Back from Roatan!!

Dive Bunny · Jun 8, 2005

Unfortunately we are back from Roatan where we stayed at Bay Island Beach Resort for 11 days. It was awesome and I will definitely be back!! Everyone there knew us by name and we felt very at home. The diving was great, the food was great. I must say that they had the best food of any all inclusive I have ever been to. From lobster tail to yummy desserts I can't think of anything I didn't like. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who is thinking about going to Roatan. The ONLY thing I won't miss is the sand flies which were very bad so definitely bring something with a high % of deet and reapply often. They are out in full force from morning til night. And for only $12 before you leave they will do all of your laundry so you don't have to do it when you get home. Make sure to bring a beach towel though, which is one mistake we made. The west end was a great place for shopping and hanging out at some of the local bars. Coxhen Hole, which is the other small town has necessities, but not many shops for T-shirts and other souveniers. Plus it closes around 6 and the West End is open much later. The visibility on our dives was excellent and there was such a variety of diving. From Walls, reef and wreck, and deep to shallow. One of the coolest things was that on almost every dive no matter what the depth, at the end the dive master would always bring us around to reef in about 15-20 ft of water, the sun was shining and the colors were beautiful. We would spend a little while there finding eels, lobster etc and we could just go up when we wanted and the boat would wait. We didn't have to worry about a safety stop because we were already doing one. Awesome trip!!

Tim Ingersoll · Jun 8, 2005

Thanks for the trip report! Couple of questions:
1. How long did it take to get there and what were your trvel arrangements?
2. Where else have you dived and what would you compare it to?

z28pwr · Jun 10, 2005

I've been hearing alot of good stuff regarding Roatan, can you give us more details on the flight arrangements, did you use a company such as Funjet or bayadventures for the trip, etc.

Thanks.

DandyDon · Jun 10, 2005

Tim Ingersoll:
Thanks for the trip report! Couple of questions:
1. How long did it take to get there and what were your trvel arrangements?
2. Where else have you dived and what would you compare it to?

Tim, it'd only take you two more hours to get there than it does for me, but getting back home in one day can be a little tricky for you. Doable, but tricky.

The wall diving is a little like Cozumel, but I think quite different and better in some ways. There is no marine park, tho; in fact, the waters are heavily fished.

z28pwr:
I've been hearing alot of good stuff regarding Roatan, can you give us more details on the flight arrangements, did you use a company such as Funjet or bayadventures for the trip, etc.

Thanks.

OMG, I hope that Funjet never goes to Roatan and turns it into another Plastic Cozumel. :shocked:

I wish that cruise ships didn't go there, as development is quickly changing much of the island.

In 2001, I think that TACA was the only way to fly there direct - for me, non-stop from Houston IAH. IN 2003, I flew SOL, and they kept telling us that was not what S-O-L stood for, but they were soon gone. Fortunately today, Continental has 2 flights every Saturday from Houston IAH in & out - around 10:30am and 1pm, with TACA still flying in & out from various US cities.

You just might find a cheaper, more adventurous route by way of mainland airports of San Pedro Sula (be careful you go to Honduras, not Belize) or Le Ceiba, then a local airline across to the island, but I'd suggest discussing that approach with Roatan Charters, as they seem to know the local air market well. I don't think the savings warrant the bother and risk of getting stuck on the mainland overnight.

WarmWaterDiver · Jun 10, 2005

The Oak Ridge area didn't show any influence of cruise ship moorings on Roatan making any changes when we stayed for a week at Reef House Resort in April 2005. Roatanman can chime in, but I didn't see the cruise ship influence around CoCo View or Fantasy Island when we dove Mary's Place and the CoCo View wrecks one day.

Roatan is more than West End - in fact, we never went to West End during our trip. If you want laid-back, uncrowded, diving and relaxation, it's there on Roatan. If you want nightlife etc. from what I've read, that's available as well. But not both in the same area of the island.

We flew Continental via Cleveland - Houston - Roatan with zero schedule or luggage problems either direction, nor any overnight stays required for flight connections. Fares were cheaper via Continental.com directly than anything Orbitz, Sidestep, or any dive travel agency could quote me - cheaper than using TACA as well.

We had no problems with no-see-ums at Reef House Resort - it was rainy the first 2 days we were on Roatan and maybe this influenced that somewhat. But we never needed bug repellant for no-see-ums. There were a few mosquitos, which we could see, like anywhere else south of the frost line of the hemisphere that isn't a desert. But less than my youthful South Texas summers on the Gulf Coast had.

Dive Bunny · Jun 14, 2005

Tim Ingersoll:
Thanks for the trip report! Couple of questions:
1. How long did it take to get there and what were your trvel arrangements?
2. Where else have you dived and what would you compare it to?

We flew from SC and it took us about 5 hours to get there with layovers. We wanted to go for 11 days and left on a Thursday which was a little tricky because it was impossible for us to get any kind of flight with just one stop. We flew from Miami into San Pedro Sula and then to El Ceibe, then on to Roatan. The stop at El Ceibe was only like 30 minutes so it wasn't too bad. It is much easier to get a flight when you leave on the weekend. I don't regret having the extra days though, it was worth it. We flew US Air to Miami and TACA from there on. I would compare the diving to Cozumel I think. It was definitely better than Ambergris Caye in Belize. The visibility we had was great and we stayed at the Bay Island Beach Resort which has the Spooky Channel right out back for great shore diving. You can also snorkel the Spooky Channel and see eel, lobster, octopus etc. It was great!

Dive Bunny · Jun 14, 2005

z28pwr:
I've been hearing alot of good stuff regarding Roatan, can you give us more details on the flight arrangements, did you use a company such as Funjet or bayadventures for the trip, etc.

Thanks.

I already researched and found that I wanted to stay at the Bay island Beach Resort so I called 1-800-4-Roatan and they handled all of my accomodations. We had a representative pick us up at the airport and bring us back for a quick tour and orientation on where everything was and how things work at the resort. The owners were extremely nice and just hung out with everyone the whole time we were there. This is only the number for this resort though. They don't book for any other places.

parrotheaddiver · Jun 15, 2005

z28pwr:
I've been hearing alot of good stuff regarding Roatan, can you give us more details on the flight arrangements, did you use a company such as Funjet or bayadventures for the trip, etc.

Thanks.

Hi Jose, we go every year but we stay at CoCo View. Call Roatan charters they can book your trip and get you the best rate. There is a direct flight out of Houston to Roatan if you travel on Sat. Here is there website. http://www.roatan.com./catalog/honduras/hframeset.htm
Ann

Scubadude · Jun 16, 2005

Dive Bunny:
Unfortunately we are back from Roatan where we stayed at Bay Island Beach Resort for 11 days. It was awesome and I will definitely be back!! Everyone there knew us by name and we felt very at home. The diving was great, the food was great. I must say that they had the best food of any all inclusive I have ever been to. From lobster tail to yummy desserts I can't think of anything I didn't like. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who is thinking about going to Roatan. The ONLY thing I won't miss is the sand flies which were very bad so definitely bring something with a high % of deet and reapply often. They are out in full force from morning til night. And for only $12 before you leave they will do all of your laundry so you don't have to do it when you get home. Make sure to bring a beach towel though, which is one mistake we made. The west end was a great place for shopping and hanging out at some of the local bars. Coxhen Hole, which is the other small town has necessities, but not many shops for T-shirts and other souveniers. Plus it closes around 6 and the West End is open much later. The visibility on our dives was excellent and there was such a variety of diving. From Walls, reef and wreck, and deep to shallow. One of the coolest things was that on almost every dive no matter what the depth, at the end the dive master would always bring us around to reef in about 15-20 ft of water, the sun was shining and the colors were beautiful. We would spend a little while there finding eels, lobster etc and we could just go up when we wanted and the boat would wait. We didn't have to worry about a safety stop because we were already doing one. Awesome trip!!

I know the feeling dude. We just got back from Roatan also. Had a great time at CCV resort. Went to West End and drank many beers while shopping for goodies. Got these incredible masks for a real good price. This was my 2nd time and my girlfriends first. She fell in love with the whole island, food, people and last but not least, the diving. Speaking the languge helped a lot when shopping. We'll be back next year again for sure. Going to Cozumel now the 25th of this month. It should be great. 5th year in a row.

Good Viz,
George

jawfish · Jun 18, 2005

Mmmmm... lobster tail... sun... Roatan...

OK, I am ready, who has an empty suitcase I can fit in???

Back from Roatan!!

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