Family with different interests
May 24th, 2004, 06:32 AM
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Family with different interests
We are a family of five that needs something for everyone. My children love a pool but I also want a beautiful beach with calm surf for us to play in.(I love the Outer Banks of N.C. but the water is a little rough.)I assume most Carribean destinations have beautiful water for good/excellent snorkeling. My husband and children do not like a history lesson while on vacation but I love it. Something like rum running pirates use to frequent this island or which animals are indigenous. Also caves, volcanoes,interesting cliffs or landscape.
I'm not sure about choosing an A/I or a smaller place. Does an A/I resort supply the snorkel gear so you do it on your own or do you travel to the snorkel site and then receive your gear and/or instruction? Any idea if there is an age requirement for snorkeling? I have a three year old so I was not sure if that would be too young.Can you get kid friendly food at A/I resorts only or is it available outside the resort? Not interested in clothing optional beaches or nightlife.Do college kids go to Cancun and Cozumel in April? By the way is April a good time to visit any Carribean location? What kind of activities do A/I resorts offer for children and teens? Also interested in eco-tour of some sort. Maybe swimming with sea turtles and visiting shipwrecks. I would like to know if anyone has advice on this.I am concerned about reputable services and the treatment of wildlife. Please excuse any errors. Typing is not my thing.Thanks for your input.
I'm not sure about choosing an A/I or a smaller place. Does an A/I resort supply the snorkel gear so you do it on your own or do you travel to the snorkel site and then receive your gear and/or instruction? Any idea if there is an age requirement for snorkeling? I have a three year old so I was not sure if that would be too young.Can you get kid friendly food at A/I resorts only or is it available outside the resort? Not interested in clothing optional beaches or nightlife.Do college kids go to Cancun and Cozumel in April? By the way is April a good time to visit any Carribean location? What kind of activities do A/I resorts offer for children and teens? Also interested in eco-tour of some sort. Maybe swimming with sea turtles and visiting shipwrecks. I would like to know if anyone has advice on this.I am concerned about reputable services and the treatment of wildlife. Please excuse any errors. Typing is not my thing.Thanks for your input.
May 25th, 2004, 05:01 AM
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Hi Traveler, I'll try to answer some of your questions, at least as far as my experience will allow.
:I assume most Carribean destinations have beautiful water for good/excellent snorkeling.
Not necessarily true... Like anything else, there are good and bad spots. I will say that most destinations I've researched have excursions that promote snorkeling. But the quality of the snorkeling can vary widely.
About an AI. I've only been to one AI resort, but we went twice. This was Barcelo Maya in Mexico. If you just want to try snorkeling, most AI's will have some equipment around, but the quality and availability will depend on the resort. At Barcelo, you can use the equipment but have to leave a deposit, and are limited to one hour. Usually excursions that promote snorkeling will provide the equipment.
There isn't an age requirement for snorkeling, but comfort in the water would be important. Most providers of snorkeling equipment also provide floatation vests for those that want them.
You might consider bringing your own equipment if you think this is an activity you'll do a fair amount. At least the masks and snorkels. Good quality equipment is available at most large chain stores and sports equipment stores. That way you can make sure the masks fit well which can greatly affect the quality of the experience.
The AI we went to, and most that I've heard about make sure there is kid friendly food around. Pizza is almost a certainty as is hamburgers, hot dogs and french fries. Plus, with an all-inclusive it doesn't cost extra for them to sample more exotic foods and broaden their eating horizons.
I would say that college kids go to Cancun and Cozumel year round, but during college break times they are much more prevalent. I think one of the biggest attractions to Cancun is the nightlife, if that is not high on your list of priorities, I would look elsewhere.
The activities that AI's offer, as you would expect differ from resort to resort. Those resorts that cater to families will have a kids program running during the day. Most resorts have activity staff that promote fun and games around the pool and on the beach for all to enjoy.
Eco-tours have become a lot more popular (or I've noticed them more) in the last 5 years or so. The best ones that we've been on were more of an adventure/eco tour and were out of Playa Del Carmen in Mexico. Alltournatives is the name of the company. They run a large number of small groups, rather than big crowds, and have a small selection of really excellent adventures.
Only shipwreck I've snorkeled at was in Aruba. I know there are some diving sites at shipwrecks, but not too many that are so near the surface you can snorkel at them.
As I look over at your list of interests, the location within my experience that seems to match up the best is the Riviera Maya in Mexico. There are a LOT of message boards and a huge online community to turn to for suggestions and advice for this area. If you are interested and have trouble finding good resources, let me know.
Hope this was helpful. Hopefully others will be able to fill in gaps and offer advice based on their experiences.
Ken
:I assume most Carribean destinations have beautiful water for good/excellent snorkeling.
Not necessarily true... Like anything else, there are good and bad spots. I will say that most destinations I've researched have excursions that promote snorkeling. But the quality of the snorkeling can vary widely.
About an AI. I've only been to one AI resort, but we went twice. This was Barcelo Maya in Mexico. If you just want to try snorkeling, most AI's will have some equipment around, but the quality and availability will depend on the resort. At Barcelo, you can use the equipment but have to leave a deposit, and are limited to one hour. Usually excursions that promote snorkeling will provide the equipment.
There isn't an age requirement for snorkeling, but comfort in the water would be important. Most providers of snorkeling equipment also provide floatation vests for those that want them.
You might consider bringing your own equipment if you think this is an activity you'll do a fair amount. At least the masks and snorkels. Good quality equipment is available at most large chain stores and sports equipment stores. That way you can make sure the masks fit well which can greatly affect the quality of the experience.
The AI we went to, and most that I've heard about make sure there is kid friendly food around. Pizza is almost a certainty as is hamburgers, hot dogs and french fries. Plus, with an all-inclusive it doesn't cost extra for them to sample more exotic foods and broaden their eating horizons.
I would say that college kids go to Cancun and Cozumel year round, but during college break times they are much more prevalent. I think one of the biggest attractions to Cancun is the nightlife, if that is not high on your list of priorities, I would look elsewhere.
The activities that AI's offer, as you would expect differ from resort to resort. Those resorts that cater to families will have a kids program running during the day. Most resorts have activity staff that promote fun and games around the pool and on the beach for all to enjoy.
Eco-tours have become a lot more popular (or I've noticed them more) in the last 5 years or so. The best ones that we've been on were more of an adventure/eco tour and were out of Playa Del Carmen in Mexico. Alltournatives is the name of the company. They run a large number of small groups, rather than big crowds, and have a small selection of really excellent adventures.
Only shipwreck I've snorkeled at was in Aruba. I know there are some diving sites at shipwrecks, but not too many that are so near the surface you can snorkel at them.
As I look over at your list of interests, the location within my experience that seems to match up the best is the Riviera Maya in Mexico. There are a LOT of message boards and a huge online community to turn to for suggestions and advice for this area. If you are interested and have trouble finding good resources, let me know.
Hope this was helpful. Hopefully others will be able to fill in gaps and offer advice based on their experiences.
Ken
May 25th, 2004, 06:43 PM
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lipstick, the "riviera maya" is the stretch of the east coast of the yucatan peninsula running south of cancun down to about Tulum. Playa del Carmen is pretty much in the middle of this stretch. There are some small hotels in the town, but most of the big AI resorts are just south of Playa. Its a great central location as you can take the ferry over to Cozumel for a day trip, or arrange a day trip to the Mayan ruins in either Tulum, Chichen Itza or Coba. There is some good snorkling off the beach at some of the resorts, but none compare to Cozumel. The weather in April is perfect, and I believe that the rates drop a bit after Easter.
Grand Cayman's 7 mile beach is also a good family vacation location with calm beautiful water and great snorkling. They have a lot of nice condos on the beach, which can be more economical than a hotel when traveling with a big family. However, I don't think GC has the history or varied geography that Mexico does. GC is also a bit pricier than the riviera maya. Hope this helps.
Grand Cayman's 7 mile beach is also a good family vacation location with calm beautiful water and great snorkling. They have a lot of nice condos on the beach, which can be more economical than a hotel when traveling with a big family. However, I don't think GC has the history or varied geography that Mexico does. GC is also a bit pricier than the riviera maya. Hope this helps.
May 26th, 2004, 02:47 AM
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lipstick,
If you're interested in Playa Del Carmen a pretty good and friendly site about the area is:
www.playadelcarmeninfo.com
Lots of info about the area in general, and reviews and trip reports for different resorts. In fact, you can easily be awash in info about that area, it has a HUGE internet community.
Best of luck in your research...
If you're interested in Playa Del Carmen a pretty good and friendly site about the area is:
www.playadelcarmeninfo.com
Lots of info about the area in general, and reviews and trip reports for different resorts. In fact, you can easily be awash in info about that area, it has a HUGE internet community.
Best of luck in your research...
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