easydiver
Guest
I am planning a trip to BIBR in 02/2004. If you have stayed there recently I am interested in how your stay was. How was the diving? How were the bugs? How was the food? Overall would you go back to BIBR. Thanks in advance.
Lodging at BIBR Roatan
- Thread starter easydiver
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If you're planning a trip to BIBR, what's the need for all the questions? 
Go and have a good time.
If you want our opinions of BIBR and other resorts on Roatan (or the Bay Islands), do a subject search using key words like
Bay Islands
Bay Islands Beach resort
Islas de la Bahia
Roatan
Coco View
Fantasy Island
Inn of the Last Resort
Anthonys Key
Seek and ye shall find.
Go and have a good time.If you want our opinions of BIBR and other resorts on Roatan (or the Bay Islands), do a subject search using key words like
Bay Islands
Bay Islands Beach resort
Islas de la Bahia
Roatan
Coco View
Fantasy Island
Inn of the Last Resort
Anthonys Key
Seek and ye shall find.
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Since you are inquiring, I assume that you have not yet booked at BIBR.
In my experience, the food is middling to poor, dive boats in need of repair, accommodations decent to slightly below, and the staff very good. As for bugs, primarily no see ums (sand fleas), they are just about everywhere on the island.
BIBR is not my top choice of places to stay on Roatan.
Best regards.
DocVikingo
In my experience, the food is middling to poor, dive boats in need of repair, accommodations decent to slightly below, and the staff very good. As for bugs, primarily no see ums (sand fleas), they are just about everywhere on the island.
BIBR is not my top choice of places to stay on Roatan.
Best regards.
DocVikingo
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No, I firmly believe that the sand fleas are much worse on the North side of the island, or at any Southside resort that lacks direct exposure to the prevailing SE breezes due to location or tree cover.
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Agreed.
Best regards.
DocVikingo
Best regards.
DocVikingo
Just got back from BIBR yesterday. Spent a week there.
The boats need help, and so do the accomodations. (The air conditioner above my bed kept freezing and spit ice on me a few times in the middle of the night!) The other people in my group had to have their AC replaced the first day. (It was all noisy and innefective) The restaurant and the dive shop were OK, but the food was not so good. I've had better at other places.
To get through the reef you have to go through Anthony's Key and I longed for the dive boats that they have there. (Pro 48's) Dove those a few times on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac, love em.
The dive sites are the same that you'll get through Anthony's Key or any other north side dive operation.
I did spend a day at Coco View, simply because the dive boat from BIBR broke when we were scheduled to go to the south side for a dive site called Mary's Place. We took a bus to the south side and boarded a boat from Coco View (arranged by BIBR) and dove the site, and then ended up at Coco View for lunch. I was impressed with the dive operation. You have to see it to understand it.
I stayed with BIBR because Coco was full, although when we spent the day there they had lots of empty rooms and said that they were slow. Travel agents are not the best source of info sometimes.
The staff at BIBR is excellent! The divemasters found the cool stuff on every dive site. I left Hector a good tip for ability to find stuff even on a barren sand flat. Bob is a member of the family that owns the resort and was quite helpful. The restaurant staff was wonderful!
The bugs are there. There were no mosquitos that I know of, but I did get bitten and still have itchy bites from the No see-ums. I've had worse experiences with bugs on Cayman Brac...Mainly mosquitos armed with heat seaking missiles!
Feel free to PM me if you have any additional questions.
Colin Berry
The boats need help, and so do the accomodations. (The air conditioner above my bed kept freezing and spit ice on me a few times in the middle of the night!) The other people in my group had to have their AC replaced the first day. (It was all noisy and innefective) The restaurant and the dive shop were OK, but the food was not so good. I've had better at other places.
To get through the reef you have to go through Anthony's Key and I longed for the dive boats that they have there. (Pro 48's) Dove those a few times on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac, love em.
The dive sites are the same that you'll get through Anthony's Key or any other north side dive operation.
I did spend a day at Coco View, simply because the dive boat from BIBR broke when we were scheduled to go to the south side for a dive site called Mary's Place. We took a bus to the south side and boarded a boat from Coco View (arranged by BIBR) and dove the site, and then ended up at Coco View for lunch. I was impressed with the dive operation. You have to see it to understand it.
I stayed with BIBR because Coco was full, although when we spent the day there they had lots of empty rooms and said that they were slow. Travel agents are not the best source of info sometimes.
The staff at BIBR is excellent! The divemasters found the cool stuff on every dive site. I left Hector a good tip for ability to find stuff even on a barren sand flat. Bob is a member of the family that owns the resort and was quite helpful. The restaurant staff was wonderful!
The bugs are there. There were no mosquitos that I know of, but I did get bitten and still have itchy bites from the No see-ums. I've had worse experiences with bugs on Cayman Brac...Mainly mosquitos armed with heat seaking missiles!
Feel free to PM me if you have any additional questions.
Colin Berry
Aeolus
Guest
I have stayed at several of the resorts on Roatan. I would not put BIBR very high up on the list. I was there in March 2003 and I was rather disappointed. The boats need some serious work (two died during our week). The food is not very good and was never raelly hot, since they bring it down from the main house. The sand fleas were AWFUL - lucky for me that they do not like me very much. Several people had NUMEROUS bites despite lots of treatments. I do not know why some of the resorts do not spray or whatever. I have heard that some spray and stirring the sand (raking) reduces the numbers significantly. The dive staff were rather good, but Bob was of little or no help in addressing the problems that came up. From what I heard from several other guests, the A/C's did not work very well - I know ours did not.
For the same money, you could stay at Anthony's Key and get FAR superior dive boats, accomodations and food. They would be my first choice on the island. I will probably go there again this year.
For the same money, you could stay at Anthony's Key and get FAR superior dive boats, accomodations and food. They would be my first choice on the island. I will probably go there again this year.
Wow it seems like there are some issues at BIBR. Thanks for all of your replies. Has anyone out there recently had a good experience at BIBR. We met Ted here in Chicago last year at the dive show, and BIBR seemed like a nice small resort. Based on what I have heard so far I am not sure if BIBR is the right resort for our group.
Aeolus
Guest
I did not mean to imply that all is bad at BIBR. Ted and Cam are probably some of the best people I have met. I do feel that the resort has gone downhill since they returned to the states.
I just realized that you are from Chicago. I was at BIBR last week with a large group from Chicago. I had a good conversation with the group leader and dive shop owner. I'm somewhat sick at the moment and cannot remember her name, and am too lazy to go look it up. Here's the info on the dive shop, though:
Visibility Unlimited Inc. Scuba Center
8752 W. 159th St.
Orland Park, IL 60462
708-460-9515
info@visibilityunlimited.com
www.visibilityunlimited.com
As far as paying a few hundred a head more for AKR, well, if money is not a big deal, I reccomend doing just that. Or see if you can book with Coco View who has an excellent operation, on the south side of the island.
If you want to just dive with few landside amenities, then BIBR is for you.
The bugs are going to be the same no matter where you go. BIBR rakes the sand everyday, and Coco had raked sand when I was there.
The food is all prepared a few feet away from you at the restaurant on the beach. Some of it was fantastic...Lobsters and steak, Filet Mignon, the fish, and then again, they never did get our omelet prepared correctly. They always wanted to put peppers and tomatoes in mine, and cheese in another of our group. Their soups are VERY tasty!
No matter where you stay, though, I reccomend these activities: The shark dive. (Simply amazing!!), got to Mary's Place and see the seahorses, and on your offgas day before you leave, DEFINITELY, MOST DEFINITELY, take the trip to the mainland and go whitewater rafting with Rios Honduras. Ask if David can guide you. It was something I will remember forever. It is so much more than a rafting trip, I promise you! With BIBR there is a one person minimum, no max; and with the other resorts there is a 3 person minimum. (For the rafting)
Good Luck,
Colin Berry
Visibility Unlimited Inc. Scuba Center
8752 W. 159th St.
Orland Park, IL 60462
708-460-9515
info@visibilityunlimited.com
www.visibilityunlimited.com
As far as paying a few hundred a head more for AKR, well, if money is not a big deal, I reccomend doing just that. Or see if you can book with Coco View who has an excellent operation, on the south side of the island.
If you want to just dive with few landside amenities, then BIBR is for you.
The bugs are going to be the same no matter where you go. BIBR rakes the sand everyday, and Coco had raked sand when I was there.
The food is all prepared a few feet away from you at the restaurant on the beach. Some of it was fantastic...Lobsters and steak, Filet Mignon, the fish, and then again, they never did get our omelet prepared correctly. They always wanted to put peppers and tomatoes in mine, and cheese in another of our group. Their soups are VERY tasty!
No matter where you stay, though, I reccomend these activities: The shark dive. (Simply amazing!!), got to Mary's Place and see the seahorses, and on your offgas day before you leave, DEFINITELY, MOST DEFINITELY, take the trip to the mainland and go whitewater rafting with Rios Honduras. Ask if David can guide you. It was something I will remember forever. It is so much more than a rafting trip, I promise you! With BIBR there is a one person minimum, no max; and with the other resorts there is a 3 person minimum. (For the rafting)
Good Luck,
Colin Berry
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