Help w/dive trip for one diver, one nondiver

[Ericthediver]

Hello all,

I'm travelling with a non-diver who wants to be able to lay on the beach, do a little shopping and possibly a few other things (kayaking, snorkel, etc.).

I want to dive! My only issue is sea-sickness, so I prefer shore diving or short boat trips. I've been to Grand Cayman and Bonaire and loved both.

Originally, I'd planned on going to Roatan and staying at the Coco view resort, but she has reservations ("It looks like Gilligan's Island!"). So... I'm looking for an all-inclusive resort type deal for the end of May first week of June and am open to suggestions. I'd like to keep the price per person under $1500 (not including air fare).

Thanks for your help,
Eric

 

[RJP]

Curacao!

My non-diving wife and non-diving kids love it.

Imagine Bonaire with beautiful beaches.

As my wife says:

Bonaire is where divers go to vacation,
Curacao is where vacationers go to dive.

We stay at the Marriott which has all of the things you'd expect from a Marriott resort, plus the ability to grab tank and go for a dive while asking your wife "Do you want me to grab you a Pina Colada on the way back?"

Many of the most popular beaches have a dive op on site, so no trouble finding a nice beach with a nice dive site.

 

[robint]

Hello all,

I'm travelling with a non-diver who wants to be able to lay on the beach, do a little shopping and possibly a few other things (kayaking, snorkel, etc.).

I want to dive! My only issue is sea-sickness, so I prefer shore diving or short boat trips. I've been to Grand Cayman and Bonaire and loved both.

Originally, I'd planned on going to Roatan and staying at the Coco view resort, but she has reservations ("It looks like Gilligan's Island!"). So... I'm looking for an all-inclusive resort type deal for the end of May first week of June and am open to suggestions. I'd like to keep the price per person under $1500 (not including air fare).

Thanks for your help,
Eric

LOL.... CCV is a bit like Gilligan's Island, that is why we love it!! To each his own.

Flat seas and short boat rides are really hard to find. Bonaire is about the best you can get in that department.

I would suggest to you Scuba Club Cozumel, Cozumel Scuba Diving at Scuba Club Cozumel Dive Resort and Scuba Cozumel Dive Shop
It is not fancy, but not "gilligan's island" either. It is an all-inclusive but not the yucky buffet-style meals. It is sitdown nice meals (except breakfast buffet). Food is above average to very good. It is located just south of town, so you can easily walk downtown to shop or visit a restaurant.

Yes, the boat rides are longer, but the boats are big, which means they don't rock like a small boat. Plus you can walk around, sit on top deck in fresh air. There is also a restroom, which is very nice. We had always gone for the smaller, faster boats in Cozumel, but after one trip on these bigger boats, we are both sold on them. It was just more relaxing and we like being able to socialize with others on way to dive sites and back to resort after the 2nd dive.

There are also some larger resorts on the south end of Cozumel, closer to the reefs so shorter boat rides. Check those out also. Others might be able to give you some names of those all-inclusive resorts with good recommendations.

check out these websites for info and prices:
Cozumel Mexico Scuba Diving Vacations Cozumel Scuba Travel Adventures
Scuba Diving Vacations in Cozumel - Caradonna Dive Adventures
Cozumel vacation, Mexico resort hotel rates - Bay Adventures

robin

 

[Sue Sue]

Hi Eric, I am suggesting Cozumel as well.

A few places come to mind to fit your criteria:

non-diver who wants to be able to lay on the beach, do a little shopping and possibly a few other things (kayaking, snorkel, etc.).
ctopus:Sea-sickness/wants short boat ride or shore dive
almtree:Not Gilligan's Island
:fish:All inclusive
:questionmark:Under $1500.00 per person without airfare

Cozumel Palace
Non Dive/Shopping/Activites: Walking distance to town
Seasickness/short boat dive/shore dive: ***
Gilligan's Island: NO
AI: YES
Less than $1500.00 pp without air: Possibly

Scuba Club
Non Dive/Shopping/Activites; Walking distance to town-just a little bit further south than Coz Pal
Seasickness/short boat dive/shore dive: *** ; In house/dedicated dive op
Gilligan's Island: NO
AI-Yes
Less than $1500.00 pp without air: Packages /yes

Park Royal
Non Dive/Shopping/Activites; 20 min walk to town; Cab/Car into town $8.00 each way per cab
Seasickness/short boat dive/shore dive: ***
Gilligan's Island: NO
AI: YES
Less than $1500.00 pp without air: Yes

El Cid la Cieba
Non Dive/Shopping/Activites: 20 min walk to town; Cab/Car into town $8.00 each way per cab
Seasickness/short boat dive/shore dive: ***
Gilligan's Island: NO
AI: Option
Less than $1500.00 pp without air: Yes ; Book on Orbitz before March 31 and use 200Entertain code

Fiesta Americana
Non Dive/Shopping/Activites: Yes, Cab/car into town; Approx $12.00 cab fare to town each way ??
Seasickness/short boat dive/shore dive: *** Most southern resort in my list;short boat ride
Gilligan's Island: NO
AI: YES
Less than $1500.00 pp: Yes. Book on Orbitz before March 31 and use 200Entertain code

***Re: seasickness. Advice is tough here as this is a personal matter. My DH, Michael, has a problem at times with seasickness. For him, the small faster boat is a good option as the rolling of larger boats causes him problems. (He also takes a small dose, 1/4 tab of Dramamine before setting out in the morning. This is not a typical therapeutic dose, but, it works for him ) Hey, as long as it works, right ?? Regardless, getting on a 6-pack boat for instance from Scuba Club or Cozumel Palace will get you to the dive sites within 15 to around 25 +min. Since Park Royal, El Cid, Fiesta Americana are south of town, the boat ride would be a shorter 10-15 "ish" min ride , which depending on your tolerance might be better. Scuba Club has it's own dedicated dive op. The other places allow other other dive ops to pick up at their pier. Some for no extra fee, some for a nominal fee. One thing to look for is land based surface intervals. I would say most ops do this.

If you have not already, jump on over to the Cozumel Forum and there you will find a tremendous amount of information regarding Dive Ops and Lodging geared to your situation. Just beware...the Cozumel folks do have the tendency to get a bit out of hand with who the "Bests" are. I truly feel however, the sometimes the heated debates are due to the fact that we are a group of folks with a true and very strong passion for diving Cozumel. With this in mind, I recommend for folks to first search and read posted trip reviews from the past few months. Then make a list of 3-5 Dive Ops and Hotels that appeal to you. After you have a general idea of what is out there, then perhaps post questions you may have and ultimately send your questions and requests directly to the Dive Ops/Hotels that you like.

BTW: I have personally stayed at Park Royal and El Cid; Both times used Blue XT Sea Diving. The AI at Park Royal was equal to a cruise ship buffet selection; We did not use the sit down restaurants. El Cid does offer AI, however, we ala carte some meals there and cover other meals either at many of our favorites spots in town or use the kitchenette in our one bedroom tower suite. For Fiesta Americana, you may want to contact DiverKat as she has personal experience there.

Regardless of where you end up, have a wonderful time !! If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. Sue

 

[Ericthediver]

Thank you for your suggestions. Keep'em coming!

Anyone stay at Lion's Dive or Lodge Kura Hulanda? These 2 places seem to come up on the board, but not much info about the actual accomodations.

 

[PatW]

Eric,

My wife and I are going to CoCo View soon. However, CoCo View looks like a place that is for divers first, last and always. I would think that it is not that suitable for a non diver.

I would suggest possibly thinking of the British Virgin Islands. I have been to Virgin Gorda. I stayed at Mango Bay and dove with Dive BVI. Mango Bay is a very nice place if you are a bit self reliant. Top side Virgin Gorda is an interesting island. It is somewhat mountainous, and very scenic. Mango Bay has very nice snorkling as does the Baths (if you get to them when the cruise ships are not in). For diving the Dogs are excellent as is the Wreck of the Rhone. The Drake Passage is pretty protected. So even with my delicate stomach, I did fine.

You might also think of Grand Turk. I have been to Salt Cay. Salt Cay is really neat but you have to like a place like that - a very small, very tight knit community of Belongers and Ex Pats. They are really friendly and I met something like 60% of the island population in a 1 week stay. Grand Turk, like Salt Cay, has superb diving and a few more options on top side.

Good luck on your quest,

Pat

 

[vjones1957]

I share the reservations on CoCo View. I am going because I am an avid diver (and Pat, above, is my husband and he wants to go). The rooms look very basic and if you are a non-diver, I think this is not the place.

I have been diving for nearly 20 years and have been fortunate to live in Florida the whole time and it is easy to get to places. FWIW, my 2 cents...

The Keys. Why not? Easy to get to and is as close to being out of the country as you can get while still being here. Plus, you help the local economy there. Marathon or Key Largo are great dive areas.

Grand Cayman. Lots of stuff to do and very good diving. It's the perfect location for a diver/non-diver pair.

Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands. Not a lot to do topside, but enough, and the island is really nice. Great wall diving in the morning for you.

Dominica. I have been here but not for diving. I was there more than 20 years ago and I was the non-diver in the couple. I loved the island and there is a lot to do there topside. I want to go back. Divers that I know that have gone there loved it.

Some of the outer Bahamian Islands would do nicely too.

I enjoy the BVIs too. It is easy to get from island to island and they are really nice. Diving is average to above average.

I think I am the only person in the world that does not like Bonaire. If you stay under water all of the time, it is good. The diving is outstanding. I don't like the island.

 

[robint]

Sue Sue -- Scuba Club does not have a 6-pack boat. They have 7 boats and only 1 of them would be considered small and it still isn't a 6-pack. Also, their boats take 45 minutes to 1 hour to get to the reefs, not 15-20 minutes. We hated it the first day... we were used to the fast 6-pks. But then we got used to it, and love the longer ride out, enjoying chatting with everyone, taking our time to set up gear. We also appreciate being able to stand up and walk around. All fast 6-pack boats require you to sit and bounce on the hard seats all the way out and back. We have done both and now prefer the SCC larger boats. Also, even in rougher seas, their boats are more stable and easier to get back on.

from the website, photos of each boat: http://www.scubaclubcozumel.com/diveboats.html

in front is the smallest boat, and as you can see it even has a bathroom onboard, its not a 6-pk!

on one of the big boats, plenty of storage, 2 camera tables and 2 rinse tanks, plenty of space
we had 2 groups onboard (one with 6 divers, one with 8 divers) and each group had their own DM



robin

 

[Sue Sue]

robint. If that works for you then great ! Michael and I have been out on both small and large and prefer small 6 pack fast boats. We are not bothered with any bumps. To his or her own,

 

[billmosel]

I'm going to have to agree with RJP on Curacao. I've never been to the Marriott but if you like Bonaire than your wife will love Curacao. The diving is very similar to Bonaire but the shopping, beaches and night life (clubs, casinos, etc.) are some of the best. So there you have it...Diving for you (like Bonaire) and everything else for your non diving wife.

Whatever you decide....HAVE A GREAT TRIP!!!