Diving Florida on a Budget---Need Help

[gr8jab]

Here is what I would do, as a net savvy person:

1. pick your dive shop based on forum feedback, rates, and reviews
2. locate the dive shop and/or marina where they keep their boat (google maps?).
3. visit airbnb.com, using the map feature, find options close to the dive boat or shop that are within your price.

For example, I found Scuba Works (think this is the shop you meant) on US1 in Jupiter. I then found these two rooms on airbnb.com:

share a condo with owner - $50 per night: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4209179?s=rsH5
room with private bath inc condo - $60 per night: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5794565?s=d99S

If you are not traveling alone, I usually find good deals on VRBO, which are more private than airbnb. However, many have 7 night minimums. For example:

1BR condo http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-diving/508310-diving-florida-budget-need-help-2.html

As a side note: I've chosen Rainbow Reef + Courtyard Marriott (package deal) in Key Largo for my July trip. I couldn't find much on airbnb or VRBO in Key Largo to compete with their deal. But, if I was traveling with family or friends, I would use VRBO. Please understand, I am not endorsing Rainbow Reef, since I have not traveled there yet. It was my choice, based on my trip requirements. Your goals or plan may be different.

 

[chrism16]

There are alot of dive shops that have links on theyre site to hotel codes for special pricing. JDC does this as I have used them and most times its for 20% off. Also hotels here are much cheaper in August-Sept then if your looking to come right now. I have stayed at the Hilton Singer Island which is on the beach in Jupiter for $110 in August...last time I checked it was up around $250 a night to stay this month.

 

[scubadada]

Hi Clernix,

For the GG aggregation, I would suggest trying to get out to the Castor in Boynton Beach. I have sent you a PM with more information.

Good luck with your trip, Craig

 

[bilsant]

Depending on where you're diving in the Keys, you might want to consider staying in Homestead - about 40 minutes' drive north of Key Largo. They have Days Inn, Hampton Inn, and some others in the $50 to $100 range...

In the upper keys, I really like Conch Republic Divers...but there are several good dive ops.

 

[djtimmy77]

While most of the violent crime happens a few blocks east from the palm beach lakes best western (roosevelt estates, lake mangonia, progressive northwest, north tamarind) there was a shooting last night at the apartments right next to it. Just a FYI for anyone who might stumble across this thread and consider staying there.

 

[danvolker]

While most of the violent crime happens a few blocks east from the palm beach lakes best western (roosevelt estates, lake mangonia, progressive northwest, north tamarind) there was a shooting last night at the apartments right next to it. Just a FYI for anyone who might stumble across this thread and consider staying there.

I can tell you that the people in the Palm beach county Tourist Development council, and the Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Film Commission and Sports Commision will all DISAGREE with you on this. In fact, they are very happy with the new Palm beach Mall and how it has transformed the area...and they are also very happy with their location for their own offices at 1555 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard...

The Palm Beach Mall is across the street from the Best Western. The TDC thinks this is hot, and so does the CVB....it means the people that know tourism much better than you or I feel the Mall and the Best Western are MAJOR resources for tourists to palm beach county....
p.s..the TDC & CVB do not push any properties in Tamerind or other dangerous areas. As for a shooting...that can happen in Wellington, in Boca, and pretty much anywhere there are people.

Here is the Mall...across the street.. https://www.facebook.com/palmbeachoutlet

Here is what the tourism experts in Palm Beach put out... Discover The Palm Beaches Florida | Hotels, Beaches, Shopping, Restaurants & Things To Do

A real issue for many visiting divers, is the diversity of diving out of palm beach Inlet....
If all you want is deep...then sure, Jupiter may be the be all..end all.
If you want a wide range of environments to dive, "including jupiter", but also including the 40 to 60 foot deep areas of Breakers, and Pauls and Horseshoe...with all the superior color photography potentials of these areas....as well as hour long bottom times and more actual diving....then using the Palm beach Inlet, and staying in a Hotel 2 minutes to 12 minutes away from the boats there will make lots of sense.
The boats going out of Palm beach inlet do both Juno/Jupiter AND Breakers/Pauls etc.....The boats out of Jupiter do NOT run to Breakers or Pauls or Horseshoe.... Now, certainly they could fill up with enough fuel to make this possible--but it is not in the business model that any of the Jupiter Boats have been successful with.

 

[djtimmy77]

Of course the tourist development council says it is great. It is their JOB to hide the negative aspects of the area from tourists. Doesn't change the fact that this shopping area borders one of the worst areas in the county. Yes, some developers took advantage of an opportunity to tear down a failing mall that nobody went to anymore due to safety reasons and build an outlet mall in its place. It is not a tourist destination...it is a bunch of outlet stores selling the same stuff as every other outlet mall in every big city in the rest of the country. At best a day trip for people visiting their grandparents.

I have a hard time figuring out why you are so stuck on selling this property other than the fact that you can't stand to be proven wrong.

I would not stay there. I would not let anyone in my family or any of my friends stay there. I was in the area last week and once you get past the ridiculous traffic pattern in front of the mall it goes downhill very quickly. The apartments adjacent to the hotel and to the south are not somewhere I would send tourists. There are so many better options in the area.

Yes you can say there are shootings wherever there are people but the highest concentration is just to the east of this location. 3 in 6 hours tuesday night...do you need me to pull a crime map again?

 

[danvolker]

Of course the tourist development council says it is great. It is their JOB to hide the negative aspects of the area from tourists. Doesn't change the fact that this shopping area borders one of the worst areas in the county. Yes, some developers took advantage of an opportunity to tear down a failing mall that nobody went to anymore due to safety reasons and build an outlet mall in its place. It is not a tourist destination...it is a bunch of outlet stores selling the same stuff as every other outlet mall in every big city in the rest of the country. At best a day trip for people visiting their grandparents.

I have a hard time figuring out why you are so stuck on selling this property other than the fact that you can't stand to be proven wrong.

I would not stay there. I would not let anyone in my family or any of my friends stay there. I was in the area last week and once you get past the ridiculous traffic pattern in front of the mall it goes downhill very quickly. The apartments adjacent to the hotel and to the south are not somewhere I would send tourists. There are so many better options in the area.

Yes you can say there are shootings wherever there are people but the highest concentration is just to the east of this location. 3 in 6 hours tuesday night...do you need me to pull a crime map again?

I don't think you understand what the Tourist Development Council or CVB do for Palm Beach County....It is their job, to get the largest number of tourists possible, to VISIT and Stay in palm Beach County....and for them to succeed, they have to increase the number of hotel stays each year---meaning....they CAN NOT PUSH an area tourists won't like--they can't "push" high crime areas that tourists would be expected to have a poor experience in....If they did, they would "LOSE" tourists each year, and end up with Palm Beach County having it's Tourism Economy SHRINK each year from losses.

They have to look for the "Best Asset" Palm Beach County has, to attract Tourists with. These are the assets they spend millions of dollars to promote...to get tourists to try.
They get paid ultimately, by size of the Bed Tax, so it is living by their results. They would never endanger the economic response, of millions in County Tourism advertising, by pushing tourists into areas they would be expected to have a bad experience in....Each asset is chosen for the likelihood it shows to bring more people here, with the good feedback from the tourists on it.

In fact, the TDC and CVB have been growing the Tourism base nicely.

Maybe you would like to explain to the head of the TDC what they are doing wrong? I can pass your answer along....I'd enjoy passing it along for the expression it would create on Glen's face

---------- Post added July 23rd, 2015 at 10:22 AM ----------

****!!!! And another thing "djtimmy77" ....how about posting with your real name...since you are so interested in your opinion meaning something to posters here....or do you want to be just another sock puppet that can say anything?

 

[djtimmy77]

Your buddy has a vested interest in collecting bed tax. Of course he is going to say whatever he needs to to fill all of the hotels.

Ultimately, where people stay doesnt mean a hill of beans to me. However if I were looking for a place to stay in an area I was unfamiliar with I would appreciate a more realistic expectation. Same reason I said NOT to stay in the Jupiter hotels by the freeway, right behind those hotels is a bad area. And guess what, there was a shooting two blocks from those hotels a week or so ago.

There is no reason to stay in close proximity to bad parts of town when there are far better options (closer to the dive boats) for the same cost. Oh wait, your buddy needs the bed tax.

---------- Post added July 23rd, 2015 at 10:37 AM ----------

[/COLOR]****!!!! And another thing "djtimmy77" ....how about posting with your real name...since you are so interested in your opinion meaning something to posters here....or do you want to be just another sock puppet that can say anything?

Because it is not pertinent to the discussion. Knowing my name won't change the bad parts of town into a heavenly tourist mecca

I guess if you wanted to stalk me or disparage me for being more upfront about things then it would be useful

 

[danvolker]

Your buddy has a vested interest in collecting bed tax. Of course he is going to say whatever he needs to to fill all of the hotels.

Ultimately, where people stay doesnt mean a hill of beans to me. However if I were looking for a place to stay in an area I was unfamiliar with I would appreciate a more realistic expectation. Same reason I said NOT to stay in the Jupiter hotels by the freeway, right behind those hotels is a bad area. And guess what, there was a shooting two blocks from those hotels a week or so ago.

There is no reason to stay in close proximity to bad parts of town when there are far better options (closer to the dive boats) for the same cost. Oh wait, your buddy needs the bed tax.

Wow. Maybe I did a poor job of explaining this......

To be successful in County Tourism....the TDC and CVB need to suggest to "tourists", that the tourist could have a better hotel stay in palm beach, with more fun things to do, than in all the competing tourism destinations...Tourists have alot of choices on where to go, and the competition is fierce....So Our tourist agencies push the hotels likely to create better experiences than would be possible in the Keys, Cayman, Lauderdale...wherever the tourist was also considering.

If our agencies pushed horrific choices the way you suggest, the number of tourists returning to palm beach county would fall badly each year.
There are plenty of bad hotels in any county in florida....and the bad ones that exist in Palm beach, get no promotion by the TDC or CVB. It would endanger the economy of the entire county.

Fortunately, the TDC and CVB push hotels and Things To Do - that tourists from all over the world, see as superior to many other destinations, and we get an increasing number of tourists each year. They LIKE the experiences they have, and they comeback. That is why our tourism base is growing.

Was this a better explanation?

---------- Post added July 23rd, 2015 at 11:13 AM ----------

---------- Post added July 23rd, 2015 at 10:37 AM ----------



Because it is not pertinent to the discussion. Knowing my name won't change the bad parts of town into a heavenly tourist mecca

I guess if you wanted to stalk me or disparage me for being more upfront about things then it would be useful

I have been posting on dive related social media since rec.scuba, meaning a lot longer than most on SB. In all that time, I have NEVER stalked anyone, or ever had a negative physical interaction with a member. Meaning the stalking idea is a pretty lame excuse.

This is supposed to be a community of divers that know each other, and have friendly chats all the time....For many this IS exactly the way it is. For you, for all intents and purposes, you are showing up to the coffee table with a mask over your face, and your voice electronically altered to hide your identity.

You can't really like this...so why bother with the nonsense?

What would I do different if I actually knew your name? Maybe the next time I saw the real you on the dive boat, I'd shake your hand, and smile a bit about all the grief you have served up....People that know me here, will confirm that that is the course of action that would happen.