Probably asked before, but here we go again!

[Bubblesong]

No to cruise ships

Hmph.
Well I also spent my October honeymoon at Ambergris Caye off Belize, but we are pair of divers. We took trip from there to see ancient ruins swallowed by rainforest.

 

[diversteve]

If the plan is to encourage your partner to dive there's a lot of "snakes" (eels) at most of the popular Curacao dive sites. Mostly small, white and in the shallow sand but I did a "dance" with a big moray off Habitat - it wasn't his first time...my friend said he seemed to be waiting for someone to go by.

If not one thing about Curacao is that many of the great beaches are also dive sites with on-site operations and usually some sort of food. I believe the Marriott in Piscadera Bay has recently re-opened - it should be very nice as it was before they closed for remodeling. Caribbean Sea Sports should be there or at the Hilton next door (short walk over) - for shore diving there's the Dive Bus or Bas Harts Diving. I believe both pick up in the area. P-Bay is kind of quieter, a few restaurants, the Pirates Bay Beach bar and about 5mins. north of downtown - far enough to not have to deal with the cruisers as they go south from the port to downtown.

Another options is Lions Dive Resort about 10mins. "south" (actually east) of downtown
Decent small beach with bar. Ocean Encounters main shop is 50 yds. away and it's adjacent to the Sea Aquarium so there's shops/food nearby. One area is Mambo Blvd. - walking distance from LD. LD also offers a free downtown shuttle if your partner wants to check out the old, colorful waterfront,

 

[diversteve]

The issue with T/C (Provo) is that 5 days could be too short. Also it's Grand Cayman Pricey. Grace Bay Beach is one of the nicest in the world (has it's own website) and properties on the beach know it. Also the better diving is at West Caicos and French Cay which is about an hour boat ride. Add in the provided dive shop shuttle and you'll be gone til after 2PM most days - a 3rd dive closer to 4:30. It is really exceptional deep wall, sharky diving though, IMO the reefs are better than Cayman as they see fewer divers.

 

[KathyV]

I’m beginning to agree with the consensus: a long weekend is too short. A week (saturday to saturday) makes a lot of sense. Curacao looks fantastic and would be my first choice, but limited flights may take it out of contention (at least for this year). Cozumel, Aruba, & T&C sound (and look) pretty appetizing,.

Provo in the T&Cs is a lovely spot with a beautiful beach and good diving, but perhaps not the best option if you are traveling with a non-diver. There's plenty of topside activities but the better reefs are a long boat ride and you can spend much of the day traveling to/from the dive sites. It is also quite pricey, I think it is just about as expensive as Grand Cayman.

Since you liked Grand Cayman and it is easy to get there - but it can be an expensive place to visit and you are trying to control the budget - you might take a look at the Cayman Escape package at the Cobalt Coast resort, see the link below. For $1420 you get accommodations, two dives per day, two meals per day (breakfast and dinner), airport transfers, taxes, and hotel service charges - and the price would be cheaper for your non-diving companion. You also get unlimited shore diving with your package but in October it might (or might not) be too windy to shore dive that end of the island. The winter winds usually start to blow in the late fall.

We have never stayed at Cobalt Coast but we have visited the property and dived with Reef Divers, the excellent onsite dive op at CC. We have stayed/dived at their sister resorts on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman - and we've had very good experiences.

CC is located on the water but on ironshore not beach, but they have a pool and a small beach area and they are not far from 7MB.

CC is in West Bay north of Seven Mile Beach, so if you rent a car you can go out for lunch and do some exploring and non-diving activities after diving. Car rental is one of the few relative bargains on Cayman, most credit cards include insurance except liability and the car rental price isn't bad. You have to drive on the left - but that's also true in the T&Cs and St. Croix and some other locations.

Cayman Escape 7-Night Dive Package | Cobalt Coast Resort

 

[Trailboss123]

I’m beginning to agree with the consensus: a long weekend is too short. A week (saturday to saturday) makes a lot of sense. Curacao looks fantastic and would be my first choice, but limited flights may take it out of contention (at least for this year). Cozumel, Aruba, & T&C sound (and look) pretty appetizing,.

I gotta say that I love your post!! It is hard for me sometimes to separate myself and my personal preferences from my response to someone who posts as specifically as you did. It takes some discipline and focus to consider first your preferences and living situation and really put myself in your shoes and recommend what might be the best for you.

Based on what you have stated so far and looking at the remaining Top 3 contenders, I would definitely eliminate Aruba from the remaining 3 options quoted. I only say that because you are posting on Scubaboard and Aruba doesn't measure up to COZ or T&C in terms of scuba experience.

That leaves Cozumel and Turks and Caicos.

I could make a case for either one, and if you want me to, I will do so tomorrow-- I have been on the road traveling the last 6 days and am a bit too tired right now to do so. It is somewhat nuanced given your original post and will require me to think more than I want to presently--

 

[flyboy08]

If you haven’t been to Coz yet, go!