I'm trying to find a good destination to introduce children (9,10) to snorkeling. Hawaii would be ideal with warm water and some shallow reefs where they could see a ton of sealife but it's too long a flight from Chicago for just a 7 day trip. Mexico would be cheap (maybe cozumel?) but the current is strong and I don't recall any shallow reefs unless there are snorkeling areas I just don't know about (I usually dive).

Any suggestions? Budget, I'd love a condo or hotel of around $250/night and we can take care of air with miles. Any ideas for places with warm water and good, easy snorkeling in early April? Good fishing (reef or deep-sea) would be a total bonus!

We've snorkeled with our kids on many Caribbean islands, Hawaii and Mexico. Yes, Hawaii was very good but Cozumel was also good. I don't recall current being an issue but we actually went to a marine park there called Chanakaab. Cozumel and the Playa Del Carmen area have a number of these marine parks and cenotes which would be good, calm destinations to learn. Also, St. John from the beach can be pretty good if it's calm. My kids also enjoyed snorkeling from Baby Beach in Aruba but I don't think there was as much to see as other places. The best place I have ever snorkeled is Buck Island, St. Croix but you have to take a boat and be a pretty good swimmer for that. I have not snorkeled Turks & Caicos but I think I recall that there is a reef right off the beach there so you might check that out. One more suggestion -- Curacao from the beach is also pretty good and usually calm. Barbados, Antigua, St. Kitts, Nevis, Puerto Rico, Puerta Vallarta -- snorkeling not good. Grand Cayman was not great from the beach either but some people say it is good so maybe we were not in a great spot.

www.xel-ha.com south of Cancun would be perfect...

www.maho.org www.caneelbay.com St. John nice also

i completely agree with qwovadis. my first thought was xel-ha. calm clear water with tons of fish. lots of fun!
i would not even consider taking young kids into a cenote for their first time snorkeling! they make many adults nervous & you want this to be a perfect experience.
besides xel-ha you could go to it's sister resort xcaret, same type place but busier & more to do.
another great place for kids would be yal-ku lagoon in akumal. you see fish before you even get in the water, which is gin clear unless there's been a storm (but this applies to everywhere). not to mention just plain off beach snorkel from akumal beach.
in fact you might consider akumal beach resort as a place to stay. nice small town you can walk down the beach to in under 10 mins, decent resort - fairly economical. it is ai which would help you budget.
lots of other activities nearby like horseback, atv jungle rides & ruins to tour! fun duty free shopping in playa del carman.
easy access to deepsea fishing from akumal or anywhere and bone fishing is done in/near the sian ka'an biosphere just south of tulum. i don't know what "reef" fishing is.
caneel would be nice but not in your price range for this trip.

Not sure if you have thought of Grand Cayman? Our kids were 4 and 7 the first time we went there and we have been back 3 times. Several spots where you can swim out from the beach a bit and snorkel. When ours were younger we made them use a life jacket and swim with a float in case they tired. You can also take a snorkeling boat trip.

Also we were in Provo, T & C a couple of years ago and they did SNUBA and really enjoyed that. Some off shore snorkeling off Grace Bay as well.

St. John has some fabulous walk-in snorkeling, but since it's National Parkland you have to drive to the beaches.

Here's another thought:

http://www.secretharbourvi.com/

Secret Harbour has fantastic walk-in, shallow snorkeling. It's on the East end of St. Thomas near Red Hook and the ferry to St. John. It's very easy to ferry to St. John for the day, rent a jeep, and go to Trunk, Cinnamon, Maho, etc.

You may want to consider a prod professional giving your children lessons. You want them to feel secure and confident so that it will something they will want to do again forever.

On a recent trip to the Marriott St. Thomas, I was very much impressed to the instructor who was giving lessons a little girl about six years old. he had some styrafoam noodles attatched around her body for flotation and he was next to her the entire way. He was very encouraging and the child thoroughly enjoyed herself. Snorkeling gear that fits and seals properly is essential for a good first experience.

While I feel that Marriott Moprningstar beach is not prime snorkeling waters, a qualified instructor can make a huge difference. A child's safety and enjoyment should be given paramont priority.

Go to Mexico!

Condo on the beach at Akumal

Xel-Ha would be perfect or Yal-Ku lagoon in Akumal. Half Moon Bay in Akumal is also great at the North end (near the Lol Ha restaurant)and you get to see turtles too

thx everyone for the great suggestions. Can we fly directly to Grand Cayman or does that require an island hopper?

Akumal would be really easy with cheap n/s flights to CUN. With 4 ppl, I'd prefer to head someplace that doesn't require additional flights (although a short, cheap ferry would be fine). I don't usually like resorts but wondering if that would make things easy in terms of feeding the kids and keeping them entertained.

Will check out Akumal Beach Resort and others although at first glance these ai's look expensive -- condo might make more sense for us if there's a pool in the complex, even if it means we leave a couple times a day to eat.

fishee, have you been to Akumal? Plenty of inexpensive places to eat nearby we liked the Turtle Bay Cafe and Lol Ha restaurant.

http://www.turtlebaycafe.com/www.tur....com/Home.html

My DD was 10 when she did her first SCUBA dive in Akumal (she started snorkeling in Hawaii at 7)

Never been to Akumal although we sometimes land in CUN, bus to Playa, and then ferry to Cozumel. (without kids in tow, of course)

I just priced out a ginormous Akumal AI (Bahia Principe?) for $3786 for 5 nights 2 adults, 2 kids. I think that's crazy for the Maya Riveria although I think that price would be reasonable for the Caribbean.

I'd consider an AI if it were *cheaper* than a condo + eating lunch/dinner out, but I'm kinda shocked at $3786 when air to CUN runs around $250. I consider AI resort food to be tolerable but generally not pleasurable so if I can eat out for the same price and actually enjoy all my meals, that would be great. (and I don't drink....) I''ll keep looking though and I guess I ought to shift to the Mexico forum now. : )

thx again!

http://www.akumalbeachresort.com/en/
for 4 will run you about $2500 in early april (i used 4/9-16)

Any thoughts on this akumal condo -- looks close to that lagoon and also poss snorkeling right out in front on Half Moon?

http://www.vrbo.com/172647

Hi fishee,
I've stayed in a condo in the same complex (iguana 15 with 2 bed, 2 bath).. we were there in November 09. They're individually owned but mostly managed by the same local staff. We had to walk through the condo complex to the beach... not directly on the beach but a minute away.
We liked it but the entry to the ocean is a little rocky in that area. Pools were cool (I think they were unheated).

I've also stayed at Vista Del Mar which was equally nice but right on the beach (step out onto sand there's just a hammock plus a palm tree between you and the ocean.. soft sand entry)

Better snorkeling for young kids at the other end of the beach but you're right it's very close to Yal-Ku lagoon.

Here's another site you might find useful. Also post on the Mexico board here for more replies...

http://www.locogringo.com/akumal/

St Martin's Baie Rouge beach is good, and there are several suitable beaches on Grenada.

Did you look at Roatan, Honduras? It's considered "western caribbean", perfect offshore snorkelling for children. Take a peek at "West Bay Lodge", steps from the beach.

My daughter learned to snorkel when she was 9 at the artificial reef in front of the Grand Cayman Marriott. It's shallow and close to shore, and there are plenty of fish. After learning there, she had no problem on a snorkeling boat tour and at Cemetery Reef. Just last night she was talking about how much she enjoyed snorkeling right in front of the Marriott and that she would like to return there, and that trip was 3 years ago. We've since been to T&C twice. I had read your post earlier but didn't respond. But when she said that I thought it would be worthy of mentioning it to you.

Curacao is also nice for snorkeling. But the problem is finding a flight to get there from Chicago.

thx everyone, very helpful. Fares to CUN just jumped so still trying to work out a plan. Looking at this Akumal condo too:

http://www.locogringo.com/akumal/yal...37&rel=Reviews

However, also considering an AI (for first time) for convenience of feeding kids and taking a break from cooking. If there's an esp.good rate, please do post!