Our arrival in Bonaire felt special—arrivals always do—but this one even more so. Bonaire has long been one of my favourite places in the Caribbean, and I was curious to see whether it was still that wonderfully, weirdly different. And yes—it absolutely is.

One of the great joys here is tying up to a mooring buoy and finding yourself right above a stunning reef, teeming with fish. In fact, there are even more fish than in the Tobago Cays—despite being anchored right in front of a town. Another thing that makes Bonaire unique is that, as part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, it feels strangely familiar. There’s a comforting sense of coming home, a little pause in our travels, which makes settling in incredibly easy. The officials at Customs and Immigration only add to that feeling—they are genuinely warm and welcoming from the very first moment.

That said, Bonaire has changed a lot since we were here 12 years ago. There are many more houses, many more people. During and after COVID, the island experienced quite a boom, with many Dutch settling here. With daily flights either directly to Amsterdam or via Curaçao, it’s hard to blame anyone for escaping grey, rainy winters.

For us, arriving here also feels like a milestone—a new beginning. The Atlantic lies behind us, and the Pacific feels closer than ever. It seems only fitting to welcome the New Year here. And what a year 2025 has been for us! Just last New Year’s Eve, we were celebrating with friends in Starnberg, still unsure whether this journey would even be possible. We didn’t know if the schools would support us, if the house would be ready—or rented at all—and everything felt full of question marks.

And yet, here we are, 12 months later. With incredible support from our schools, the best renters we could ever have hoped for (truly wonderful people), and so much encouragement from family and friends who have carried us every step of the way. Add to that a generous helping of luck—clearly present ever since the tuna escorted us out to sea—and we feel deeply grateful.

We wish you all a wonderful start to the New Year. We can’t wait to see you on the other side.