Hoping to go to Roatan!!! Lots of questions!

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goofygirl

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I'm back to plan another dive vacation! And since I always get the best advice here on SB I'm hoping you guys will help me out yet again!

A little background: We're relatively new divers. Certified in 10/03 and have logged about 16 dives. We want to take a relaxing vacation where we just have to eat/sleep/dive and increase our experience, and kick back. So after surfing the boards Roatan seems like the perfect place!

Here's where we're considering staying:
CocoView Resort
Anthony's Key Resort
Inn of Last Resort

Now I know from reading these boards that the preponderance of you are CocoNuts, so if you're voting for Coco, please tell me why it's better than the others.

Do we fly directly into Roatan? Who is the best carrier with the cheapest flights?

We're thinking of going this spring or summer, before I start grad school, or during winter break. When is the best time to go?

We have the basics: masks, snorkel, fins, 3mm shorties, and computers, we'll need to rent the rest. Is a 3mm shorty warm enough to dive during the times of year mentioned above?

We've never really liked all inclusive, but these places are all inclusives, is this the best way to go in Roatan, or would we be missing out on seeing the local town and eating in the local restaurants and stuff?

Besides diving, are there any 'must do/see while in Roatan' activities that we should consider? Or is it truly an eat/sleep/dive vacation?

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
goofygirl:
Now I know from reading these boards that the preponderance of you are CocoNuts, so if you're voting for Coco, please tell me why it's better than the others.

Best boats, best location, only real 24/7 shore dive, long term staff, no steps (hardly), rooms out over an active changing reef, fabulous photo operation, safely tucked away on it's own private 10 acre key. Divers go and return to CCV.

Do we fly directly into Roatan? Who is the best carrier with the cheapest flights?

Once again, CCV carries the day. 1 call to Roatan Charter and they'll take you from your town to CCV and back. They can fill you in on the various Weekend nonstop flights. Best carrier? Which way is the wind blowing today?

We're thinking of going this spring or summer, before I start grad school, or during winter break. When is the best time to go?

What you describe is the best time to go- Whale Sharks possible in May/June, Coral Spawn in August... lots to see anywhere and anytime in Roatan if you go slow and look for the small stuff.

We have the basics: masks, snorkel, fins, 3mm shorties, and computers, we'll need to rent the rest. Is a 3mm shorty warm enough to dive during the times of year mentioned above?

Better said, are you comfortable for 5x dives a day in 84-88 degree water? Probably not. At the least, a polar fleece, better yet a 3 mil. CCV has superior rental gear, but no wetsuits.

We've never really liked all inclusive, but these places are all inclusives, is this the best way to go in Roatan, or would we be missing out on seeing the local town and eating in the local restaurants and stuff?

There is, sadly to say, no culture per se that pertains to the island that is visible. There is a small Garifuna community, but they do folkloric presentations at CCV one night, as does a group of well costumed Honduran kids- quite a bit of fun. There are three restaurants that I have found to be remarkable, one is 5 minutes E of CCV called "the View". The others are on the West End, check out the Argentine Grille and the Garden of Eatin (Cuban/Chineese). Of course, island shopping tours are done.

Besides diving, are there any 'must do/see while in Roatan' activities that we should consider? Or is it truly an eat/sleep/dive vacation?

Roatan, what with an increase in tourism, is trying to be all things to all people, which it aint. There is the opportunity for a zip line canopy tour and you could go to AKR with the rest of the hundreds of Cruise Ship types to pester Flipper. You could do one of the better Caribbean "canned shark feed/rodeos" that I have ever seen at another dive operation. All this can be arranged thru CCV and a few other AI's.

Roatan? Go there to do the eat/dive/sleep thing. At CCV of course it is: eat/dive/dive/eat/nap/dive/dive/eat/dive/sleep.


Thanks in advance for your help!

Check out http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/mb/ccv (and new live webcam called CoCoCam) for a message board about CCV and Roatan, and don't forget the search engine available here at ScubaBoard, the best thing going!
 
Doc pretty much summed it up. I have only visited other resorts not stayed there so take this info for what you thin it's worth....

Anthony's Key is very family oriented which means it can have lots of kids...of all ages. The other big reason we decided against them is the many, many stairs and the hills you have to climb. And the last was some of their room are on a seperate key so to get from your room to anywhere else on the resort you have to have someone come get you in a boat. Now they are set up for this and I hear it's not a big thing but I prefer not to have to deal with it.

Another vote for CCV from a professed CoCoNut. It's a dive dedicated resort for adults only, built BY divers FOR divers. The main activity there is the diving. You are treated as an adult and are expected to act like one in order to have free range to dive as you please.
 
goofygirl:
I'm back to plan another dive vacation! And since I always get the best advice here on SB I'm hoping you guys will help me out yet again!

A little background: We're relatively new divers. Certified in 10/03 and have logged about 16 dives. We want to take a relaxing vacation where we just have to eat/sleep/dive and increase our experience, and kick back. So after surfing the boards Roatan seems like the perfect place!

Here's where we're considering staying:
CocoView Resort
Anthony's Key Resort
Inn of Last Resort

Now I know from reading these boards that the preponderance of you are CocoNuts, so if you're voting for Coco, please tell me why it's better than the others.

Do we fly directly into Roatan? Who is the best carrier with the cheapest flights?

We're thinking of going this spring or summer, before I start grad school, or during winter break. When is the best time to go?

We have the basics: masks, snorkel, fins, 3mm shorties, and computers, we'll need to rent the rest. Is a 3mm shorty warm enough to dive during the times of year mentioned above?

We've never really liked all inclusive, but these places are all inclusives, is this the best way to go in Roatan, or would we be missing out on seeing the local town and eating in the local restaurants and stuff?

Besides diving, are there any 'must do/see while in Roatan' activities that we should consider? Or is it truly an eat/sleep/dive vacation?

Thanks in advance for your help!

You might want to add Fantasy Island Resort to your list. It's great for a new diver. It's reasonable, quiet and relaxing . Plenty of food and nice rooms .Good dive op too. if all you can do is choose from the list you provided, then CCV. I hear Coco's Veiw is great too.
 
I'll respond as someone who prefers staying in the town and picking and choosing my own places to eat etc.

I have stayed in the West End and dove with Sueno Del Mar dive shop. There are several dive ops in the West End and lots of little places to eat/drink etc. All the dive ops pretty much to 3 scheduled dives per day and will do night dives if requested. There is plenty of food to choose from and it's all within walking distance. If you want to be away from the west end try west bay (short water taxi ride).

Compared to the AI resorts this is a lot cheaper. 2 of us spent less than $1000 for 8 nights, 7 days, 22 dives, Advanced open water cert., and all our rental equip. At the time i we were doing the same thing your doing....trying to get some more exp.

PM me if you want some more details...i have done a lot of research lately on flight options etc.
 
Another vote for CCV and why I prefer it over the other resorts. Well I have stayed at both resorts several times. AKR and the walking up the hill everyday to eat is enough reason not to stay there for me. My DH has stayed at FI and says that it is a resort with dive facilities.

Now CCV is diving with a resort lol. You get more bang for your buck. You can dive as much or as little as you want. It is truly a diving mecca. The shore diving is as easy as walking to your room and just as close.

There are direct flights from Houston on Sat and I think from Miami as well.

AI is the only way to go it is conveinent to be able to eat take a nap and dive. There menu is varied so you never eat the same thing twice and is served buffet style and there is plenty.

It is a dive eat sleep vacation for me. They do have an activites director there and can make arrangements for canopy tours island tours or shark dives or dolphin encounters and more.

They do have activities almost every evening at CCV don't worry you will never be bored. It is a wonderful family feeling when everyone is in the club house after dinner some are working puzzles,reading,playing ping pong or pool or just sitting at the bar talking. Of course you can't forget about night diving in the front yard.

Great place for beginners or advanced folks.
 
I have stayed at CCV - Fantasy - AKR - HalfMoonBay - ETC.

Except for December and January and prosibly first half of February the North Side of the Island has hands down the best and most diverse dive sights.

I would put the quality of accomidations between CCV - AKR - INLR as basicly a dead heat. They are all a little rustic but very CLEAN and comfortable.

The only one of the resorts that has a beach is Fantasy and believe me their beach is beautifull - I'm sure you've seen the pics of the 2 half moon beaches - beleive me the pics don't even begin to do them justice. They also are by far and away the fanciest place on the Island.

AKR is larger then CCV,Fantasy,and AKR put together - they have a very well oiled ruitiene and the best boats and excellent dive masters. My problem is they are just too big and too structured.

IF you want to DIVE - DIVE - DIVE - DIVE CCV is probably where you want to go. Keep in mind that they only do 2 boat dives a day as apposed to a least 3 a day everywhere else. You can Shore Dive off their front porch until you just can't drag yourself out of the water anymore. But if you are new I don't know how comfortable you are with diving with out a dive master on shore dives.

I have been going to Roatan for the past 6 years - I have kind of settled in over at the Inn of Last Resorts for the past couple of years. I have been lucky enough to spend 8 weeks out of the year down there and kind of feel like the place is my second home.

The Inn has 30 rooms so even if they are full when you are there it really isn't allot of people - They have an excellent dive staff and will take very good care of you - The recuring theam I seem to find in most of the people I meet there is that the place make you feel like a guest and not a customer. Kind of like your brother owned the place and you just stopped by to visit.

They are only about a mile and 1/2 from the West End and they will give you a ride down there if you want to go.

TACA and Contental both fly direct to Roatan on Saturday from Houston and Miami.

If you have any specific questions post again or PM me - will be happy to answer anything I can

Good Luck
Howie
 
HowieDean:
IF you want to DIVE - DIVE - DIVE - DIVE CCV is probably where you want to go. Keep in mind that they only do 2 boat dives a day as apposed to a least 3 a day everywhere else. You can Shore Dive off their front porch until you just can't drag yourself out of the water anymore. But if you are new I don't know how comfortable you are with diving with out a dive master on shore dives.

CCV's boats go out twice a day, at 9am and 2pm. Each trip consists of 2 dives, that's four boat dives in total per day. On each trip, the first dive is on one of the many reefs within a 10-15min boat ride. The second dive of each trip is a drop-off dive. You are dropped off on one of two walls in front of the resort, either Newmann's Wall or CCV Wall, and you end the dive with a shore exit. You'll learn to navigate the front yard on your orientation dive but it's very easy. Both walls lead to the Prince Albert shipwreck and there's a chain from the ship that leads you to the path back to the beach. You soon learn it like the back of your hand. But if you are still hessitant, a DM or another guest will always go with you.

Between the 4 boat dives and the shore diving, we usually do 5-6 dives a dayt CCV.
 
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