Both budget divers and those who prefer to splurge enjoy soothing spa treatments, so we compiled a list of top five spa resorts for divers that offer both wonderful onsite spas and fantastic diving. Whether you’re looking for a single massage to begin your vacation or daily body treatments, we’ve got the spa resort for you.
We’ve also included a resort for every budget, but you can always scope out the best prices by booking directly with the resorts, signing up for their newsletters or carefully scouring their websites to discover special discounts and complimentary services. Special note: Divers Alert Network advises against deep tissue massage when diving so choose lighter massages on dive days.
Barefoot Cay Resort, Spa, & Marina + Barefoot Divers Lodge: Roatán, Honduras
These two properties on the south shore of Roatán, separated by an 85-foot (26 m) channel, provide a huge variety of accommodation choices from budget dive dorms to luxurious, oceanfront villas. Add Roatán’s amazing reef combined with indulgent spa services, and it’s no wonder so many divers love this private cay.
Diving
Pristine coral reefs, coral-encrusted wrecks, thousand-foot walls, abundant sea life including turtles, sharks, and rays, along with the largest number of sponges in the Caribbean, all make Roatán a desirable diving destination.
Spa Services
Whether you’re staying at the Barefoot Cay Resort or the Barefoot Lodge, you can take advantage of the full line of body scrubs, massages, and facials available to guests at the Barefoot Cay Spa.
Prices*
Prices vary widely depending on which accommodation you choose. Diver dorms begin at $25/night and go all the way up to the Grand Villa, which starts at $305/night.
Dive packages feature 10 valet boat dives for $350/person plus 19% taxes and 15 valet boat dives for $450 plus taxes. A la carte diving is also available on a sliding scale per person: one to four divers pay $40/dive; 5-10 divers pay $35/dive, and 11+ divers pay $30/dive. (Prices are not inclusive of taxes).
Rates for spa services start at $35 for facial masques, while massages and body treatments begin at $75. Spa packages are also available. For more info on the spa or the Resort, visit Barefoot Cay Resort. For more info on the diving or the Lodge, visit Barefoot Divers Lodge.
Edgewater Dive and Spa Resort: Puerto Galera, Philippines
This hidden gem in a mangrove bay on the island of Mindoro offers diving in some of the world’s most biologically diverse waters. Combined with incredibly priced dive-and-stay packages as well as inexpensive spa services, it’s no wonder this resort is beloved by all who visit.
Diving
This certified protected marine area of the Philippines is a firm favorite that offers dives teeming with marine life. There’s a mixture of coral reefs and sandy bays perfect for macro and muck diving, as well deep-water reefs for wall diving and canyons for exhilarating drift dives. Some smaller wrecks are also nearby. We also recommend a day trip and picnic out to nearby Verde Island and the surrounding waters, known by some as the “center of marine biodiversity in the world.”
Spa Services
Choose from a variety of relaxing treatments and services offered in the spa or in your suite. Manicures and pedicures are also available along with a range of body treatments as well as spa packages.
Prices*
The standard dive-and-stay package starts at $263/night and includes:
- One night in a deluxe room
- Breakfast and lunch for two people
- Six dives for two people (three dives each)
Rates for spa services range from manicures/pedicures at $10 to massages and body treatments beginning at just $20. Their most expensive spa service is a 90-minute hot stone massage for just $40. Spa packages are also available.
For more info, visit the Edgewater Dive and Spa Resort website.
Kamalame Cay: off the coast of Andros Island, Bahamas
Nestled on a three-mile, white-sand island, this boutique resort features 27 seaside rooms and suites. Privacy is ensured with the resort so spread out that your own personal golf cart to visit the restaurant and the dive shop. Offering the only overwater spa in the Bahamas with diving off the world’s third-largest barrier reef, Kamalame Cay is a unique retreat.
Diving
Situated in a marine-replenishment zone surrounded by deserted islets and unspoiled coral reefs, this island offers private diving with up to 100 feet (30 m) of visibility to view coral gardens, wrecks, walls, dramatic ledges, caverns, and blue holes.
Spa Services
The overwater spa specializes in custom treatments using marine-based ingredients which are sustainably-sourced, organic, and cruelty-free.
Prices*
Prices start $475/night for two people in a private beach bungalow and $905/night for two people staying as “guests of house,” (all-inclusive pricing).
Private diving is available for $219/person for a two-tank dive for multiple divers. We recommend booking all diving in advance.
Rates for beauty services range from facials beginning at $75 to body treatments and massages starting at $150 and $210 respectively. Their most expensive spa service is a 90-minute hot stone massage for $225. Pampering packages are also available.
For more info, visit the Kamalame Cay website.
Queen’s Gardens Resort & Spa: Saba
This small luxury resort tucked away in the Dutch Caribbean offers extraordinary vistas of the rainforest, mountains, and the sea. Designated as one of the first marine parks in the world, the beautiful island of Saba has reaped the rewards of those many years of protection, making the area a delight for divers.
Diving
The volcanic origins of Saba result in spectacular underwater formations and structures, while many years of marine protection offer an abundance of sea life. There are 30 permanently-moored dive sites, ranging from sloping reefs and hot springs to abrupt walls, drop-offs, and seamounts. Visibility begins at a minimum of 60 feet (20m) and extends to more than 100 feet (30m).
Spa Services
The resort offers a spa with a variety of health and beauty treatments using its own line of natural Caribbean body products. Spa amenities include a sauna, steam room, relaxation area, and waterfall shower. Meditation workshops, Zumba, and both group and private yoga lessons are available in addition to healthy options on their lunch and juice menu.
Prices*
A variety of custom packages are available for spa services, diving, culinary delights, and more. We’d suggest selecting a dive package and then adding on spa services either during your reservation or once you’re on site. As an example: A 5-night dive-and-stay package is $2,050 for two people and includes:
- A 5-night stay in a superior suite, which features a private Jacuzzi with a view of the Caribbean Sea
- 3 days of double-tank diving
- A daily continental breakfast
- One 4-course surprise dinner
- Airport taxi transfers
- VAT and service fees
Rates for spa services range from manicures beginning at $40 to facials beginning at $35, to body treatments and massages starting at $85 and $99 respectively. Their most expensive spa service is a 90-minute 4-hands massage for $350. Spa packages are also available.
For more info, visit the Queens Gardens Resort and Spa website.
Misool Eco Resort: Southern Raja Ampat, Indonesia
This private-island resort and conservation center is hidden deep in an archipelago of uninhabited islands inside a 300,000 acre (1,220 square km) marine reserve which they established. This area is also a part of the Raja Ampat Shark and Manta Sanctuary, which the founders of Misool also established, and includes one million acres (40,000 square km) of Raja Ampat. Coupled with their traditional Indonesian spa treatments, this eco-resort is an exotic dive wonder.
Diving
Their house reef is a world-class shore dive featured in the “Shallow Seas” episode of the BBC series, “Life.” Easily accessible at any time, the house reef showcases schooling fish in addition to pygmy seahorses and the shy mandarinfish. During a rising tide, divers can also enjoy an easy drift dive from the end of the jetty to view large blacktip reef sharks. As shown in the recent IMAX film “Journey to the South Pacific,” over 25 world-class dive sites are within a 15-minute radius of the resort with over 30 more nearby.
Spa Services
Enjoy a variety of traditional massages and beauty treatments in the privacy of your room or in the spa. Misool uses its own signature range of natural products, most of which they create fresh each morning. These include scrubs hand-blended from local ingredients, such as Indonesian kemiri nuts, and their own coconuts and aloe plants.
Prices*
Prices start at $2,401 (off-season) and $2,825 (peak season) for 7+1 nights per person based on double occupancy and include
- Seven nights of accommodations in the Misool water cottages or south beach villas
- Four meals per day plus afternoon tea time
- Most non-alcoholic beverages
- Local use of kayaks and stand up paddleboards
- A 15-minute massage after the first dive
- Snorkeling on the house reef and with baby sharks in the north lagoon
- A series of evening educational lectures in their dive center
- Sorong Airport pick-up and porter service
- Hotel accommodation and breakfast in Sorong for one night following your stay at Misool on scheduled transfer dates
- Government tax
Dives can be purchased individually ($64/dive) and in various packages such as 10 dives for $575, or unlimited diving during a 7-night stay for $1,045.
Rates for massages begin at $42 for 90 minutes. A variety of spa packages are also available.
For more info, visit the Misool Eco Resort website.
* Current advertised prices as of the writing of this article based upon the associated U.S. exchange rate.
