First Bonaire Car Rental

Before you choose a model, it helps to know what the driving is actually like. You drive on the right, as in the Netherlands, and a European or American licence is valid — but the roads are the thing: the paved ones are narrow with speed bumps through the villages, the unpaved ones are loose limestone, and damage from potholes and salt spray is more common here than at home. Donkeys and iguanas cross without looking, and there is no street lighting outside town.

The counter is open on weekdays from roughly 08:00 to 17:00 and closes earlier on Saturday, so give them your flight number when you book and the car will be waiting whatever time you land. For the south of the island and the coastal roads, a compact car is enough. For Washington Slagbaai you want a pick-up or an SUV; a normal car is not advised there and some agreements exclude the park. Reckon on around forty dollars a day for a compact and fifty for a pick-up, and settle the deductible before you sign — five hundred to a thousand dollars is standard unless full cover is included.