sparks

We are planning a trip to the Caribbean in October & want to stay where we can just walk in the water & snorkel. We have been to St Thomas & Curacao (loved it!) & want to try another island. Also, don't want to break the bank on accomodations. Any suggestions? Thanks

christiegr

I would definately say St John..you would fly into St Thomas and take the ferry to St John.They have many beaches that are very calm for snorkeling.The water clarity is also great with alot to see coral,stingrays,starfish,seaturtles,squid and a ton of fish.

For accomodations alot of people rent villas on STJ as they only have a few resorts.For villa rentals try:
www.vivacations.com
www.caribbeanvilla.com

or resorts check out the Westin or Caneel Resort.Gallows point also looks nice.

I think that for cheaper accomodations you could find a villa for a decent rate if you look.

I cannot wait to go back...the beaches are absolutely beautiful!!

sceneisle

If you don't need beautiful sandy beaches, try Bonaire. Over 70 shore accessable dive/snorkel sites on Bonaire and Klein Bonaire (5 minute water taxi from Kralendyk). IMO, a little better snorkeling than on St. John, which is not a bad choice either.

sabine1215

When we stayed in Turks and Caicos a few years ago there was excellent snorkelling off the beach outside some villas( the name escapes me) which were a leisurely walk down from the Beaches resort.

Sabine

blamona

Great snorkeling from the beach from Coral Gardens in Turks and Caicos. You can stay in Coral Gardens, they are running a special, get every other night free, includes full American breakfast (Usually $400 nightly, averages to $230 nightly!!!!) Plus Usairways has good prices on airfair there right now. (Around $350 roundtrip in Oct if dates are a little flexible, unheard of for T&C) The restaurants are a little on the expensive side, but Coral Gardens has kitchens in them, so you can save a little, and you can go to Turtle Cove Marina for some decent reasonable restaurants, (Tiki Hut my favorite) and there is even a better reef around the Turtle Cove Marina.

sparks

Coral Gardens is way out of our price range. Thanks for the suggestion. We are looking for a reasonable place to stay where the snorkeling is good. Can't seem to find any bargains on St John. That is why we are considering going back to the Curacao Marriott again. The rates were great & the hotel/island was wonderful. Looking for something like it, but on another island.

christiegr

Sparks:
Check out Gallows Point on St John during Oct. the rooms should be pretty reasonable.Here is a link to the website http://www.gallowspointresort.com/
Hope this helps.

tdelano

We had excellent off the beach snorkeling at Grand Cayman last summer. Stayed in a wonderful condo at Sea Cliff resort that was very reasonably priced.

ejcrowe

Take a look at Tortola or Virgin Gorda for good on the beach snorkeling. For moderate accommodations I would check out Icis Villas near Brewer's Bay, Sebastian's on Little Apple Bay, or Coconut Point apartments or villas. If you really want to save money and don't mind roughing it, there's also a campground on Brewer's Bay. We found pretty good snorkeling at Brewer's, Smuggler's Cove, and Long Bay East at Beef Island. We just returned a little over a week ago and you can find my trip report as "Tortola Trip Report with Teen" if you're interested.

Also check out Nail Bay, Leverick Bay, and Guavaberry Spring on Virgin Gorda for moderate accommodations.

StanKase

The West End of Curacao, Knip Beach and others near it, are first rate. They are not Caneel but neither are the prices.
There is a fellow at Station #1 Beach who will take you in motor boat to 2-4 beaches some not accessible by road/foot for 3 hours for $15 total. You need a car because it is 30-35 minutes West of the Marriott.
Tortola has good snorkeling but poor accomodations and nothing more else to do.
In Curacao eating at LaRouse-owner/chef-Swiss/French food is outstanding though full dinner for 2 is $90USD+/- for 2. The Avalon is also very good serving fusion food at $75 for 2 persons. We ate at both twice in our 7 night stay.
We are going back in January to the Sea Aquarium Resort, a small very clean and well maintained operation at 2/3rd's the cost of the Marriott for a well furnished Suite with full kitchen. Having most breakfasts in the room and 2 or 3 lunches pays for the more expensive dinners.
Snorkeling there is not good but we did not think the area around the Marriott was very good either.