We stayed here because it's advertised as a resort with a great location and on-site dive operation. The grounds are immaculate and well kept. It's located next to the ocean and the views are spectacular. The dive shop has its own mixing station and can give you any percentage you ask for, including tri-mix. The dive guides are very professional and knowledgeable. Individual gear lockers are not provided and storage is in a large communal area. The boats were good and the trips to the dive sites are pretty quick, since the resort is close.

Our room had a king size bed, balcony, and refrigerator. We found the room, furniture, and linens to be old and dated. The food in the restaurant was adequate, but nothing to write home about. Wifi is available in the reception area, but is spotty, at best. This resort is the original hotel on Chuuk and has not aged well. A refurbish and upgrade are due.

Be sure to visit the small museum at the resort. It will give you insight into the history of Truk Lagoon. Keep in mind that Chuuk is a very remote and impoverished island. It's not an ideal vacation destination, but a fantastic dive destination, unlike anywhere else in the world. The world class wreck diving outweighs the shortcomings of the resort. Add Truk Lagoon to your bucket list.

After a week of diving in the Philippines, I was able to take a non-stop flight directly from Manila to Palau for another week of spectacular diving. Palau is everything you may have heard about, and more. For scuba divers, Palau has just about everything you might be interested in: sheer walls, colorful reefs, drift diving, wrecks, caves and blue holes, big animals, macro life during blackwater diving, and jellyfish lake.

There are so many different dive experiences, it's hard to choose a favorite. A few of the best wall dives are Peleliu Wall, New Drop Off, and Big Drop Off. These are full of life, including giant sea fans and pelagics are often seen. German Channel is considered one of the world’s best drift dives where mantas are frequently spotted. Peleliu Express is another exciting drift dive. There are many wrecks to explore including the Helmet Wreck and the Zeke fighter plane and other World War ll wrecks. There are several blue holes at the surface that lead to a large cavern with an exit onto the wall. Chandelier Cave is an easy dive where you are able to see stalactites and stalagmites and surface in air pockets inside the cave.

Some of the big animals that can be seen while diving in Palau are: several species of sharks, mantas, dugongs, Napoleon wrasse, and giant clams. For macro diving, black water night dives are offered, where macro creatures are the main attraction. Jellyfish Lake is a unique snorkel dive where you share the water with thousands of non-stinging jellyfish. It was closed in 2017 due to a drastic population decline, but was reopened in 2019. Palau’s signature dive, and one that appears on every list of the world's best dives, is Blue Corner. There is a very strong current here, requiring a Reef hook, where you hook in and watch the parade of large numbers of Gray Reef Sharks and White Tip Reef Sharks. This is a must-dive site for experienced divers. On the boat rides to many of the dive locations, you will weave your way through the Rock Islands, a beautiful trip among mushroom-shaped limestone outcroppings. There are many dive operators to choose from that dive all the best spots.

There are plenty of things to do when not diving. World War ll history in on display during a land tour of Peleliu, where there are still many relics left on the island after one of the fiercest battles of the war. Palau has a rich culture, which can be explored at the local cultural center. A wonderful souvenir is a storyboard, which is a hand-carved wood plank that tells the story of one of many legends unique to Palau. Some of the local islanders also chew betel nut, which gives them an energy boost. It turns their teeth red after chewing. Everyone here is super friendly and warmly welcomes visitors.

There are lots of resorts and hotels to choose from and many restaurants, some of which serve a local favorite, fruit bat soup, prepared using a whole bat which is served in the soup. It can be washed down with one of the local beers, Red Rooster.

Bottom line: Palau is a destination with world class diving, a rich culture, restaurants offering many different cuisines, and a warm and friendly population. Add Palau to your bucket list, you won't regret it.

I’ve been to Kona three times, and each time we’ve stayed at a beachfront condo just south of Kailua-Kona, the main town on the west side of the island. Hotels are also available, but we find the convenience of a condo to be much better. There are many to choose from. The ones we’ve stayed at were walking distance to restaurants, bars, and stores. We rented a car so we could have the flexibility of doing some exploring and getting to the dive boat each day.

For the non-divers with us, there were plenty of things to do, including hiking, snorkeling, visiting beautiful beaches, and shopping. Many beaches are within a short drive from Kailua, where the snorkeling is easy, in shallow water, and lots of fish are easily spotted. Several of these beaches have restrooms, showers, picnic tables, and barbeque grills. Hawaiian green turtles are plentiful here and are frequently seen while diving, snorkeling, and on the beaches. We've even seen them lazing right in front of our condo. Kona is also one of the places where you can see the endangered Hawaiian Monk seal. We saw them several times during our visits.

The diving here is mostly by boat to reach the top sites. On the boat ride, you're likely to see Spinner dolphins performing acrobatic maneuvers while leaping out of the water. Since Hawaii is so remote, there are many endemic species that are not found anywhere else in the world. About 20% of the fish here are only found in Hawaii. The topography tends to be a sloping reef, so you can start your dives deep and shallow up, finishing in shallow water where you might find lava tubes, arches, and craters. The visibility is often 80-100 feet. We frequently made 90-minute dives because of the shallow depths, but didn’t sacrifice seeing fantastic sea life for the extended time. Kona is also a place where you have an excellent chance to see Tiger sharks. We saw tigers on two different occasions. If you're lucky, you may see dolphins on your dives and hear humpback whales singing in the distance.

Two of the world's best night dives are offered here; the world famous Kona manta ray night dive, and black water diving, that one of the dive operators calls “Pelagic Magic”. Before we did the manta ray night dive the first time, I thought it might be very commercial and touristy, attracting large crowds. That scenario is somewhat true, but the opportunity to interact with a dozen or more of these large, magnificent animals is worth it. Divers sit stationary in a circle on the bottom, shining their dive lights upward to form a column of light that attracts plankton for the mantas to feed on. They come swooping in to feed and we had to duck our heads several times they came so close. This is an exhilarating and enjoyable dive not to be missed and only found in Kona. The black water dives are conducted far offshore, in deep open water, in total darkness. They are done to see planktonic creatures (many of them fish or other animals in their larval, or juvenile stage of life) that ride the ocean currents. This is very exciting, but not for the faint of heart.

Lastly, if you have time and a car, a drive to the east side of the island near Hilo is a good diversion. You can visit Volcanos National Park where you can see two of the world's most active volcanoes - Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.

Bottom line: Kona is a great place to visit for the tropical island experience, world class diving, a warm and welcoming population, and fun topside activities. Everyone speaks English, you don't need a passport, and the currency is the US dollar; all of this without leaving the U.S. Tip: Don't forget to try shave ice for a delicious sweet treat.

I’ve traveled to Roatan many times and stayed on different parts of the island. West End is my favorite area and we’ve stayed at a hotel there and a couple of times in a private villa right on Half Moon Bay. We have also stayed in a villa near Gibson Bight, which is not too far from West End. There are many dive shops, bars, and restaurants in West End and this seems to be the place where most of the action takes place, other than at the resorts. I’ve also stayed several times at an all-inclusive resort on the north side.

Diving is done all around the island, but overall, I prefer diving on the west end. Some of my favorite sites here are: West End Wall, Hole In The Wall, Canyon Reef, and Spooky Channel. On the south side of the island, near French Harbor, you can dive one of Roatan's signature dive sights, Mary's Place. Valley of the Kings is another excellent dive in this area. On the north side, some of my favorites are Turquoise Bay Channel, Turquoise Bay Wall, Dolphin’s Den, and Rockstar. Every time I’ve been to Roatan the visibility has been exceptional. Typical sea life seen here: schools of tropical fish, groupers, turtles, lobsters, dolphins, sharks, eagle rays and octopuses. Occasionally, whale sharks can be seen here, but are most often seen off the sister island of Utila. This is also an excellent place to experience bioluminescence on night dives. We have seen the String of Pearls many times.

On a non-diving day, a great excursion is to hire a boat in Oak Ridge and explore the large patches of mangroves. We also visited a legendary restaurant/bar in this area, called Hole In The Wall. We enjoyed a couple of hours eating and drinking here.

Bottom line: Roatan is one of the most economical places in the Caribbean. Everything, including accommodations, food, and diving, is really cheap. The diving is world-class, the people are extremely friendly, and the vibe is really laid back. Two small downsides are that it can get crowded if a cruise ship is in port at West Bay, and the insects can be unbearable at times. Bring plenty of insect repellent and sunscreen.