A friend asked that I post some reviews of places I have dived and some comments on Sport Diver magazine’s suggested list of Diving and Resorts (2007 Edition). My response got a little wordy, but it may interest anyone contemplating travel to the Caribbean.
More after the fold…
The Atlantic and Caribbean have a lot of offer in vacation destinations. The Pacific does too, but since we live in Virginia, travel times to Pacific destination are very long, and some of the Pacific destinations, while very nice, have become very expensive destinations because of their extreme popularity.
I like a vacation destination to have some popularity so that it is developed enough to enjoy good food, bathrooms, sanitation, and facilities; but not so popular that the prices are sky-high.
To find that perfect vacation spot, you have to decide what is important to you and make your decision based on your own desires and needs. Sometimes I want to carefully research a trip, because learning about the place is almost as much fun as going there. At other times I simply need to get away from work and relax, and at those times I have ended up some pretty diverse places. I’ve found we always have more fun no matter where we go if we keep an open mind and have learned a little about the place.
Here are things important to me in a warm water vacation spot (I have totally different interests when traveling to a museum and history vacation like London or Prague):
The hotel/resort/condo must have a pool, and the pool area (both around the pool, and covering some portion of the water) must have some shade. My skin type does not allow basking in tropical sun without frequent shade breaks.
I’d rather stay in lodging that is walking distance to several restaurants and a few attractions than a hide-away that is remote from everything else. I like sampling different food on a whim, and strips of small “Mom & Pop” restaurants clustered together along a beach offer so many more choices than a remote resort. They also offer more affordable foods because of both economy of scale, and local competition.
Access to SCUBA diving is important, at least for those vacations where we plan to do SCUBA diving. Having a reputable (PADI 5 star is one way to tell) dive operation affiliated with the hotel is very nice, and having them on the property with the hotel is awesome. Even if you are a non-diver, the dive operators offer snorkeling and other water activities with a very professional and safety-aware point of view from their dive training. Note, if you are a non-diver, you’ll occasionally have to give up some or all pool access for diver training courses that many hotel-dive resorts have (can be frustrating to children who just want to play in the pool and don’t want to wait an hour once or twice a week).
I like a place with some cultural diversity, in food and in music. Some islands are visited exclusively by American tourists. Some are visited exclusively by European tourists. Some are quite a mix. My favorites are the ones with mixed tourists because of the diversity and the richness of the shopping (visiting local grocery stores is always an adventure, and seeing the different stuff put out for different groups of tourists is entertaining too).
I like a place outside U.S. liability laws, specifically because the pool will be open all the time. It also makes things like swim-up bars easy. It means you can swim any time. I like a place that does not mind if you bring your own cooler and snacks to the beach and to the pool area (you can save a lot of money by not getting served the whole time, though getting served on the beach is fun for a day or two).
Think about the activities you are interested in, find a location with those activities nearby. If they are daily activities, make sure access is walking distance from where you are staying so you do not have the hassle of transportation issues. If they are activities you’ll do only once on the vacation, then transport is not so much an issue. Since I swim in a pool or on the beach, scuba dive, snorkel, and eat – access to those things must be readily available. The cave we go cave-tubing in can be a taxi-ride away as I am unlikely to do that more than once a trip.
We stayed at the Intercontinental on Cozumel a few years ago and it is a fantastically lovely resort, with ready access to pool, beach, diving, swimming, game fishing, and a spa… but even with all that I am unlikely to stay there again because the restaurants in the resort were expensive and did not offer enough variety for a whole week, and because the resort was far enough from town (San Miguel) that taxi rides had to be arranged for every meal and shopping trip into town. Cozumel was awesome, I will return – but I’ll find a resort that is walking distance to the dozens of great restaurants in town.
Chow Hound is your friend. No matter where you go (or even for your own area) – do a google search for “+chowhound +location” where location is the place you are going (or live). You’ll get passionate debates about the merits and problems with restaurants in the area. The website is chowhound.com, but I find that google does a better job of indexing all the information than they do so I use google to do the searching. I typically write down a dozen places I’d like to try, and take that with me on the trip.
Any trip is more fun when you go with friends. Seriously, consider traveling with another couple or two other couples. Diving is much safer in numbers, a group of 6-8 divers all traveling together will often get their very own boat and dive-master as a guide (which means you know everyone on board, and possibly you know each other’s gear). When you are topside, friends make visiting local restaurants more fun, and excursions to the local zoo, or museum, or ruin can be cheaper with a group rate. Travel with friends, have two people research restaurants and two other people research the dive packages – split the research up and compare notes. That means you get to have a couple of before the trip planning parties and after the trip story-telling parties. A small group can also help take care of newer divers.
If you are bringing your own snorkeling and scuba gear, consider the dive operator carefully and look for a place to store gear securely near the dive activities rather than in your hotel room (hauling heavy dive gear around is not fun). We typically carry our masks, snorkels, fins, regulators and computers (all one piece for us), and a dry bag with us to and from the room; but our BCs, wet suits, and heavy stuff stays in the dive shop’s storage lockers if that is possible and I feel good about the security (and my gear is all clearly marked ahead of time). Having said that, a room with a private balcony or a huge shower is very useful for setting mask, snorkel, fins, and wet towels and swimsuits out to dry. Some hotels do not have private balconies, and then you have to find a place to let that gear drip dry.
My favorite places are:
Curacao: the mix of cultures (Dutch, Venezuelan, African, Indonesian) and the mix of tourists (70% European, 30% North American) make Curacao a fascinating place to visit. It is part of the legendary ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) and as such the scuba diving and snorkeling is some of the best in the world. It is outside the hurricane belt so you can travel there any time of year with no concerns about storms. It enjoys fantastic trade winds for excellent sailing, kite-flying, and wind-surfing (not to mention constant cooling breezes). Because it is a desert island it has very few mosquitos, and the breeze pretty much grounds them permanently. Unlike Aruba and Bonaire (which share all the above qualities), Curacao homes a real city: Willemstad, with night-clubs, shopping, art museums, history, culture, architecture, and facilities (hospital, libraries, etc). Also unlike it’s neighbors, Curacao gets most of it’s tourists from Europe (at least 70%) so the mix of cultures is true even amongst tourists (Aruba is almost exclusively North American tourists, Bonaire is mostly North American, though there are lots of Dutch and Germans too). Curacao and Bonaire are world leaders in preserving their ecology and environment so that the marine life is here for many years to come, and that means that their reefs and wildlife (in the water) are like those of far less developed islands. There are many places to stay, but I like finding one along the leeward side beaches near all the restaurants and snorkeling.
San Pedro, Belize: San Pedro is not as culturally diverse as Curacao, and it’s near shore diving sites pale in comparison to those of Cozumel, Bonaire, and Curacao; but San Pedro itself is such a gem that it deserves mention. Getting to San Pedro is an adventure. This usually means flying into Belize City (international airport) and then catching a 20-30 passenger plane to San Pedro (which is on an island with only a tiny airport). That last little flight will either thrill you or scare you, and it is highly likely that your luggage will have to fly in on a different flight (don’t worry – they’ll get it to you eventually, and right to your hotel). Ambergris Caye (the island) allows no privately owned gas vehicles, so walking around San Pedro is a joy. There are electric golf carts for deliveries and some taxi-service, and lots of fat tire bicycles. The streets of San Pedro are sand, and the floors of most restaurants in town are sand. Barefoot is not a problem. There are dozens of places to eat and shop, and Belize allows no chain restaurants, so it’s all local cuisine. Sea kayaking happens off the side of the island facing the mainland, sailing and scuba happen off the seaward side. NOTE: there is no shore based snorkeling nor diving off Ambergris Caye; I am not sure why and this was a bit annoying, but the local boats pretty much make up for it by going out so often it is easy to get out to the reef. Belize is home to the 2nd largest coral reef in the world, but the reef is pretty far from the shore; so visiting Belize’s top dive sites involves really long boat rides out to each group of 2-3 dives, or staying on a live-aboard dive vessel for part of the trip. Non-divers will love the laid back ambience though. If you want to combine historic Mayan ruins with your warm-water vacation, be warned that the ruins are a pretty long day trip away from the water resorts. Belize is a former British colony, and as such has a decidedly rum-focused culture. Caribbean brand rum is fantastic and fantastically cheap (around $2 per 750ml bottle). Grouper or Red-Snapper fajitas are a local staple that must be tried. Be aware that Bonaire is lush, tropical rain forest, and as such mosquitos are plentiful – so Winter is the best time to go. That also gets you out of Hurricane season, but increases rates.
Cozumel: Cozumel is also an adventure to get to, either by small plane (30-60 passenger planes) or hydro-foil ferry from Playa del Carmen (which is itself a 40 minute bus ride from Cancun’s international airport). Cozumel is close to some of the most spectacular diving in the world, and San Miguel has dozens of fantastic local restaurants, and there is a dash of the club/party scene that has made Cancun famous for the Spring Break crowd; but just a dash so it is not quite as annoying as Cancun itself. Cozumel is at the North end of the same huge coral reef that Belize is famous for, but the lodging is much closer to the reef. Food is a bit less diverse than in Belize, but probably a bit better on the whole. Game fishing is more active, and water sports are too. Like Belize, there are Mayan ruins and culture nearby, but they are longish trips involving either the ferry or that small plane ride; if Mayan ruins are more interesting than diving, consider staying in Playa del Carmen instead as it is closer to the ruins (though a bit further from the diving – 30-40 minute boat rides to dive the same sites as 5-15 minutes rides from Cozumel). Cozumel is in Mexico and has tequila-focused culture. Grouper or Red-Snapper fajitas are a local staple that must be tried, and the seafood ceviche is stunning. Be aware that Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, and the entire Yukatan are lush, tropical rain forest, and as such mosquitos are plentiful – so Winter is the best time to go. That also gets you out of Hurricane season, but increases rates.
I am reserving places for Roatan and Playa del Carmen, Mexico because they seem like they’d be excellent destinations, though I have not been to stay at either yet.
Sport Diver Magazine recently published a guide to the world’s best Diving and Resorts (2007 Edition). We’ve been to several places mentioned in that guide.
Page 32: Ramon’s Village: awesome resort, and we’ll be back over and over again. The beach cabins are not very fancy, but they are comfortable; and the view is amazing. Ramon’s has one of the best pool areas in Belize with plenty of lush tropical plants, lots of shade, and excellent wait staff you will bring you drinks and food all day long if you can afford it. They also don’t mind if you bring your own cooler of rum punch and snacks to the pool (though staying further from the restaurant is best if you do). Ramon’s is a golf-cart ride from the tiny island airport (consider letting them take your luggage and simply walking – it is very close. The beach is beautiful, though I was not thrilled about the water at the beach itself (thus the pool is important). San Pedro town is a short walk from Ramon’s, and the on-site dive operator is excellent, if small. The diving that is a few minutes from shore is good (though not spectacular), and you can see turtles, sharks, rays, squid, coral, and sometimes a whale shark. Waves can sometimes be choppy beyond the local reef; so know your boat safety skills and have your gear packed into your dive bag in the order it will come out for use (that’s a good rule for any boat diving).
We were there in July, which got us a bonus of being there during lobster season (yum), but meant we had to watch for mosquitos. Staying along the wind-ward shore meant steady breezes of salty air and no mosquito problem, but going into the center of town or kayaking on the other side of the caye, you’d need mosquito repellent or simply go in Winter. Ramon’s does not have a full spa, but they do have on the beach or in cabin massage. There are a few local dogs on the beach – they are friendly (some tourists feed them) – but watch out for fleas. If you do go to Ramon’s check out the following local dive sites:
- Love Tunnels (big swim through)
- M&M Caverns (lots of cool swim throughs)
- Happy Hours – one of the best, photo ops, macro, small life
- Cypress Gardens – excellent coral site, staghorn, elkhorn
- The Amigo’s Wreck (70′) awesome nurse shark site
- Pescador Cavern – for more advanced divers, deeper, lobsters
- Angel’s flats – more angels and tangs, less geology
Downtown San Pedro food (walking distance from Ramon’s):
- Elvi’s Kitchen (good reviews, big shade tree, great service, cheap)
- Manuel’s (great food)
- Micky’s (great burritos)
- El Patio (great food)
- Celi’s (seafood and more, watermelon drink, good reviews, view of ocean)
- Caliente (great soups and lunches)
- Papi’s (fresh Conch)
- Jambels (Jerk) – excellent jerk chicken, middle of town
- Jade Garden – chinese – south end
- Hideaway (good eats, very good burgers)
- Blue Water Grill (excellent seafood, nice breeze)
- Estelle’s for breakfast or lunch – awesome breakfast
- Sweet Basil’s (excellent burgers)
- Manelley’s Ice Cream great homemade ice creams
- Victoria House, frozen limeades and elegant dining, nice guitar music
- The “Coca Cola” awning vendor on Barrier Reef Drive for awesome burritos
San Pedro night life (some dancing, mostly club/casual style):
- Barefoot Iguana Disco
- Big Daddy’s
- Tarzan’s
Page 55: Plaza Resort Bonaire: excellent resort. They have both fancy hotel rooms and spacious condos. If traveling in a group, consider the apartment-style condos to save some money. Bonaire is the best dive destination for people who get sea-sick on small boats, because most of the diving is easily accessible from shore and renting a small truck is common and cheap. This resort is huge, and very diverse. They have an on-site casino (not my thing, but in a group there are usually one or two gamblers). Their pool is large enough to have a dive class in the pool and people swimming casually without interference, and their beach is excellent for swimming, snorkeling, beach dance lessons, volleyball, and jet-skis (separated from swimmers). There is not a lot of shade near the pool, though the beach right next to it has plenty. The diving and the sailing at Bonaire are some of the best in the world, but there is not much else to do on Bonaire. When I go back to Bonaire I may consider staying elsewhere… there was nothing wrong with Plaza Resort – but it was big and impersonal and a good compromise for a large group including gamblers and non-divers… I might try a smaller dive resort if I go again.
Bonaire Dive Sites (Klein island sites need boat to access):
- Carl’s Hill (off Klein)
- Forest (off Klein)
- Sharon’s Serenity (off Klein)
- Bari Reef at Sand Dollar Condo/Resort (diverse)
- Town Pier (awesome night dives)
- Angel City (Scott’s )
- Rock Pile (off Klein) awesome safety stop (18′ coral) and great wall!
- Small Wall – good night dive off Klein
- Salt Pier – lovely shallow dive, sea horses!
Bonaire Dining:
- The Lost Penguin (closed Tues) – best value breakfast + lunch
- Watta burger – very good burgers
- The Old Inn – rystaafel – must try the rystaafel, amazing
Page 90: Ocean Encounters, Curacao. Fantastic dive operator. We stayed at Lion’s Dive (lionsdive.com) and dove with Ocean Encounters. Lions is a pretty basic, if very pretty hotel. Small pool (closes for divers only when they are training), lots of shade around pool (which I love). Excellent breakfast and drink bar by the pool. Very large showers and bathrooms for drying gear, but the balcony/lanai for each room is also a second hallway shared by all rooms along that balcony (non-private) so you can’t put a lot of gear out to dry. The hotel is pretty no-frills, but plenty comfortable, and walking distance to a dozen or so romantic beach restaurants. The initial trek down the stairs to Ocean Encounters from the hotel with gear is cumbersome… as is the final climb with all your gear at the end of the trip – but the dive operator has the nicest secure locker arrangement I’ve ever seen by a dive operator. Consider sharing a rental car as Willemstad and some shore diving sites are a pretty good ways away. Definitely try some rystaafel in town – fantastic stuff. I’d be happy to return to Lions Dive, but I might also try a different hotel for more features when I go back to Curacao. I love Curacao and would consider living there year-round, it is my favorite of all the places we’ve gone in the Caribbean and the Pacific (only Greece and Italy compare). Ocean Encounters is one of the best dive operators I’ve experienced yet. They have excellent boat excursions and they even offer boat safety training (good class if you’re new to dive boats). They have fabulous shore dives from their own sea wall with step ladder entrance (sheltered), but be warned their shore dive/snorkeling site is pretty far from the dive shop and gear lockers (400 yards I’d guess – so bring a gear bag with wheels). Ocean Encounters can train your children about diving, and they are probably the best in the world at safely training youngsters about the ocean, the environment, and swim/snorkel/dive safety. Ocean Encounters
If you go to Curacao:
- Willemstad is devided by the harbor into Punda (tourist attractions) and Otrobanda
- Pedestrian pontoon bridge: Queen Emma Bridge (aka Swinging Old Lady)
- Handelskade (prettiest painted buildings)
- Floating Market (produce)
- Riffort (good view of Punda)
- Curacao Museum
- Seaquarium
Curacao Dining:
- Bistro le Clochard (fine dining)
- Garuda (Indonesian)
- Surabaya (Indonesian)
- Contiki (spicey ribs, beach garden)
- Rumours (Mula fish)
- Mambo (beach food)
- Rystaffael (Indonesian)
If you go to Cozumel (I don’t know where to stay these days):
- Acuario (pricey, seafood, surrounded by aquariums)
- Arrecife Hotel (pricey, seafood and mediterranean fare)
- Casa Denis (cheap, authentic Yucatan food, tacos, specialties)
- Cocos Cozumel (breakfast only – an institution, may be gone!)
- El Cabeno Hotel (midpriced, exquisite Mexican food on the beach)
- French Quarter (midpriced, Louisiana cuisine)
- Diamond Cafe (15 Ave + 1st South, excellet breakfast)
- El Moro (cheap, local family place)
- El Solar (cheap local family place)
- La Choza (midpriced home cooked Mexican mole/snapper/lobster)
- La Choza Grill (midpriced, Jamaica/Cuba/Belize/Guatemala food)
- La Mission (midpriced, local food, filet mingon)
- Manatee (pricey, exclusive, tiny – reservations a must)
- Rincon Maya (midpriced Mayan food with traditional herbs)
- Remolcador (midpriced international, seafood, lobster, steak)
Cozumel Dive Sites:
- Palancar Shallows/Gardens (wow)
- Palancar Reef
- Palancar Caves (wow)
- Cedral Pass (wow)
- Santa Rosa +
- Columbia
- Punta Sur experts only – devil’s throat
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