FREE cancellation in case of new lockdown!

We rescheduled a few hundred reservations

After the unexpected outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and the subsequent ‘lockdown’, the closure of Bonaire’s airspace and the banning of cruise ships, we were able, in consultation with our guests, to move the dates of all existing bookings at the time of the outbreak (several hundred) to a later date.

Cancelation policy after June 30, 2020

Now that the borders of Bonaire will be reopened on 1 July, and the various airlines will restart their services on Bonaire, we receive increasingly more questions about our cancellation policy, should a next wave of corona infections occur and Bonaire again becomes inaccessible for tourists.

In consultation with our homeowner clients, we therefore offer every guest (*) that books with Sunwise, should they not be able to travel due to ‘corona perils’, so in case the airspace of Bonaire closes again for aircraft from the country where the guest comes from, if one of their group has a positive result on the mandatory PCR test, if their flights are canceled and not rescheduled 1-2 days before or after the original dates, in case of a travel restricting lockdown in the country where the guests come from, or a negative travel advice (colors orange and red), to opt for free cancellation of the accommodation, or to reschedule the dates. Rescheduling must be for the same accommodation (all the villas and apartments we manege have different, individual owners).

(*) All the rules on this page, only apply for reservations made after June 30, 2020, directly with Sunwise, on our website, so not through the booking portals, for travelers from the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and France, because they can start traveling to Bonaire again, on 1 July. As soon as tourists from other countries are allowed to return to Bonaire, we will further expand this relaxed cancellation policy.

UPDATE October 21, 2020: As of per October 26, all travelers, from all over the world can access Bonaire again, with a negative PCR test and a health declaration. Direct flights are allowed only from Canada, Curaçao and the Netherlands. This means that if our guests test positive, they can cancel the reservation free of charge on presentation of the test results. Travelers from the USA cannot book under these policies as the US airlines still haven’t resumed their flights to and from Bonaire.

Booking can be canceled for free (full refund) in case of:

• Airspace of Bonaire closes
• Travel blocking lockdown in country of origin (airspace closes)
• Travel Advisory Code Orange or Red for Bonaire in country of origin
• Canceled flights that are not rescheduled 1-2 days before or after original dates
• Positive corona test (PCR or antigen) of one of the group members (sending proof necessary)

Booking can be rescheduled for free (no refund) in case of:

• All the events above, but on voluntary basis

UPDATE December 15, 2020: As of today, December 15, Bonaire – at least for the Netherlands – will get travel advice color code orange, which means that this specific part of the conditions above will be cancelled for the time being (until Bonaire returns to code yellow or green). Guests of Sunwise who have booked on or after 15 December cannot cancel their booking free of charge because of the travel advice color code orange, but – if they are unable or unwilling to travel – will of course be given the opportunity to reschedule their booking. Travelers from the USA cannot book under these policies as the US airlines still haven’t resumed their flights to and from Bonaire.

Booking can be canceled for free (full refund) in case of:

• Airspace of Bonaire closes
• Travel blocking lockdown in country of origin (airspace closes)
• Travel Advisory Code Red for Bonaire in country of origin
• Canceled flights that are not rescheduled 1-2 days before or after original dates
• Positive corona test (PCR or antigen) of one of the group members (sending proof necessary)

Booking can be rescheduled for free (no refund) in case of:

• Travel Advisory Code Orange for Bonaire in country of origin
• All the events above, but on voluntary basis

UPDATE December 23, 2020: As of December 29, 2020, for every traveller returning to the Netherlands, a negative PCR test will be mandatory, but this does NOT include travelers from Bonaire, as the island is considered a ‘safe country’ (link in Dutch only). Travelers from the USA cannot book under these policies as the US airlines still haven’t resumed their flights to and from Bonaire.

Booking can be canceled for free (full refund) in case of:

• Airspace of Bonaire closes
• Travel blocking lockdown in country of origin (airspace closes)
• Travel Advisory Code Red for Bonaire in country of origin
• Canceled flights that are not rescheduled 1-2 days before or after original dates
• Positive corona test (PCR or antigen) of one of the group members (sending proof necessary)

Booking can be rescheduled for free (no refund) in case of:

• Travel Advisory Code Orange for Bonaire in country of origin
• All the events above, but on voluntary basis

UPDATE January 15, 2021: As of today, January 15, 2021, direct flights from all countries in the world are allowed on Bonaire again. This means that also for our guests who will travel from – for instance – the USA, the rule applies that they may cancel bookings made after January 15, free of charge, if Bonaire’s airspace is closed again and due to that, they won’t be able to travel to Bonaire on the booked dates. Travelers from the USA now can book too under these policies as the US airlines have resumed their flights to and from Bonaire.

Booking can be canceled for free (full refund) in case of:

• Airspace of Bonaire closes
• Travel blocking lockdown in country of origin (airspace closes)
• Travel Advisory Code Red for Bonaire in country of origin
• Canceled flights that are not rescheduled 1-2 days before or after original dates
• Positive corona test (PCR or antigen) of one of the group members (sending proof necessary)

Booking can be rescheduled for free (no refund) in case of:

• Travel Advisory Code Orange for Bonaire in country of origin
• All the events above, but on voluntary basis

UPDATE May 17, 2021: We have removed the travel advisory codes from the terms and conditions, which means that our guests can now only cancel free of charge in the event that they cannot travel because Bonaire’s airspace is once again closed to aircraft from the guest’s country of origin, flights are cancelled and they do not go 1-2 days before or after the original date, or if there is a travel restricting lockdown in the guest’s country of origin.

Booking can be canceled for free (full refund) in case of:

• Airspace of Bonaire closes
• Travel blocking lockdown in country of origin (airspace closes)
• Canceled flights that are not rescheduled 1-2 days before or after original dates
• Positive corona test (PCR or antigen) of one of the group members (sending proof necessary)

Booking can be rescheduled for free (no refund) in case of:

• All the events above, but on voluntary basis

UPDATE August 01, 2021: Now that vaccination rates are rising, we have removed the positive PCR test as a reason to cancel free of charge – with a side note – from these crisis cancellation conditions. For bookings made on or after August 1, 2021, if one or more people in the party test positive, guests may still reschedule their booking to a new date for the same accommodation, with the last day of the new period no later than December 31, 2022. Our guests can still cancel free of charge if they are unable to travel because Bonaire’s airspace is once again closed to aircraft from the guest’s country of origin, flights are cancelled and do not depart 1-2 days before or after the original date, or there is a travel blocking lockdown in the guest’s country of origin. Rescheduling to other dates for the same accommodation, is now removed from the policies, except for positive tests.

Booking can be canceled for free (full refund) in case of:

• Airspace of Bonaire closes
• Travel blocking lockdown in country of origin (airspace closes)
• Canceled flights that are not rescheduled 1-2 days before or after original dates

Booking can be rescheduled for free (no refund) in case of:

• Positive corona test (PCR or antigen) of one of the group members (sending proof necessary)

UPDATE January 13, 2022: Now that the major travel and cancellation insurers have included cancellation due to a positive PCR test in their policy terms, our guests who have to cancel their bookings because they cannot travel due to a positive PCR test can claim their cancellation loss and we are removing this condition from our crisis cancellation policy. Furthermore, the possibilities of getting to Bonaire have improved significantly in recent months, so we have also removed ‘cancelled flights’ from the conditions. Therefore, for bookings made after January 13, 2022:

Booking can be canceled for free (full refund) in case of:

• Airspace of Bonaire closes
• Travel blocking lockdown in country of origin (airspace closes)

Booking can be rescheduled for free (no refund) in case of:

• All the events above, but on voluntary basis

WE ADVISE ALL OUR GUESTS TO CLOSE A GOOD TRAVEL/CANCELLATION INSURANCE POLICY THAT COVERS CANCELLATION DUE TO A POSITIVE TEST!