Roatan or Utila

[laurenceh]

although i'm a bigger fan of utila' than roatan (i have a phobia about cruise ships and golf course developments on islands i visit), i would say the diving is equally good from either island.

 

[diversteve]

Those dates - Utila for sure. A few years ago we snorkeled with 8 over two mornings the first weekend in April. The best places to swim with whale sharks - Lonely Planet <- old info rehashed but still valid afaik - we were there a couple years later.

Utila, Honduras
One of the world’s cheapest destinations to get your dive ticket, this backpacker mecca off Honduras’ Caribbean coast also boasts one of the world’s few year-round whale shark research centres.

When to go: in 2009 sharks were spotted every month, but the highest concentration arrives between March and April, then in fewer numbers from September to Christmas.

 

[207diver]

We stayed at torquoise bay last year and dove with subway watersports their dive shop is on the grounds of the resort. The resort is small and very quite it was a great atmosphere with very attentive and helpful staff. With the exception of one day we had all of the dive sites to ourselves and our dive guide and captain were great. Highly recommend!

 

[chillyinCanada]

Well, I was going gto offer Lost Paradise because of their nice private beach and when last i was there, quiet as long as youninsist on a unit in the front row from the beach. Otherwise you could get some road noise , mmostly people talking and laughing as they pass by. However, they don't have a television, say that each unit has Wi-Fi.

 

[lthomas132]

Diving: Utila vs. Roatan, both very similar
Beaches: hands down, West Bay at Roatan
Lodging prices: Utila, cheaper in town - Check out Utila Lodge Utila Lodge
Transportation: Utila, feet or tuk-tuk, Roatan, taxi only
Quiet: Roatan, West Bay, Utila, very noisy bars in town
Flying to Utila can be pricey $90-$125/one way. We flew with Angelo Roatan Flights | Island Air, Bay Islands Flights
There is also a ferry service

 

[cruzbound]

Hi All,

Thanks for the input. We have decided to make the trip to Utila - even though it is not a guarantee, we would love to have a better opportunity to see whale sharks. We would love to stay at some of the more off-grid homes, it is just not in our budget. So this is what we have decided. We will stay at a place called the Round House which is about a 15 minute walk to the main center of town and the reviews say it is quiet since it is outside of town a bit. We will dive with Coral View - there prices are comparable to the cattle dive boats but they take only 4-5 divers (nice) and their price also includes all the equipment (even though we do not need it). They will also provide us tanks and weights to do some shore diving from the beach in which the house is on. I believe we will be flying from Roatan to Utila because our flight does not arrive into Utila until 12:50 PM thus not giving us enough time to catch the 2 PM ferry. It appears the flight will only be about $80 per person more than the two ferries - not too bad.

We are not going until March 2017 but I will try and remember to provide a trip report about the house and dive operator when we return.

Once again, thanks so much for all the suggestions/feedback.

cruzbound

 

[Robertcrockett]

We are open to staying in Roatan, however nobody has provided me with any information about it on this board. Dive operator and lodging recommendations, etc. We would like to be away from the crowds a bit and have some peace and quiet while lodging, however we would like to be able to settle down at night with a little TV or in-house movie. Also, a dive operator that does not take a lot of divers is good too. Any suggestions for me to investigate would be appreciated. We have never been to the Bay Islands so this is completely new to me.

Thanks,
cruzbound

I recommend Blue Planet Divers at Paradise beach hotel in West Bay Roatan. The reefs are healthier, awesome beach, they do not load down the boat with divers and the resort is fantastic. Simply walk off the beach into your boat. Blue Planet is completely valet and set up your tanks and handle gear washing etc...new shop with a brand new boat and new gear. I know the guys well.
Blue Planet Divers (West Bay, Honduras): Top Tips Before You Go - TripAdvisor

 

[keesmon]

For what it's worth, we did the combination of Lazy Days and Alton's and had no issue with noise whatsoever. Plenty of lounging on their private pier (and on Alton's). Only the room in the front of the house (on the road side) had an occasional moped coming by, but nothing shocking. The commute to Alton's (next door) and the walk to the center (7-8 minutes) was perfect. We unfortunately saw no whale sharks (April 2010) but were on the North Side daily looking for them. I"m still in contact with some of the travelers we met on that trip and have met up with them in different parts of the world since then. For us it was a perfect combination. Here's our trip report from back then: Trip report Utila April 2-10

 

[cruzbound]

Hi All,

Now that I know we are going to Utila - what are some of the dive sites we should request to go to? It is funny, one can tell the laid-back vibe on the islands as when I was booking our trip (house rental and dive operator) - they commented on how far in advance I was booking and in reality it is only 10 months away. Heck, most of the time I plan our vacations well over a year in advance .

Anyway, thanks for everyone's input, I appreciated it. Now, I look forward to hearing dive site suggests.

Thanks!!!

 

[cruzbound]

One more question for everyone - any suggestions for good dinner spots when we are on Utila would be wonderful. I am kind of picky as I don't do things like Chinese, Thai, sushi but I am good with fish (cooked), chicken, steak, pork, pizza, etc.

Thanks!