Little Cayman vs Bonaire

Planning dive trip /vacation in November. Have not been to either Little Cayman or Bonaire , but seek advice. My wife , son and daughter -in -law want to go along and all are non divers? Which would be best in your opinion? Also if Bonaire, would the resorts or something like a condo FRBO be best in your opinion?

Hi:

I've been to Bonaire, but not Little Cayman. It is possible to enjoy Bonaire apart from the diving, if you're not hard to please. A drive-through Washington-Slagbaai Park, visit the donkey sanctuary, try wind-surfing and maybe even kite-boarding, and swim & snorkel. The shopping scene isn't much by U.S. standards, once you've picked up a t-shirt & a couple of souvenirs. I do like going in Jewel of Bonaire and getting a piece of jewelry for wife or daughter (not so much paying for it, though - Caribbean opal is pretty, and a sea turtle pendant with it can be really nice).

You might consider Curacao for a destination somewhat similar to Bonaire with more non-diver stuff.

That said, I don't like compromising my dive vacation to suit non-divers, and you may be better off not setting a precedent for compromise. After all, they want to go along with you, not the other way around.

But I wanted to make sure you knew about your options.

Richard.

None of the above.

Unless they're content to sit at the beach/pool on Little Cayman they'll probably be bored, it's a pretty small, quiet island. If it matters, LC is mostly boat diving also. fwiw, I've never been there but friends have. They like it a lot but even they admit it's really quiet.

We've dove on Grand Cayman before and my sisters family - 3 adults, 1 teen were just there over the holidays. They all found enough to entertain themselves while my brother-in-law dove. So that might be an equally pricey option...

Bonaire is excellent shore diving but none (literally) of the shore dive sites other than the resorts have any facilities. Most don't even have a decent beach. Or shade, water or restrooms. So not good if the non-divers wanted to follow along.

There's a few nightspots in town but it's generally pretty quiet by about 10pm most nights. There's also cruise ships in now - they dock at Town Pier. I'd want to be somewhere else when they did. One ship is probably 1/4 of the population of Bonaire. There's a small shopping district, wind/kitesurfing at Lac Bay and kayaking in the Mangroves.

Very few of the resorts even have a decent beach - just Plaza Resort, Eden Beach(marginal) or Harbour Village (pricey) The rest and most of the waterfront condos are on ironshore - the few that aren't usually mention it. www.infobonaire.com is a good starting point if you haven't already seen it.

With 3/4 non-divers Richard's suggestion is a good one - look at Curacao instead.

Much more to do there, nightlife, famous shopping district downtown, about a dozen casinos - an equal number of good clubs, better beaches, more of them, and at most you can dive while they play on the beach as most beaches are also the better dive sites along the coast. It's the same reef so almost the same diving as Bonaire also. Just a little farther out in some areas. But that's actually better since you walk in off a sandy beach instead of climbing over ironshore.
Compare the entries here: http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/ABC/index.htm

Almost every beach has an on-site beach operator, most also have a dive operator and many have a snack bar also. Quite a few have all three. Also there's the Dive Bus, they do escorted shore diving/snorkeling all over the island. And will pick you up at any resort in town. You will drive more to dive on Curacao than Bonaire, sites are farther apart - most require a 10min. drive in from the main road bisecting the island. Get a good map or GPS also.

It should be easier/quicker to get to from your area than Bonaire also, esp. thru MIA. A lot of the Bonaire connections are thru Curacao. Curacao Travel- Caribbean, Curacao, Dutch Caribbean has details on everything.

Little Cayman is pretty much a diver's island. There is little for non-divers to do there unless they really want to veg out and read a book under a coconut tree or by a pool.

Bonaire is an interesting place. We stayed at Plaza Resort and it has a nice pool and small beach. Nothing like Cancun or Grand Cayman, but it is a decent place for non-divers.

A good compromise is Grand Cayman. There is a lot to do there for non-divers and it has good diving.

I have to agree with the others in most regards.

A non-diver would need to want to sit in chair and read the whole vacation for Little Cayman.

A non-diver could keep busy on Bonaire, but almost all activities would be water related. There is wind surfing on the eastside of island, classes offered and it might be fun. There are also little gocart type things that are wind powered (some friends did that one day). There is amazing snorkeling anywhere, there is kayaking through mangroves, there is a visit down south to the salt fields and slave huts. There is a cute little downtown with various shops and restaurants, very European flavor to the island. Or a person could just sit on beach under an umbrella and people watch, drink cold beer, and read.
Info Bonaire - Travel Tips for Bonaire
Best Caribbean Diving Island | Top Caribbean Beaches | Bonaire Vacations - Home
Buddy Dive - Eat, Sleep, (Buddy) Dive!
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or check out my trip reports from Bonaire for photos and info.

Never been to Little Cayman. Have been to Bonaire and Curacao. I agree with much that has been said. It depends on your non-diving family's interests. If they are really big snorkelers, Bonaire would be better than Curacao. If they are more into shopping or laying on a gorgeous beach, then go for Curacao. I agree that Grand Cayman could also be a good compromise, but if they aren't really into snorkeling and outdoor water sports, again, Curacao.

Absolutely LOVE Little Cayman. NOT really for non-divers. We've been there twice now and were only able to dive during one of the trips. A year ago a freak storm came and stayed for the 3 days we were there. Believe me, when you are not diving, there isn't really anything to do but read by the pool or ride a touring bike around the island. AND if it rains, that's even out of the running. But if you really like all inclusive trips and like to boat dive, I would highly recommend Little Cayman Beach Resort. Great food and we've been really pleased with the diving crew when we did get to dive. :cool2:

Agree with others. Depends what the non-divers like to do, and how much you want to accommodate them.

If they like lots of hammock time and maybe a little biking or kayaking or nice walks they might be ok with Little Cayman. There's also a little spa by Little Cayman Beach Resort. But if they really want civilization/restaurants/shopping Grand Cayman would suit them better.

Same with Bonaire, if they are into hiking, snorkeling, windsurfing perhaps they would like it there. But Curacao has similar diving (with some shore dives being off beaches with some sort of facilities) and more to offer the non-diver such as lots of good restaurants and a decent amount of shopping as well as a few other things to see. Plus it's generally a little easier to get to than Bonaire. Trick with Curacao is picking the right place, there is always a compromise between easier access to the best diving and dive ops there, and proximity to everything else. I would suggest the Marriott as possibly the best compromise in your case.

I had Bonaire pencilled-in for 5 days of diving in May 2015 but after considering the pros and cons have decided to return to Little Cayman instead. I am going alone and diving is the main purpose of the trip. There is too much hassle going to Bonaire in my opinion and the worsening crime problem does not help. I am sure LC has as good or better reefs compared with Bonaire and no need to do induction courses, rent trucks etc.

Little Cayman is really an "out island". There is virtually nothing there but the resort. Little Cayman has great diving. The snorkeling is good also. They offer fishing also. You can kayak or ride a clunker bike around the island. If you are interested in sea birds, there is a large colony there. But non divers have to be into water sports or activities. I would think that non divers might prefer Cayman Brac over Little Cayman. You could also look into Grand Cayman. The diving is not as good but there is a lot or in top side activities.