Resort Destination Recommendation

[jgaryclark]

Looking for some suggestions for a trip this summer. 4 adults, no kids. My wife and I are AOW certified. My brother and his wife are not divers and have zero interest in it. So we're looking for a place that caters to both. My brother and wife really like the larger all-inclusive resorts (my wife and I prefer to to eat off property where the locals do). We've been to Cozumel, Cancun, Punta Cana, and Nassau. We'd like to go somewhere we've never been before and I'm looking to this board for some recommendations.

Does anyone have any experiences traveling with non-divers that could suggest a good place that would cater to all of us? Looking for good diving / snorkeling (doesn't have to be GREAT), reasonable pricing, good local food options, good shopping, good food at resort (if that's possible for AI), nice beach at resort. Trip will be late July / early August for 7-10 days.

Thanks ScubaBoard...looking forward to your suggestions!

 

[KathyV]

Rent a condo on Grand Cayman, great diving and snorkeling and many places to eat, from local food stands to gourmet, and lots of topside activities for non-divers. It is a pricey destination but there are nice options that make it more reasonable. And you can often find good airfare and car rental prices that help with the expenses.

How much diving do you want to do? Both boat diving and shore diving are available. What other types of things do you and your family like to do on vacation?

 

[jgaryclark]

Thanks for your reply Kathy. Grand Cayman sounds like a good option (my wife and I have been their for one of our cruise stops but we didn't dive). We'd like to dive 3-4 days during the trip. I would totally go for a condo rental, but as I mentioned above, my brother and his wife are really looking for the resort / all-inclusive type of experience.

While not diving, our group will enjoy hanging out by the pool, shopping, sight seeing, etc. We're all pretty laid back and want a restful vacation.

 

[drrich2]

Not sure how many of your boxes it would check, particularly the 'reasonable cost' box, but I suppose one of the Sandals locations on St. Lucia might be something to consider. If you do some forum searching on diving with Sandals, I think you might consider booking with an offsite op. like Scuba Steves.

That said, I like KathyV's idea better, and just accept that it won't be A.I. Sunshine Suites and Comfort Suites are reputable budget options in Grand Cayman. G.C. can be rather pricy (except airfare and, I'm told, car rental costs tend to be pretty good).

Richard.

 

[KathyV]

Thanks for your reply Kathy. Grand Cayman sounds like a good option (my wife and I have been their for one of our cruise stops but we didn't dive). We'd like to dive 3-4 days during the trip. I would totally go for a condo rental, but as I mentioned above, my brother and his wife are really looking for the resort / all-inclusive type of experience.

While not diving, our group will enjoy hanging out by the pool, shopping, sight seeing, etc. We're all pretty laid back and want a restful vacation.

Maybe you and your brother should work out an alternating vacation plan. One year you pick a condo location with great diving and dining but that also has attractions that they would enjoy. The next year your brother picks an all-inclusive that has everything that they want, but also has some diving.

In the Caribbean there are all-inclusive resorts that also offer some diving in the Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, Mexico, Grenada, St. Lucia, Dominican Republic, and probably others, but they are not all at "reasonable cost" IMO.

 

[diversteve]

Except for the cost - which is higher - you prettty much described some of the AI options on Provo - Turks/Caicos. There's both a Sandals and a Beaches (very kid-oriented) there plus Amanyara which is uber pricey. Grace Bay Beach is one of the nicest in the world - there's resorts of all shape/size along it.Decent but smaller shopping area than say Nassau. Pricey boat dives, no shore diving and the best dives will take you to West Caicos/French Cay for most of the day - you can also dive locally off Grace Bay or Northwest Point by boat. Operators will pick up so you can leave the car with your brother. It is really georgeous there - better than the Bahamas. Direct flight from NYC or Charlotte also.
Turks and Caicos World’s Top Islands - Turks and Caicos Tourism Official Website

 

[diversteve]

Also look at Curacao - there's one AI - Sunscape - in town with a dive operation on-site - decent beach. Lions Dive Resort a little south of town is walking distance to the Aquarium or Mambo Blvd. shops - not a true AI but they offer a meal plan. Nice big pool also.

There most of the beaches are also dive sites and many are good snorkels also. Shore diving is equally as good as Bonaire but the entries are much easier - mostly off the beach. If needed the on-site operation has built a dock. To dive hte best of the boat dives select two different operators - one on each end. Lots of choices near town, on the west use Go West Diving = they're on one of the best shore dives and dive Watamula - arguably the best boat dive.

Nightlife, good shopping at at least 3 different locations - the old dowtown, the Renaissance outdoor shops or Mambo Blvd. - hiking,lots of old forts, churches etc. About a dozen casinos, some really good restaurants, fairly easy to get to from the southern US
www.curacao.com

 

[Hoag]

Look into the Bohio on Grand Turk. It is a diving oriented resort, but that is not their only focus. I stayed there a couple years ago and I loved it. It is not an all inclusive, but the package that I was on included breakfast, lunch and diving. We were free to explore elsewhere for supper (to be honest, the options at the Bohio were so good that most people just stayed there for supper).

A typical day would go something like this:
Get up & grab breakfast
Put on your wetsuit, grab your mask fins & snorkel and meet the boat
5-10 minute boat ride to the dive site
Pool is open
After the 1st dive, back to Bohio for your surface interval and to place your order for lunch
Back on the boat
5-10 minute boat ride
Pool is open
After dive, back to Bohio. Put your mask fins & snorkel in the dive storage area
Let them know in the restaurant that you are back & will be back for lunch after you shower & change
By the time you are back, your lunch order is ready to be delivered
Afternoons were free to do what you wanted
Dinner (somewhat expensive ($30-$35ish) but you get enough food to either feed 2 people, or to last for 2 meals) and the food is amazing
Most nights (not all) have some type of entertainment


Having said that, I also have to say that last fall, Grand Turk was hit pretty hard by back to back hurricanes and the island's infrastructure was severely damaged. The reefs are all walls, so they were not damaged, but it might not be a bad idea to contact Tom or Ginnie at Bohio and ask them how things are there now. Also you should be aware that if your brother and his wife are looking for a wide variety of activities that some All Inclusives offer, then Bohio is probably not the place for them. It is pretty laid back and is a great place to relax and enjoy the tropics, but it is not trying to offer the same "experience" as a Sandals resort is.

 

[KathyV]

Look into the Bohio on Grand Turk. It is a diving oriented resort, but that is not their only focus. I stayed there a couple years ago and I loved it. It is not an all inclusive, but the package that I was on included breakfast, lunch and diving. We were free to explore elsewhere for supper (to be honest, the options at the Bohio were so good that most people just stayed there for supper).

A typical day would go something like this:
Get up & grab breakfast
Put on your wetsuit, grab your mask fins & snorkel and meet the boat
5-10 minute boat ride to the dive site
Pool is open
After the 1st dive, back to Bohio for your surface interval and to place your order for lunch
Back on the boat
5-10 minute boat ride
Pool is open
After dive, back to Bohio. Put your mask fins & snorkel in the dive storage area
Let them know in the restaurant that you are back & will be back for lunch after you shower & change
By the time you are back, your lunch order is ready to be delivered
Afternoons were free to do what you wanted
Dinner (somewhat expensive ($30-$35ish) but you get enough food to either feed 2 people, or to last for 2 meals) and the food is amazing
Most nights (not all) have some type of entertainment


Having said that, I also have to say that last fall, Grand Turk was hit pretty hard by back to back hurricanes and the island's infrastructure was severely damaged. The reefs are all walls, so they were not damaged, but it might not be a bad idea to contact Tom or Ginnie at Bohio and ask them how things are there now. Also you should be aware that if your brother and his wife are looking for a wide variety of activities that some All Inclusives offer, then Bohio is probably not the place for them. It is pretty laid back and is a great place to relax and enjoy the tropics, but it is not trying to offer the same "experience" as a Sandals resort is.

I can't remember if I have asked this question before, but does Bohio open their facilities to the cruise ship passengers that visit Grand Turk? We saw that happen in Roatan years ago, what appeared to be a diver-dedicated resort suddenly become a "day tripper" facility for cruise ship passengers that filled up the chairs at the beach and the pool and lined up first at the buffet.

 

[Hoag]

I can't remember if I have asked this question before, but does Bohio open their facilities to the cruise ship passengers that visit Grand Turk? We saw that happen in Roatan years ago, what appeared to be a diver-dedicated resort suddenly become a "day tripper" facility for cruise ship passengers that filled up the chairs at the beach and the pool and lined up first at the buffet.

Yes it does, but it restricts the areas and facilities that the "boat people" have access to. For instance, the pool is reserved only for guests of the resort, people from the cruise ships are not authorized to use the pool. For other things such as beach lounge chairs, not only are the boat people restricted to certain areas, but they have to rent them while they are free for resort guests.