Off the beaten path places?

[AllenG]

I would be interested in hearing about any Carribean sites that you all might recommend that are "off the beaten path." I'm not talking about the usual Mexican Riviera/Chinchorro/Belize/Bay Islands options. Rather, I'm in search of the island/site that only has one or two places for visitors and guests; that affords you a genuine sense of isolation from the outside world of telephones, faxes, and CNN; and, of course, has a variety of quality dive sites. I'm not looking to rough it, but I also don't want fancy hotels either. I would expect that getting there would be an ordeal of connections, but such would be the price of serenity.

I am desperately in need of your suggestions!!

 

[roo1788]

Not sure this will help or not, but have you looked at Little Cayman or Cayman Brac? While Grand Cayman is no where near isolated, either one of the other two is somewhat more.

If you are interested in the connection issues, take a look at Dominica. It is more isolated and offers a variety of activies (due to the islands geography) if you are interested in something else when not diving. Hope this helps.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

is for Grand Turk. We went there in 1998 and stayed at the Arawak Inn which is on the southern tip of the island. We dove with Oasis Divers and had a fabulous time! Our trip was in June and we literally had the beach to ourselves! I don't know what the island is like now but in 1998 the dive shop owner said it "is like the Bahamas used to be before they were commercialized."
Ber

 

[donacheson]

Originally posted by AllenG
I would be interested in hearing about any Carribean sites that you all might recommend that are "off the beaten path." I'm not talking about the usual Mexican Riviera/Chinchorro/Belize/Bay Islands options. Rather, I'm in search of the island/site that only has one or two places for visitors and guests; that affords you a genuine sense of isolation from the outside world of telephones, faxes, and CNN; and, of course, has a variety of quality dive sites. I'm not looking to rough it, but I also don't want fancy hotels either. I would expect that getting there would be an ordeal of connections, but such would be the price of serenity.

I am desperately in need of your suggestions!!

Small Hope Bay Lodge on Andros Island in the Bahamas and a Salt Cay in the Turks and Caicos meet your requirements. Little Cayman, while offering (IMHO) the finest diving in the Caribbean, is well populated by small resorts. Dominica might be an interesting possibility, with the added bonus of offering some fine hiking.

 

[lakesdiver]

Bocas Del Toro, Panama. Quiet, laid-back, cheap, friendly people. No CNN, only one pay phone that I know of.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

Saba is nice, though the connections may not be particularly arduous. It is not a major cruise ship stop, though Windjammer may have a stop there twice a month or so.

Other options are Carricaou (sp?) or Bequia - both are off the beaten track.