Tough choice to make???

[fdrcva42]

Planning on a major diving trip next September. Will it be Roatan or Bonaire??

I have already been to Maya Riveria but I want to experience the best (besides the Red Sea). Which would you recommend? Also, my wife likes to be pampered so a 4 or 5 star hotel/resort would be nice.

Any ideas if I can get both wishes?
Thank you in advance.

 

[Diver Lori]

I've not been to Bonaire yet, but if you say you want the best, Roatan isn't it. It's nice and some think the diving is very good. But it's not the best in the Caribbean. But anything that's considered a dive destination would be better than the Riviera Maya, since it's not a dive destination perse', other than the cenotes, that is.

A few more specifics on what your wife needs would be helpful.

 

[Doc]

A few more specifics on what your wife needs would be helpful.

Yes, 5* has a defined meaning. Did you really want that?

I want to experience the best (besides the Red Sea). Which would you recommend?

Boy, are you in for a shocker. The Red Sea is interesting, maybe in the top 10, but the best? Hardly. Lots of good wreck dives, but if you were hoping to stay at a 5* hotel and get to the best of the Red Sea~ it just aint happening. I swayed to that point to suggest that your logic and search might be on faulty footing from the get-go.

Also, my wife likes to be pampered so a 4 or 5 Star hotel/resort would be nice. Any ideas if I can get both wishes?

It really does not exist. This is an oft discussed topic here on SB. Bottom line is that where there is great diving, there are no 5* resorts, nor any 4*. You have to spend big money and go to the South Pacific for the fleeting few that exist. In the Maldives, you can find 3* offerings, and the diving is good.

Where you find the few 4*, nd this is very universal in the industry, the dive-op is a secondary consideration. People do not go to these upscale resorts to dive. These places start at $2500 per person for the week. Sometimes diving is extra.

The best option may well be to charter a private catered yacht, also well discussed here on SB.

I would also skip Roatan in your quest, but unlike Lori, I believe that Roatan rates in the Top 5 in the Caribbean for diving along the South Shore. But there are absolutely no lodgings anywhere on the island that are any better than a 3* and that place is brand new and offers no in-house diving.

Fancy accommodations and "good" diving simply do not coexist.

 

[fdrcva42]

Wow, ok and thanks to both of you for your qualified opinions. It sounds like you both lean more towards Bonaire for the quality of the diving. Checking the info I already have, my wife would love the snorkling, kayaking and biking available.
I now realize that 5 stars are not going to happen if you want outstanding diving. Can you suggest a quality hotel/resort on Bonaire? I also understand that the resturants are also pretty good there. Correct?

 

[robint]

Wow, ok and thanks to both of you for your qualified opinions. It sounds like you both lean more towards Bonaire for the quality of the diving. Checking the info I already have, my wife would love the snorkling, kayaking and biking available.
I now realize that 5 stars are not going to happen if you want outstanding diving. Can you suggest a quality hotel/resort on Bonaire? I also understand that the resturants are also pretty good there. Correct?

Plaza Resort, Divi Dive Resort, Capt Don's Resort.... probably the most upscale on the island. Not 5* but fancier than most. There are also some other condos and such you can see on the websites listed below. Lots of good restaurants, some more expensive than others. Some websites for you to check out are: Info Bonaire - The Bonaire Information Site - The Most Current and Up-To-Date Information and Bonaire Talk: Community Chat and The Bonaire WebCams - Welcome!

You might want to look at Curacao also. I don't know personally, but I have heard that hotels there are a bit more upscale. Also, look at Caradonna Dive Adventures - Dive Travel and Vacations at the hotels and see the price range difference.

robin

 

[diversteve]

The closest thing Bonaire has to a 5 star resort is Harbour Village. Shore diving from there is not the best though, there's some coral rubble and a small wreck offshore. But it's a 10 min drive to all the classic north dive sites. Nice beach - one of few on Bonaire.

Curacao has very similar diving (same reef) with at least a couple of upscale resorts. There's a really nice Marriott in Piscadera Bay - near town and decent diving within a 15 min. drive. They also have shorediving there but it's not the best on Curacao. Nice pool complex with a beachfront restaurant but I didn't see any of the rooms.

Lodge Kura Hulanda on the more remote West End is one of the leading small hotels of the world or something... It's a 45min drive from there to town and almost anything else though. They're located on Playa Kalki/Alice in Wonderland - imo one of the best dives on Curacao. We were briefly in one of the suites, they're quite nice. Food options in that area are limited to a couple of average local restaurants and the one at the Lodge.