Ocean Oasis: Bonaire
Royal Caribbean Excursion:
Chill Out at Ocean Oasis Beach Club & Southern Island Drive
$64.99 per person for September 2022 cruise
Transportation:
Our journey to Ocean Oasis began on an open air school bus with a narrated drive around the island of Bonaire allowing us to catch glimpses of the famous flamingos and the salt flats.
Ocean Oasis offered a full covered bar and restaurant serving a wide range of food and beverage. As part of the excursion we were able to select chairs on the beach under one of the umbrellas. Conveniently they had a QR code posted on the umbrella allowing you to mobile order food and beverages directly to you.
Chris ordered chicken tacos (above) which were pretty good. A bit spicier than expected but not too overpowering.
The star of the show though were the pulled pork sliders (below). At $10 for 4 miniature sliders it was well worth the price. The BBQ sauce was perfectly sweet on top of the bao-style buns with juicy pulled pork.
The BEST drink option of the day was the local Flamingo beer similar to other Caribbean lagers. At only $3.00 a drink it was a welcome change from the $8-9 beer offerings on the ship.
They did offer a selection of other beer and cocktails. As a fan of gin and tonic, I was delighted to see a section of their menu dedicated to gin based drinks. My drink of choice was a delicious Flamingo Gin and Tonic. If you like grapefruit, berry, and orange flavors you will definitely enjoy this drink. It was around $12, but significantly larger and stronger than on ship drinks.
Overall Impressions:
This was a nice half day excursion allowing for both a quick tour of the island while still having a few hours to relax. The beach is rocky so bring water shoes if you intend on snorkeling. There is a nice lagoon area, but be cautious of the drop-off getting in.
Rating:
Atmosphere: 8/10 - Lagoon was beautiful but with a rocky shoreline it isn’t quite the beach you would expect. Chairs were comfortable, restrooms were clean, and mobile ordering was convenient.
Food: 8/10 - I would return just for those sliders!
Drinks: 9/10 - Great options at various price points. More expensive drinks were large and strong. Highly recommend trying the Flamingo beer and a G&T.
