We returned two weeks ago from our third trip to the Sorobon Beach resort in as many years. We stayed at the Sorobon for two weeks.

We found this place by accident when a hurricane derailed our plans to go to Jamaica for our ten year anniversary. We were told that Bonaire was out of the hurricane belt, so we actually changed our plans to Sorobon the day before we left.

It's hard to say why this little resort is so appealing, but it is. It could be the food (fabulous!), the staff (wonderful!), the other guests (oh, so interesting!), the location (quiet and beuatiful) or any combination thereof.

Sorobon is like a Gilligan's island without an exotic jungle and head hunters. Even better, it's like camp, where your only responsibility is to get up in the morning (if you want to) and to figure out how to enjoy your day. The resort is located on the less populated part of the island, but is on the Du Loc bay, so the water is right at your door.

At the current time there are 30 rooms (more like apartments), and basically it is set up in little duplex arrangement so your apartment shares a wall and a front porch with another apartment. Those who shop at IKEA will recognize many of the furnishings - everything from the silverware to the furniture seem to have come from the store. Each apartment has a living room with a kitchenette wall, and a bedroom and bathroom. Air-conditioning is only in the bedroom and is only available during the night time hours.

In addition to the cottages, there is a large common area that has a restaurant, a lounge area and an open area. Since Sorobon caters to naturists and Sorobon is the only naturist spot on the island, it appears that Sorobon management knows the importance of getting and keeping a good chef. Simon (who is new from our last visit) is their newest find. Every meal from his kitchen was tasty and imaginatively created and presented. Some days the highlight of the morning would be to see what Simon had planned for the daily special.

In addition to the daily special, there is also a regular menu to order from and meal service is available for all meals. There is also a happy hour from 5:30 to 6:30 daily, which is an opportunity to drink and get to know many of the interesting people you will learn to love here. Here is an opportunity to hang out from people from other countries - while we were at the resort last time, Americans were in the minority of the guests at the hotel. The majority of guests were Dutch (Bonaire is a Dutch colony, or whatever they want to call it). There was also a smattering of people from Italy, England and Austria. It appears that most Dutch people have an amazing command of the English language, so communicating will be no problem should you choose to do so.

The staff are helpful and fun loving. They (and Barbara and Liz especially) go out of their way to make guests feel included and comfortable. Activities at the hotel are pretty limited: kayaks and snorkeling, so they can help arrange other activities such as scuba diving, boat trips, and the like. You may find yourself slowing down though, like us, and finding that laying on the beach, going out snorkeling and just plain unwinding is plenty to do!

The resort offers rides into the town of Krajendlik 3 times a week so you can buy provisions at the Cultimara Supermarket. If you don't have a car you can use this to get any breakfast or lunch items you may want if you don't want to eat at the restaurant three times a day.

Because Sorobon is pretty isolated, you may want to get a car. Americans are the ones that feel the lack of transportation the most, but another reason would be if you want to do a lot of diving or snorkeling. While the reef-protected Loc is a great place to snorkel, it can be tiring to walk out the 150-200 yards you need to go before you can snorkel. Since we had a car, we just jumped in the car and drove to one of the over 100 dive (snorkel) sites that are located on the island (they are marked by yellow rocks with the dive site's name on them).

Oh yes, and Sorobon is a naturist resort, so there will be some naked people there. You only have to go naked at the beach, and after a while you forget that people aren't wearing their clothes. At least you don't have to worry about what to pack!