Location like COCO VIEW RESORT

[bcadden]

My wife and I are planning for our next dive vacation and we would like to go to an all inclusive resort in the Caribbean similar to CoCo View Resort in Roatan, Honduras. My wife and I loved CoCo View Resort but would like to try another location this year. Any advise. I especially like the unlimited shore diving.. Thanks

 

[H2Andy]

hmmm... well, i loved Anthony's Key when i visited there. they have a great dolphin encounter. i've heard good things.

Fantasy Isand: i've heard mixed reviews, mostly good

 

[herman]

Welcome to the board.

If your looking for unlimited shore diving then your best 2 choices are Curacao and Bonaire. There are no all inclusives on Bonaire I am aware of but with such a small island and so many good places to eat there is really no need for one. Curacao has several AI's but like Bonaire with so many good places to eat I would not get one myself. Either island has great shore diving.

 

[fishoutawater]

I don't mean to hijack your thread bcadden, but I'm in a very similar situation, except we're not particularly thrilled with the idea of an all inclusive. We've never tried an AI. Being the food freaks that we are, we like to try different things all the time, not eat at the same old buffet every day.
We were considering Breezes in Curacao because I've read good things about it, except for that all inclusive food thing.
What I'm looking for is a nice resort within walking distance of town (shopping, eats and nightlife), and shore diving. My non-diving wife hates it when we're in a foreign country, and I leave her alone for four hours while I go out on a boat and dive. She likes Cozumel, and I absolutely love it, but she just couldn't go anywhere downtown without being hit on by the local playboys. It's funny, but when I'm with her, no one hits on her at all, but if she's by herself, the local playboys are constantly bugging her. Lots of false bravado with those guys.
Ideally, I'd like to find a place where I can do a nice relaxing shore dive before breakfast right at the resort, then go eat breakfast some place close, and then escort her all over the place to do her shopping and touristy things for the rest of the day. I'd also like to be situated close to town so I can avoid unnecessary taxi fares.
Any place in Curacao like that?
And about Bonaire. I've always gotten the impression that yes, it has the best shore diving around, but no, it doesn't have any nightlife. Do I have the wrong impression?

 

[victor]

Fishoutorwater
No you are right about Bonaire, the night life and the shopping are very limited, if that is important go somewhere else.

bcadden
No all inclusive that I can think of on Bonaire, but is the best place I have been to for shore diving. I have always stayed at Sand Dollar, they have a resteraunt and breakfast etc. Just to far to walk into town but taxi's are so cheap it's no problem.

 

[fishoutawater]

Victor, when you say "limited" as far as night life, do you mean there are no bars on Bonaire? What I mean by nightlife, is not huge casinos with lots of drunk people in them. We're happy with a small beach bar with maybe a band or even a decent juke box, and some nice conversation with other vacationers. Somewhere we could enjoy a few cocktails and go for a walk down the beach kind of place. Does Bonaire have that, and where?
BTW, saw your profile. How did you like the Clyde in Glasgow? I wasn't a diver at the time, but I spent some time in Holy Loch, and Dunoon in Argyll. Beautiful country.

 

[victor]

fishoutofwater
There are a couple of descent bars in town, half a dozen good restaurants, a casino (never been in) and all the hotels have a bar or 2. Shopping is pretty basic as Bonaire does not cater to the cruise liner crowd at all.
I have always hired a car as you can shore dive all round the island but taxis were cheap to get in and out of town.
The island is full of divers so everywhere you go it is easy to get to know people.
With the very strict regulations no dive site is ever crowded, except the pier on night dives.
I always dive the house reef in the evening and sometimes early morning, just beautiful and peaceful.

Yes I am Scottish and went to university in Glasgow. The clyde is where I originally learned to dive, twin hoses, J valves, and a toilet seat BC, interesting but vis to bad to continue. Scotland has fantastic scenery but I admit I could give that up for warm water.

 

[Dave Zimmerly]

Yes, Bonaire has bars, and there is a casino at the Divi.

Dave (aka "Squirt')

 

[Doc]

Location like COCO VIEW RESORT My wife and I are planning for our next dive vacation and we would like to go to an all inclusive resort in the Caribbean similar to CoCo View Resort in Roatan, Honduras. My wife and I loved CoCo View Resort but would like to try another location this year. Any advise. I especially like the unlimited shore diving.. Thanks

There aint nothin like CoCoView.

But.. there are other good places! Bonaire is a must-do. The shore diving is always inviting, but that's what causes their offerings of included boat dives to be so sparse... most just wander off to shore dive.

In Bonaire I would rather dive the boat dives off of Klein Bonaire- the reefs are much more abundant and vibrant. The shore dives are of interest, but I have never needed to change dive sites just to find some new critter... there's always something new every time you look. CoCoView's "Front Yard" house reef dive proves that fact. None of the house reef dive sites in Bonaire are of a similar quality to CCV, but again, Klein Bonaire is quite satisfactory... but it's not 24/7 available. I like the Divi. It's the cheapest, closest to town and has the worlds largest outdoor rinse tank. Stay away from any Casino, certainly one on a Caribbean Island.

As to another posters comments, no, AKR isn't even close. If you honestly enjoyed CCV, you would most probably dislike AKR, much as you would run screaming from FIBR. No room or energy to get into it here, but try to solicit advice on these from someone who's been to them all. CCV becomes the place by which you use as a standard of measurement. You think of the boats, the center moon well ladders, the camera tanks, tables, dock facilities, rinse tanks, showers, wheelchair accessability and that creamy shore dive, right there at your bedroom door. You'll be back, their CoCoNuts Club shows that!

Expand your horizons. Go beyond the "like CoCoView", lest ye surely be disappointed. There are other things out there that are just as good... but way different, Bonaire certainly being one of them!

Also consider the Nekton fleet of boats- the owner laughs when I called them CCV without the no-see-ums. He's repeated that more than once, enjoying the comparison and distinction wholeheartedly. This ship is the best way to see the real Bahamas and certainly Belize... now Cayman! Once again, seek comparison from those who have a broad base of experience.

Look well at land based Tobago, especially at the town of Speyside.

There are any number of good destinations still waiting in the Caribbean, unfortunately ill served by any dive-op infrastructure or too far away to make air travel work for North Americans. Time and the world economy will tell, but look in the future to locations such as North-East Grenada, Los Roques, The Corn Islands (The Cape of Honduras, South to San Andres), Cuba, Swan (Cisne), Barbaretta, and more and better liveaboards.

Go explore!

 

[H2Andy]

hmmm... well, i loved Anthony's Key when i visited there. they
have a great dolphin encounter. i've heard good things.

Fantasy Isand: i've heard mixed reviews, mostly good

oops... bcaden, i misunderstood your question, sorry