Belize/Roatan Questions

[Scuba Scotty]

Hey Everybody!

I'm going to Belize from Dec 11th - Jan 9th, We're on a pretty tight budget.

Questions:

-Best cheap way to dive a lot in Cayes? (looks like Frenchies off Caye Caulker is a good way to go)

-Best (Favorite) Dive Sites? -secret spots?-
just from research we're interested in
•Blue Hole •Turneffe •Half Moon Caye •Glovers •Hol Chan •Shark Ray Alley

-We have a fair bit of time, is it worth going to Roatan? Fastest/Cheapest way to get there? Do you think it's possible to thumb a ride on a sail boat or other personal craft? Good places to try to do that? (we're really outgoing people)

-We're going to San Ignacio for our inland adventures: any advice (places to say, must see, good eats, etc)?

-Is it worth bringing gear other than Snorkel/mask?

-Romantic ideas (christmas, my GF's b-day, New Years, spontaneous)?

-Favorite things to do in Belize?

-Dive shops and and accommodations (cheap but clean) in Roatan?

-General Advice? (bugs, crime, things to avoid, etc)

THANK YOU SO MUCH
-Scotty

[oceancat]

Hi.

I really liked Glovers, but it's not easy to get to--you need to stay out there--you can get there from Dangriga. With the time you have, it can be done. It' s remote, but beautiful. I loved half moon caye and blue hole, but BH is not a dive for novices--it's deep and it feels like it is deep. Since you have a lot of time in Belize, you should consider going west too--around San Ignacio--we stayed at Clarissa Falls--very basic but inexpensive. Without a car it could be tough to get into town to pick up tours, but there are also some cheap places in downtown SI too. Unless things have changed, it's difficult to get to Roatan from Belize. I don't think there is a direct flight. There is a ferry that leaves from Southern Belize and can get you to honduras (look on the lonely planet site for help with that) on Wed. or something like that--and once you get into Honduras you can take a ferry/plane (from La Ceiba) to Roatan. Diving is super cheap (and good) on Utila--another of the Bay Is.--it's also cheaper to stay there than Roatan. If you stay in West End in Roatan, there are a number of inexpensive places.

[diverdowndh]

I went to Caye Caulker this past February - i personally thought the island was a *****hole. I would never go back there again! I used Belize Diving Services and got deathly sick for 3 days of my vacation - from drinking water on the boat from a bottle that I caught them filling from a spigot later... and the nonchalant reply I got from the owner saying "one in ten people get sick on Caye Caulker"... stay away from that place, unless you want to get offered drugs every 5 seconds (which we did NOT). I thought the diving was so ho-hum that I'd never spend another nickel there, and the only diving that *was* worthwhile was a 45 minute boatride away - and they have the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world. It just seemed so fished out. I've never dove a place in the Caribbean where you did NOT see barracuda. We never saw a single one and Caye Caulker was the ONLY place I've ever seen barracuda on the menu (and it was on the menus everywhere on the island), you figure it out.
We were on Ambergris about 5 years ago and it was really aweseome. We used Bottom Time Diving and they treated us really well, the diving was great, the island was excellent. On both trips Belize was sold different than advertised - there were not supposed to be ANY cars on Ambergris when we went, and when we got there they had "allowed" taxis on the island. Back then, the roads were all dirt and when it rained the taxis would FLY by splashing all over and it made it hard to walk anywhere without getting splashed.
Nah, I would not go back to Belize, at least not Ambergris or especially not Caye Caulker.
BTW, Caye Caulker was REALLY expensive to what we were told/expected.

[RockyHeap]

Belize isn't a "cheap" place even though the dollar is fixed at a $2 to $1 USD exchange rate. BEST THING about belize is the ONE BARREL RUM, oh my gawd is that nectar of the gods.

Blue hole is way way way overrated, and not cheap either, $225 a person if I remember right leaving from Ambergris for a 3 tank dive. Do a search on the blue hole and 95% of those who dove it wouldn't dive it again. Get into the jungle, Caves Branch resort is hard core jungle adventures. We've stayed there, Xanadu out on Ambergris, Banana Bank horse back ranch, and Hamanasi resort down in Hopkins which is really nice and unique authentinc belize experience.

Get out to Caves Branch, Xuantuich (sp?) mayan ruins, and the underground waterfall spelunking tour is a huge memory for me at caves branch.

[peterbj7]

Lots of people visit San Pedro and Caye Caulker and have a wonderful time. That isn't to say that everything's perfect - far from it - but they put the problems that do occur in perspective. And although we do have some dive sites that aren't particularly outstanding, we do also have some superb ones. Maybe you're a person who just shouldn't visit Belize.

Some of the specifics you quote simply don't sound true.

[diverdowndh]

i could care less if they don't sound true - they happened earlier this year. You are right though, i'm not a person to go to Belize... not anymore that is. My money will be spent where the diving is good, the people are friendly, and the island is a GREAT place to be (Caye Caulker is NOT, imo). There are few places where you don't get approached about drugs but never, and i say this strongly, never like on Caye Caulker.
I've been all over the Caribbean and even to Fiji and my dollars will go elsewhere!

[aliecon]

I have seen more fish in Isla Roatan and the reef was better than Turneffee or Grand Cayman. The wreck is pretty close, too.

[diverdowndh]

I've never been to Roatan, only Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker in Belize. I did say that Ambergris was a rairly good experience but not worth the $$$. I've been to Grand Cayman 3 times, if the diving in Roatan is better then I guess I need to go soon!

[Scuba Scotty]

Interesting to hear different opinions. Diverdowndh you sound quite unpleased with you experience there. Thankfully of the 20 odd people I've talked to personally you're the only one that's down on the place... phewww...

Probably not going to do blue hole. My GF and I are very adventurous people, we'll be pushing hard to get away from the most commonly dived sites, we'll get the other divers on board - we're like that.

We'll also be doing all the San Ignacio stuff extensively (ATM, tikal, Xunantunich, cave tubing etc).

Looks like the weather in Roatan in December sucks, and it's not quick or cheap to get there. So it's really a matter of where to spend our time between San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Placencia (Glovers), and San Ignacio. Looks like San Pedro and Caye Caulker share many of the same dive site but it's about %25 less to dive from Caye Caulker.

-Scotty

[diverdowndh]

Hey man, I tried. You may join the many others who like Caye Caulker. I'm certainly not one of them but that doesn't mean you can't give it a go for yourself. I really hope if you go that you have an incredible time. Don't drink the water, especially if it is out of an already opened water bottle! Do not believe that it is refilled with purified water, 'cause you'll end up like I did, sick for most of your vacation.... really, really sick.

[aliecon]

IMO another thing to consider is to check Cruise schedules. In Grand Cayman we had about 10 (yes 10) boats floating above us. It was so crowded underwater that we ran into another group and tried to seperate from them.

Cozumel was as good as Roatan for me. No boats except ours and have seen almost everything. If the place is "hot", it attracts so many people and they scare away everything and there is not much to see.

[diverdowndh]

Wow, what sites were you diving in GC? If you go to GC try RedBaronDivers.com. Nick and Patrick will take you where the other people are NOT. Tell them I said hello! I've had really good luck on GC with these guys...

[Sherald]

We stayed at Banana Beach Resort on Ambergris Caye over Thanksgiving. It was clean and the staff were helpful and friendly. I was not impressed with the Caye. The diving was good but I was expecting something more. The trip to the Blue Hole was $250.00 and a 2+ hour boat ride to get there. We did not get to go due to weather the day we were booked. We went zip lining and cave tubing, that was fun. I would not go back to Ambergirs, it is expensive. If I go back to Belize it will be to Turneffe.

[yakivet]

Don't drink the water, especially if it is out of an already opened water bottle! Do not believe that it is refilled with purified water, 'cause you'll end up like I did, sick for most of your vacation.... really, really sick.

Why would you EVER drink ANYTHING from an OPENED water bottle that YOU didn't fill up?

[VivaCaribe]

quick comments, perhaps of some help to you...
1. Caye Caulker smaller, cheaper, and more laid back than Ambergris. Diving similar.
2. Diving off Ambergris and Caulker not the greatest. Not as good as barrier reef farther south and certainly not as good as the atolls. "Shark Alley" ... only if you like feeding "tame" rays and nurse sharks. (It is next to Hol Chan, which is a decent night dive area off Ambergris)
3. If you can get to Turneffe and especially Lighthouse, will be world class. No longer easy trip as I dont think anyone does overnight trips (previously could go out 2-3-4 days, stay on Half Moon or the boat) and it's a haul to Lighthouse (Lighthouse includes Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye) for day trips.
4. Cayo area (San Ignacio) is nice. If you can spend a day going to Tikal in Peten, well worth it. If you like birding, canoeing, finding the baboons (howler monkeys)...pretty good area. The trendy inns are expensive (DuPlooys, etc). They are nice tho. There are cheap spots. You can rent-a-wreck in cayo and get around nicely. Trip to Caracol is a long day but worth considering.
5. Roatán? that would be a whole other trip. South side (CoCoView) is consistent, easy, decent wall diving and CCV gives you 4 dives a day and some do 5 (hearty souls). Self-contained so a little confining. You will dive, eat, drink, sleep, period. Fantasy Island is a couple hundred meters away, fancier, less serious-diver oriented. (Ive never been there).

[Scuba Scotty]

Just got back,

Well if reading this board and reconciling my experience shows anything, it's that personal preference trumps all.

We had an absolutely fabulous time in Belize. Loved Caye Caulker, weren't hassled for drugs at any time and we're prime candidates in our mid-twenties. Great diving, nice and cheap, good food.

Loved San Pedro and Ambergris Caye! Expensive? I guess it depends on your style, it was cheap for us and had great variety, super fun. A few marginal dive sites, mostly great diving though. Pretty damn good corals, and wildlife like crazy.

San Ignacio was great. Did ATM, went to Tikal, tons to do in this area.

Placencia - we had a great time there and enjoyed the decent beaches. This place is so in flux though, it identity is changing and the place doesn't seem like it will be at peace with the changes for a long time to come. We didn't enjoy the endless gringo developments - homes, second homes, exclusive hotels... gives the place a weird feel. It seemed like most of these new inhabitants had no interest in assimilating into a Belizean lifestyle, they just want their own piece of paradise and they're happy to push out the locals in doing so. We me some great locals and had a great time, but I doubt I'll ever be back...

Orange Walk and Lamanai were interesting and fun. Barely saw any other travelers in town, and we really got a taste of normal life in inland Belize. Lamanai was awesome, different than Tikal, had its own special charm.

Belize City, run down and feels a bit scary at first but we ended up doing a lot there with no problems, people were actually quite friendly, and we had fun.

Belize Zoo, great fun for a few hours. We got there early and had the place to ourselves, it was a special and unique experience.

Diving: The local dives were great, of 10 local sites we dove only 2 to were marginal. Turneffe was awesome and had much better corals, similar marine life. We were rained out 5 days straight for Blue Hole/ Lighthouse. Much cheaper of Caye Caulker and, in our opinion, more solid operators. We dove with a few shops, all were safe, most were great and left nothing wanting, some were a little less organized...

Belize is great, we'll be back for sure. Very surprised to hear by the negative tone of this thread, it seems almost like we visited different places. I wouldn't hesitate to send any friend to any of the places we went.

-Scotty

[diverdowndh]

I am glad your experience was good, you have me almost wanting to give it a second chance. I loved Ambergris, just not Caye Caulker. We (my GF and I) came back home wanting to go on another dive trip - not like usual, where we are so pumped up about diving we want more, but felt like we didn't get our money's worth. Enough of the negative waves! Your experience was good and apologize if I made you apprehensive in any way! I've dove all over and that was just one trip that I wish I could have back to redo.... probably elsewhere.
And yes, yakivet, I'll never drink from an already opened bottle EVER again. The dive shop had a cooler on the boat full of water bottles on ice - I had never seen that but was really thirsty and that is all they had on the boat to drink...

[Hank49]

Just got back,

Well if reading this board and reconciling my experience shows anything, it's that personal preference trumps all.

We had an absolutely fabulous time in Belize. Placencia - we had a great time there and enjoyed the decent beaches. This place is so in flux though, it identity is changing and the place doesn't seem like it will be at peace with the changes for a long time to come. -Scotty

I've always said that Belize is the friendliest place I've ever lived or been. When people here say, "whey de gwan"? or "how are you"?, it's not just a passing greeting....it's like they really want to know and if you stop and talk, it can go on for half hour or more. I figure it's because the place is still basically very rural and like most places, city people aren't as outwardly friendly as country people.

Placencia is changing fast. It's nice but I've often wondered what attracts people there which has driven land price there sky high. It's just a sand bar and 20 miles from the reef. ?? This is kind of a last frontier though. The undeveloped coastline here isn't going to stay that way for long. Enjoy while we can.

[jeremyl]

Went to Belize a few years ago. 5 days inland... Zoo, Cave tubing, drove around and saw the various inland towns. Enjoyed it very much. Bring insect repelent. Went to Amergris and stayed at Banana Beach. As mentioned above it was a very nice clean place. Dove 5 days, including a day outto Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye. Agree, Blue Hole is overrated, but we did have a nice school of sharks check us out. Cool! Half Moon Caye was awesome. I do plan to go back to Belize but I will do a liveaboard. Why not Turneffe? Because a liveaboard (Aggressor or Hughes) is ~ same price and since everything is a boat dive anyway this way we visit a little more places... at least thats my view.

I am off to Coz in 6wks, and then I need to decide if my first liveaboard will be Belize or Roatan - which I have not been to so maybe I will do that.

If you have that much time you can see a LOT. Take your time and get local. You can do things pretty cheap and have a great time. A lot of the "tourist" restaurants and such can be on the spendier side, but local places are great and cheap (but standards can also be low - had bedbugs in a few places inland that were on the cheaper side).

And yes, One Barrel rocks. Running low too, better get back for a refill.

[hopefulist]

For what it's worth, even with nearly a month skipping to another country doesn't make sense to me, especially on a budget. Our family had a blast at Glover's Atoll Resort (though a resort, it's not) in 2003 and are looking forward to a return trip. I'll split 3 weeks again this summer between Utila and Roatán and love them, too. Actually, I'm the sort to love everyplace I stay. My photos and travelogues (http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections) might be of interest. Happy trails!

[Hank49]

Blue Hole is overrated, but we did have a nice school of sharks check us out. Cool! Half Moon Caye was awesome. I do plan to go back to Belize but I will do a liveaboard. Why not Turneffe? Because a liveaboard (Aggressor or Hughes) is ~ same price and since everything is a boat dive anyway this way we visit a little more places... at least thats my view.

.

I was talking to one of the liveaboard workers while we were waiting at the airport over Christmas and he told me that all the liveaboard boats only dive Lighthouse Reef (Atholl). He said they'll stop at Turneffe....I forget why but it wasn't the normal schedule. I was surpirsed that they don't do Glovers and Turneffe but according to him, they don't.

[Scuba Scotty]

I talked to a DM on the Nekton Pilot while I was in Belize city. The liveaboards are to large to dive blue hole but extensively dive Lighthouse Reef. From what I could tell it sounded like they did lot's of diving at Turneffe (he really liked the "front porch" site). I don't think they do much around glover's but between Lighthouse and Turneffe I can't imagine you'd be missing anything... sounded first class.

-Scotty

[bfuqua]

My wife and I dove the blue hole 3 years ago... we would not do it again. We stayed at San Pedro and had a long, long, long ride to get to the blue hole and then it was a 7 minute dive to 135 feet and back up. It is much nicer to see the picture.

[rkapuya]

i am headed to belize next wednesday, for a week. would you please share a bit more of your recent experience?
what activities did you do? where did you stay? who did you dive with?
how does one get to st ignacio? bus? rent a car? how far is it?

thanks so much.
rk

[rkapuya]

Just got back,

Well if reading this board and reconciling my experience shows anything, it's that personal preference trumps all.

We had an absolutely fabulous time in Belize. Loved Caye Caulker, weren't hassled for drugs at any time and we're prime candidates in our mid-twenties. Great diving, nice and cheap, good food.

Loved San Pedro and Ambergris Caye! Expensive? I guess it depends on your style, it was cheap for us and had great variety, super fun. A few marginal dive sites, mostly great diving though. Pretty damn good corals, and wildlife like crazy.

San Ignacio was great. Did ATM, went to Tikal, tons to do in this area.

Placencia - we had a great time there and enjoyed the decent beaches. This place is so in flux though, it identity is changing and the place doesn't seem like it will be at peace with the changes for a long time to come. We didn't enjoy the endless gringo developments - homes, second homes, exclusive hotels... gives the place a weird feel. It seemed like most of these new inhabitants had no interest in assimilating into a Belizean lifestyle, they just want their own piece of paradise and they're happy to push out the locals in doing so. We me some great locals and had a great time, but I doubt I'll ever be back...

Orange Walk and Lamanai were interesting and fun. Barely saw any other travelers in town, and we really got a taste of normal life in inland Belize. Lamanai was awesome, different than Tikal, had its own special charm.

Belize City, run down and feels a bit scary at first but we ended up doing a lot there with no problems, people were actually quite friendly, and we had fun.

Belize Zoo, great fun for a few hours. We got there early and had the place to ourselves, it was a special and unique experience.

Diving: The local dives were great, of 10 local sites we dove only 2 to were marginal. Turneffe was awesome and had much better corals, similar marine life. We were rained out 5 days straight for Blue Hole/ Lighthouse. Much cheaper of Caye Caulker and, in our opinion, more solid operators. We dove with a few shops, all were safe, most were great and left nothing wanting, some were a little less organized...

Belize is great, we'll be back for sure. Very surprised to hear by the negative tone of this thread, it seems almost like we visited different places. I wouldn't hesitate to send any friend to any of the places we went.

-Scotty


i am headed to belize next wednesday, for a week. would you please share a bit more of your recent experience?
what activities did you do? where did you stay? who did you dive with? how expensive were they?
did you take a water taxi to caye caulker? to san pedro?
how does one get to st ignacio? bus? rent a car? how far is it?
i forget how long you were there for, but i feel pushed for time, so i want the path of least resistance :) to and from all that is worthwile doing.

thanks so much.
rk

[Scuba Scotty]

Okay first the stuff I can answer for sure.

To get to San Pedro (ambergris caye) or Caye Caulker you take the same water taxi. Short of flying that's the only way to get either. It takes ~40min to get to Caye Caulker and 1hr to get to San Pedro, the last boat only goes to Caye Caulker and leaves around 6:00pm. $20US roundtrip to SP, $15 to CC.

Get the hell out of Belize city as fast as you can, with only a week don't waste any time there. There's plenty of fun to be had there but it's a bad choice with your time constraints.

We dove with Belize Diving Service on Caye Caulker, they were our favorite in Belize. We also dove with Big Fish Dive, also good. In San Pedro we dove with Aqua Dives, they are the most inexpensive option on the island (cheaper than hiring an independent dive master as well).

To get to San (not st) Ignacio you take a bus from Belize City. If you get an express bus it's much more comfortable, costs an inconsequential amount more, but generally won't get there any faster. The other buses are packed to the brim, they're old school buses, suck it up and don't complain (most people travellers don't mind it) this is the real Belize. It takes 3.5 hours to get San Ignacio - maybe faster but budget for 3.5hrs and ~$5-10USD. The bus you catch is labeled "BENQUE" (which is past San Ignacio)

All the good tours from San Ignacio leave between 6:00am and 9:00am - it's not possible to get there that early by bus (rental car?), you book the night before (the shops are open til 9:00 or 10:00pm). If you take the bus: You can't do a tour that day so get a taxi to take you to the Xunantunich Ruins (nearby, no need for a guide) - once back into town book your tour.

"ATM Cave" (Actun Tunichil Miknal) is by far the coolest inland adventure we experienced, it's pretty much safe to say coolest in Belize. Mayawalk Tours is the best service (by a big margin) it costs $80US per person - all day and simply incredible - TIP WELL! these guys deserve it.

Other San Ignacio Options:
Caracol Ruins - biggest and best in Belize
Tikal Ruins - biggest Mayan Site period. in Guatemala - more expensive more travel more spectacular) we went there without a guide, it was amazing but takes 2 full days that way, so if you do Tikal you should take a tour ($100US and up).
Mountain Pine Ridge - the only pine forest in Central America (hiking etc).
Rio On Pools - waterfalls, waterslides, and swimming pools.
Barton Creek Cave - do ATM instead.
Cave Tubing.
Other Mayan Sites - are small and nothing to write home about (eg Cahal Pech).
--Accommodations-- There's resorts but we're budget travellers so we'd recommend Casa Blanca ($30US two queen size beds, cable TV) or Plaza Hotel (same but $25US), they are right next to each other.

What I'd do with a week:

San Pedro - 4 days, do it first get your diving out of the way. Best local sites in order - Tackle Box Canyon (amazing - sharks), San Pedro Canyon, Cypress Tunnels, Tres Cocos, Finger Canyon, Mayan Princess, Dardenelos* (*not that good). The atolls are better, Turneffe is cheaper and closer.

San Ignacio - 3 days. one day is a travel day + Xunantunich, day 2 ATM, day 3 Caracol or Tikal.

Don't bother with Placencia, and don't be tempted to do Lamanai from San Pedro (Lamanai is awesome though) - Save it for San Ignacio (Caracol or Tikal).

-Scotty

[DECKHAND]

WOW! Impressive post by Scuba Scotty you must to lived there before ,good work buddy.

[kmcneer]

I dont understand the people that say the Blue Hole is a 7 Min dive. Bottom time is short but enjoy the rest of the dive too. we had a large group of shark following us the entire dive that made the slow accent very enjoyable as well as the safty stop. its not all about bottom time at deep depth for some of us i guess.

[Damselfish]

IMO there is little to see on the rest of the dive. I suspect people that get lucky with sharks hanging around tend to come away from it with a better opinion than those who don't.

[Ralph Capeling]

You might want to consider Placencia (on the beach of the mainland in sourthern Belize). It started as a fishing village, then was discovered by back packers who were eventually followed by developers so there is now a mix of accommodations from budget to five star. You can get there by bus and there are bus connections to San Ignacio as well. There is a national park (Laughing Bird Caye) close by as well as several marine reserves.
Regards
Ralph

[robbierob23]

Torn between diving Belize or Honduras.

I'm a big fan of the live aboard diving but can't make any because I can't get there until Monday (They apparently only depart on Saturdays). Are either/both worth diving from a Hotel or should I wait till I can book a live aboard and dive somewhere else this Feb/March?

I should admit I prefer a bit more luxury when I get out of the water. Quiet, private, yes... but I enjoy the luxury of a 5 star hotel/dive boad when possible. Any suggestions for either location?

[VivaCaribe]

Ive been to those areas a number of times...and think combining "5 star" and "good diving" is going to be hard. The fancy hotels of Ambergris Caye provide diving to the nearby barrier reef which is easy but subpar by any Caribbean standard. You can spring for long day trips to the atolls but it's a l-o-n-g and often bumpy trip. The way to dive Bze is by staying on the tiny islands farther south, and you will be in 1-star digs (I personally like em). On Roatán there is pretty good diving from Fantasy Island hotel (Ive never stayed there) which may be close to what you're looking for. (It is just 200m across the inlet from the divers' resort, CoCoView, and I assume dives all the same sites).

[peterbj7]

Ambergris Caye ..... diving the nearby barrier reef which is easy but subpar by any Caribbean standard

I don't have any axe to grind in this as I am no longer in the diving business, but that's simply not true. The spur and groove coral formations here are most unusual and provide fascinating diving. And the reef off north Ambergris Caye has some really interesting rock formations providing deep canyons.

Do I think this is the best diving in the world? No, I certainly don't. I'd rather dive the Maldives or the Red Sea. But do I think it's "subpar by any Caribbean standard"? Not in any way. There are better spots elsewhere in the Caribbean certainly, and in the event of an on-shore wind adversely affecting diving there is no alternative, but it's still pretty good.

The southern part of the reef offers diving quite different from that found up here. No spur-and-groove, but instead walls that drop almost from the surface. With masses of large sea life.

[Ralph Capeling]

I took my family from Belize to dive Roatan last January and stayed at Anthony's Caye Resort. It was great - good accomodation and good diving.
Belize has plenty of top end hotels in the Placencia area and I love the diving there. You can check out Belize by Splash Dive Shop located on the Placencia peninsula in southern Belize (http://www.Splashbelize.com) as they have a range of alliances with hotels and resorts from high end to budget accommodation.

[robbierob23]

Thanks!

[dmoore19]

Torn between diving Belize or Honduras.

I'm a big fan of the live aboard diving but can't make any because I can't get there until Monday (They apparently only depart on Saturdays). Are either/both worth diving from a Hotel or should I wait till I can book a live aboard and dive somewhere else this Feb/March?

I should admit I prefer a bit more luxury when I get out of the water. Quiet, private, yes... but I enjoy the luxury of a 5 star hotel/dive boad when possible. Any suggestions for either location?

I recently returned from a trip to Anthony's Key(12/26-1/2). From what I understand, though this was my only trip to Roatan, If you are looking for 5 star, Roatan isn't in that category. Anthony's Key is a nice place, it is by no means 5 star but it is clean, safe and well run. It is AI and the food never disappointed me (not buffet, you are served meals at a table) There are no phones or TV's in the rooms but why would you want that on Vacation? The key superior bungalows have AC. The Dive Op there is a well run dive op. The boats are nice but may have too many people for some people's taste. They weren't crowded when we were there even though the resort was running at capacity. The diving was wonderful in my inexperienced opinion, I loved it there, I will go back. The staff there took care of everything very well and smiled while doing it. It is a 10 min $5 cab ride to West End if you want to escape the resort, we only did that one afternoon. We will probably try Belize next, never been there so can't help with Belize.

[robbierob23]

THanks for the info dmoore. I decided to dive in Utila. I went the opposite of 5 star and make it all about the water. I really wanted to dive from the aggressor fleet in both Honduras and Belize but can't make it because of dates. Doing Aggressor in Belize next season. Beach resort, diving vacation, Bay Islands of Honduras (http://www.utila.com/rates-and-reservations) Thanks again and safe diving :)