Affordable beach place?

Hello TTers out there,

we are thinking about visiting Palau over christmas and new year 2014/15. I saw that probably most people go to Palau for diving and I'm no exception:-) so if I were alone I would probably place myself in Koror to be near the dive shops, but my partner doesn't dive and wants a place that could be called at least half-decent, on a beach, with some worthwhile snorkelling grounds nearby.

Can you recommend such places that aren't too expensive :-) ?

Thank you so much!

This is tricky. For diving, almost all the dive shops are in Koror, and there are one or two dive shops for intermediate/advanced divers based in Peliliu (where the beaches I saw weren't particular impressive, and required a bike rental to get there). The problem is, the nice beaches are (1) in the uninhabited rock islands or (2) Kayangal, where there is no dive operators (or really anything, beyond a few basic accommodations, friendly people, and a pretty lagoon). Many dive areas do have good snorkeling, so one possibility is that your partner comes with you as a snorkeler on the dive boat at the lower snorkel rate. Another possibility is you split up, and partner goes on snorkel tours.

Have you considered going to another country? Fiji offers both things you are looking for, and we're heading to Aitutaki in the Cooks in May for beaches, snorkeling, and diving.

Thank you, Tilos.

In the meantime we booked (really cheap) flights to Palau, so this time we certainly won't go elsewhere. But we heard good things about Fiji also from some friends who have been there, so it could be an option for next year or the year after. Where exactly on Fiji would you recommend for nice beach(es) and good snorkelling?

After reading up on Palau a little more on the internet we now decided we'll split our time and spend the first few days on Carp Island to get over the jetlag and just relax, and perhaps do a few dives. The people from Carp Island also wrote we can go out on the boat with the divers and go snorkelling on the shallow part of where the divers go deeper.

Then for the rest of our time we'll base ourselves in Koror to explore there and Babaldaob.

Just out of curiosity, what were those eally cheap flights to Palau?
The region is not known for cheap fares, let alone really cheap ones.

Fiji has good beaches and good snorkeling even in the touristy Mamanuca Islands closest to Nadi, and of course plenty more in the more remote corners.
But as I know you´ve been to Indonesia a fair bit, I am not sure anything in Fiji would take your breath away. Different atmosphere though.

We paid 850 Euros Frankfurt - Seoul - Koror and back, for the high(est) season, Dec 24 to jan 5, on Aseana. From looking earlier I remember cheapest fares from Germany were usually around 1200 / 1300 Euros, but off season.

The stay on Carp Island won't be as cheap, but I'm optimistic that we'll find something cheaper for the rest of our stay.

In the meantime we booked, after a really long research, into this establishment for the rest of our stay. Not exactly luxury, and not at the beach, but we thought after splurging for 5 days on Carp Island we just need an affordable, centrally located place as a base for our further activities.

@ Laszlo: the friend who repeats that there is excellent snorkelling on Fiji refers to precisely Yasawa island. She has been there several times, and she has been to Indonesia as well, so should be able to compare.

I have been to the Yasawas as well and saw nothing really comparable to the best spots of Indonesia there (or elsewhere in Fiji).
And I think I've visited far more islands in Fiji than most tourists, including several in southern Lau, for example.