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Wife and I arrived on Feb 2nd. Stayed at the Hotel Rose (across from Deep Blue divers) for first five days. We then moved into a 2BR furnished apt. for the remainder of our visit. We are regular visitors to Utila...I have been on and off the island for the past 13 years.
Lodging: The lodging that is available in Utila varies from the basic rooms for $4.00 night and upwards to some very nice small reasonably priced hotels. Shopping around the island is beneficial in this respect. There are currently three all-inclusive ops on the island. A forth is in the process of opening up and is located on the lagoon near Blue Bayou channel. (Coral Reef Resort). Deep Blue Resort (the newest) is located on the beach: Laguna Beach Resort is located on a beach; Utila Lodge is the original AI and is located in the village near the fire station. All of the established AI's are class operations and are client oriented.
Transportation: The island is very small. For extended periods, we buy bicycles on arrival and sell them when we leave. Less expensive than renting them. Main Street is only twelve feet wide and is not paved the entire length of the island. Most people walk or bike. Then there are golf carts, 4 wheelers, motorcycles and some autos which are used as taxis and hauling. It is not unusual to see a family of five on a single motorcycle.
Food: There are two principal grocery stores on the island...Henderson's and Bush grocery. A number of smaller stores can be found along main street. Just about all essentials are available. I was able to replace a computer battery ar Rose Hardware.
The restaurants are small, service can be rather slow...but who's in a hurry in Utila?? We ate locally and had everything from lobster to baleadas (tacos) ALL restaurants on Utila are reasonably priced by US standards! Munchies and Capt. Jack's are great for breakfast. Island Cafe has great lobster and a variety of dishes; Mango Inn has excellent pizza and their own huge oven; Dave's is off the beaten path by Cross Creek and has an excellent grill every night at 6:30; Kate's has Italian and her food is super; The Jade Seahorse is unique and it's bar is a must see...The Treetanic....it is actually a bar which is built entirely up in the trees. Wow!! Our favorite place is RJ's. Opens at 5:30PM three days a week....Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Robbie, the owner, does all the cooking himself on an open pit in the rear of the restaurant. The retaurant is open air ( as are almost all on the island). We always choose to sit in the back with the local fishermen and watch Robbie do his thing. We alway get there early (highly recommended) for several reasons: sometimes items on the nightly menu run out...also if you get there early Robbie will mix your local drink for you before the rest of the help arrives.....he makes then like he makes his own...very tasty!!
Night Life: We had to push our bikes home only one night. Seriously, if you are into heavy night life and need loads of entertainment and external stimulation, etc. find somewhere else to go! There are several places on the island...Coco Loco; Tranquilla Bar; Bar in the Bush; and The Barracuda, located upstairs at the Bay Islands College of Diving. We jamed there with guitars at least once a week. Usually by 9 or 10 o'clock it gets pretty quiet.
Divng: Suffice to say that the economy of Utila is Dive driven. There are eleven dive operations on the island and they are very competitive. Training can be obtained from open water to instructor at very reasonable prices. I have found over the years that personalities of dive shops change from time to time...this is due in part the movement of instructors, divemasters and changes in shop management. It is suggested that one look around and talk with the operators before one sinks a lot of money into training or dive packages. Most of the reputable operators on the island are in agreement with me on this. They will also suggest you do the same. Different strokes for different folks.
While there we dove alternately with Deep Blue Divers, Ecomarine, and Deep Blue Resort. We averaged two dives a day. All of our experiences with these operations were exceptional! There is a difference in the type of operations they offer: The dive ops usually schedule their morning dives (2) to the north side...more advanced dives and more weather critical. Then two more dives in the afternoon on the south side. As such, the ops have some time constraints to meet...business, after all, is business. The all-inclusives, on the other hand, are much more flexible in what they can do for you with their time. So naturally, the all inclusive ops are going to be able to give you, personally, more bang for your bucks.....it'll cost more bucks but if it's whale sharks you want to see, then they are the ones that will go the extra miles or kilometers to make you happy, literally! We also took a motor sailer to the Cayos Cochinos for three days. We rented tanks from the only dive op located there. These islands are primitive, surprisingly green and pretty. I'd visualized a bunch of reefs out there. We had rough seas and our diving was limited accordingly. I would go back. What we saw was comprable with Utila.
The condition of the reefs at Utila are very good. Soft corals abound and there is an abundance of beautiful marine life. We had incredible luck this trip!! We saw whale sharks with all the operators we dove with...Changui (Curtis) on the Tarpon, a fast jet drive boat operated by Ecomarine; Cray, captain on the Foxey Lady at Deep Blue Divers and Swin, probably the best whale shark captain on Utila at Deep Blue Resort.
We saw everything from nudis to groups of mantas, rays, turtles, and a pod of dolphin playing keep away with one another with a waterlogged stick under water. Exciting, to say the least!! Oh, I forgot to mention that one of the whale sharks was a juvenile....a little guy about 12 feet long. Most of the others we saw were 35 to 45 feet long. We managed to get two dvd's done in cooperation with Chris, owner of the Utila cinema, which have some great whale shark footage, among many other things. Got a lot of digital stuff also and will try to get some of that posted somewhere for viewing.
One of the highlights of our trip was the oportunity to dive with our friend Hans Grauer who is recovering from a broken hip joint. Hans is one of the longest standing instructors on Utila, if not the longest. It was an honor and it was a dive we will never forget!
Special thanks to Shirley. Steve and Jas at Deep Blue and to our friend Tex, Manager at Ecomarine. Oh, I forgot to mention that we also spent a day with Tex and his family, who were visitng, on Water Caye, snorking and just plain having fun.
I have also posted on this subject in the Texas Swamp Divers area under "Adios Texas, Hello Utila"
Rergards,
Lodging: The lodging that is available in Utila varies from the basic rooms for $4.00 night and upwards to some very nice small reasonably priced hotels. Shopping around the island is beneficial in this respect. There are currently three all-inclusive ops on the island. A forth is in the process of opening up and is located on the lagoon near Blue Bayou channel. (Coral Reef Resort). Deep Blue Resort (the newest) is located on the beach: Laguna Beach Resort is located on a beach; Utila Lodge is the original AI and is located in the village near the fire station. All of the established AI's are class operations and are client oriented.
Transportation: The island is very small. For extended periods, we buy bicycles on arrival and sell them when we leave. Less expensive than renting them. Main Street is only twelve feet wide and is not paved the entire length of the island. Most people walk or bike. Then there are golf carts, 4 wheelers, motorcycles and some autos which are used as taxis and hauling. It is not unusual to see a family of five on a single motorcycle.
Food: There are two principal grocery stores on the island...Henderson's and Bush grocery. A number of smaller stores can be found along main street. Just about all essentials are available. I was able to replace a computer battery ar Rose Hardware.
The restaurants are small, service can be rather slow...but who's in a hurry in Utila?? We ate locally and had everything from lobster to baleadas (tacos) ALL restaurants on Utila are reasonably priced by US standards! Munchies and Capt. Jack's are great for breakfast. Island Cafe has great lobster and a variety of dishes; Mango Inn has excellent pizza and their own huge oven; Dave's is off the beaten path by Cross Creek and has an excellent grill every night at 6:30; Kate's has Italian and her food is super; The Jade Seahorse is unique and it's bar is a must see...The Treetanic....it is actually a bar which is built entirely up in the trees. Wow!! Our favorite place is RJ's. Opens at 5:30PM three days a week....Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Robbie, the owner, does all the cooking himself on an open pit in the rear of the restaurant. The retaurant is open air ( as are almost all on the island). We always choose to sit in the back with the local fishermen and watch Robbie do his thing. We alway get there early (highly recommended) for several reasons: sometimes items on the nightly menu run out...also if you get there early Robbie will mix your local drink for you before the rest of the help arrives.....he makes then like he makes his own...very tasty!!
Night Life: We had to push our bikes home only one night. Seriously, if you are into heavy night life and need loads of entertainment and external stimulation, etc. find somewhere else to go! There are several places on the island...Coco Loco; Tranquilla Bar; Bar in the Bush; and The Barracuda, located upstairs at the Bay Islands College of Diving. We jamed there with guitars at least once a week. Usually by 9 or 10 o'clock it gets pretty quiet.
Divng: Suffice to say that the economy of Utila is Dive driven. There are eleven dive operations on the island and they are very competitive. Training can be obtained from open water to instructor at very reasonable prices. I have found over the years that personalities of dive shops change from time to time...this is due in part the movement of instructors, divemasters and changes in shop management. It is suggested that one look around and talk with the operators before one sinks a lot of money into training or dive packages. Most of the reputable operators on the island are in agreement with me on this. They will also suggest you do the same. Different strokes for different folks.
While there we dove alternately with Deep Blue Divers, Ecomarine, and Deep Blue Resort. We averaged two dives a day. All of our experiences with these operations were exceptional! There is a difference in the type of operations they offer: The dive ops usually schedule their morning dives (2) to the north side...more advanced dives and more weather critical. Then two more dives in the afternoon on the south side. As such, the ops have some time constraints to meet...business, after all, is business. The all-inclusives, on the other hand, are much more flexible in what they can do for you with their time. So naturally, the all inclusive ops are going to be able to give you, personally, more bang for your bucks.....it'll cost more bucks but if it's whale sharks you want to see, then they are the ones that will go the extra miles or kilometers to make you happy, literally! We also took a motor sailer to the Cayos Cochinos for three days. We rented tanks from the only dive op located there. These islands are primitive, surprisingly green and pretty. I'd visualized a bunch of reefs out there. We had rough seas and our diving was limited accordingly. I would go back. What we saw was comprable with Utila.
The condition of the reefs at Utila are very good. Soft corals abound and there is an abundance of beautiful marine life. We had incredible luck this trip!! We saw whale sharks with all the operators we dove with...Changui (Curtis) on the Tarpon, a fast jet drive boat operated by Ecomarine; Cray, captain on the Foxey Lady at Deep Blue Divers and Swin, probably the best whale shark captain on Utila at Deep Blue Resort.
We saw everything from nudis to groups of mantas, rays, turtles, and a pod of dolphin playing keep away with one another with a waterlogged stick under water. Exciting, to say the least!! Oh, I forgot to mention that one of the whale sharks was a juvenile....a little guy about 12 feet long. Most of the others we saw were 35 to 45 feet long. We managed to get two dvd's done in cooperation with Chris, owner of the Utila cinema, which have some great whale shark footage, among many other things. Got a lot of digital stuff also and will try to get some of that posted somewhere for viewing.
One of the highlights of our trip was the oportunity to dive with our friend Hans Grauer who is recovering from a broken hip joint. Hans is one of the longest standing instructors on Utila, if not the longest. It was an honor and it was a dive we will never forget!
Special thanks to Shirley. Steve and Jas at Deep Blue and to our friend Tex, Manager at Ecomarine. Oh, I forgot to mention that we also spent a day with Tex and his family, who were visitng, on Water Caye, snorking and just plain having fun.
I have also posted on this subject in the Texas Swamp Divers area under "Adios Texas, Hello Utila"
Rergards,