Roatan info?

I'm thinking about making a dive trip as an alternative (addition?) to our customary yearly trip to Cozumel, and I'm looking at Roatan. I've never been there, but from what I hear, it's a great location.

Anyway, at this point it's still Fantasyland Speculation, but I'm interested in some general info. I live in Austin, Texas.

What's a good (read: cheap) air route to get there? Expedia and Travelocity say $1200 (ouch!).
How costly are meals, lodging, and diving?
Is there enough diff from the diving at Cozumel (which I thoroughly enjoy) to warrant going there instead/too?

That'll do for starters.

Might find some good info there:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33130&highlight=honduras

Have fun on your trip!

My husband and I just returned from Fantasy Island last night. It was our first trip to Roatan. We flew TACA direct from Houston to Roatan for about $300 each RT ( we flew from Montgomery AL to Houston using FF miles). I must say that if I could avoid Houston IAH I would. The airport is by far the worst I've visited including Nassau, Roatan, Miami... I understand that SOL air flies direct from DFW to Roatan as well.

I have been to Cozumel once, and I would say that there is more variety in the creatures in Roatan, although they are not as abundant. We saw seahorses, toad fish, scorpion fish, octopus, several juvenile drums, an eagle ray, several eel, lots of lobster, king crab..... Roatan is generally not drift diving like Cozumel, so if photography is your thing, you'll probably like Roatan better. The night life is non-existent.

If we go again, I would probably try to stay at AKR on the west side. Feel free to shoot me a private message if you have specific questions.

why don't you try doing a search for Roatan? There are many good threads available. Do a search on Google.

Gordon,

Don't know how much time you have but it could be a factor. I personally prefer Utila. It is lots smaller than Roatan. You can walk or bike anywhere on the whole island. Chance of seeing whale shark far greater than anywhere else in Carribean. It is small, laid back, I mean real laid back, and no hustle. You can fly into Roatan RT on TACA for about $300.00. Get a cheap room for the night, and catch the ferry the next morning (Roatan-La Ceiba-Utila0 for about $25.00. Arriving at 10:30AM. You can get rooms, depending on what you want, from $2.00 night to $50.00 night. My wife and I rented a small but nice Apt. for the month of May for $250.00 Dive packages are $125.00 for 10 dives, including equipment. There are 11 dive operations on the island. Highly competive. It is a great place to walk on, check them out and go with the one you like best. I like Deep Blue Divers. Run by a British family. Great diving and training operation. PS food is also cheap in the little restaurants. Cudabait

Hi,

I made it to Roatan last March. We went to the Anthony's Key Resort. It is fantastic and I recommend it. We flew from Montreal to Miami and got a flight ticket to Roatan with TACA airline for
$370. The Resort is great and the diving was amazing. It is my best trip ever (I have been diving for only 2 years). Check for Anthony's Key Resort on the web, they provide a lot of very good information. Few people on our trip had done Coco View the year before and the prefered AKR.

No matter where you go, diving in Honduras is just incredible. Wish you a good trip.

Hopefully fantasyland will become reality! Personnaly, I am trying Grand Cayman in 2 weeks! Can't wait:mean:

cduffey once bubbled...
My husband and I just returned from Fantasy Island last night. It was our first trip to Roatan. The night life is non-existent.

If we go again, I would probably try to stay at AKR on the west side. Feel free to shoot me a private message if you have specific questions.

Click to expand...

:tree: Just got back from FI, too; don't think I met them? Anway...

This was my second trip to FI, and it's great - even better than before in some way. The bascis:
(1) Nice, spacious rooms - not a Disney resort, but nice, with air conditioning.
(2) Really good meals - not great maybe, but plenty good and plety of variey, like eggs cooked to order in the morning, etc. Didn't like their cofee, but I always take my own coffee maker for the room anyway - everywhere. :nod:
(3) Diving to die for - three boat dives a day with a great staff plus free shore dives. Say Hi to Willy for me.
All for very little :$: money. Hard to beat.

AKR is nice, to be sure; went there for the Dolphn Dive, but I prefer the privacy & security of FI's private key, the friendliness of a smaller resort, and southside diving. But eiher would be a great time! I think that AKR may have AC at extra cost; DO ASK FOR IT! Rooms can get pretty warm even with a ceiling fan.

You might search all "Travel Location" forums for more, as Roatan is usually listed in Central America.

Tried to do a day trip to Utilla, but the boat broke down. Next year!!

My wife and I have been to Roatan each year for the past three.

Overall, it's a great destination for us, and would be just about perfect except that my wife likes Anthony's Key and I prefer CoCo View. The basic differences can be summed up in the statement that CoCO View is a diver's resort, while Anthony's is a resort with diving.

Anthony's has accomodations that are a bit more upscale - particularly the air conditioned "Hill Deluxe" units. The food is also quite a bit better and is served at the table by a waitstaff that is experienced and competent. There is also a lot more to do at AKR for non-divers, and the dolphin area at Bailey's Key is fun to do once. Be prepared to climb up and down all the time, however. There are outdoor stairs everywhere - and they get very slick when it rains. The diving is good, brand new boats and most dive sites are not more than ten minutes out. Shore diving is available, but nothing to write home about.

CoCo View is a bit more relaxed and features true "adult diving". Diving is really 24/7 if you're into it. The boats go out once in the morning and again in the afternoon. You can do a single anchor dive, then ride back in, or be dropped off on either Neuman's or the CoCo View wall for a second dive and make you own way back. Shore diving is always available and the tank rack is always full. There is a nice wreck (great for night diving) about a quarter mile from shore and a cut in the reef just beyond that. Just grab a tank and head out.

The accomodations at CCV are rather basic - clean, comfortable and not much else. The food is okay, served buffet style and not much variety from day to day. However, I've found that after doing about six dives a day I really don't much care what I'm eating. This has become a major issue with my spouse as she prefers to "dine".

Getting there has, so far, not been much of a problem. We always book months in advance and take advantage of every airfare discount we can find. We live in Denver and can easily get down to Houston, then over to TACA and another couple of hours to Roatan. I know that by now at least one other airlines flies in from Texas. Sol Air comes in once or twice a week from (I think) Dallas. This is a good thing as it serves to keep TACA from owning the place.

Good luck,

I have read that TACA offers affordable fares from Texas to Roatan, but at their website I plugged in some random dates and the cheapest was over $1100, and that was "not including taxes and fees". Am I missing something?

Gordon,

I think you have missed something. TACA usually has RT's Houston/Roatan for about $300.00. Keep trying.