cocoview resort roatan
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My last trip to Roatan was the end of July beginning of August. We flew TACA out of Miami direct into Roatan on a Sunday morning. Things at Miami International were a tad confusing at first and most of the TACA staff spoke only Spanish and broken English. BUT... they were trying hard to treat us well and language barriers aside, I have no complaint about their service.
The flight in was on a nearly brand-spankin' new Airbus A-300 -- the plane was clean... sparkling clean... and the service was adequate including a movie for us to watch in Einglish or Spanish. The flight left on time and arrived on time and the tiny little airport at Roatan was fine. (Note that they will scan your baggage through radar before you leave the airport and your bags will have to be checked out by a living security person before you can leave the terminal area -- this is ARRIVING in Roatan -- not departing!)
Now, let's talk about flying out of Roatan. That's another story. We were leaving mid-week (stayed 9 nights/10 days) so we couldn't take the direct flight back to Miami. Instead we ended up on the cattle cart. That's another whole matter. The first flight was twenty minutes or so from the island to a small town (forget the name) on the Honduran coast on an airplane I would swear I saw in a vintage 1950s movie or maybe Raiders of the Lost Ark ~lol~ All the same, the flight was okay if not somewhat spartan.
So, we're supposed to make a stop in this small coastal town and then fly on to San Paulo Sula. Nope. After landing they announce that anyone going to Miami has to get off the plane and go into the terminal. I'm thinking maybe a passport check or something. Nope. The plane takes off and leaves us stranded at this little airport and our bags are still on the plane. Fortunately, we did grab our carry-ons (which they didn't suggest).
We sit in this little airport for a couple of hours and no-one can tell us what we're doing there or when we're leaving. In fact, we couldn't find anyone who spoke English -- not that they should have to -- since we are in a Spanish speaking country that's our problem, not theirs. But the confusion level is up thre and there's some stress happening.
Eventually someone shows up te hablas Englais and we get the word that they didn't have enough seats for all the folks connecting both to New Orleans and Miami and the flight from San Paulo Sula to New Orleans leaves first so that's why they had to kick us off, but we would be in time to catch our Miami flights. Okay... I can live with that and I'm a little less stressed.
Nope. I'm looking at my watch and I'm seeing that we've got twenty minutes to get from here to San Paulo Sula to catch our flight and there's no airplane on the ground here. Call me paranoid, but I'm not seeing how the math is gonna work out to my advantage on this one. Well, the English speaking messenger of doom returns to inform us we'll be missing our Miami flight but they'll have another flight for us. Okay... I've got all day and I can live with that.
So... eventually we take Laura Croft's backup plane into San Paulo Sula and they put us an another nice shiny new Airbus A-300 and we make the flight into Miami complete with another movie. All of the annoucements are in Spanish, but I don't care.. I'm on my way home. I have no clue what's going on, but I'm airborn and that's okay by me.
Whew... I'm back in the states and they sorta speak English here (well, okay... Spanglish... this is Miami we're talking about). I go down to baggage claim and we watch them start unloading. And we watch. And watch. Oops... no more bags and neither my son nor I have our baggage or our dive gear. Hmmm. Okay... I'm starting to stress again.
Eventually we find someone who realizes that our bags came in on the flight we missed. Well, heck, waddaya know... at least part of us made it in to Miami on time. There our bags were still sitting on the conveyor belt at the abandoned end of the baggage claim cathedral. Yup... $6000 of dive gear sitting unguarded for four hours in Miami International Airport and it's still there -- I'm thinking I must be living right because that has got to be a frigging act of God.
So, there you go. Mind you... this is not the first time I've flown TACA and this is why we call it Take a Chance Airlines. That said, they have always gotten us where we were going and as far as third world flights go, these folks are lightyears ahead of most.
The trick is simple... make sure you book direct flights whenever possible and be ready to handle a little stress if you're going to do the cattle cart. They will get you where you're going. Honest. Oh, and if you're going to book flights stateside to connect to your TACA flights... make sure you leave plenty of time in case TACA decides to put you on a later flight into the states.
~smile~
The flight in was on a nearly brand-spankin' new Airbus A-300 -- the plane was clean... sparkling clean... and the service was adequate including a movie for us to watch in Einglish or Spanish. The flight left on time and arrived on time and the tiny little airport at Roatan was fine. (Note that they will scan your baggage through radar before you leave the airport and your bags will have to be checked out by a living security person before you can leave the terminal area -- this is ARRIVING in Roatan -- not departing!)
Now, let's talk about flying out of Roatan. That's another story. We were leaving mid-week (stayed 9 nights/10 days) so we couldn't take the direct flight back to Miami. Instead we ended up on the cattle cart. That's another whole matter. The first flight was twenty minutes or so from the island to a small town (forget the name) on the Honduran coast on an airplane I would swear I saw in a vintage 1950s movie or maybe Raiders of the Lost Ark ~lol~ All the same, the flight was okay if not somewhat spartan.
So, we're supposed to make a stop in this small coastal town and then fly on to San Paulo Sula. Nope. After landing they announce that anyone going to Miami has to get off the plane and go into the terminal. I'm thinking maybe a passport check or something. Nope. The plane takes off and leaves us stranded at this little airport and our bags are still on the plane. Fortunately, we did grab our carry-ons (which they didn't suggest).
We sit in this little airport for a couple of hours and no-one can tell us what we're doing there or when we're leaving. In fact, we couldn't find anyone who spoke English -- not that they should have to -- since we are in a Spanish speaking country that's our problem, not theirs. But the confusion level is up thre and there's some stress happening.
Eventually someone shows up te hablas Englais and we get the word that they didn't have enough seats for all the folks connecting both to New Orleans and Miami and the flight from San Paulo Sula to New Orleans leaves first so that's why they had to kick us off, but we would be in time to catch our Miami flights. Okay... I can live with that and I'm a little less stressed.
Nope. I'm looking at my watch and I'm seeing that we've got twenty minutes to get from here to San Paulo Sula to catch our flight and there's no airplane on the ground here. Call me paranoid, but I'm not seeing how the math is gonna work out to my advantage on this one. Well, the English speaking messenger of doom returns to inform us we'll be missing our Miami flight but they'll have another flight for us. Okay... I've got all day and I can live with that.
So... eventually we take Laura Croft's backup plane into San Paulo Sula and they put us an another nice shiny new Airbus A-300 and we make the flight into Miami complete with another movie. All of the annoucements are in Spanish, but I don't care.. I'm on my way home. I have no clue what's going on, but I'm airborn and that's okay by me.
Whew... I'm back in the states and they sorta speak English here (well, okay... Spanglish... this is Miami we're talking about). I go down to baggage claim and we watch them start unloading. And we watch. And watch. Oops... no more bags and neither my son nor I have our baggage or our dive gear. Hmmm. Okay... I'm starting to stress again.
Eventually we find someone who realizes that our bags came in on the flight we missed. Well, heck, waddaya know... at least part of us made it in to Miami on time. There our bags were still sitting on the conveyor belt at the abandoned end of the baggage claim cathedral. Yup... $6000 of dive gear sitting unguarded for four hours in Miami International Airport and it's still there -- I'm thinking I must be living right because that has got to be a frigging act of God.
So, there you go. Mind you... this is not the first time I've flown TACA and this is why we call it Take a Chance Airlines. That said, they have always gotten us where we were going and as far as third world flights go, these folks are lightyears ahead of most.
The trick is simple... make sure you book direct flights whenever possible and be ready to handle a little stress if you're going to do the cattle cart. They will get you where you're going. Honest. Oh, and if you're going to book flights stateside to connect to your TACA flights... make sure you leave plenty of time in case TACA decides to put you on a later flight into the states.
~smile~
I was in CocoView in June...the diving was awesome. We were treated great by the staff and our divemaster was the best (try to get on Jimmy's boat!). 2 boat dives, 2 drop-off dives, and unlimited shore diving is hard to beat...40 foot point and Calvin's Crack were among the favorite dive sites for our group.
We all had a great time BUT...we all got sick. We had a few very vocal people on our trip who've been in contact with the owners since the day that we stepped off of the plane. They've done a lot of work in just a few months to get the problem taken care of and, supposedly, have identifed the virus that's the source of the problem. We had a few who had it so bad they couldn't leave their rooms to get to the dive boats (one is experiencing symptoms to this day).
I think that most of us would go back...the diving is too good to pass up...but we'll make sure that we're VERY prepared for any stomach problems.
If you go and you get the chance head over to St. Anthony's for the dolphin dive...it's amazing!!
We all had a great time BUT...we all got sick. We had a few very vocal people on our trip who've been in contact with the owners since the day that we stepped off of the plane. They've done a lot of work in just a few months to get the problem taken care of and, supposedly, have identifed the virus that's the source of the problem. We had a few who had it so bad they couldn't leave their rooms to get to the dive boats (one is experiencing symptoms to this day).
I think that most of us would go back...the diving is too good to pass up...but we'll make sure that we're VERY prepared for any stomach problems.
If you go and you get the chance head over to St. Anthony's for the dolphin dive...it's amazing!!
Aeolus
Guest
This is a little off topic, but please forgive me. I have stayed with five resorts on Roatan and I would rank the as:
1. Anthony' Key
2. Fantasy Island
3. Cocoview
4. Bay Island Beach Resort
5. Oak Bay Beach Resort
I will not go into details as this is not the point of the thread. there are numerous other resorts on the island as well.
I have travelled there seven times with TACA and have not had a problem, except for last January. The weather had us by the short hairs. We were booked for two weeks at Fantasy Island, which was lucky for us. We waited two days in Houston for a plane to leave, then when we finally got to within sight of the Island, we were diverted to San Salvador for the night since the airport was closed due to the rain. On the return flight, it took us two days to get back - airport closing again.
We have not had any problems with baggage with them as yet.
1. Anthony' Key
2. Fantasy Island
3. Cocoview
4. Bay Island Beach Resort
5. Oak Bay Beach Resort
I will not go into details as this is not the point of the thread. there are numerous other resorts on the island as well.
I have travelled there seven times with TACA and have not had a problem, except for last January. The weather had us by the short hairs. We were booked for two weeks at Fantasy Island, which was lucky for us. We waited two days in Houston for a plane to leave, then when we finally got to within sight of the Island, we were diverted to San Salvador for the night since the airport was closed due to the rain. On the return flight, it took us two days to get back - airport closing again.
We have not had any problems with baggage with them as yet.
MakoSince70
Contributor
Undercurrent first indicated potential intestinal problems with CocoView in Feb. In May they really slammed the resort indicating any future trip to Coco should be considered a "crapshoot." With completion of our July 2003 trip, we found this to be the literal truth. Out of our group of 13 almost all were affected with some level of intestinal disorder. Several were knocked out of diving for two days. Make no mistake. The problem is with the food preparation. The stuff not only makes you sick but tastes and looks like crap. From the morning coffee prepared the night before to questionably safe potato salad sitting out in the heat at the picnic, the resorts food and beverage manager lacks the skill and desire to make sorely needed improvements. Cozy up to the bar and kitchen staff and they will let you know that food and sanitary conditions could be improved upon. Do management and owners care? Well Evelyn, one of the owners, certainly failed to pick up on our blatant charge of poor food as she watched a group of us devour a large pizza from the local yacht club. The Coco bartender was heavily tipped for the pick up service. Why the pizza? quipped Evelyn. (Well the lunch sandwiches resemble and taste like some spoiled gray meat spread mess. O yummy.)
The sadness is not only has food quality slid to the bottom, basic dive safety and services are being compromised.
This was my second trip to Coco in as many years. Those who count themselves among the many repeat clientele are lucky. The diving does not get any better. Every dive a wall. Unlimited shore diving and the famous boat drop off dives to Coco and Newmans wall. Divers enjoy the freedom of pristine wall diving at their own pace.
July 2002 staff and management were all smiles. Staff truly went out of their way to ensure customer dive needs were met. July 2003 was a different story. No Nitrox after the first day. On several occasions we could not get full tanks for a shore dive. O-rings blowing left and right. Equipment shelves falling apart. Rinse tanks that would not hold water. Little or sometimes NO water pressure at the outside showers. The general upkeep and cleanliness of the diver equipment area just was not there. More than one diver slipped on an algae covered deck very jarring to body and attitude.
Maybe I became biased on day one. This being a repeat trip, many of those in our group were not required to attend the mandatory orientation dive. So once freed from the orientation lecture, we raced for the first boat dive. And race we did. Upon dashing from the lecture, we were permitted only 20 minutes to gear up for the boat. Four of us were rigging gear at the equipment garage when I emerged and asked a staff member, which boat?
He responded, no smile but I think he was smirking, that one. He pointed out into the lagoon. The one you just missed.
As I was informing the group to prepare for a shore dive, the boat miraculously returned to dock. One of the two divers aboard had forgotten a needed piece of equipment. I happily jumped aboard and informed the divemaster that four more would like to join. The divemaster glanced at his watch and firmly responded. NO, you are too late. Lets see, two divers on the boat, four standing on the dock with gear. We are paying customers but NO, we cannot board.
Yea I am biased. This divemasters response was typical of treatment we received from both management and staff for the entirety of the week. Did I mention that this was one of many trips to CCV for this group? None will ever return.
OK OK Ok My group made this trip July 19-26, 2003. I wrote the above sarcastic trip report immediately upon our return to vent some frustration. I never posted the info to this board or any other. But, since this is a recent trip, people need to see it.
Now some more after I have cooled off. The diving is why you are going and you will not find any better in Roatan.
The boats are great. During our 2002 trip the divemasters and dive operation was amoung the best I have encountered. 2003 standards had slipped. Into the week we made it clear to our divemaster, Tulio, that we expected some improvements. He acted upon our suggestions. However, by Wed he found me standing on the stern of his boat just prior to departure. I was surrounded by 4 cylinders and was rigging a 5th. He asked what was the deal on all the lose tanks. I told him I was going to rig up on ever tank on his boat until I found one with 3000 PSI. The remaining 4 cylinders were sitting at 2400 PSI and I had no intention of diving them. Tulio helped make some corrections. But he was just a divemaster and not management. There is a serious problem with current management. They simply are not present so they simply are not aware that service has slipped. Until management makes some corrections, our group of repeat Cocoviewers have no intention of returning. Our dive shop did not book a trip for 2004. A first for us.
The resort policy on night dives is to mark the channel for returning to shore with a strobe. The strobe either did not work or was not available. We marked the channel with my backup light. An action not only appreciated by our group but by the other guests. Safety policy requires a diver tag to be placed at the channel bouy anchor chain on night dives. If the divers tag is not returned to the check out board by an appropriate time, the dock/night divemaster is to initiate a search. In 2002 a great deal of attention was paid by the night divemaster to these safety considerations. Not in 2003. One diver forgot to return his tag after his night dive. No staff noticed. In fact I never saw the night divemaster.
There is a new airline, SOL Air that has direct flights from Dallas to Roatan. No problems on our flight and they serve a complete meal. A meal that topped the best that Coco offered up all week.
Did I mention that the diving is great. Two walls right off shore. A 140 ft ship wreck and the remains of an airplane. The boat diving is fantastic. No bad dives. The boats are large and well laid out. You will never be crowded.
You will have to get past food that is at best average. Take a shot of pepto bismol each day and you will not get sick. I did and I was OK. You will have to accept staff attitude that is definitely not customer oriented. The lay out is rustic, which can be pretty cool. Ignore a little of the dirt in the buildings and you will be OK.
If you are in a group, make your expectations clear to your divemaster. Make it clear that tipping will be directly related to the divemaster meeting your expectations. Did I mention that the diving is great.
Somebody will eventually get Coco back to what it was or even make it better.
Did I mention that the diving is great.
Hope this rant helps.
The sadness is not only has food quality slid to the bottom, basic dive safety and services are being compromised.
This was my second trip to Coco in as many years. Those who count themselves among the many repeat clientele are lucky. The diving does not get any better. Every dive a wall. Unlimited shore diving and the famous boat drop off dives to Coco and Newmans wall. Divers enjoy the freedom of pristine wall diving at their own pace.
July 2002 staff and management were all smiles. Staff truly went out of their way to ensure customer dive needs were met. July 2003 was a different story. No Nitrox after the first day. On several occasions we could not get full tanks for a shore dive. O-rings blowing left and right. Equipment shelves falling apart. Rinse tanks that would not hold water. Little or sometimes NO water pressure at the outside showers. The general upkeep and cleanliness of the diver equipment area just was not there. More than one diver slipped on an algae covered deck very jarring to body and attitude.
Maybe I became biased on day one. This being a repeat trip, many of those in our group were not required to attend the mandatory orientation dive. So once freed from the orientation lecture, we raced for the first boat dive. And race we did. Upon dashing from the lecture, we were permitted only 20 minutes to gear up for the boat. Four of us were rigging gear at the equipment garage when I emerged and asked a staff member, which boat?
He responded, no smile but I think he was smirking, that one. He pointed out into the lagoon. The one you just missed.
As I was informing the group to prepare for a shore dive, the boat miraculously returned to dock. One of the two divers aboard had forgotten a needed piece of equipment. I happily jumped aboard and informed the divemaster that four more would like to join. The divemaster glanced at his watch and firmly responded. NO, you are too late. Lets see, two divers on the boat, four standing on the dock with gear. We are paying customers but NO, we cannot board.
Yea I am biased. This divemasters response was typical of treatment we received from both management and staff for the entirety of the week. Did I mention that this was one of many trips to CCV for this group? None will ever return.
OK OK Ok My group made this trip July 19-26, 2003. I wrote the above sarcastic trip report immediately upon our return to vent some frustration. I never posted the info to this board or any other. But, since this is a recent trip, people need to see it.
Now some more after I have cooled off. The diving is why you are going and you will not find any better in Roatan.
The boats are great. During our 2002 trip the divemasters and dive operation was amoung the best I have encountered. 2003 standards had slipped. Into the week we made it clear to our divemaster, Tulio, that we expected some improvements. He acted upon our suggestions. However, by Wed he found me standing on the stern of his boat just prior to departure. I was surrounded by 4 cylinders and was rigging a 5th. He asked what was the deal on all the lose tanks. I told him I was going to rig up on ever tank on his boat until I found one with 3000 PSI. The remaining 4 cylinders were sitting at 2400 PSI and I had no intention of diving them. Tulio helped make some corrections. But he was just a divemaster and not management. There is a serious problem with current management. They simply are not present so they simply are not aware that service has slipped. Until management makes some corrections, our group of repeat Cocoviewers have no intention of returning. Our dive shop did not book a trip for 2004. A first for us.
The resort policy on night dives is to mark the channel for returning to shore with a strobe. The strobe either did not work or was not available. We marked the channel with my backup light. An action not only appreciated by our group but by the other guests. Safety policy requires a diver tag to be placed at the channel bouy anchor chain on night dives. If the divers tag is not returned to the check out board by an appropriate time, the dock/night divemaster is to initiate a search. In 2002 a great deal of attention was paid by the night divemaster to these safety considerations. Not in 2003. One diver forgot to return his tag after his night dive. No staff noticed. In fact I never saw the night divemaster.
There is a new airline, SOL Air that has direct flights from Dallas to Roatan. No problems on our flight and they serve a complete meal. A meal that topped the best that Coco offered up all week.
Did I mention that the diving is great. Two walls right off shore. A 140 ft ship wreck and the remains of an airplane. The boat diving is fantastic. No bad dives. The boats are large and well laid out. You will never be crowded.
You will have to get past food that is at best average. Take a shot of pepto bismol each day and you will not get sick. I did and I was OK. You will have to accept staff attitude that is definitely not customer oriented. The lay out is rustic, which can be pretty cool. Ignore a little of the dirt in the buildings and you will be OK.
If you are in a group, make your expectations clear to your divemaster. Make it clear that tipping will be directly related to the divemaster meeting your expectations. Did I mention that the diving is great.
Somebody will eventually get Coco back to what it was or even make it better.
Did I mention that the diving is great.
Hope this rant helps.
These reports are always disturbing and they all have truths to them. I agree with alot of what Mako has reported. There has been illnesses reported for several months and there are problems with the dive op. Both of which are being worked on. I think different peoples varying degrees of tolerance also has alot to do with their enjoyment of the stay there. For instance, I think the food is pretty good. No, it's not great but it isn't intended to be gourmet food. And we've always felt welcome to ask for seconds if we wanted, even though there are times the buffet is empty. Just perspective I guess. We, nor none of our guests got sick on our trip in April. I think the biggest reason is we avoided the cheese and dairy product because of the effects it has on your sinus'. But that seems to be the secret, as you'll read later. Yes, there's food out at room temperature, especially on the picnic day. But I just avoid the potato salad and eat beans. See, everyone is different. I'm a fan of CCV, but I am not trying to make excuses for them. I've checked with others who have been there in the last month and everyone backs up the owners claims.
Since I usually take large groups to CCV, I've been in contact with the owners and their son. I'd like to pass on some information I received a couple days ago. It is a response he wrote for the divers who have written with their concerns.
Over the past months CCV has been having more than the usual cases of gastrointestinal illness. Not everyone got sick, many showed no sypmtoms at all, but the number of people who did get sick, made it obvious that there were problems to be dealt with. My travel agency also had complaints of illness at other resorts in Honduras, and I spoke to several guests from other resorts who were ill with similar symptoms, but we had no way to determine the extent of those problems as we do with
CoCo View. CoCo View owners did acknowldege their problem and tried for months to take care of it themselves. Several times they thought they had it under control, but a few weeks later there would be another occurance. Extensive lab testing had been done locally including testing of tap water, bottled water, water at dive sites, food bacteria counts on both raw and cooked food items etc. Every test, and I have seen the results myself, came back as normal.
I have a food service background and finally volunteered to organize a team to establish a systematic approach. CoCo View owners in the meanwhile decided to do everything possible to eliminate any and all sources of potential problems. They wanted it gone immediately with no chance of return. "Expense be damned." I contacted epidemiologists with the Florida State Health Department, established communication with the local Honduran Health Department, and hired a professional restaurant consultant to travel with me to the resort.
The short of it is that we all believe the problem is over. I took 3
trips and spent over 4 weeks at CoCo View in July and August of this year. The work was thorough. We covered everything from staff and management training, medical testing, seminars in hygiene, order procedures, temperature controls and much more. We even "backward traced" all food deliveries and toured the warehouses with the supplier owners and renegotiated purchasing contracts. In the meanwhile, CoCo View entirely rebuilt and expanded the kitchen and installed all new equipment
including stoves, coolers, commercial dishwasher with chemical
sanitizers. They added an employee restroom specifically for use by kitchen staff and several hand washing stations with sanitizing dispensers and much more. At this writing the new kitchen rebuild will be finished as soon as the new walk-in cooler and freezer is delivered and installed.
The corner seems to have been turned around August 23rd when CoCo View discontinued all dairy products produced by a certain Honduran company. Because all the products are pasteurized and should have been safe,they escaped the first cut. The company makes dozens of dairy and cheese products. Since removing these dairy products, there has not been an incident.
Even so, the work continues. I know, for example, that management is not waiting for guest to report being sick. We discovered on site that many guests were giving CCV accolades and great ratings yet never reporting any discomfort they experienced. So now the procedure is to actively seek out anyone who misses a dive. Also, they have engineered and ordered high tech sewage treatment equipment and work has begun to move the entire resort from its current septic system.
Terry Evans
When I asked if I had his permission to repeat his comments, I received this email....
Guarantee.....
Yes, you may share my response with the group and don't hesitate to refer anyone to me that has further concerns. Also, I am confident enough to "guarantee"the trip. Tell anyone that if they get to the resort and decide CCV is not the place for them for any reason, we'll book them elsewhere on the island free and refund all unused nights immediately. I'll have Liz add the guarantee to your reservation record.
Best regards,
Terry
That's a guarantee that's hard to beat!
I know Mako and his wife are sincere in their opinion of CCV and I agree with them both in all things, just to varying degrees. I ask that everyone who has been considering CCV to do your own research, contact Terry Evans at RoatanCharters.com By the way, he is the owner of Roatan Charters and the son of Bill and Evelyn Evans, the owners of CCV. State your concerns to them directly. Specific reports immediately of problems is what they depend on.
I can't wait to return and will continue to do so.
Since I usually take large groups to CCV, I've been in contact with the owners and their son. I'd like to pass on some information I received a couple days ago. It is a response he wrote for the divers who have written with their concerns.
Over the past months CCV has been having more than the usual cases of gastrointestinal illness. Not everyone got sick, many showed no sypmtoms at all, but the number of people who did get sick, made it obvious that there were problems to be dealt with. My travel agency also had complaints of illness at other resorts in Honduras, and I spoke to several guests from other resorts who were ill with similar symptoms, but we had no way to determine the extent of those problems as we do with
CoCo View. CoCo View owners did acknowldege their problem and tried for months to take care of it themselves. Several times they thought they had it under control, but a few weeks later there would be another occurance. Extensive lab testing had been done locally including testing of tap water, bottled water, water at dive sites, food bacteria counts on both raw and cooked food items etc. Every test, and I have seen the results myself, came back as normal.
I have a food service background and finally volunteered to organize a team to establish a systematic approach. CoCo View owners in the meanwhile decided to do everything possible to eliminate any and all sources of potential problems. They wanted it gone immediately with no chance of return. "Expense be damned." I contacted epidemiologists with the Florida State Health Department, established communication with the local Honduran Health Department, and hired a professional restaurant consultant to travel with me to the resort.
The short of it is that we all believe the problem is over. I took 3
trips and spent over 4 weeks at CoCo View in July and August of this year. The work was thorough. We covered everything from staff and management training, medical testing, seminars in hygiene, order procedures, temperature controls and much more. We even "backward traced" all food deliveries and toured the warehouses with the supplier owners and renegotiated purchasing contracts. In the meanwhile, CoCo View entirely rebuilt and expanded the kitchen and installed all new equipment
including stoves, coolers, commercial dishwasher with chemical
sanitizers. They added an employee restroom specifically for use by kitchen staff and several hand washing stations with sanitizing dispensers and much more. At this writing the new kitchen rebuild will be finished as soon as the new walk-in cooler and freezer is delivered and installed.
The corner seems to have been turned around August 23rd when CoCo View discontinued all dairy products produced by a certain Honduran company. Because all the products are pasteurized and should have been safe,they escaped the first cut. The company makes dozens of dairy and cheese products. Since removing these dairy products, there has not been an incident.
Even so, the work continues. I know, for example, that management is not waiting for guest to report being sick. We discovered on site that many guests were giving CCV accolades and great ratings yet never reporting any discomfort they experienced. So now the procedure is to actively seek out anyone who misses a dive. Also, they have engineered and ordered high tech sewage treatment equipment and work has begun to move the entire resort from its current septic system.
Terry Evans
When I asked if I had his permission to repeat his comments, I received this email....
Guarantee.....
Yes, you may share my response with the group and don't hesitate to refer anyone to me that has further concerns. Also, I am confident enough to "guarantee"the trip. Tell anyone that if they get to the resort and decide CCV is not the place for them for any reason, we'll book them elsewhere on the island free and refund all unused nights immediately. I'll have Liz add the guarantee to your reservation record.
Best regards,
Terry
That's a guarantee that's hard to beat!
I know Mako and his wife are sincere in their opinion of CCV and I agree with them both in all things, just to varying degrees. I ask that everyone who has been considering CCV to do your own research, contact Terry Evans at RoatanCharters.com By the way, he is the owner of Roatan Charters and the son of Bill and Evelyn Evans, the owners of CCV. State your concerns to them directly. Specific reports immediately of problems is what they depend on.
I can't wait to return and will continue to do so.
I've been looking a various places to try as my "warm destination" next year. Roatan has always been recommended to me as a must destination.
When I read people's concerns I don't discount them, rather I try to have the destination folks respond to the reported concerns.
I think how CoCo View has responded is great. Certainly customer service in my books. They're not off any of my lists, and hope to get there soon.
When I read people's concerns I don't discount them, rather I try to have the destination folks respond to the reported concerns.
I think how CoCo View has responded is great. Certainly customer service in my books. They're not off any of my lists, and hope to get there soon.
JohnF
Guest
The explanation offered in Dee's post echoes the one I just received from a friend in response to my own questions to him. He's a regular CCV guest and not the kind of person who is likely to be conned easily. He described the problem in perhaps even more detail and says he's entirely satisfied they've dealt with it. As far as he's concerned it's now a non-issue.
That doesn't surprise me though, because given the rave reviews CCV has gotten from their many repeat guests and the high respect in which the resort and it's owners are held by the folks who know them, I'd be surprised if they would suddenly let it slide into disrepute. It's on my list of places to go.
JohnF
That doesn't surprise me though, because given the rave reviews CCV has gotten from their many repeat guests and the high respect in which the resort and it's owners are held by the folks who know them, I'd be surprised if they would suddenly let it slide into disrepute. It's on my list of places to go.
JohnF
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