Will I be happy in Roatan in Feb? Rainy? Chilly? I'll be in the West End....

[yardpro]

we were there in Janurary. water was great, no rain when we were there.

BEAUTIFUL....

it is my new favorite spot. we were on west end also... spectacular reefs. they have awesome reefs in 5 feet of water 50' from shore, so snorkeling is awesome as well...

 

[cmneus]

You know, that Saturday-cheapest rule doesn't always hold up. It often doesn't really. I just use Matrix to lay out fares for the whole month, for 5 to 9 nights, and compare. Chicago is indeed an option, but I don't know where he is in Wisconsin exactly.

I actually live literally 5 minutes from Mitchell International in Milwaukee....so it's almost easier to pay more and leave from Milw. but Chicago probably offers more dates, so...I'll keep an eye on both!

---------- Post added May 31st, 2013 at 08:28 AM ----------

Every other trip I've taken, when I was younger, the plane tickets were bought already, or by someone else in the group going....it was "here's your ticket, these are the dates, this is what it costed, that's it." So, a bit overwhelming at first.

 

[DandyDon]

we were there in Janurary. water was great, no rain when we were there.

BEAUTIFUL....

it is my new favorite spot. we were on west end also... spectacular reefs. they have awesome reefs in 5 feet of water 50' from shore, so snorkeling is awesome as well...

Yeah, you never know about that pesky weather thing. I went in February a few years ago and was quite happy diving my one mil jumpsuit until this rude norther had the audacity to arrive. I took my hooded boat jacket mostly in case I needed it at a stateside airport, maybe getting stuck in a weather closure or something, but was wearing it around the Roatan resort.

It was still a good trip tho. I remember one overseas lady who posted here for weeks about planning to fly in from Europe to meet some internet friends there, working out plans for this and that. She came back and posted rain pics taken from the window - couldn't see the ocean from the beachside resort, and said it was like that all week. That might have been January, but not sure.

You can wait until summer, but Honduras is certainly in the hurricane impact zone. Hits are rare but happen, but trying to escape before a killer storm arrives is no fun. I went to Cozumel once thinking that the Cat-5 storm crossing the Caribbean would certainly veer off when I should have stayed home and filed Trip Insurance claims. One day of diving and I was on the phone (my cell phone works in Coz, not Roatan) booking my retreat. I got out ok but the Cancun airport was full of people who didn't.

Travel broadens the mind and deepens the soul (as far as I can tell, I made the one up myself), and challenges are part of it all.

I actually live literally 5 minutes from Mitchell International in Milwaukee....so it's almost easier to pay more and leave from Milw. but Chicago probably offers more dates, so...I'll keep an eye on both!

---------- Post added May 31st, 2013 at 08:28 AM ----------

Every other trip I've taken, when I was younger, the plane tickets were bought already, or by someone else in the group going....it was "here's your ticket, these are the dates, this is what it costed, that's it." So, a bit overwhelming at first.

Ok, wondered if I was giving appropriate examples with MKE departures. Many of us shop Matrix.itasoftware.com to find our best options. You can't book there, which means the site won't hit you with biased results, but it's a great shopping tool. It has so many options that it took me a while to learn the possibilities, but then I am not likely to buy on impulse there while I look. In the 19080s & 90s, I used to take off for adventures all over North America and the Caribbean, some in Hawaii & Europe (gawd but I miss the good old days of cheap tickets and FF-miles that were actually valuable) without ever checking a weather forecasts, no backup plans, just hoping nothing would go wrong - and I survived what did. Now I wonder if I overplan things at times, until I find myself lost in the dark driving thru a Mexican jungle. Ha! That was a fun evening...!

I would not wait until a month in advance to book like someone suggested, I think others suggest six weeks in advance is a good time to buy but I generally plan a few months in advance. When you see a plan you think you can live with, take it, go for it, and learn. Eight to 12 months in advance is way too soon tho.

Stay in touch...!!

 

[yardpro]

must have been hurricane Wilma.

I was in coz the january after the storm and it was pretty torn up....
wiped out the concrete cruise ship pier, most of the ocean front stores at the "square" were still closed.
Many of the shops in the "square" said the water was 4'5 feet deep in the building.

The back half of the island was still without power.....

 

[DandyDon]

must have been hurricane Wilma.

I was in coz the january after the storm and it was pretty torn up....
wiped out the concrete cruise ship pier, most of the ocean front stores at the "square" were still closed.
Many of the shops in the "square" said the water was 4'5 feet deep in the building.

The back half of the island was still without power.....

Nope, Dean. He did veer south at the last minute, but everyone was shutting down and pulling boats out of the water, boarding up, etc. with Wilma still in everyone's memory - so no point in staying for the risks. I have no idea how frantic the people left behind in the Cancun airport got. Many had spent the night in line waiting and were still lined up as I walked around them to check my luggage and retrieve my boarding pass. I guess they went back to the beach after him landed south of Tulum.

 

[scubafied]

I can see the piece of mind from having bought early. I personally find better deals the longer I wait (depending on where I'm headed at the moment). When I went to Roatan last year I bought a month out for around $700 RT, from Utah (layover in Houston). The plane showed as almost fully booked at the time I made that purchase. I checked again 3 days before I flew out and the airline had released all the seats they had held and marked as occupied. Tickets were $300 RT. There were people on my flight that scored this deal and it was a hard pill to swallow knowing how far that extra $400 would have gone for the month I was there. Either way I think it's a roll of the dice. Find a number you're comfortable paying and when things get near that number, pull the trigger.

Have you decided to do the room option at Chillies instead of the dorms? I mentioned it earlier but if you need somewhere cheap to stay until they have a dorm open up look at Roatan Backpackers' Hostel       an island paradise at a backpacker's price - Roatan Backpackers' Hostel. They have a few different room types to choose from but most are around $15/night I believe. they are in Sandy Bay which is a quick 5-10 minute/$2 can ride away or just throw your thumb out.

 

[tracydr]

there's definitely a bigger chance of rain in february than in march. if you want no rain, exceptional viz and cheap prices go during low season, may-sept. for diving they are my favorite months of the year in the bay islands.

I thought that was the low season because its their rainy season? Costa Rica and Nicauragua start their rainy season June 1. I would think it would be similar in Roatan. Dry winter, wet summer.

 

[cmneus]

I can see the piece of mind from having bought early. I personally find better deals the longer I wait (depending on where I'm headed at the moment).

Have you decided to do the room option at Chillies instead of the dorms? I mentioned it earlier but if you need somewhere cheap to stay until they have a dorm open up look at Roatan Backpackers' Hostel an island paradise at a backpacker's price - Roatan Backpackers' Hostel. They have a few different room types to choose from but most are around $15/night I believe. they are in Sandy Bay which is a quick 5-10 minute/$2 can ride away or just throw your thumb out.

Wow...$400 difference....you must have been a little angry...
I've decided to get a private cabin, since I'll be diving and won't be able to carry my backpack with me everywhere....it will just be easier to have a place to keep things, since I'll have a few extra months to save I will be able to afford a little more.
The owner of Chillies said that the cabins start to sell out around October, so that's when I thought I should book my flight, but should I just book the rooms and hope a good flight matches those dates?

 

[scubafied]

Angry does not even begin to describe how I felt. Since I was in Sandy Bay but decided to do all my diving with Native Sons, they allowed me to store my gear bag in their dive shop every day as well as hang my wetsuit. It all gets locked up when they are away from the shop on dives or for the evening and they have security guards that tend to sit on the benches right out front by the shop. It was always right where I left it and I didn't have to cart anything except for myself, my computer, sunscreen, sunglasses and whatever cash I was planning on spending for the day with me (all carried in my little camelback that I left with the reception girls when diving).

The cabins did seem to be pretty full for the majority of my trip and I don't see why they would need to mislead you as there are plenty of backpackers that do the walk-in thing looking for anything available. I'd say book your room and then worry about flights as you have time for that and multiple carriers to get you there.

The cabins are a nice upgrade from the dorms as well.

 

[cmneus]

Yeah, you never know about that pesky weather thing. I went in February a few years ago and was quite happy diving my one mil jumpsuit until this rude norther had the audacity to arrive.


Many of us shop Matrix.itasoftware.com to find our best options. You can't book there, which means the site won't hit you with biased results, but it's a great shopping tool. It has so many options that it took me a while to learn the possibilities, but then I am not likely to buy on impulse there while I look.
I would not wait until a month in advance to book like someone suggested, I think others suggest six weeks in advance is a good time to buy but I generally plan a few months in advance. When you see a plan you think you can live with, take it, go for it, and learn. Eight to 12 months in advance is way too soon tho.

Stay in touch...!!

Yeah, you just never know I suppose....sounds like if I wanna avoid the rain my best chance is to wait a few months. I got the Matrix site from someone else, so that will be helpful when the time comes to look. Sounds like you've had some great adventures!