island remain quite low. Omicron brings rapid and widespread infection, but mercifully comes with mild symptoms…especially among those who are vaccinated. Most Bonaireans are fully vaccinated and boosted.

The other good news is that we have taken the past year of a quiet island to accomplish some key updates to Villa Salentein.

After more than five years of trying (finding people here to do mid-level renovation projects is like trying to find a frog fish on your maiden open water dive) we finally managed to rustle up the materials and labor for a much-needed kitchen update.

Gone is the wall oven that forced people to climb a stool in order to see the controls. Gone are the disintegrating cabinets from the early aughts. Gone is the center island ceiling exhaust structure upon which guests over 5’3” would be constantly hitting their foreheads. Gone are the dated, scraped and scuffed solid-surface counters.

In place of all this is a fabulous new workspace, new appliances, new concrete countertops, and a graceful new design — allowing for air flow through the kitchen and sweeping views to the Caribbean sea — that more than offsets your kitchen labors.

In addition, the pool was resurfaced and re-tiled, making it more inviting than ever to settle in with a painkiller by the pool and take a dip when the spirit moves you.

Plan your stay here at Bonaire’s recently updated most fabulous home by contacting our island partners at QVillas: [email protected]! We have dates available starting in early March.