Need Help with All Inclusive Resorts In Roatan

[diversteve]

To follow up on RTBDiver's suggestion:

I rented this house a couple years ago: Sea Lodge Vacation Rental, West End, Roatan, Honduras

It would work for 3 couples as the beds are all queens. The 2 downstairs rooms are ensuite and the upstairs is the 3rd ensuite plus a small living/dining area. The kitchen facilities are very minimal, small frig (in each room) micro, coffemaker etc. Full set of dishes but no d/w. They work with a local van driver nearby - he'll pick you up at the airport - and can be reached for other excursions.

It's a 5 min. walk to Coconut Tree or other diveops and/or the West End. There's also a diveop practically next door at Seagrape Plantation. It's quiet - buggy in May - that's when we were there - but they have outdoor fans on the lower deck so sitting around at night isn't too bad. The house itself is mostly deck with 2 decks upstairs and a large wraparound deck downstairs - including an outdoor dining table on one side.

All of the ocean facing side is rough ironshore down to the waters edge. My buddy found a place to get in but you'd have to swim around the point to Half Moon Bay to get out - the ironshore cliffs are about 4' tall there. There's actually a good dive there, it's often done from Seagrape next door. The Utila Aggressor also moored just in front of the property when we were there. You're close enough to hear the waves break on the ironshore at night. But there's no screens since the doors bifold so in May it would be too hot and buggy to sleep with the windows open.

There's a watchman day and night who stays nearby and the road is chained unless you're using it so it's pretty quiet. One issue we had was that when the power went off, it often took the watchman a few minutes to start the generator. IDK if that's an issue any longer as this was 3 years ago and there was some controversy with the power company then.

The whole place - with A/C - rents for about $1500 total for the week. They ask for $500 cash deposit on arrival - and will return it to you the last day.

IIRC my week of diving (3 dives/day except 2 mornings when we dove elsewhere) was just around $400 at Coconut Tree.

 

[Doc]

I've been watching this thread for a bit, and to answer the OP's original question, let me expand a little bit on what RoninT almost suggested....

diverteve's idea works pretty good, putting them together for about $700 ($250 lodging, plus 15 dives for $450), but there's still an issue of food.... and maybe they want that AI quantity of more diving. (see below)

How about this math? Lodging for $348, where you can do 27 dives in a week for diving for $325, and all meals for $325 ? Airport transfers included... That is $998. See Playa Miguel Rates No security issues whatsoever.

Depends upon what you want, fearlessdiver... 15 dives during your stay plus some work in the kitchen (after grocery shopping), or dive your brains out and get fed... you did specify AI, right?

Now I do see that you modified what you might be looking for,

...private villas often with pool, maid, chef and .... (this was my definition of luxury)
We mostly do two dives a day or at most three. But this year we are trying to cut the cost down to more than half keeping the cost at about $1500 and that includes the airfare from Los Angeles. I thought AI approach is a great way of controlling the cost. Furthermore, I thought for Roatan it may be safer to stay away from villas. It is really a tight budget and I don't know what is realistic expectation.

So that has changed things a bit.... Umm, so how much is the airfare from LA ?

Otherwise, no- I don't think that's very realistic. The Bay Islands are the bargain of our North American dive world, but they are absolutely dependent upon US Economy, our dollar and our cost of living. Prices have gone up.

 

[RTBDiver]

diverteve's idea works pretty good, putting them together for about $700 ($250 lodging, plus 15 dives for $450), but there's still an issue of food.... and maybe they want that AI quantity of more diving.

.

Now the only thing here is that for may, Sea lodge, the one steve mentioned is $1200 a week and not $1500 and the folks mentioned Two dives a day and three was an at most so 2 dives a day in a ten dive package can be had all over the Western end of the island for $30 or less each so lets go high and say $350 to be fair and include a night dive or two. I get the sense that the OP and thier group is likely not interested in dealing with equipment and planning shore dives anyway.

Six people at 1200=200 per, Add the 350 for diving and we are at $550, If we then look at the previous option at $998, that leaves $448 to eat for a week.
Sure, there are not as many dives available but that did not seem priority and at the same time they are staying in a very nice place with full kitchen if wanted, very close to many places to eat, can visit the most touristy areas and beach daily at little cost and unless they are real goofballs can eat very very well for a week with that extra $448 dollars, or a fair amount less. A good , filling Breakfast and lunch can easilly be found for $10 and often less, so that would leave what $30-40 dollars a night for dinner on Roatan? Lots of places to eat within walking distance for that kind of money.

 

[Doc]

Good points, all.

Let' see... if he's at $1500 per person total for the week
and if airfare runs $800 (at the very lowest) or so from LAX
That leaves $700 p/p for everything else.
Figure dives at $35 each, make that 10 of them, leaving $350
for food and lodging, per person, for the week.
Using RTBDiver's experience (at the low end),
figure $47 per day for food,
and that leaves.... $3.00 per person, per day- for lodging.

I'm thinking hammocks cost at least $10 per night nowadays.

When anyone projects the total cost of a vacation and invites ways to fulfill their dreams, it really would be better to leave airfare out of it and figured on the OP's end as a fixed cost. This entire thread changed when that airfare cost got added in. It's real hard to pin that figure down until you hit the "buy now" key. The price went for "$700-800" to a bare bones $700 with that factor of airfare figured in.

These are always hard queries to attempt to answer, and with today's economy, the final numbers are getting larger every day. Roatan and the Bay Islands are still a bargain, but the price is higher than it was last year.

Trip planners have to be aware of and certain about specific variables. The number of dives wanted per week- this alone can dictate whether you can take time to buy and prepare food, or sit down to prepared AI meals. On Roatan, the factor of wanting night dives and shore diving is a distinct issue.

As of right now, there are really no available "luxury" resorts on Roatan, nothing comes to mind with the phrase, "private villas often with pool, maid, chef and .... (this was my definition of luxury)"

 

[fearlessdiver]

How much is your airfare going to run?

About $849.00

 

[fearlessdiver]

How much is your airfare going to run?

Around $849

 

[fearlessdiver]

Good points, all.

Let' see... if he's at $1500 per person total for the week
and if airfare runs $800 (at the very lowest) or so from LAX
That leaves $700 p/p for everything else.
Figure dives at $35 each, make that 10 of them, leaving $350
for food and lodging, per person, for the week.
Using RTBDiver's experience (at the low end),
figure $47 per day for food,
and that leaves.... $3.00 per person, per day- for lodging.

I'm thinking hammocks cost at least $10 per night nowadays.

When anyone projects the total cost of a vacation and invites ways to fulfill their dreams, it really would be better to leave airfare out of it and figured on the OP's end as a fixed cost. This entire thread changed when that airfare cost got added in. It's real hard to pin that figure down until you hit the "buy now" key. The price went for "$700-800" to a bare bones $700 with that factor of airfare figured in.

These are always hard queries to attempt to answer, and with today's economy, the final numbers are getting larger every day. Roatan and the Bay Islands are still a bargain, but the price is higher than it was last year.

Trip planners have to be aware of and certain about specific variables. The number of dives wanted per week- this alone can dictate whether you can take time to buy and prepare food, or sit down to prepared AI meals. On Roatan, the factor of wanting night dives and shore diving is a distinct issue.

As of right now, there are really no available "luxury" resorts on Roatan, nothing comes to mind with the phrase, "private villas often with pool, maid, chef and .... (this was my definition of luxury)"

Thank you RoatanMan for your reply.
Few places that I looked in to already had included diving as part of the cost
(i.e. Reefhouse) Reef House Resort will run somewhere between $750 for 5 days to about $900 for 7days and that includes,
Accommodations, three meals per day, three boat dives per day, one night dive per week, unlimited shore diving, and transfers to and from the airport.

5days including the airfare $1550
7days including the airfare $1750

Now, I was hoping that with the help of the forum I could find better options and also end up being closer to the set budget.

 

[RTBDiver]

Good points, all.

Let' see... if he's at $1500 per person total for the week
and if airfare runs $800 (at the very lowest) or so from LAX
That leaves $700 p/p for everything else.
Figure dives at $35 each, make that 10 of them, leaving $350
for food and lodging, per person, for the week.
Using RTBDiver's experience (at the low end),
figure $47 per day for food,
and that leaves.... $3.00 per person, per day- for lodging.

]

Now lets see
As Mentioned, If one looks at the rates listed, MAY For the whole place is $1200 so that is $200PP, There are also many other options LESS Than $1200 per week, I just went with the example given. Then $350 for Diving gets us to $550 leaving ,$448 PP for food if we use Roatanamans $998 example( Which is what i replied to). Now it seems he is giving examples to fit into your $700 range which I think all seem to agree is not a very reasonable thing for anyone to expect for even remote luxury and 2-3 dives a day and it would appear that for $700 a week you would not be able to stay at any of the recomendations if you want to dive 2-3 times a day. There are certainly discount places where it can easilly be done but if your used to private villas with pools and chefs and maids and such, you will just be setting yourself up for disappointment.
The FI Thing at $499 would have met much criteria BUT, Then again, there is that pesky little luxury thing. Roatans most famous and popular places have little to do with food and acomodations, they are all about diving.

 

[diversteve]

Now the only thing here is that for may, Sea lodge, the one steve mentioned is $1200 a week and not $1500

$1500 included A/C - it was really $1450 but I rounded up.

A/C: Please add $100/week Master Suite; $75/week 2nd bedroom; $75/week 3rd

I think they'd want that in May...lol.

Actually the total price is $1682 with A/C when the 16% tax is added on. But you get a house...

[-]Where do you shoredive from Reef House? There? - I'm just asking because:[/-]

unlimited shore diving and snorkeling – directly in front of the Reef House Resort is what some guests have described as the best snorkeling they have ever encountered.

Edit: Disregard - it was in the FAQ:

Shore diving from the resort is fantastic as it is a spectacular swim through a beautiful 50 yard garden of coral, stretching from the end of our pier to the reef wall.

 

[RTBDiver]

$1500 included A/C - it was really $1450 but I rounded up.
I think they'd want that in May...lol.

Actually the total price is $1682 with A/C when the 16% tax is added on.

Where do you shoredive from Reef House? There? - I'm just asking because:

Maybe so,
I have charged extra for A/C at my place for years and seldom had anyone ask for it although that does also bring up the issue of whether the north or south side is a better choice but heck, My place would sleep six for $1000 yet I would not want to rent it to the folks seeking Luxury even with an extremely equipped kitchen, great security, fine linens and such, It just ain't that kind of place , I also do not include the tax thing in comparing as that is added to all accomodations prices unless they break the law so that is not relevant when comparing rates