Honeymoon Dive Resort Suggestions?

[CanadianTravelAgent]

My husband and I love the big animal encounters too. I respectfully disagree with Doc...I find it is the encounters with the sharks, whales, dolphins, mantas, etc that give you a thrill and something to talk about after all your years together, lol! My husband proposed to me on a Roatan Shark Dive on Valentine's Day. It doesn't get much more romantic than that! I love the small stuff too, but I still crave the big stuff!

We did our honeymoon in French Polynesia. It was expensive, thrilling, romantic, and a trip of a lifetime. We spent a full month touring 7 different islands and dove at all of them (except Rurutu where we snorkelled with humpback whales). Amazing manta rays, reef sharks, hammerheads and lemon sharks were the highlights. Different islands were known for different species.

Our destination of choice now that we have kids and need to stay close is Turks and Caicos (Provo). There are some amazing resorts there. Highly recommend staying at any of them and then diving with one of the local dive shops. There are many fantastic options. Make sure you get one with a boat on the south side of the island so you dive West Caicos, French Cay, and Sandbourne Channel.

If you want to do the all-inclusive resort thing, there are a lots of options out there too.

If you want any more details, send me a PM and I'd be happy to answer any questions :cool2:.

 

[uncfnp]

I can't tell you where but my recommendation (based on my preferences of course) is stay at a private villa or the equivalent, especially if you choose Bonaire. It will give you more privacy then a dive resort. And spring for a really nice one, oceanfront, etc., if budget allows and maybe a private chief for a really special dinner...

 

[fuller43]

First off, thanks for all the responses thus far! I just got the ring, so its coming up faster than i ever expected (well, after dating for four years, but you probably still get my drift...)

As for budget, her parents arent exactly loaded but we've been saving up a few thousand dollars for awhile, so, while the Maldives might unfortunately be off the table, most of the suggestions in here are fair game.

I suppose I also should have clarified "fancy enough." She is not one to live for luxury, and we both love adventure, but I thought it would be nice to do something that was maybe a bit more relaxed for a honeymoon; there are adventures to have for years to come, but only one honeymoon. So while we do plan on diving daily, im looking for somewhere where sitting around the resort makes her feel spoiled.

I like Hawai'i, but actually lived on Maui for 3 months and am trying to find something new. I looked into Cocoview, and it looks to fit the bill pretty well, though the site was pretty quiet about any big-animal dives (I work with sea turtles and she is obsessed with sharks). I also liked Mimpi Dive Resort, but it seemed that Cocoview would allow a much more free dive schedule. She seemed to REALLY like the idea of shore dives from the resort area, so im trying to keep that as a possibility for the location we end up at. Also, im not necessarily opposed to liveaboards, but it seems like you can get much more for the same price on a resort setting: the destinations might be better on a liveaboard, but as we havent had many awesome dive experiences yet i think we will be more than satisfied with a terrestrial setting for now.

I've also been looking at some other places in Indonesia and Malaysia for the bigger animals, but im not sure if they would have the shore diving we're looking for...

 

[ronscuba]

If Mimpi Bali, Malaysia and other places in Indonesia are in your budget, I would scratch the Caribbean and Cocoview off the list. The diving in the Caribbean cannot compare.

Bali sounds perfect. Maybe tour the island staying at different places mixing topside with diving.

 

[KeithG]

I suppose I also should have clarified "fancy enough." She is not one to live for luxury

Awesome! When do the lessons start and how do I sign up my dive buddy?

 

[fuller43]

I guess I should also clarify that we are still AWARE of the cost, as a plane ticket that costs twice as much will cut our stay time down. That said, some of these resorts in Bali are looking quite nice... But are they nice enough, and offer enough big critters and beach dives, to make it worth staying a few days less?

 

[stelladiver]

You can see some big fish in Indonesia at the Gili Islands. We spent some time at one of the Aman resorts on Bali (the diving was good, but not amazing - we did Tulumben, which some have mentioned on this board in connection with Bali), then it was just a quick hop to the Gili Islands. These islands are very rustic - no motorized cars allowed, and only salt water from the tap. The nicest resort on the island offered cute bungalows with as well as outdoor showers. So you can do combo of luxury and big fish by hitting these two destinations in the same trip.

I also echo the person who mentioned French Polynesia. Lots of sharks and sting rays. And there are lots of great accommodations at all levels to choose from -- everything from smaller boutique resorts to the Four Seasons.

---------- Post added March 9th, 2013 at 10:54 PM ----------

Almost forgot to suggest our honeymoon destination, which was a dive trip -- the Seychelles. The underwater scenery reminded me of a Disney underwater cartoon movie. Almost unreal.

 

[diversteve]

She is not one to live for luxury, and we both love adventure, but I thought it would be nice to do something that was maybe a bit more relaxed for a honeymoon; there are adventures to have for years to come, but only one honeymoon. So while we do plan on diving daily, im looking for somewhere where sitting around the resort makes her feel spoiled.

Can you clarify this a little? To me this is spoiled with diving: http://www.jademountain.com/default.html

Cocoview doesn't even come close...

 

[Doc]

Can you clarify this a little? To me this is spoiled with diving: Jade Mountain, St Lucia's Most Romantic Luxury Resort

Cocoview doesn't even come close...

There are 87 luxury spa-like hotels scattered throughout the Mar Caribe.

They surpass every dive resort in every way...

... Except in one particular arena.

Diving.

 

[Divedoggie]

Bali has great shore diving on the north east coastline. Tulamben is famous for the USS Liberty wreck. Mimpi has a beautiful property right on the beach in Tulamben as well. You can arrange for Mimpi to pick you up at the airport, take you to Tulamben, then after a few days, to drive you to Menjangan, then to drive you to your next adventure.


There are dives off Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan to see the giant Bali Sunfish or Mola Mola, and additional sites off these small islands (Nusa) are great for Mantas. Best time for Mola Mola is July to November. Bali Sunfish Bali Dive Sites
The link is a good start, but you can do research.

Bali is famous for its spas, its inexpensive bungalows and flats, its luxury hotels, beaches, surfing, food, art, kind people, beautiful culture, terraced rice padis, ancient temples, giant sea cliffs, etc. One trip is not enough.

But for a honeymoon focused on diving and also affording some of the other adventures, it is still fantastic. That is why I suggested Mimpi. It isn't cheap, but it isn't terribly expensive. The location, accommodations and service are fantastic. Their website shows some packages that might be attractive.