Suite Palms Apartment

Scuba

by schwein

Saipan is one of the best places in the world to go diving or snorkeling.
Clear water, and many different things to see underwater. Everything from turtles to tanks, left over wrecks from WW2.

Bring a cam if you have one...

The Grotto

by kenmerk

The grotto is a unique limestone cavern that is located on the north east side of Saipan. Underwater passages fill the cavern with water, and occasionally marine life such as sea turtles and your occasional Great White "tipped reef" Shark...

Follow the steep stairs cut in the stone down to water level. This will make a unique entry into your dive log book... (or just snorkel if you don't feel like lugging all your dive equipment up and down...)

Saipan: Welcome Japanese Money

by SuperJerry

"A giant beach"

I only went for three days and lucked out to find extremely nice weather. At around 28-30 degrees mid-afternoon, it was hot and slightly humid but once you're in the pristine, crystal-clear waters, you barely notice.

Having escaped from the mucky smog of Osaka, it was refreshingly nice to see a real sky for a change. The sunsets were incredibly beautiful even when clouds blotched the view.

The beaches were very clean although some areas were too rocky for my sensitive princely feet. The water is superb for a quick swim or some snorkelling. There were some jellyfish warnings but I never got the chance to see those delicious little bastards.

If you do find yourself on Saipan, it'd be worth your while to Managaha Island. It's a tiny little island off the western coast of Saipan that hosts protected reefs and a plethora of water sports from banana boat rides, underwater walks, to snorkelling. Trust me, bring plenty of sunblock (I learned the hard way).

"Culture"

As Saipan played a part ini the battle of the Pacific during WW2, it's not surprising to see a lot of historical remnants on the island. However, instead of being monuments reminding us of the importance of peace, I felt a lot of the things were just left out there as derelicts of interest and to create tourist attractions. There were many old tanks, cannons, outposts, bomb shelters, and even a Japanese frigate sitting around the island.

What soured me the most was that much of the island has been changed to accomodate tourists, particulary those from Japan and Korea. There were as many signs in Japanese signs as there were in English. Most of the islanders spoke Japanese, probably more fluently than their English. The newest, biggest, most architecturally sound buildings were hotel resorts.

In my humble opinion, whatever culture once existed has been sold to bilk travellers' money. What once must have been a wonderful culture of dancing, relaxing, and music has become Chanel and Louis Vuitton outlets, teppanyaki restaurants, and US$4 Cokes.

"Hotel Nikko"

We stayed at the pretty impressive Hotel Nikko. Being a Japanese hotel, this resort was built for comfort and luxury. The building itself is an interesting connection of futuristic looking tubes and columns. Our room had a big bathtub, decent sized TV, radio, alarm, and an excellent balcony with a beautiful view of the ocean.

There was a dining hall which charged US$18 buffet breakfasts. Take it from me: save the 18 bucks and go someplace else.

There's a small cafe with internet access, a nice lounge, a few restaurants, two car rental places, a tour agency, a (temporary) tattoo stand, a few giftshops, and a health and relaxation place. The hotel also has its own private beach and a very nice swimming pool complete with waterslide and a poolside bar.

Careful: it's a pricey hotel.

LazyDaysByTheSea...

by 1oddduck

"AperfectWayToEndYerDay..."

...these guys had spent less than 7 hours paddling around this WHOLE island! The island is 'just' 35 square miles, and has 60,000 inhabitants.
They belong to the 'outrigger-club' and this group does alot of things like this.

"JustSitThereAndTakeItAllIn...."

....and maybe, just maybe the ocean won't take you in!
My good friend Bev,(her husband Mark has been taking these Saipan photo's); loves hanging out around the beach. And loves becoming part-of-the-ocean! Must have been a mermaid in her past and previous Life!!

"AlittleSpashOnTopOfWeddingCakeRock...."

....we were commenting how 'cool' it would be to do the 'French-Thing----
Set up a table with chairs and a bottle of wine chhese, bread out there on that 'Platform' and make it a g-r-e-a-t photo opportunity!! Anybody want to figure out the logistics on that!:-)))
[the rock in the back is known as 'CrocodileRock---sort of looks as if its mouth is open---perfect "lunch-theme" wouldn't you think!!]

"JustWatchingTheFlushAtToiletbowl..."

...I can sit a long time just watching the different wave formation and how they slam into the rocky cliffs and then bounces back into the sea and causing swells going in all different directions...
[double-click on the photo to see the little details better....]

"SomethingAboutSpaceWaterLandAllTogetherInOnePlace."

...soothing to be here. I could stand here a long, long time....

"HereTheOleManByTheSea"

...if I stand there long enuff, I would be!!!

"VisitingTheGrottoAndTheBlueLightSpecial..."

...it looks like I'm 'levitating' here, but, I assure you I'm-no-David-Copperfield!!
The Grotto is where scuba divers go out through a hole-in-the-rock to the ocean outside. The sun reflects off the water and the bottom and fins its way through that hole into the cave we are in and thus, gives a very bright blue-hue to that area. Very pretty sight to see---a beautiful blue....

"SoLongForNow---SeeYaAgainSometime,hmmmmmmmmmmmm"

...my friends turned into Shadows-On-The-Wall waiting for my return!!
[What took me so o oo ooo long!!!...
...Well, thats a story for another chapter! Maybe I just got "Flushed-Away@Toiletbowl!!]
This, playing with shadows, is always alot of fun to do when you have a sun going down close to the horizon and you have a wall there to make "wall-puppets'' on!:-)