Jamaica family vacation with divers?

[kixy1]

I'm planning our 5 year family vacation. There are teenagers and some divers... Anyone have any resort recommendations that will keep the teens busy and happy and also offer easy access to some decent diving?

I'm so used to coordinating diving trips, this is really hard (teenagers!eek)!

I'm not set on Jamaica, also looking at Mayan Riviera and possibly
DR. Our only "musts" are warm weather, a beach with snorkeling, activities to keep the kids happy, and the availability to get at least 1, maybe 2 days of diving.

Thanks for any help!

 

[editmojo]

Beaches, A sister resort to Sandals includes sucba, if you are into the all-inclusive resorts. We stayed at a Sandals in St Lucia and had a wonderful time. Beaches allows kids.
I have only dived Negril and it is ok. Flat terrain. Very few swim throughs. The wife doesn't dive so the all-inclusive thing keep us both satisfied. Don't expect world class diving at these places. You'll be on a larger boat with a mixed bag of divers. Some good, some new, some Darwin experiments. They usually don't require computers so dives are short and shallow. 30-40 min. I was with some more experienced divers at Couples in Negril and by the end of the week the DMs would let us dive our computers. But that has been the exception.

SO if you want to feel pampered and do "a little" diving I would suggest looking into Beaches. If diving is more of a priority, find a cheaper place and look into a separate dive op.

 

[Willar]

Keeping teens busy, happy and out of trouble can be a tough job. I'd strongly recommend Beaches Resorts.

Negril Jamaica has 2 Beaches: Beaches Negril and Beaches Sandy Bay, with the latter being lower cost. We love Jamaica as a couple and want to take the kids there soon. Negril has a real laid-back vibe and gorgeous beaches. The other Beaches Resort to consider is Turks and Caicos where the diving is much better but the costs are much higher. All Beaches have diving included in the "all-inclusive" price but with short times and few dives per day. This would be best if diving is secondary to your vacation.

Also do some research on Iberostar Resorts across the Caribbean. We recently stayed at the Cozumel Iberostar with our 11 & 15 year olds which we really enjoyed. The beach wasn't great but it was a nice resort, pretty good price, very clean, plenty of activities, and great diving. Iberostar also has nice resorts on the Mexican mainland and the Dominican Republic. Iberostar prices vary from greatly depending on amenities so be sure to check prices for each resort. Also note that diving is an added cost activity at Iberostar through Dressel Divers who offers various dive packages, full dive services, and many dives per day. I think you'll find Iberostar cheaper and better if diving is an important part of your trip.

EDIT:
I just wanted to add that you should not be worried about low quality diving in Negril. I've dived here for several years in a row and always have a great time. No, it's not as good as Cozumel, but it's very warm, clear water, easy diving with plenty to see. I've seen dolphin, many turtles, rays, moray eels, etc. One of my favorite dive sites anywhere is The Arches near Negril that features several swim-throughs at an easy pace. If you want easy, casual diving Negril is a great place.

 

[divezonescuba]

Look at the Beaches Negril / Sandy Bay reviews by Sandphantom and myself. You'll be ok at either Beaches.

 

[craracer]

Riu was nice if you are looking in Negril. ClubHotel was the better of the two Riu's in Negril.
Hotel Negril, Jamaica ClubHotel Riu Negril - RIU Hotels & Resorts

 

[craracer]

Another thought; if you end up in Negril, I would highly suggest getting out for dinner. Here's a list of my top places to eat:

1. Koyaba
1A. LTU
2. Sweet Spice
3. Jucy J
4. Chicken Lavish
5. Cosmo
6. Cool Spot

Koyaba and LTU are my favorites.

 

[Scuba One]

How old are your teenagers?

Another option would be Cozumel for a family vacation with lots to do and diving.

 

[sq1309]

I've been to Jamaica 2 times and stayed at a Sandals resort both times. The first trip was to Ocho Rios. It was nice but the diving was nothing to write home about. The second trip was to Negril. The diving in Negril was much better than Ocho Rios. There were some enjoyable dives but realize that this is not a world class dive destination. Still you can enjoy yourself there. I would recommend Beaches in Negril. It is a couple minute walk down the beach from Sandals Negril. I'm sure there will be more than enough stuff to do at Beaches to keep the kids busy but if not, there is a waterpark directly across the street from Beaches. Check on it, because I know when I stayed at Sandals, I could go to Beaches and everything there was included. I imagine that it is the same way at Beaches. All the diving, watersports, drinks, food, equipment rental, etc. are included at no extra cost. With that being said, it is hard to complain about free dives. Free air is the best air!

 

[vladimir]

I have not been to all the Caribbean destinations you have, Kixy1, but they all have one thing in common: they are bona fide dive destinations. Jamaica is not, and the diving may disappoint you when compared to those places.

 

[kixy1]

Thanks for all the great advice! I'm definitely looking at Beaches Negril, so it sounds like I'm on the right track..

Vlad, I'm totally prepared for the diving to be "what it is"... this is a family vacation, so the diving is just something more of an added-on activity. Besides, for me, ANY dive without a drysuit, 30 lbs of weight and 5 feet vis is a spectacular dive

The teens are 16 and 14, so the "activities" need to be more like access to lots of water sports, great beach and pools, some fun excursions, and best case, somewhere where they can meet others their age to "hang out". Teens are notorious for avoiding any organized, scheduled group activities and they're definitely past the Sesame Street age...sigh.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer! If you have any other suggestions, I'm all ears