Bonaire beach hotels offer travelers intimate places to stay near the island's coveted coast. The bulk of the best beach hotels in Bonaire can be found near Kralendijk on the west coast. In addition to their proximity to excellent dive sites such as the Bari Reef, these west coast beach hotels are also ideally situated for excursions to the uninhabited islet of Klein Bonaire.

Harbour Village Beach Club

There are lots of similarities between Bonaire's beach hotels and its beach resorts. Both the resorts and the beach hotels range in class, and there are choices to fit most budgets. On the luxurious side of things, the Harbour Village Beach Club (pictured) is the luxury resort of choice, while the Bellafonte Chateau de la Mer is arguably the luxury hotel of choice.

Bellafonte Chateau

None of the Bonaire beach hotels are overly luxurious, but if you book the Penthouse Suite at the Bellafonte Chateau, you will enjoy an upgraded lodging experience. This penthouse features two bedrooms, two main bathrooms, and a guest bathroom. It also boasts a flat-screen television, internet access, a large leather sofa in the living room, a kitchen, and a private terrace with views of the Caribbean Sea. Should the Penthouse Suite at the Bellafonte be too pricey, the other suites and studio units are clean, comfortable, and relatively well equipped. Outside of the guest units, there is a waterfront terrace with a pool and Jacuzzi. Lockers and cleaning facilities are also available for divers and windsurfers.

Sonrisa Hotel

Much like the Bellafonte Chateau de la Mer, the Sonrisa offers a good array of amenities for its guests to enjoy. One of the best beach hotels in Bonaire, the Sonrisa Hotel offers eight rooms, a pair of one-bedroom apartments, and a two-bedroom apartment. The décor in the rooms and apartments borders on modern chic, and it is quite tasteful. In fact, the design and décor of the entire hotel is tasteful. As for the amenities that guests can expect to enjoy in the rooms and apartments, highlights include air conditioning, cable TV, a hair dryer, a coffee and tea maker, a private balcony or patio, and complimentary internet access. Should you stay in one of the apartments, you'll also have a kitchenette at your disposal.

Bruce Bowker's Carib Inn

The Bonaire beach hotels don't offer as many facilities as the resorts, but that doesn't mean that they have trouble keeping their guests satisfied. At the Sonrisa Hotel, for example, a cheap shuttle is available to take guests to the island's top windsurfing spots. At Bruce Bowker's Carib Inn, there is a five-star PADI dive facility.

Bruce Bowker's Carib Inn labels itself as a dive resort, though it is really more akin to a hotel than a resort. The ten guest units are equipped with a kitchen or kitchenette, and while the in-room amenities are limited, the rates are hard to beat. When it comes to Bonaire beach lodging, Bruce Bowker's Carib Inn arguably offers the best overall value. When guests aren't diving during their stay at the Carib Inn, they can swim in the small outdoor pool or relax on the sandy beach that is just steps from the rooms.

Divi Flamingo

When it comes to the best beach hotels in Bonaire, resorts such as the mid-range Divi Flamingo deserve consideration. Travelers will also want to consider the other beachfront lodging options. Bonaire beach lodging can also come in the form of a vacation rental, and many of the rental properties are quite luxurious. Should you have room in the budget, a spacious, seaside villa with a dynamic pool might just make for the best Bonaire travel base. That being said, the Kralendijk beach hotels and the resorts that can be found across the island on Lac Bay are where most travelers choose to stay.

The area in and around Kralendijk is the best place to look when searching for Bonaire beach lodging, as this is where the bulk of the options can be found. Since Bonaire is a small island, it's easy to get around to all the top destinations. As such, when you're not hanging out at the beach during your stay at one of the Bonaire beach hotels, you can head inland to check out the historic town of Rincon or venture to the hilly northern region to go hiking in Washington Slagbaai National Park.