I had planned a vacation to Puna Cana in the Dominican Repubilc at an AI Riu hotel, but our travel agent is rebooking our trip due to the recent outbreak in the Riu chains in the Dominican Republic. We would like to stay in the Carribean at an AI, but I don't know where to go. We are looking for sandy beaches with great snorkling without the Cancun party atmosphere. Any suggestions? Our travel agent suggested Jamica or Aruba.

Kate,

Not to be rude, but your travel agent needs help!!

If you want to get away from the party atmosphere, and have good snorkeling, neither Jamaica or Aruba would cross my mind.

Good snorkeling with more of a quiet atmossphere.....I'd look at Grand Cayman, St John, Turks & Caicos, BVI, just to name a few....

Hope this helps...

My in-laws just came back from Punta Cana and had no problems, didn't need any meds and there were no problems. I believe that may have been an isolated case and was blown a bit out of proporation.

Have to agree with ScottB about alternate destinations if good snorkling is a prerequisite.

Thanks for the ideas - I am looking into Grand Caymen right now and it looks perfect! Any suggestions where the best snorkling would be?

Kate,

There is excellent shore snorkeling available up and down 7MB in certain spots, and also in many other areas of the island. Depending on what you are looking for as far as accomodations go, will determine where on 7MB you stay. You will definitely want to rent a car so you can hit all the different snorkel spots.

Try going to caymanvacations.com to find a resort you like.

Keep in mind that GC got hammered by a hurricane this past year, and still has a lot of rebuilding to do. Although many resorts & restaurants are open, many still are not. You need to do your homework before booking so you know for sure what the conditions are for your resort.

I haven't been to Jamaica, but my fiancee and I just returned from a five-day trip to Aruba in December. We, too, chose Aruba because we wanted some nightlife without the drunken college students running around , as they do in Cancun. I thought Aruba was perfect for that. There are casinos and clubs without all the craziness. And the restaurant food in Aruba is simply fabulous.
However, I wouldn't recommend Aruba for snorkeling. We went on a snorkeling trip which dropped us off at two of the main sites and we saw very little sea life, besides a few small schools of fish. Hope this helps.