Holidaying with non diving friends - recommendations in Carib?

[kywash]

Hoping you can all help out with a little dilemma.

Hubby and I are hoping to holiday in the Caribbean with close friends in March next year, so that they can look after our little one (once he's born) while we dive and we can return the favour with their daughter while they snorkel / sight see etc.

The problem is trying to find a location that suits all our needs - I'd be grateful for your recommendations based on our criteria below.

We'll be flying from England and with two little ones under 1 so we'd prefer somewhere we can fly direct (and not with KLM who suck so that rules out the Antilles).

We need somewhere with good diving and good snorkelling and preferably with something on the island to see too. We don't particularly want to stay all inclusive as we do like to get out and about.

In that part of the world we've already done Coz, Nassau, Cayman, Roatan and Belize so would like to try somewhere new (though we would love to go back to Cayman we think it may be a little too boring for our non diving friends).

Would Barbados fit the criteria? This is where our friends want to go but we've been spoilt with our diving and the ops we've used to date and aren't sure if the diving in Barbados would be a bit of a let down.

Thanks in advance

Kywash

 

[smokey braden]

kywash,
sometimes it is hard to keep everybody happy all of the time.

could you consider bermuda?
the diving is mostly shallow wrecks laying on the reef.
there are close to 400 wrecks around bermuda.
there are many things to do topside as well.
it would not be a very long plane ride.
the culture has british roots.

you could consider aruba.
the diving is good if the correct dive op is chosen.
there are many things to do topside.
the culture has dutch roots.
the plane ride might is a little bit longer.

do some research and you may be pleased on what you find.
regards,

 

[jreihl]

I would recommend finding new friends.

Just kidding. My wife and I were in St. Thomas and really enjoyed ourselves. I did not dive there, but did some snorkeling and sightseeing. It may be on the pricey side. Don't know if you can fly direct though.

 

[Calvinandhobbs]

Not sure if you can get a direct flight from the UK, but I just got back from Aruba and it was great. Much better than Jamicia IMO. Has both excellent diving and snorkling, and there is other stuff to do on the island as well.

 

[kywash]

Ooh, hadn't thought of St Thomas - have always fancied US Virgin Islands. AA fly direct from UK too. Might have to look into this in more detail.

I did consider Bermuda as the flight from the UK is a doddle (especially with two screaming kids) and we fancy the diving there but our friends were initially reluctant as the weather in March isnt' quite as warm as they would like. Maybe I can convince them otherwise when we sit down to seriously discuss this.

Unfortunately I think the flight to Aruba with KLM will be a stretch too far with two screaming kids but it is somewhere I've always fancied, and Bonaire but I think our friends would suss we were only choosing there for the diving. Unfortunately Aruba is a bit more hassle to get to from the UK than the US.

Thanks for the responses though.

 

[THX1138]

In my opinion. Turks Provo, or back to Cayman. Beach and scuba combination. Also, British orientation. John

 

[Boat Chick]

Ooh, hadn't thought of St Thomas - have always fancied US Virgin Islands. AA fly direct from UK too. Might have to look into this in more detail.

St Thomas is very crowded, just as an FYI. If you want something that's less crowded you may want to look into St. John. Plus, you are just a half hour ferry ride from Tortola if you want to do a day trip. Tortola is another option. Don't really know how the snorkeling is off Tortola, but we did a sailing trip through the BVI's last year and loved them. Fantastic snorkeling on the islands, diving too Leverick Bay on Virgin Gorda is nice too:

http://leverickbay.org/webcam.htm

Take a look at my website (haven't finished posting the pics from our BVI trip, but the report gives you a good idea of the BVIs)

http://www.punkapacific.com

Just throwing out suggestions!

 

[scubadobadoo]

Well Bonaire isn't going to fit the "topside" bill perfectly but the fact that you can vacation without time restrictions is a big plus. Shore dive and snorkel at any site at ANY TIME without having to fit into a boats schedule. This is a huge advantage. You could all go to the same beach together (bring sun screen) and you can dive and then they can snorkel and you can all take turns with the kids. The sun is a factor here though. Just a thought.

 

[sasscuba]

Grand Cayman.

 

[dleiss]

USVI - St Croix is great and not crowded. Stayed at the Divi in Feb. and loved it. A car is a must, and they drive on the left.