Which Island?
- Thread starter rhwestfall
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I guess that opens up another discussion then. I'm looking for a dive destination with minimal current, 75-80 degree water and warm weather, lots of marine life and a resort/hotel that is very close to the beach and am not interested in diving Florida at this time. These are the wife's desires so trying to make the trip most enjoyable for her. We're wanting to spend about $1200 for lodging for the week for the 2 of us (give or take). Flights to the Bahamas are about $400 each for us so the total would be about $2000 not including food, drinks, diving etc. We can go up a bit if needed but this is my initial idea. We could do Breeze's for about $1100 each, all-inclusive, including flight but thought maybe we could find something a little more unique. I know this is the Bahama's thread but we're open to pretty much any destination that fits our needs. She definitely doesn't like to be cold so if there is a Bahama time frames to avoid, let me know! Thanks folks. This board is a wealth of info! She's 46, I'm 49 so not looking for a party scene but we do like to have some cocktails in the evening. We're very open to shopping and cooking for ourselves if that helps.
What time of year are you traveling? We went to Nassau during March one time and never again! The air temp was pleasant but the water was cold! I was freezing in a heavy wet suit - and Florida is the same way in the Winter and early Spring. I agree with @Snoweman that they are better destinations during the hotter times of the year.
St. Croix is a nice destination with beaches and diving and topside activities. They were hit with a hurricane last year so I don't know the current status of the island, but it might be worth checking out. The Fredricksted Pier is a fantastic shore dive.
Provo in the Turks & Caicos has one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen - Grace Bay - and they have excellent diving, but the best reefs are a long boat ride from shore and the T&Cs are a very pricey destination, and Provo was also hit by hurricanes last year. You are likely to see a lot of sharks in the T&Cs.
Curacao is another destination with both beaches and diving and they didn't get hit by hurricanes last year. There's a lot of shore diving around Curacao but boat diving is also popular.
Have you looked at the Cayman Islands? The Caymans can be very pricey but there is a wide range of price options across all 3 Cayman islands - and they were also lucky and didn't get hit by any hurricanes last year. The booking agents will work with you to customize the package to meet your needs and pricing (2 boat divers per day or 3? 3 drinks included per day or none? Two divers or a diver and a non-diver?)
When you say that your wife likes the beach, is she looking for expansive, powdery white sandy beaches that stretch for miles? That's fine but it tends to increase the costs of a destination. Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman is beautiful, but it an expensive area. But there are lovely properties in Cayman that are located directly on the water with nice little beaches that are great for relaxing but not always the best swimming beaches.
Do you want to do a lot of topside activities or are you mostly looking to relax, enjoy the sun, sand, and sea, and dive?
Take a look at the Clearly Cayman resorts at the link below. These are small, clean, family owned, all-inclusive resorts with onsite boat dive ops and they own a resort on each of the 3 Cayman island. Packages include food, accommodations, diving, and some of the packages include limited drinks. Taxes, transfers, and hotel service charges are included in the price and the only extras are the dive shop tips and Nitrox if you use it. Lots of fish and healthy coral reefs; we usually see some nurse and reef sharks in the Caymans, but not a lot of sharks.
Cobalt Coast is on Grand Cayman, they are on ironshore but they have a small, man-made beach and a pool. You can also snorkel or shore dive the house reef at CCGCR but the house reef can get winded out during the winter. If you stay at CCGCR you will have access to all the (expensive) tourist activities and amenities available on GC, but you would need to rent a car and drive on the left, because the resort is distant from the popular attractions. If you like wreck diving, there are several wrecks around GC, including the popular US Mine Sweeper, the Kittiwake.
The Cayman Brac Beach Resort is a lovely property with a beautiful pool and a nice little beach for relaxing and sunning, but it is a not a great swimming beach due to boat traffic and turtle grass. The onsite dive op includes great diving and the food is excellent. There is a small spa on the resort property that I enjoy and your wife might also appreciate it. Across the road is a lovely, natural wildlife preserve with beautiful views and birds. There's not a lot to do topside on CB, but the resort offers nightly entertainments and provides free bicycles if you want to explore a bit. We usually rent a car for one day while on Brac to check out the island. TV reception is bad, but you usually aren't on vacation to watch TV. One of the best wreck dives in the Caymans (the Tibbett's, a Russian Frigate) is a popular dive site.
The best Cayman diving IMO is available off Little Cayman - but there is great diving around all 3 islands. The Little Cayman Beach Resort is a nice little property with a small pool and a small beach that is lovely for sun and relaxation but not great for swimming. The food is good, the accommodations are nice and clean and cool, and there is also a nice, little spa on the property. There is even less to do on Little than on Brac, but bicycles and rental cars are available. TV reception is also poor on LC. Diving the Bloody Bay Wall and Jackson's Bight is fantastic, but if you get winded out you will probably be diving the south side of the island, which is nice but not spectacular. I understand that there is wreck diving available around Little but I have never tried it, the BBW is the big attraction there.
Clearly Cayman
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Our travel dates are pretty open but we would like to go before the end of this year. I'd say mid-June through November. We really didn't swim a lot on the beach. She likes to get some sun and hear the ocean in the background so swimming is not hugely important but somewhere she can lay out, relax and get some sun is a definite plus. We aren't too concerned about night life. We'll usually eat dinner, have a couple of drinks and go back to the hotel and hang at the pool for a while. In Cozumel we enjoyed exploring a few blocks off the main street. I expect we would like to do the same for wherever we go just to get a feel for the culture. Our main goal is to relax and dive 2-3 days of the trip doing a 2-tank dive each time we go out. Sharks are fun but she is really a fish lover. She is not necessarily interested in wrecks, BUT, if there are lots of fish around then I bet she would be 100% for it. And, as mentioned, she doesn't want to be cold. So, warm weather and water are another need. Does this help? With this in mind, does it limit the recommendations?
The water is warm in the Caribbean from June through November but it is also the hurricane season, so prices are down. Late August through early November have the highest rate of storms, but the Caribbean is a large region so there are no guarantees that you will get hit (or missed!)
Take a look at Sunset House on Grand Cayman, breakfast is included, and they offer dive packages including shore diving the house reef. They have an onsite restaurant and a great beach bar and you can easily walk into George Town for more options.
It is on ironshore so no sandy beach, but there is a pool and lots of opportunities to relax and enjoy the sun and sea; see the link below.
Homepage | Sunset House | Grand Cayman - Cayman Islands
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OP
June through November will be good for most places, but as @KathyV said, it is hurricane season. Bonaire and Curacao are not as susceptible to hurricanes as most of the other islands. I was in Turks & Caicos last November, and the water was great. It was a little disappointing that some of the places we liked were still closed due to hurricane damage, but I am sure that most things are open now. Kathy is right about Grace Bay beach. My friends have been there February and they said the water was too cold.
We were in St Lucia last month, and the water was spectacular. I only did two dives in St. Lucia, but Superman's Flight was one of the best dives I have done. Easy drift dive and the corals, sponges and fish life was just awesome. I thought it was much better than Grand Cayman (did ten dives there). The plus for Grand Cayman was Stingray City. I have done both the dive and the sand bar and both are worth your time. While I thought the corals in GCM were great, it just seemed devoid of reef fish.
We were in St Lucia last month, and the water was spectacular. I only did two dives in St. Lucia, but Superman's Flight was one of the best dives I have done. Easy drift dive and the corals, sponges and fish life was just awesome. I thought it was much better than Grand Cayman (did ten dives there). The plus for Grand Cayman was Stingray City. I have done both the dive and the sand bar and both are worth your time. While I thought the corals in GCM were great, it just seemed devoid of reef fish.
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