Flamingo International · BON
Getting from Bonaire airport to your hotel.
One thing worth knowing before you land: Flamingo International does not allow kerbside pickup. No taxi will be waiting outside the arrivals doors, and standing there waiting is the most common way a first ride in Bonaire goes wrong. Here is what actually happens.
How the pickup works
- 01
Book before or after you land
Open Zeli and set your pickup to Flamingo International Airport. You can book the moment you have signal — there is free wifi in the terminal if your phone has no local data yet.
- 02
Leave arrivals and turn west
Bonaire’s airport does not allow kerbside pickup, so no car will be waiting directly outside the doors. This surprises almost every first-time visitor.
- 03
Walk to the Kiss & Ride zone
It is a marked area about 900 metres west of the terminal — a five to ten minute walk on the flat, with luggage. Zeli shows you the walking route on a map inside the app as soon as your ride is booked.
- 04
Meet your driver
You will see their name, their car and where they are on the map. You can message or call them from inside the app without giving out your phone number.
Luggage and dive gear
Bonaire is a diving island and dive bags are heavy. If there are more than two of you, or you are travelling with tanks and gear, book the XL — ten seats and room for the bags, rather than discovering at the Kiss & Ride zone that it will not fit.
Flying out
For a departure, schedule the ride in advance rather than booking on the morning. Early flights leave before the island is properly awake, and a scheduled ride means a driver has already agreed to be there.
Paying
Card in the app or cash to the driver, in US dollars. If you have just landed and have no local cash yet, card is the simpler of the two and costs $0.50 less.
No local data yet
The terminal has wifi, which is enough to book. Once your ride is accepted, the driver’s details and the walking route are already on your screen — you do not need a connection to walk to the meeting point.