BONAIRE. My no-longer-diving wife loves it!
The single most cogent thing to be said, both islands offer great Caribbean diving.
Bonaire, a non-diver with a sense of fun can survive and thrive for a week. Especially if they Like taking pictures. Stark, white, pink, a true desert island. The bugs that are there can kill you.
Roatan, a non-diver better like sunbathing or drinking. Not really much else going on while you’re in a tropical rain forest environment. The bugs there might make you wish you were dead.
Diving? Each has it’s great opportunities. Both have their local beer.
Bonaire? Many AI-ish resorts will take you to a 2x morning dive, my fave is Klein Bonaire which is close and has great hiding places from the ever-present convection oven like winds. Afternoon, get tanks, load your gear and do any one of the great shore dives. The variety of food options is remarkable. Tap water is drinkable, driving a car is doable. They have a functional night life zone, but we always prefer the outlying local shack restaurants where you can get 7 varieties of goat, or less challenging plates.
Roatan? Two ways to do it . Guest house VRBO type, dive-op down the path. Actual AI (dive till you drop) dive resorts. I do not think a non-diver will find amusement beyond 2 days no matter which you select. Most visitors end up on West End guest houses. There is no ‘local’ food, but burgers abound. Drink bottled water only, driving is really a bad idea. I prefer the AI route because I came to dive, no better way to get BT. I am a Coco View fan boy, even over the #2 which is AKR. Lots of info here on SB to make that choice. Night shore dive at CCV every night. I get my 27/week and
I have brought 4 non driving snorkelers to CCV and they went home with OW C-cards. The AI vs Day Dive debate is rife here, but fans are not always broadly experienced in the huge differences as they have only done it one way. You either come to dive, or not so much.
No real comparison to each other in night life. Bonaire is a modern-ish environ, a country cousin to Aruba/Curaçao, but whatever you might want, you can find…something. Roatan, you may be off at an AI, away from the noise of the West End, the WE is where the younger crowd night life is grass shack, loud music and beer.
I would not want to be in need of medical services, but Bonaire is where I’d ask for medical help. Both islands have some crime issues, but very little is personal f2f stuff. Bad guys know this is frowned upon. Bonaire has long suffered from endemic car burglaries at shore dives- research and act accordingly. Roatan has a recent WE history of pickpocket type stupid grabs. ATMs on Roatan are a sucker bet.
Diving? Once again, the reportage is heavily biased by lack of broad based experience (how many have really dived both islands to a great extent?) and trying to cipher out the trip report writers naturalistic observation skills.
I’ve been to both islands to have decided the the South shore of Roatan (thus CCV) was my regular 2 weeks/yr place. I’ve seen all the big apex Pelagics, now I get happy with maco and real micro critters, magnifying glass stuff. That is my bias created by my very fat log book. Excellent, close-in, shore snorkel, best on island.
Cayman, you threw that out as a spitball? A whole different world.
Your proposed time frame should keep you out of storm threats.
@Terry Feinberg , pick your next wives with greater care…__[:]@
Do both Islands. Pick one. Then, do the other. Broaden your base of experience. Post a report here on SB. <*}}})))>< happy fishes!
