Family vacation, mostly non-divers

[mscott556]

My family is looking for suggestions on vacation spots for mid July. There will be nine of us in the group and the ages are mostly 50+. My sister and I are in our mid 20s and my cousin is 17. Typical group interests include: hiking, horseback riding, photography, and live music. Only two of us would be diving, unless I could convince some of the others to take a class, so non-diving activities are a must. Price is definitely a consideration. Part of the group will be leaving from south Florida and have suggested the Bahamas. I'm all for it but others are worried they won't have enough to do. Trip length will likely be 7-10 days.

Any input would be greatly appreciated...otherwise I may end up diving Lake Superior/Michigan this summer...brrr

Edit: Everyone is coming from the mainland USA so it should be one of the 48 states or surrounding areas.

 

[robint]

Hmmm.... hiking? On an island, that is pretty limited.
Mid-July is going to be blazing hot on any mainland (Mexico, Belize, etc) where you would have hiking available. Ditto the horseback riding. July is very humid and buggy, too.

Hawaii would meet all those interests, but it is expensive. Lots of topside activities for non-divers.

I was going to suggest Playa del Carmen/Riviera Maya area or Ambergris Caye Belize... tons to do at either destination. Roatan might work. Grand Cayman would work but it is expensive. What exactly is your budget per person, not counting airfare?

look at a few websites:
Welcome to Roatan Charter : Honduras and Belize Travel Wholesalers since 1981
Belize Vacations, Tours, Resorts, News, Hotels, Travels, Flights, Weather, Maps, Real Estate
playa del carmen trip planning menu
Cancun Attractions - Playa del Carmen Activities - Hidden Worlds
Cayman Islands - Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, Travel and Tourism Site

My thoughts are that the PDC Mexico trip would be least expensive and have a good variety for everyone. There are big resorts and little funky hotels, a good range of prices, and good food, Mayan ruins, jungle activities, beaches and diving. Fly into Cancun, rent a van or couple of cars and drive down. For the most bang for your buck, that would be it. Or you could stay in Cancun which has more big hotels/resorts.

Cozumel is always a good choice, but with lots of non-divers you would want to pick an all-inclusive resort or one with lots of activities. There are tours that go over to mainland PDC for the Mayan ruins, etc.
Cozumel vacation, Mexico resort hotel rates - Bay Adventures

robin

 

[greylion]

I agree with Robin, Playa del Carmen area in Mexico has a lot of different things to do, mayan ruins, Golf, diving, water sports of all kinds, fun bars and restaurants and the ferry is right there to take to Cozumel for a day if you want. It is also fairly inexpensive with easy access by flying into Cancun MX. Mexico is cheap.

The Bahamas are too darn expensive for everything.

 

[mscott556]

Thank you for all the links Robin! Most of those look like they'll have to be solo trips once I'm finished working out here though. I haven't been able to get any budget info from the group yet but I think they'd love PDC. If I can find some cheap airfare/housing than I might be able to get them on board with that one.

 

[DeputyDan]

I think you should take a serious look at Costa Rica.
Something for everyone.


I would also suggest Belize but that will probably require a move during the trip. Part of the time water based and part of the time jungle based. Been there and done that and its awesome!

 

[mscott556]

Dan, Costa Rica would be great. Unfortunately, my uncle has already been there and even though he loved it, he wants to see someplace new. Yea...tough group to please

I believe Hawaii is out for the same reason.

 

[DeputyDan]

Probably needs to be the Cancun area of Mexico - look into going to Holbox and whale shark snorkeling during that time frame. Would be something different for everyone and that's the time of year to do that activity.

Lots of thinks to do in that area of Mexico.

 

[diver 85]

Look @ Dominica------you can go 24/7 there & still not see everything in a week......ooops, just read the EDIT, forget about here OP--------but in the future consider it---it's almost a National Geographic type of trip.....

 

[mscott556]

Just wanted to thank everyone for the responses so far. I'm running these by the family and waiting for responses (and saving them all for when I plan my own trips).

 

[CaptRam]

How about the Greek islands? check my link