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It has been a slow slog but I am finally to the point where I can make some plans for a first visit. (Yes, definitely still in the "naive wannabe" category.) I would like to go kayaking during this trip -- via either rental or guided tour. I've been doing a lot of reading but I would be interested in your real-life perspectives. I hope to stick pretty close to the coast and not rent a car. I'd rather be in less touristy areas (ha, wouldn't we all). My Spanish is OK; I haven't got a good ear for Caribbean-style Spanish yet, but I can get by if people are patient, and the more I get to practice the better. An area with a higher chance of seeing manatees would be a plus, but on this trip I'm not going to obsess about it because I know they're unpredictable. Budget options especially welcome.

If any of ^^ that ^^ makes you think "oh, you should try xxxxxxxx," would you post your thoughts?

My goal for this trip is to both have fun and keep an eye out for places where I might could live long-term, and to just get a better feel for whether I'd be a good match for the place. Obviously there are 1000 questions and considerations besides kayaking, but I would like to keep this question focused on kayaking.

Thanks for any ideas you might like to share!