Need to pick a destination

My family and I (2 adults & a 13-yr-old) are going to take a BIG trip next October (2-3 weeks), and we want to be sure to pick the right place. We're looking at Tahiti, Cook Islands, or Fiji...traveling from US. Snorkeling is mainly what we're interested in, and avoiding crowds. That said, I don't have a lot of time to put into researching getting to/from very remote locales. Budget is in the $12,000 range, but less is best. Thanks for your thoughts.

Hi Angie,
It's a nice journey that you planed! I can tell you some things about Cook Islands. I've just got back after 2 weeks there. Regarding snorkelling I think this is a very good place. The whole island is surrounded by a lagoon which makes snorkelling safe. Water is warm and turquoise. Also reef is pretty colourful there. Last week everything was flowering purple underwater and it looked like a big garden! The only thing you need to remember about are tides. They are pretty intense there. Low tide and high tide come twice a day and everyday they come 1 hour later. So you really need to watch the lagoon carefully. Otherwise it is just fantastic place to snorkelling!

Thanks for the info. Which island(s) did you visit?

I stayed on Rarotonga only. There are regular flights to Aitutaki and I was told it is amazingly beautiful. I wanted to fly for couple of days to some other islands but the weather was just bad and it did not make any sense.

I'm putting in a plus for Fiji, direct flight from LA, and if you took a local cruise, you would see lots of islands and snorkel twice a day in a different place, you could also spend some time k in Fiji and visit another place for the rest

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/island-snorkeling-french-polynesia-108207.html

Another vote for Fiji.
Unlike in the Cooks, there are many small islands there reachable from the international entry point without having to take expensive domestic flights.
A day-trip by boat to Manuriki, where the movie Castaway was shot, offers very good snorkeling, but there are many, many other islands within easy reach there.
And thanks to the number of islands, visitors get spread out and don't get all packed onto one island as on Rarotonga, meaning you can easily avoid crowds if you want to.
Plus it's about the cheapest country in the Pacific.

Great! Thanks for all of the info everyone.

Hi Angie,

We've been to Fiji, Cooks and Tahiti in the last few months (currently in Tahiti!).

My vote would go to Fiji.
- You can see a few different islands. The Mamanucas and Yasawas are the obvious places to go. We also loved Taveuni which is a gorgeous island and has great snorkelling via the the Somosomo Strait. Taveuni is a bit harder to get to but is definitely a good place to avoid the crowds.
- Fijians are the friendliest people you'll ever meet. Every person that catches your eye will smile and say "Bula!"
- It is cheap. Far, far cheaper than the other options. For example, we had a three-course meal for two for about $25 USD. The equivalent bought us two takeaway pizzas in French Polynesia.
- It's likelier you will meet locals. Rarotonga and Tahiti have a huge number of expats (from NZ and France respectively) and it was a bit harder to have local interaction.

It's worth saying that for raw beauty, my vote would go to Raro (I fell in love with that place) but it it's a lot more expensive. We have brief guides to the three locations in case you want more info about what's on offer.

I hope this helps!

Kia, Atlas and Boots

Have you taken the Awesome Adventures cruise? We're not looking for a party barge.

Thanks Atlas and Boots. I'm 90% sure we'll be booking Fiji. I'll check out your guides.

Another vote for Fiji-options galore, wonderful friendly people and great food too.