Recommendation for affordable all-inclusive?

[Aloha Joe]

I’d love to go to Fiji. It seems like it’s double the cost for the dive trip and double the airfare. I’ll keep looking, I’d love to find out I’m wrong.

I just got the job offer today and potentially start July 30 so I need to act fast!

 

[hilljo88]

Also look at Casa Del Mar on COZ. Their food is fine, but there are some great cheap restaurants in town for variety.

 

[gr8jab]

I know you said you've already dived Hawaii, but have you explored everywhere? Is there somewhere in Hawaii where you could splurge a little or try something new, considering airfare would only be inter-island?

How about the Kona Agressor II live-aboard?

 

[Lorenzoid]

Im expecting a job offer and thought I’d celebrate with a week-long dive trip somewhere. I’ve only dived SoCal and Hawaii so far.

Cozumel seems very reasonable at $1000 for the trip and $1000 for airfare from HNL. Is that my best option? I’m a 40yo single guy, fwiw.

You can't find sub-$1,000 flights to Fiji? Maybe it depends on the season and whether they're sold out of the super-saver "Bula Special" fares--book far in advance for best fares. We recently visited Fiji, and the flight was under $1,000 to/from LAX.

If not Philippines, how about Indonesia? Bali is cheap and serviced by many flights. The thing about Asia is that although flights may be expensive, once you get there it's cheap.

 

[Trailboss123]

I’d love to go to Fiji. It seems like it’s double the cost for the dive trip and double the airfare. I’ll keep looking, I’d love to find out I’m wrong.

I just got the job offer today and potentially start June 30 so I need to act fast!

Did you mean you start the new job, July 30th? If so and if you are interested in Cozumel and you should be, then I would recommend staying at the Suites Colonial: Suites Colonial Cozumel - free breakfast buffet included at sister hotel Casa Mexicana and do your diving with @Christi and her team, which is walking distance from the hotel and the buffet breakfast: Blue XT~Sea Diving - Cozumel Scuba Diving - Blue XT~Sea Diving
Christi will hook you up and get you a discount on the hotel also.

 

[Aloha Joe]

Sorry, I meant July 30.

Airfare to Fiji is hit and miss I guess. Most fares are $1500+ from HNL, but sometimes $800 pops up. I’m trying like heck to make it work, otherwise I’ll go to Coz.

I’m definitely open to Indonesia / Asia but I have limited time so it needs to be easy.

 

[Snoweman]

What about Tahiti? Is the diving not spectacular there?

 

[uncfnp]

Check flights into Cancun instead of Cozumel then do the bag drag. Check for week day flights. They are often cheaper.

Stay in town. Good food can be found cheap. Cheap Eats

There are many B&B options. I like Villa Escondida. Magda’s breakfasts are some of the best meals we have had on island. Hotels? I have stayed at Casa Mexicana and I know Trailboss highly recommends their sister location, Colonial Suites but I am partial to Tres Pelicanos for diving. The “boss” there, Jeanie can work on a dive/hotel package for you.

 

[KathyV]

Im expecting a job offer and thought I’d celebrate with a week-long dive trip somewhere. I’ve only dived SoCal and Hawaii so far.

Cozumel seems very reasonable at $1000 for the trip and $1000 for airfare from HNL. Is that my best option? I’m a 40yo single guy, fwiw.

I’d love to go to Fiji. It seems like it’s double the cost for the dive trip and double the airfare. I’ll keep looking, I’d love to find out I’m wrong.

I just got the job offer today and potentially start July 30 so I need to act fast!

I know you said you've already dived Hawaii, but have you explored everywhere? Is there somewhere in Hawaii where you could splurge a little or try something new, considering airfare would only be inter-island?

How about the Kona Agressor II live-aboard?

I know that you are looking to dive someplace new, but you are planning at the last minute, with a limited budget, a narrow time window, and you will be traveling from a rather remote location. I think it would be better to stay closer to home this trip and take your time finding the best options for a great trip later - to someplace new.

I agree with @gr8jab that the Kona Aggressor is worth consideration. They currently have one bunk left at a discounted price (in a quad stateroom for a solo male diver) on the cruise that sails on July 28, so if you think that you will be starting the job a week later it might work for you.

The airfare will be cheap and easy and you will get to do a lot of diving, 4 to 5 dives per day including the night manta dive. It's $2335 and that covers almost everything - food, lodging, diving, see below. You could spend your time relaxing and diving rather than sitting in airports and being squeezed onto airplanes for long, tiring flights, or standing in immigration and customs lines.

@drrich2 recently shared a quad room on the T&C Aggressor as a solo diver, so he could tell you more about the experience. It's been too long since my husband and I did a trip on the Kona Aggressor, but it was a great trip!

One more thing, if you decide that you might be interested in the liveaboard option, when we were on the Kona Aggressor we met a couple that lived on Oahu. They told us that they "got a great price on their trip because Aggressor gives locals a special discount." I don't know if that is still true, but you could try contacting the Aggressor offices directly, instead of using an agency like divebooker, and ask what kind of deal they will offer to a local for a last-minute vacancy.

Congratulations on the new job and let us know what you decide about your dive trip!

 

[chillyinCanada]

Seems very counterintuitive to me to be heading to Coz from Hawaii.

What about Guam? Then Palau?
The Phillipines?
Tahiti
Bora Bora
The Cook Islands