scuba & non scuba marriage vacation

[shontz]

before you book one of those 'couples' destinations, read this:
"Friends don't let friends dive Sandals."+

There is a big difference between Sandals and Couples. Couples Resorts' dive staff are exceptionally professional and strictly follow roll-calls before and after dives, and as of early this year Swept Away in Negril instituted the DAN Tag system.

As for discounts... yes. Couples almost always runs a special that the announce in late spring that cut rates by 40%-50% for late Oct through mid-December. No, they are not cheap as their food, drinks and service are excellent.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Maui would be a great choice.

I concur

 

[Darnold9999]

Depending on what you like I would add Ambergrise Cay in Belize. Easy to get a couple of dives in and then spend the rest of the day exploring. Lots of other things to do in Belize as well.

My SO does not dive - so I go on liveaboard trips on my own - and couple vacations in places where I can dive for some number of days during the vacation. She hangs out at the pool, beach, whatever and writes. Allows her to write off part of the trip, and I get some diving in.

Costa Rica has lots and lots of things to do - didn't actually do much diving there, but it would work.

Cozumel works, Hawaii works, GBR did not work as well the diving is too far out so I left her in the hotel for 4 days (out of 5 weeks). She visited the local fire station and wrote a romance novella using their station as the setting.

Going to try Bahamas next.

The diving needs to be shore diving or a really short boat ride or it just takes too long and she may get annoyed that you are gone all day. I actuallly find it works to spend some time apart on a holiday - but that is not for everyone. We live and work out of the same house so it works for us.

 

[DeputyDan]

See if your wife actually feels "abandonned" while you are diving?

before kids, my wife didn't, as long as we stayed at a place that should could get one of those umbrellas and beach chairs and perhaps beach service on drinks. That was her idea of relaxing on a vacation was to sit on the beach and read and relax.

(of course all of that changes with kids.... )

Then your kids start diving and she is free again and you have kid duty.

 

[mike_s]

The couples thing looked really interesting until I saw the price!!:11: Is there anyway to get a deal there, or a speciality travel agency or something?

You can pay for Couples with freqent flyer miles. I think that with two first class tickets that we paid for ours with 438,000 frequent flier miles.

Yeah, if I had to pay cash for it it would have been like $7500 bucks. (with airline tickets)

We stayed for 7 nights on their "double take" plan. Double Take is where you stay 3 nights at one of their resorts and 4 nights at the other in one week. We stayed 3 nights at Ocho Rios and 4 nights at Negril. They flew us between the two resorts with another couple on a charter aircraft that day. It was pretty easy.

Try Vacation Express. They have decent deals on travel and include this location. Vacation Express : Value-Priced Vacation Packages to Mexico, Costa Rica and the Caribbean

There is a big difference between Sandals and Couples. Couples Resorts' dive staff are exceptionally professional and strictly follow roll-calls before and after dives, and as of early this year Swept Away in Negril instituted the DAN Tag system.

I've heard several difference in Sandals and Couples. Sandals is more popular but only because they market/advertise more and have ten times the locations. But I've some very negative reports on service and food about some of the Sandals from people that I know.

 

[miked]

I'm in a similar situation. My SO doesn't dive-she did a "resort course" dive in 1983, and said "that was great, but that was enough for me and diving". Happily, she knows how much I love diving, supports it while on vacation, and is independent enough to do things on her own: hang at the pool, shop, tour, gamble (where available)etc.

We work the daily schedules out, and I make sure to tell her how much I appreciete her support. As I have recently cut back my diving to "2 a day"-we also try to schedule days where we have a late breakfast together, then I'll do a "p.m. 2-tank", then be together for dinner. On other days, she may be busy, and I'll have to find something to do- it has to work both ways.

When planning vacations, we look to find places to go where she can SAFELY do those other activities, while I dive.
So far, based on our experiences-these places fit the conditions ( finally, getting around to answering your question, after my earlier blah-blah blahing) :

Aruba, Bermuda, Cozumel, Grand Caymen, New Providence/Paradise Island (the islands where Nassau is located-but stay out of the city of Nassau completely at night, and during the day unless in a group.)

Other places that we have gone to-with less successful experiences.
St. Martin (Dutch side)was just ok, but less than ideal.

Jamaica-no way. The people at the resort told us: "never leave the resort grounds unescorted."


Hope you both enjoy your trip.

Mike

 

[mike_s]

.

When planning vacations, we look to find places to go where she can SAFELY do :

Aruba, Bermuda, Cozumel, Grand Caymen, New Providence/Paradise Island (the islands where Nassau is located-but stay out of the city of Nassau completely at night, and during the day unless in a group.)

Aruba is very safe, even in light of the media spectical about Natalie Holloway. I felt it was one of the safer islands I'd been too. Grand Cayman seems very safe also, as did Cozumel.

I didn't think Nassau would be very safe at night once the cruise boat crowd left town. Folks tried to sell me drugs there twice when I was in town one day.

St Thomas has to be one of the worst considering it's a US possession.

Jamaica-no way. The people at the resort told us: "never leave the resort grounds unescorted."

In Jamaica, it all depends on where you are going (what town or what part of town) or what time it is. Late at night, stay in your resort.

But it's not a problem leaving the resort. However its nice just to hire a driver for the day. The resort will provide one (for a fee). It's just eaiser to get around that way as you essentially have your own tour guide. I think we paid about $10 or so bucks an hour for a driver. So cheaper than renting a car on average if you don't need it long term.

 

[MattJ]

We've done Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, and Cancun. I'm the only diver in my family too, so when time and finances permit, the wife and I do a FunJet trip to one of the locales above. I'll do morning dives; she'll sleep in. I'll meet her at the pool just before lunch. Works out great.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Hey, newbie here, just got OW cert and diving has to be one of the most fun, exciting, relaxing "sports" there is....well almost.
Wife doesn't scuba, but she loves the beach and fun, and we travel all over the world, so where does a regular joe like me take his significant other so I can dive my buns off during the morning, and she can have fun at a wonderful beach, or exploring an island or massage/spa? Thought about a cruise, but its not really my thing, but if it gets me under the water, then so be it. Oh yea, don't disco or karokee, but good food and bars are important. Any suggestions or advice??
TIA, Robi

Phuket Thailand. For her, all the above as you noted (shopping, cultural tours, laying out at beach etc). For you: Diving the Similan Islands --good mix of fish life, corals and pelagics. Recommend a Liveaboard combined with a subsequent Land based accommodation/Dive Op in Phuket as a good compromise for you both. (This is one of few great dive areas of the world, where you can get the most economy out of an otherwise crappy US Dollar right now. . .)

 

[luis rivera]

Playa del Carmen is really good. There are dives with huge sea turtles, massive tarpon fish, giant moray eels, tons of fish. There is a nice wreck dive here aswell. It is also a good place for non divers. Very tourist friendly but still a small place. You can walk down the beach until you find a destination that suits you.
A really good shop with Low prices and personalized treatment is Playa Scuba Dive Center * Centro de Buceo * Tauchbase - Playa del Carmen, Mexico.