Bonaire Day 5: Desert Vibes, Family Dynamics & Yet Another Amazing Burger

May 31, 2025·By Wanderful Journeys

This morning started bright and early with a pickup at the resort next door for our Washington Slagbaai National Park tour.

Our guide drove us through the park’s winding dirt roads, stopping to show us all the sights along the way. The rugged east coast was dramatic and beautiful—crashing waves, a blowhole, a weathered old lighthouse, and windswept deserted bays.

We even found an excellent, off-the-beaten-path snorkeling spot where the terrain was completely different from the other places we’ve explored so far.

This was our most wildlife-heavy day yet—we spotted tons of lizards and a surprising variety of birds. All in all, it was a great tour… but a long one. By the end, let’s just say the vibe in our little group turned a bit testy.

Which brings me to an important message I want to share here:
Not every vacation is meant to be thrilling. And that’s okay.

If you’ve been following along and thinking, “Wow, this sounds like kind of a boring vacation,”—you might not be wrong, depending on your vacation style. But vacation style is personal. Mine changes based on the destination, my companions, and my own energy. Some trips are about squeezing in every sight and experience. Others are about hitting the reset button.

When I travel with my husband and youngest son, I’ve learned that less is more. One main activity per day. A few elements of normal routine (hello, gym). Good food—lots of it. And wind-down time in front of a TV, no matter what’s on. In Costa Rica, we watched It in Spanish. In Norway, we discovered the gloriously weird brilliance of Taskmaster on BBC Nordic.

The goal isn’t to be constantly entertained—it’s to spend time together, away from the distractions of real life.

This approach works really well for us… until we travel with a larger group. That’s when vacation styles can clash. It’s also why standard group tours don’t really work for us—too rigid, too packed, too much stress.

That’s a big reason I'm starting Wanderful Journeys. I wanted to create a flexible kind of travel planning that works for real people—messy schedules, mixed interests, and all. Whether you're using one of our pre-built itineraries or we’re customizing a trip just for your group, flexibility is baked in. You can join in the activities you want to and skip the ones you don’t. You’re on vacation—it should feel like it.

Anyway, back to the day.

After the tour, we went straight to dinner at Foxy Flamingo, where the outdoor tables were cute and quirky—and, as D put it, "miserably uncomfortable." I did almost fall off my chair just trying to sit down (twice), so I guess he has a point.

But the smashburgers? Incredible. This was my first burger of the trip, and if it’s any indication, D might be onto something with his ongoing burger tour of Bonaire. Brandon got a mango smoothie, and I went with a passion fruit daiquiri—both were also excellent.

As usual, my impulse to eat is faster than my impulse to take a picture, but you can see how I turned the burger around so that you almost can't tell it's half eaten.

I don't know what to say about my impulse to drink; this picture was taken as we were walking out to our car.

We wrapped up the day with a dessert run at the grocery store and then headed back for our evening ritual: snacks and Dexter.

Tomorrow, we’ll have a chill morning followed by a sunset cruise aboard a sailboat with a semi-submarine observation deck. Fingers crossed for magical views and minimal bickering.