I visited Utila, in the Honduras Bay Islands, from July 4-18. Overall, I had a fantastic vacation and would highly recommend a trip to anyone.
Getting There
I flew AA, which only goes so far as Tegucigalpa (the capitol) or San Pedro Sula. I chose the SPS route, as it is closer. So, I flew into SPS, took a very comfy "luxury bus" to La Ceiba, overnighted in La Ceiba, then took a ferry to Utila. I tried to catch a flight from SPS to Utila, but my AA flight was late and I missed it. I'm kinda glad I missed it though - the scenery on the way to Utila was great. Also, the AA flight was gorgeous. It flew over the Florida Keys, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and mainland Honduras.
Utila
I stayed at the Hotel Utila for a few nights, then at Rose's Inn for the rest of my vacation. At $15, Hotel Utila was cheap but gross. Rose's cost $10, and was clean and offered a lovely morning walk, complete with bird, butterfly, and iguana watching.
Diving
I dove with Deep Blue Divers. They own a resort and a dive shop; I dove with the shop. The boat was busy with lots of students in the afternoon.
I didn't wear a wetsuit, although a 3mm would have been nice on some of the deeper dives. Water temps at the surface were around 85, the lowest (on a North Side deep dive) was 73. Most depth temps ranged around 80-82.
The diving was incredibly easy - warm, no noticable currents, no big waves. The dive sites on the North Side of the island are by far the best. My two favorites were the Pinnacles and CJ's Dropoff. CJ's Dropoff is a deep wall dive, and is truly amazing. The Halliburton was great, and Black Hills was a cool dive, too. Jack Neal Beach had lots of great sand critters. Alas, no whale sharks.
If I Could Change Things, Then...
I wish I would have budgeted for an eco-tour in Pico Bonito. Pico Bonito is a few km away from La Ceiba, and has excellent white water rafting, bird watching, and canopy tours.
It would have been nice to bring a bird or butterfly guide and/or read a few books on the amazing history of the islands.
Lastly, the Honduras government publishes a travel guide called the Honduras Tips. Its the best travel guide I've ever seen - updated every 6 months and very complete. I would have ordered that off the internet (its free).
Getting There
I flew AA, which only goes so far as Tegucigalpa (the capitol) or San Pedro Sula. I chose the SPS route, as it is closer. So, I flew into SPS, took a very comfy "luxury bus" to La Ceiba, overnighted in La Ceiba, then took a ferry to Utila. I tried to catch a flight from SPS to Utila, but my AA flight was late and I missed it. I'm kinda glad I missed it though - the scenery on the way to Utila was great. Also, the AA flight was gorgeous. It flew over the Florida Keys, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and mainland Honduras.
Utila
I stayed at the Hotel Utila for a few nights, then at Rose's Inn for the rest of my vacation. At $15, Hotel Utila was cheap but gross. Rose's cost $10, and was clean and offered a lovely morning walk, complete with bird, butterfly, and iguana watching.
Diving
I dove with Deep Blue Divers. They own a resort and a dive shop; I dove with the shop. The boat was busy with lots of students in the afternoon.
I didn't wear a wetsuit, although a 3mm would have been nice on some of the deeper dives. Water temps at the surface were around 85, the lowest (on a North Side deep dive) was 73. Most depth temps ranged around 80-82.
The diving was incredibly easy - warm, no noticable currents, no big waves. The dive sites on the North Side of the island are by far the best. My two favorites were the Pinnacles and CJ's Dropoff. CJ's Dropoff is a deep wall dive, and is truly amazing. The Halliburton was great, and Black Hills was a cool dive, too. Jack Neal Beach had lots of great sand critters. Alas, no whale sharks.
If I Could Change Things, Then...
I wish I would have budgeted for an eco-tour in Pico Bonito. Pico Bonito is a few km away from La Ceiba, and has excellent white water rafting, bird watching, and canopy tours.
It would have been nice to bring a bird or butterfly guide and/or read a few books on the amazing history of the islands.
Lastly, the Honduras government publishes a travel guide called the Honduras Tips. Its the best travel guide I've ever seen - updated every 6 months and very complete. I would have ordered that off the internet (its free).
