We dropped by the newly refurbished restaurant Foodies for dessert on New Year's Day. Wonderful creme brulee! There has been a restaurant at this location for many years, and it has gone through several iterations Its latest incarnation as Foodies is the best yet, and unlike its predecessor it is now open evenings for dinner, Wednesday through Sunday. Let us know what you think.

You should allow at least half a day to visit the park. Although it doesn't take long to get there, once you enter you must drive all the way around on a one way road. There are actually two alternate roads, but either one takes time!

The longer road is better for ocean views; the shorter road is better for hiking to the highest point on the island, Mount Brandaris. The park closes at 5 pm, so plan accordingly.

Other tips: each visitor must purchase a $25 permit that's valid for the calendar year. However if you bring the STINAPA windsurfing permit you bought for $10, you only have to pay the $15 difference. Also, the roads are rough and some rental car agencies don't want you to take ordinary passenger cars into the park. On my recent visit we did indeed blow a tire. :-(

It's practically next door to us and has a great reputation. Open daily until 6 pm.

When the wind isn't propitious for windsurfing, snorkeling can be enormously rewarding. Here are some of my lucky snorkeling snapshots with my best guesses at identification.

Help yourself to coconuts from our front yard! Caveat emptor: the meat and milk are good, but it is not easy to extract them. :-)

Nearby, at Sorobon (3 minutes), is the casual and popular Hang Out Bar, which every windsurfer I know recommends.

In addition one of our guests was kind enough to share her personal Bonaire dining out favorites:

• "Zeezicht restaurant has very expensive menu but has excellent and cheap lunch special. We had such a great dish of fish and chips/rice with excellent salsa-ish sauce for $7. So if you go there check out the specials menu at the entrance. Overall it was our number 1 favorite in terms of price and taste trade off."
• "Between 2 Buns has great sandwiches. The bread is awesome. Some sandwiches like crab salad is about $7. Otherwise it may get around $11 or $12 per sandwich."
• "Plazita Limena number 1 in terms of taste. FANTASTIC food for dinner. Authentic Peruvian restaurant in the main street (almost at the beginning on the right hand side as you go up the one-way). If you go there make sure to sit under the fans (AND NO WHERE ELSE) because of mosquito. I had the sane sandwich there twice (chicken with curry and pine apple) with fries for about $14 if I remember well. Baris had an authentic Peruvian dish of lamb shank, rice, and a white bean puree for about $22 for dinner. It is on the expensive side but I can't tell you how good the food is. They opened this past November [2013]. The restaurant doesn't have a view but everything is worth the taste in my opinion."
• "Cactus Blue I am attaching their menu and my photo with the cart ;) We had the veggie wrap, spicy burger and lionfish. Lionfish finishes by noon according to reviews (I didn't find it overwhelmingly spectacular by the way but overall it was very good). I liked spicy burger. Also make sure to try the $3 passion fruit/orange smoothie over there."