Buddy Dive Resort

We come to this island for 3 months at a time and we go here frequently on a "day pass". It's inexpensive, and allows you access to the beach, the pool, the bar/restaurant, and the easy-access steps into the ocean (where you can snorkel). Although (regretfully) i can no longer dive, this place seems to run an awesome dive shop. We have seen them take out people who are in wheelchairs, people with missing limbs, very old folks, anyone with a C card who wants to dive. If you can be helped into the water, they will get you there. The staff for the beach and the bar/restaurant are great. (Shout out to Marco, the bartender who's been there for years). It is a very pleasant and welcoming experience.

Buddy Dive is the perfect, fairly spartan, resort for divers! For the price you get so much! Unlimited nitrox, that is plentiful and easy to get to. A nice dive shop, solid breakfast, a nice home reef, incredible dive staff, charming restaurant staff. We also got a truck and dives. The rooms are clean, and have very good AC and tile floors which is great. They lose a star only because these are not super classy accommodations, no WiFi in rooms, only one TV that got one channel (lol), and their two t restaurants on premise were just okay, with their fancy restaurant overcharging for water. So, five stars for diving, four stars for accommodations.

Buddy Dive Resort is a basic, no-frills resort, catering primarily to scuba divers. I purchased the 12 – boat dive package, which I believed would be a better value compared to their Drive and Dive package. With the 12 – boat dive package, you still get the benefit of unlimited tank refills for shore dives. I have great rates with Avis, so it was cheaper for me to rent a car from Avis than to do the Drive and Dive Buddy Dive. I would recommend comparing both options before committing to the Drive and Dive package. The breakfast at Buddy Dive was decent. They have an omelet station, and breakfast opens at 6:30 AM, which is perfect for those of us who are preparing for the 8:10 AM morning boat dives. Aside from breakfast, we only ate at the resort’s on - site restaurants once, during the all-you-can-eat BBQ night. It was enjoyable and reasonably priced (relative to any place else on the island). We were told by other guest that the casual restaurant had slow service, and many guests told us that the food was just okay. We found some great local spots nearby that we enjoyed much more (the Pita Madre truck at the nearby roundabout, Pizza Mare and Between Two Buns, which were all very close to Buddy Dive). We were also happy to pick up a few groceries and make a few of our own meals in the small kitchen within our accommodations. The dive shop and rental equipment were convenient. I recommend doing the dive orientation as early as possible. We attended the 9 AM orientation, but I wish I had received an itinerary or more detailed information about my dives ahead of time. We checked in, and no one informed us about the orientation or dive schedule. I had to visit the dive shop when it opened on our first day to find out about the orientation and our dive schedule. The boat dives were often crowded, with 16 - 18 divers on each boat. It would have been better if they split the divers into smaller groups. The dive guides were hit or miss - some were great, but two of them were less enjoyable. One guide was snappy, and another seemed a bit grumpy, and we believe the guide may have started the day off on the wrong foot (the dive guide was less grumpy as the morning progressed). The check - in process could also use some improvement. When we arrived, we were given keys and a map of the resort, but no information about breakfast, dive schedules, or other amenities. Things to know before you go: 1. Poor Wi-Fi – The Wi-Fi is terrible in the rooms. It only really works in common areas and not in your room, which can be frustrating if you need reliable internet access. 2. Bring your own blow dryer – Despite being listed on their website, Buddy Dive’s blow dryers were always unavailable. I inquired every day and was told they had all been lent out already. 3. Compare car rental rates – It might be cheaper to rent a car from Avis than through Buddy Dive, especially if you already have a good rate with Avis. 4. No real beach – There is no traditional beach; in