Caribbean Family trip: Which one do you recommend?

[DougD72]

Cozumel might fit the bill. Lot's of restaurants. Diving and snorkeling plus whatever tours if you want.

Not sure why Grand Cayman is not on your list. Last time I was there (been awhile), there were plenty of good restaurants and decent diving. I am not sure if you can dive stingray city now. Though it is expensive on GC.

If you want more topside stuff then you have to choose somewhere that has a bigger population and tourism.

We just got a letter saying Sandals Emerald Bay, Little Exuma, Bahamas was converting to a Beaches starting Aug 15. We stayed there during a soft opening years ago and liked it. You might call them and check the opening date and what they offer (soft opening - hint). It was a Four Seasons hotel. We have not been to any of their properties lately but they are always nice and better food than Mexican AI.
The beach there is very good but not much snorkeling - it is mostly sand.
The diving is not bad but I would not say world class. I did dive a little blue hole there with an outside dive op. I doubt Sandals would take their divers into it.
We most always dived with an outside dive op. If you search SB there are plenty of discussions on Sandals diving. Their dive operation is not bad, it is professional but highly structured.

You could try Nassau Bahamas but I was not impressed overall with the diving. On the other hand, lots of sharks. The Bond wrecks are were becoming piles of rubble. More so by now no doubt.

Other places I have been to have smaller populations and we were farther from towns so less to do other than dive - which was the point really.

We were just in Cozumel in January.

 

[ScubaWhit]

(Cross posted to general travel forum as well. If that's not allowed then mods please delete.)

In Jan 2025 we are doing a 7-10 day family trip. Two divers and two non-divers.
Im considering either Turks and Caicos Beaches Resort since the diving is included or Curacao (Marriott or Sunscape).
Mandatory needs are:

1. Good diving
2. Great local food options (I hate traveling and then being fed nothing but American/Western food).
3. Good snorkeling for the non-divers.
4. Great shore activities also for the non-divers or on non-divers days.

Kids are age 5 and 12.
Thoughts?

Edit: Have also been considering Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, so I thought I would include that in the running as well.

I'm also on here researching 2025 family dive trips with non-divers. We went to Cayman Brac this June and enjoyed it but depending on your definition of shore activities, I concur with others who say it might not fit the bill. Definitely a sleepy place but we enjoyed that. Our non divers were 1,11, 13, and 25- they enjoyed the pool and beach at our AirBnB (would recommend if you'd like the info), snorkeling, and kayaking. Us divers had the boat to ourselves and enjoyed 2 tanks in the morning and then relaxing doing not much the rest of the day. We are eyeing Curacao currently for 2025, trying to find a location that's not quite as remote as this year's but also not overrun by tourists and has decent diving and snorkeling.

 

[arkstorm]

We just got back from Beaches at Turks & Caicos. We were there for Thanksgiving week. This was our 10th vacation at that resort over the course of last 13 years. Non-diving wife, two diving children ages 11 (JOW) and 15 (AOW), and me.

I have seen Beaches' dive operation evolve (and sometimes devolve) over the years but I must say that as of this last trip, they have gotten themselves very squared away. I credit that to the dive operation manager, Johnny. We have known Johnny for 20 years (since he certified my wife at our honeymoon). The guy is a star.

That having been said, yes, their dive boats are crowded during peak weeks. They manage the crowds by assigning 6-10 divers to a guide. They do a pretty good job of setting up groups based on certification and experience level. Yes, they dive conservative profiles - most of our dives were 45 minutes or less to a max depth of 70'.

They took us out to West Caicos when running the boats off their south-side marina location (they bussed us to the marina - 10 minute ride). When we were diving from the resort dock, they took us to some of the Northwest point dive sites which are also great.

The diving at Turks is generally not world class but is a solid B+ compared to other locations in the Caribbean.

If you are traveling with divers and non-divers and you're looking to include other activities besides diving, I don't think you can beat Beaches because every non-motorized activity including diving is included in the price and the food is great.