Upcoming trip

[fall77]

Wondering if anyone can help? I am looking to plan a trip in March. My husband and self both dive. We are considering Curacao, T&C, Roatan, or Cozumel. Can anyone recommend the best one? I also want someplace with beautiful beach with either a town to go to or something with eco activities.Thank you.

Autumn

[Tim Ingersoll]

Welcome to Scuba board! I've been to all on the list except Curacao.

Cozumel would top the list for bang for your buck. The diving is fantastic and easy. There is shopping for the odd afternoon. The food is varied and inexpensive. Overall a fantastic value vacation with world class diving. We have stayed all over the island and there is a considerable price range in amenities. We dive with Aldora although you will find that people on the Board have their own favorites.

T&C is my wife's favorite and Grace Bay Beach is unbelievable. There are a few things to do and sea kayak adventures for the eco in you. It is pricey to eat and stay there and diving can keep you out until mid-afternoon. Great place for sharks, eagle rays and turtles although that can be hit or miss. We have stayed all over the island. Great place to rent a villa if that interests you. We dive with Caicos Adventures on Providenciales. Great op and highly recommended.

Roatan is rustic. Not muchin the way of shopping or night life. Not sure on the eco. Diving was good but not quite in the class of Cozumel or T&C. Anthony's Key Resort was excellent if a bit rustic.

Good luck and in the words of my brother "If all you have to worry about is where you are going on your next vacation you're doing all right."

[downdeep]

Totally agree. We made our first trip to Coz last November and it won't be our last. The people are very friendly and there are a lot of things to do topside. The diving is great and we felt it was the best value of anyplace we had been.
I thought Roatan's reefs were in great shape when we were there, but generally the standard of living is sad. As long as you stay on the resort you will be fine, but outside of that... The only way I would get my husband d go back is on a liveaboard.

[Damselfish]

You've listed 4 places with good diving but that are very different, best really depends on what you like.

I've been to T&C and Curacao, both great places to dive but very different above and below. T&C has nice walls and a better chance of seeing stuff like eagle rays or sharks cruising by, though you still need some luck. Curacao is more sloping dropoffs and reefs with lots of the smaller stuff, though you'll probably see a few turtles and stingrays and may see the occasional nurse shark. Lots of shore diving in Curacao, and you can stay at a place like Habitat and have great shore diving right at the hotel. T&C is not a shore diving place. You will probably have shorter boat rides in Curacao, if you stay on Provo it's a much longer trip to the good stuff.

If you go to Curacao you will feel more like you are visiting a foreign country. In T&C (at least Provo) you may feel a bit as if you haven't left the USA. Willemstad, Curacao is interesting sightseeing and it's also interesting to tour around the island. Provo seems fairly bland to me. Both have some shopping and plenty of restaurants. Curacao has lots of small unique beaches tucked away in coves, what the hotels have for beaches varies alot. Provo is famous for Grace Bay, with a long wide stretch of beautiful sand, and most of the hotels are on it, except for a few lower priced options.