OP
Wijbrandus
Contributor
These are great ideas! I'll be spending the next few weeks researching them. Thanks for all your opinions. Hope someone else has more. 
Where would you go?
- Thread starter Wijbrandus
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itziar
Contributor
Wijbrandus:
I think you can make it work in the Kona coast for that price, if you A) share a rental car beween the two couples B) consider getting a big condo for the two couples, instead of a hotel and C) plan for a lot of shore diving in that week.
The Kona Coast was my first diving destination after taking the certification (in Cozumel). I am so glad I went there and that the first dive was in a very calm place with my buddy (and husband), and no DM. It made me feel I did not have to rush, and strengthened my confidence in my own hability and the sense that I could dive without a very experinced person supervising me all the time, at least in easy places. We chose a very easy shore dive to start with (Place of Refuge) , and then went on trying other novice to intermediate
dive places as we progressed on the week. There are also nice dive operators there, but yes, they are about 30--40 % more expensive than the Cozumel operators. However, you have the benefit of fantastic shore diving in Kona.
If you want me to send you specific costs from my trip there last November, PM me, and i will dig out the prices from my receipt box.
-- Itziar
Nassau Bahamas has great diving for everyone from beginners on up. We went there for a week in December and the vis was 120ft++. We dove with Stuart Cove's and they were great about judging experience levels and made it easy since they pick you up from your hotel. They also made sure you never dove on the same site twice.The total cost for us was $3400 and that included making 8 dives, food and an expensive evening out.
Of course it depends on the hotel you pick. We stayed at the Radisson which I would not recommend because their customer service sucks but the hotel itself is pretty. You can get some great vacation deals through most airlines. We chose a vacation package through Northwest Airlines and the cost for Hotel and airfare from the West Coast was $2200 for 2 people. We liked it so much, we are planning on going back again this July. Good luck hunting for a great vacation!
Of course it depends on the hotel you pick. We stayed at the Radisson which I would not recommend because their customer service sucks but the hotel itself is pretty. You can get some great vacation deals through most airlines. We chose a vacation package through Northwest Airlines and the cost for Hotel and airfare from the West Coast was $2200 for 2 people. We liked it so much, we are planning on going back again this July. Good luck hunting for a great vacation!
I would look at utila, mostly calm seas and great diving...if you would like some personal info on where to go in Utila pm me
AggieDiver
Contributor
Man, I was thinking that $2k figure was way high for just about anywhere until I started checking airfares out of Denver. United really screws y'all up don't they? I guess I won't whine about fares out of Houston anymore. The little bit of checking I did suggests the following as options...Bahamas, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. You could also throw in Belize, Cayman Brac, Honduras, and Bonaire, but those four would probably be pushing the $2k envelope by the time you factor in taxes, shopping, tips, snacks, and any gear rental you made need to do. Of those three, GC is probably the easiest diving for beginners (only because the currents in Coz can sometimes bother divers with less than perfect buoyancy and attitude control underwater), Cozumel probably has the most to do other than diving and will be fairly cheap after the airfare, and the bahamas look to be the cheapest airfare, leaving you more to spend on picking a great resort.
My advice is don't book right away...Taca is about to face some more competition from Continental for flights to Roatan starting in June. Last time that happened, when Sol started flying there from Dallas, Taca offered a $149 RT fare from Houston. I would wait a few months and keep an eye out here and at scubadiving.com for airfare specials. Research resorts at several places you might want to go, and be ready to grab the airfare when it is available, and quickly follow with a resort booking. Keep in mind that while it is probably safely out of hurricane season for Roatan at that time, it is also the start of the rainy season, which can put a damper on diving, and degrade underwater vis.
One other alternative if you can change your travel dates is Sister Island Splash on Little Cayman (Little Cayman Beach Resort) and Cayman Brac (Brac Reef Beach Resort). I think it goes from early sept. to late oct, and includes some great prices for air inclusive packages. Both of those islands have diving that will spoil you for the rest of the caribbean, and the dive ops are the best and most safety minded that I have ever been out with (not a small issue if your wives are newly certified).
Hope that helps and good luck with the planning!
My advice is don't book right away...Taca is about to face some more competition from Continental for flights to Roatan starting in June. Last time that happened, when Sol started flying there from Dallas, Taca offered a $149 RT fare from Houston. I would wait a few months and keep an eye out here and at scubadiving.com for airfare specials. Research resorts at several places you might want to go, and be ready to grab the airfare when it is available, and quickly follow with a resort booking. Keep in mind that while it is probably safely out of hurricane season for Roatan at that time, it is also the start of the rainy season, which can put a damper on diving, and degrade underwater vis.
One other alternative if you can change your travel dates is Sister Island Splash on Little Cayman (Little Cayman Beach Resort) and Cayman Brac (Brac Reef Beach Resort). I think it goes from early sept. to late oct, and includes some great prices for air inclusive packages. Both of those islands have diving that will spoil you for the rest of the caribbean, and the dive ops are the best and most safety minded that I have ever been out with (not a small issue if your wives are newly certified).
Hope that helps and good luck with the planning!
OP
Wijbrandus
Contributor
United Airlines makes their bottom line by running nearly exclusive access to the Denver terminal. So our options are not only very limited in terms of competitors, but we pay a high fee for what we do have.
That said, I'm not really planning on booking the trip until maybe 90 days out, unless the airfares go back down.
I'm also checking out BlackBeards as a backup option as well, but my wife is squawking at the idea of that much time on a boat. Funny, she didn't mind the time on a cruise ship, this is just a touch smaller...
Anyway, I appreciate all the helpful suggestions. When half of your budget goes to the airlines, it's hard to find a place you can squeek into.
That said, I'm not really planning on booking the trip until maybe 90 days out, unless the airfares go back down.
I'm also checking out BlackBeards as a backup option as well, but my wife is squawking at the idea of that much time on a boat. Funny, she didn't mind the time on a cruise ship, this is just a touch smaller...
Anyway, I appreciate all the helpful suggestions. When half of your budget goes to the airlines, it's hard to find a place you can squeek into.
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