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Hey guys, Over the last couple of years I've realized that snorkeling is an important vacation activity for me. It started in Kauai two years ago, after which I did Maui for two consecutive years. I'd like to do another snorkeling-centered vacation, but I would love a change in scenery from Hawaii. What I care about: (1) Snorkeling must be accessible via a beach - I don't want to have to charter a boat as it takes time away from my main activity. Having to swim 500m from a beach (and parallel to the beach, not straight out) to reach a good location is no problem. (2) The various locations should be relatively close to each other - I don't want to spend 2 hours driving to a new location. (3) Some hiking trails should be available. (4) No more than 10h travel time from LAX. (5) Bonus points for locations where either English or French are spoken (though German and Hungarian are also fine, but I have a feeling they are less useful in places where snorkeling is big). I think Condition (1) rules out Belize, even if the snorkeling there is out of this world. For now I have St. John (US Virgin Islands) and Tahiti on my short list. Are there any other places I should be considering? Thanks.
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Jun 4, 2015 05:27
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| # ? May 6, 2024 23:40 |
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I guess the biggest questions are, what's your budget and when do you want to travel. 10 hours flight time from LAX puts you at Tahiti and not much beyond that for the Pacific islands, unfortunately. Moorea is a great island that's a short trip away from Tahiti via either short flight ( < 30 minutes) or water taxi. All of those gorgeous pictures of bungalows over the water with giant mountains jutting out behind them? Yeah, that's Moorea. More hiking and snorkeling than you'd know what to do with. It can be a bit pricey though, decent accomodation is going to be 100+ and can quickly run to 300+. There's a ton of great lesser known islands like the Cook Islands and the Tuamotu Islands. Unfortunately they can take 15+ hours to get to because they're much less traveled and require a couple of transfers. Why are you writing off Belize? That's probably an 8-9 hour flight non-stop and then a short flight or water taxi out to Ambergris Caye, which is great for pretty much everything water-related. You can stay on Ambergris and be within minutes of tons of good snorkeling sites. And if you want to get back to the mainland to goto the ruins or whatever its not that hard/expensive. Roatan, off the coast of Honduras, would probably be another good choice though its aimed more at divers than snorkelers. Might be at the max range of your desired flight time too, you're not getting there non-stop. Whip Slagcheek fucked around with this message at 06:59 on Jun 4, 2015 |
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Jun 4, 2015 06:56
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Belize is only like a 5-hour flight from LAX, but I've also heard amazing things about snorkelling there.
Saladman fucked around with this message at 13:24 on Jun 4, 2015 |
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Jun 4, 2015 13:21
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The flight (for one person) and stay (for 2-3 people) should not exceed $5k, but there is wiggle room. I prefer vacation rentals over hotels, and I like to cook my own meals, but hostels are out. I would like to go sometime next year between February and June. My only problem with Belize is that it requires planning and thus discipline if you want to combine hiking with snorkeling. What I loved about Maui is that there was complete flexibility in our schedule because we didn't rely on a third party for water crossings. From that perspective St John and Tahiti are nice because if we like one activity more than anticipated, we can just do it for a little longer and not worry about getting back to our home as we just rely on a car. Similarly, if one activity sucks, we can just go do something else as we are in control of our transportation. Or is the snorkeling in Belize that much better than St. John that I am an idiot for my way of thinking?
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Jun 4, 2015 16:29
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I don't think any of the Virgin Islands are great tbh. They've been torn up by hordes of lovely east coast tourists and cruise ships, typically containing said hordes. Also since they're US territories, you're paying for everything in dollars and they're more expensive than the lesser islands. The Dutch Antilles and the British Virgin Islands are nicer. Curaçao is a great island, but the snorkeling sites are pretty spread out. Dominica is really nice too and much less developed than any island I've mentioned, scenery is beautiful. Belize really isn't that rough to manage. You don't need a car to get around on Ambergris Caye. There's so many tour groups out there vying for your money that prices are pretty competitive for day trips out to the ruins. Just pick one or two and let them worry about the logistics. Whip Slagcheek fucked around with this message at 17:36 on Jun 4, 2015 |
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Jun 4, 2015 17:33
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Thanks for the input. I didn't realize that the USVI had deteriorated that much. Dominica seems like a very nice mix between snorkeling and hiking. I'll read about it and the other islands a bit more before I make up my mind. Regarding Belize: I would either have to break it up into two stays (4-5 days on Ambergris followed by 4-5 days in the western part) or I would have to break it up into two separate vacations (there is certainly plenty to keep me busy). Either way, it's too complicated given my needs for my next vacation. Belize is next on my list though, no worries.
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Jun 6, 2015 06:15
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Saba and St. Eustatius (Statia) are also pretty nice for a mix of hiking and snorkeling. Only issue is getting there. Saba has a really, really small airfield and landing there is pretty intense. Definitely doable though, people frequently hop between the islands via boat. Bonus points: everyone speaks English and their currency is the U.S. dollar, despite being part of the Netherlands.
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Jun 7, 2015 00:55
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| # ? May 6, 2024 23:40 |
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What are my options in the south Pacific? I'd be willing to deal with a longer flight from LAX. Am I right to assume that Fiji will be overrun with people? How good are American Samoa or Pohnpei given my requirements?
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Aug 7, 2015 06:21
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