Langosta

I love beaches with good waves for body surfing while my wife likes peaceful lagoons for snorkeling. Is there one Caribbean island that has both of these in very close proximity so that we can spend a few hours each day at "my" beach and then take a short 5-10 minute drive (or even better walk) to some fantastic snorkeling options for her? We don't want to spend half the day in the car, so I''m thinking we'd need a hotel, B&B or resort on the tip of an island with both an Atlantic side and a Caribbean side. All suggestions much appreciated. Thanks.

kellybeaches

Langosta,
Look into St. Maarten/St. Martin. On the French side, Grand Case Beach Club has great off beach snorkeling, and a short 5 minute drive from there is Baie Rouge, which has waves. We've stayed on both. I'm not sure if Baie Rouge waves are large enough for surfing though. We stayed on that beach when a hurricane was due to hit, so the surf was up. DavidXSM on this forum could answer for sure on that one.

Otherwise, it looks like Guana Bay on St. Maarten (Dutch side) is great for surfing. We didn't get to this beach on our 2 visits, but there are plenty of calm beaches with snorkeling all over the island. Here's the link of beaches:
http://www.stmaarten-info.com/en/pag...beaches/#Rouge

And here's the description for surfing on Guana Bay:
Surfers, get out your boards! Guana Bay is awesome dudes! This is the best beach in St. Maarten/St. Martin for surfing enthusiasts, and is recommended for strong swimmers only, since there is usually a heavy undertow. If this sounds like its for you, bring your own picnic and cooler - there are no services. Beautiful breaking waves make great photographs. Bring a friend.

Actually, Orient Bay has waves with lots of water sports and kiteboarding. And Galleon bay and Pinel Island are both short rides from there with calm waters and snorkeling. It seems like this island may fit your bill. Good luck!

ejcrowe

Depending on the time of year, some of Tortola's north shore beaches get waves good for body surfing. And Tortola has some pretty decent places for snorkeling from shore, plus it's an island that is well situated for making day trips to the other British Virgin Islands plus various snorkeling destinations by boat, such as the Indians or the Caves.

I've stayed at Sugar Mill, which is on the north shore, whose beach is protected by a breakwater. but Sebastian's is a small beachfront inn on a beach with better waves (again,d epending on time of year), and Long Bay is a beachfront resort that occasionally gets waves, too. They're all within a 2-minute drive or 15 minute walk of each other.

Langosta

Thanks for the replies so far. In terms of time of year, we're committed to a mid-November trip due to scheduling issues.

greenie

Barbados has decent snorkeling on the west coast and awesome waves on the south coast. We always stay on the south coast because we love to body surf as well. Although it's more than a 2 min drive...can't be walked...lovely island though.

Peace, Greenie

virginia

i second barbados

qwovadis

travelzoo.com frequent sales on the

Fairmont Barbados good for this Crane good there also but

Harbor Island my fav...

pinksandsresort.com runawayhill.com valentinesdive.com

you can walk a couple of blocks and do this without a car

on a very beautiful beach if conditions are correct.

Langosta

Hi Qwovadis,

I'm a bit confused with your post. Are you saying that the hotels you mention in the Bahamas are close to both snorkeling and a beach with waves big enough for body-surfing?

DavidSXM

Hi Langosta

In spite of what kellybeaches says - and the fact that we both love the French side of St Martin - I don't really agree with her about the snorkelling !

St Martin isn't really noted for snorkelling if you are a true afficionado, though as she correctly states, there IS the possibility to do so around Creole Rock, just a few hundred yards from the Grand Case Beach Club which always seems to have calm water.

You almost invariably have some sort of surf at Orient Bay - which is close by (about a 5 minute drive from Grand Case) and is JUST on the Atlantic side of the island, therefore meeting your criteria to be in a location where you have access to both the Caribbean and the Atlantic - but be aware of the undertow which is frequently present.

Pinel Island is always a must, and your wife would love the perpetually calm waters there.

Baie Rouge is rather more than a 5 minute drive from Garnd Case, and I don't think that you can bank on the surf there always being adequate for your purposes.

A lot of keen SURFERS go to the far side of Le Gallion, but I really don't know whether it is suitable for BODY surfing. I suggest that you avoid the beach there at week ends anyway, as it can be a bit crowded with some of the more untidy locals, who have a bad habit of not noticing the trash containers !