Non-diving vacation in the Carribean

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wylerbear

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
Messages
91
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Location
Portland, OR
# of dives
500 - 999
One of my bosses came to me and asked me where a good place to vacation in the Carribean is. She and her husband are non-divers but thought I would know since I dive. I have not been to the Carribean so I don't know. But I thought some of you could give me some suggestions to pass on to her. They would be interested in snorkeling but mostly they just want beach and fun things to do on land.
Can anyone suggest a great place?
Thanks for your help.
 
Curacao is pretty good. You can get direct flights on several airlines, the food and water are safe to eat....really good restautants. There are a lot of beaches that are really nice for snorkeling (diving too). Plenty of places to shop, gamble, tour and just hang out. It would be my choice. If they want more of the touristy things then Aruba may be a good choice as well.
 
Kinda depends what they consider "fun." Also how much they want to spend. Really if all they want a nice beach vacation and the usual sorts of activities that come with it, you can almost throw a dart at a Carribean map or the travel section of a Sunday paper - just pick a page with all the packages and charter deals. Aruba, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Barbados, USVI, BVI, Bahamas, Cayman, Puerto Rico come to mind as some of the usually easy to get to and mainstream places with plenty of nice places to stay. If they would like something less mainstream there's lots of other choices that will tend to be more laid back and probably not as many things to do. Or maybe they would like someplace like Belize, a bit more "exotic" compared to the usual suspects, spend part of the trip on the beach and part at one of the inland resorts, lots of interesting things to do there that aren't like all the other places. (Yeah I know not technically Carribean.)

Aruba has plenty of hotel choices, restaurants, shopping, casinos, nightlife, beach, beachy activities, snorkeling, a little sightseeing. It's fairly Americanized and somewhat touristy but that makes for more activities. But pretty nice and might fit the bill. Curacao would be good too, it's a little different and at least you feel like you've traveled to a foreign country.

I'm not a big all-inclusive fan at this point in my life, but maybe they would go for something like a Beaches or Sandals resort on whatever island. Or Couples, Grand Lido, etc.
 
Sint Maarten -- French on one side, Dutch on the other, so you feel like you've been to two foreign countries. Casinos are on the Dutch side, fine dining and fine shopping on the French side. Bathing-suit-optional (BSO) beaches on the Dutch side, surprisingly not on the French side (not officially, anyway); and they're not all BSO on the Dutch side, widely known which is which. Lots of activities; take a Rhino boat ride (unsinkable, semi-rigid Zodiac type.)
 
I thought Grenada was a pretty interesting topside destination, particularly if you spend some time on Cariacou. A day trip to the Tabago Cays is very doable from there as well.

Of course, I was there pre-Mitch, so it may have changed a bit.
 
My boss is no where near being a diver....too chicken. He says there are "things" in that water.

Anyway, he's pretty particular, sometimes to the point of being petty. He would never sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom, simply because "it's old" so it has to be in disrepair, know what I mean? (yes, he's obnoxious)

Anyway, he's got money and he's tight...likes to spend very little of it, but still likes to have a first class vacation. He's been to Punta Cana and St Maarten twice....loves it. Keep in mind tho, he's one of the tourists who never leaves the all inclusive till it's time to fly home......
 
Big nice resort hotels, big nice beaches and easy connections from USA. Also has, gambling, shopping, snorkeling, golf, and a myriad of watersports and other outdoor activities.
 
My boss checked out some websites about Curacao and I think they are planning to go there. They were very impressed that I had this info available. Thanks for all your suggestions.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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