Castle Comfort Dive Lodge

Underwater scenery full of colorful sponges, healthy corals, a myriad of fish life, steep pinnacles, dramatic walls, and shallow reefs draw scuba divers and snorkelers to the warm water off Dominica’s Caribbean coastline. Castle Comfort Dive Lodge and Dive Dominica provides wonderful service, accommodations, and underwater entertainment during your stay.

The Lodge caters to divers, but this hotel works fine for vacationers and families alike. Located a mile south of Roseau, near the Anchorage and Evergreen Hotels, Castle Comfort’s 15 air-conditioned rooms are cheerfully decorated in a blue fish motif with white wicker furniture, a TV, large bath and shower, tile floors, and the ocean view rooms have balconies overlooking the sea.

Castle Comfort specializes in family style, home cooked meals, a wonderful way to catch up on everyone’s activities during the day. Relax by the above ground pool or in the hot tub on the lawn. The waterfront bar serves your favorite drink everyday, a great place for sunsets. Lounge chairs on the deck overlook the seawall and dock, with passing boat activity providing an ever-changing ocean scene.

Kayaks are available for guests’ use, or go for a swim or snorkel right off the dock. The beach here is rocky and not suitable for walking.

The southern region is home to Dominica’s most popular dive sites—and with good reason. The highlight of the south, the Soufriere Bay, is perhaps the most distinctive area of Dominican diving. These dive sites reflect the volcanic action that created them—deep walls, pinnacles, massive boulders, chasms and gullies offer dramatic scenery.

Dive Dominica has four custom-built catamarans used for diving, snorkeling, and whale watching. The staff offers dive certification courses for NAUI, PADI, and NASDS. Whale trips go on Sundays and Wednesdays year around with Sperm whales in the area Nov-May and Pygmy and False Killer Whales in the area June-Oct. Many days you’ll see a large pod of dolphins playing or feeding at the surface not far from shore. The boats are equipped with oxygen, safsty equipment, toilets, dive ladders and hydrophones so you can hear the whales as well as see them when they surface to breathe.

Land activities are just as plentiful and scenic as the diving, so don’t spend all your time with your face in the water here. Hiking, bird watching, waterfalls, boiling lakes, and hot sulfur springs are just a few of the ways to keep yourself busy while visiting the Nature Isle. An easy hike takes you to the Emerald Pool and a refreshing dip in the clear pool at the base of the falls is a favorite with kids and adults, or see the twin Trafalgar Falls from high in the rainforest. Hike the Syndicate Trail to catch a glimpse of the rare Sisserou and Jacquot parrots found only in Dominica.

For hikers wanting a full day excursion, take the trip to Boiling Lake, but be warned it’s for experienced hikers and you need proper footwear. The trail is steep, rocky, wet, and it will usually rain on you several times during your 3-hour climb through the Valley of Desolation to see the unique Boiling Lake and heated mud steaming up from the mountain’s volcanic core.

Unlike the flat, coral islands in the Northern Caribbean, Dominica rewards visitors with eye-catching mountain vistas, verdant rainforests, whitewater rivers, and warm ocean breezes. For an off the beaten path Caribbean vacation, Dominica is a wonderful choice.